Five Questions With: Kerri Zanchi

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, providing an opportunity to raise awareness about disability employment issues and demonstrate commitment to an inclusive workplace through disability awareness training and educational events promoting accommodations and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Providence Business News reached out to Kerri Zanchi, director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities in the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, to ask about the state’s efforts to create inclusive workplaces and what will give those efforts their best chance of success.

PBN: As an Employment First state, Rhode Island’s official state policy promotes community-based, integrated employment as the first option for services for individuals living with a disability. Association of People Supporting Employment First’s flyer states that declaring the policy isn’t enough – where do you see opportunities for the state to live up to the promise of the policy?

ZANCHI: Our Employment First policy drives our work to connect individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities with opportunities that will empower them to be part of a community which provides meaningful employment with fair wages. But we have to take a holistic approach to achieve this. The department has been aware that establishing policies to promote integration through systems transformation are essential to success. Employment First is one of the best examples of that.

- Advertisement -

Rhode Island is one of 46 states that focuses on an Employment First strategy. At least 19 Employment First states, including Rhode Island, have an official state policy: that employment in the community is the first and preferred service option for people with disabilities.

As part of this national movement, BHDDH and its state agency partners supporting individuals living with disabilities recognize that this requires the transition away from traditional models of day services to models that promote community membership and build pathways to competitive, integrated employment.

PBN: How close is Rhode Island to realizing the aim of the national movement toward greater emphasis on community employment, providing individuals with disabilities with the same opportunities and responsibilities as all citizens?

ZANCHI: We work in close collaboration with our state agencies and partners in the community to consistently strive to create equal opportunities in the workforce. Through the investment in and transition to person-centered and fully integrated community-based services, the skills, talent and potential of each person have a chance to shine.

With the right supports and opportunities in place, employers receive talented employees. Employment empowers all people to contribute to the success of businesses and communities across the state. We know that Rhode Island’s businesses and economy are stronger when individuals have access to integrated jobs at competitive wages. We also know that Rhode Island businesses value the contributions that individuals with developmental disabilities make as employees.

PBN: Can the case of The James L. Maher Center, where state government, businesses and providers collaborated to revive the center and preserve it as an opportunity for meaningful work for people with developmental/intellectual disabilities, work as a model to create new opportunities?

ZANCHI: For a variety of reasons, the Garden Center operated by The James L. Maher Center, located in Middletown, has closed and it was a difficult loss for the community. Maher has always been a reputable provider of employment supports and the decision not to reopen this past spring was difficult.

But by working together, we have identified the potential for future opportunities through the design of an innovative and inclusive training model in the horticulture industry. While still very early in the design process, this model is being explored through a public-private partnership. The goal is to develop a model that will be responsive to demand-driven training needs while leveraging the expertise of the Maher Center and local partners who share in our commitment to Rhode Islanders living with disabilities.

PBN: What percentage of people with developmental/intellectual disabilities in Rhode Island seeking work can find it?

ZANCHI: As a result of the investments in employment services and embracing an Employment First approach, Rhode Island is seeing gains in the employment rates of individuals living with a developmental disability. In R.I., individuals living with a disability who have obtained employment is 35 percent, [which is] higher than the national employment average.

In addition to having access to community-based and day service funding, people can also participate in the BHDDH’s Person-Centered Supported Employment Performance Program, which includes a network of 24 providers who deliver employment services through performance-based contracts. BHDDH continues to expand its network of providers with expertise in integrated day and employment supports.

PBN: Please share a story that illustrates the importance of this movement and how the state would benefit from pursuing these goals.

ZANCHI: Everyone deserves the opportunity to live, work and spend time in the community alongside people who are not living with disabilities. There are many stories of how lives are changed, both for the employer and their employees, when a business hires an individual living with a developmental disability.

To celebrate National Disability Employment Month, we visited a workplace that illustrates an integrated employment workplace, Bella Vita Salon in Westerly, with Jesse, who is a valued employee.

Jesse was attending the Frank Olean Center day program when she told the Olean job developer that she wanted a job in the community. Jesse started attending the Olean Center Vocational Job Readiness class and working with the job developer weekly.

Jesse knew she wanted an environment where she would be able to interact with a lot of people. She was very excited about an opportunity to work in a salon. It would provide an environment that was both social and where she could use her experience cleaning and organizing to help the business run smoothly and to provide good customer service.

One of her first steps was to participate in “informational interviews” to sharpen her interviewing skills and learn more about what it is like to work at a salon and spa. Although it was just for practice, by the end of the informational interview at Bella Vita Salon, the employer was so impressed with Jesse, she wanted to hire her.

Years later, Jesse still loves her job and is a valued co-worker and part of their close family-like workplace. The owner of the salon, Maria Allen, noted during the visit that Jesse plays an important role, and people take notice when she is not there.

That’s the success story we want for every Rhode Islander living with a disability, and she is one of many who inspire us every day to keep working toward those goals.

Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.