October is Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Vaya Health is honoring those with disabilities who participate in the workforce.
For some people with disabilities, participating in the workforce provides personal meaning. It can be a way of connecting with and contributing to the community.
Disability Employment Awareness Month is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2025. It was first observed in 1945 as a weeklong celebration, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of Disability Employment Policy.
Ginger Yarbrough is Chief Clinical Officer for Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD), Traumatic Brain Injury, and Olmstead for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disability, and Substance Use Services.
“Having a job is about more than just earning money,” Yarbrough says. “People with I/DD bring unique talents and strengths to the workplace. They are a valuable part of the North Carolina workforce. Programs like Inclusion Works and Inclusion Connects support North Carolina’s goal to make sure everyone has a fair chance to work if that is their choice.”
Inclusion Works is an NCDHHS initiative to promote what is called “competitive integrated employment” for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, so people can work in an integrated setting—with non-disabled coworkers—for fair pay. In August, NCDHHS released its 5-year strategic plan to expand competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with I/DD.
With the Inclusion Connects initiative, NCDHHS works to ensure people with I/DD have access to needed services and support to live, work, and play in their communities.
The NCDHHS Division of Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities—often shortened to EIPD, and formerly known as Vocational Rehabilitation—also helps people with disabilities access job counseling, training, placement, and coaching.
There are as many diverse forms of employment for people with disabilities as there are for people without disabilities.
For example, employment for people with disabilities might or might not include accommodations, such as changes to a work environment or assistive technology that can help someone with a disability be successful in their job.
In North Carolina, people with I/DD might receive a service called supported employment, which eligible Vaya members can receive through the NC Innovations Waiver or 1915(i) Medicaid services. The supported-employment service can help people find and keep a job in their community.
People with disabilities sometimes start their own businesses. Vaya’s Microenterprise Business Directory spotlights microenterprises and small businesses owned by Vaya members with I/DD.
People sometimes work in businesses created or designed specifically to include people with disabilities. Some people with disabilities also have regular volunteer shifts as unpaid employment that provides meaning to the person and makes a significant contribution to their community.
“Employment helps people with developmental disabilities feel proud, independent, and connected to their community,” Yarbrough says. “When we include everyone, we build stronger teams and a better future for all.”
We are pleased to profile four adults with disabilities—who work in a beautiful variety of ways—as Vaya supports Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Profile: Bill Lattimore
Bill Lattimore works as a dish washer in the cafeteria of Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. Lattimore has autism, and he receives supported-employment services through the NC Innovations Waiver.
Lattimore has been working at Warren Wilson College for more than 30 years.
“Bill works in the dish room and washes dishes,” says Stephen Brawley, Lattimore’s Direct Support Professional, or DSP. “He knows the job backwards and forwards. He is part of a team of people that includes employees and student volunteers.
“He is really an integral part of the dining hall and working in the dish room. His coworkers engage with him a lot. Even though he has expressive-receptive communication issues, Bill has a good rapport with all of them.”
Barry Phillips is the general manager for Sodexo Food Services at Warren Wilson College.
“Bill means a lot to us,” Phillips says. “Bill may not talk to us a lot, but he’s always attentive. He understands when we talk to him, and he knows exactly what to do. Everyone likes having him as part of our team.”
Phillips says Lattimore is important to the dining hall’s operations. “Bill is steady—he does his job the way he’s supposed to do it,” Phillips says. “He’s learned a lot even since I’ve been here, and he’s been here since way before my time. I know I can count on Bill to do his job well.
“Sometimes there are issues with support that mean Bill can’t be here on time. If we have to replace Bill, we get out of sync sometimes. Things don’t flow quite as well. It’s nice having Bill right there at the head of the machine, knowing what to do. We can count on him.”
Brawley says that Lattimore’s family is very involved in his life. Lattimore lives with two housemates, and he also volunteers in the community.
“We volunteer at Meals on Wheels Monday through Friday,” Brawley says. “Monday through Thursday Bill shreds paper for them, and on Friday he bags dog treats.”
Lattimore also receives support through community-networking services.
“We have a lot of fun,” Brawley says. “We go for hikes, play basketball. Bill loves to go for coffee. He’s just a lot of fun to work with, and it’s fun coming out to Warren Wilson College and being part of a team.
“I think supported employment helps give people a sense of self, a sense of importance, and a sense of contribution. Being able to help people do that and have that—and helping Bill do that—is important.”
Profile: Cody Thompson
Cody Thompson is a landscaper at B.H. Graning Landscaping in Jackson County.
Thompson is a 2017 graduate of Western Carolina University’s University Participant (UP) Program, which is a 2-year, on-campus living and learning experience for college-aged persons with intellectual disabilities.
Thompson obtained a driver’s license while at Western Carolina University and started saving to purchase a vehicle. He decided he wanted to live and work in Cullowhee after graduation from the program—and when he graduated, Thompson already had gotten a full-time job with benefits at B.H. Graning Landscaping.
“This job with B.H. Graning and the WCU UP Program helped me build character and be a better person to try to help lead others in the best way possible,” Thompson says.
B.H. Graning Landscaping Vice President Roger Murajda praises Thompson’s work and contribution.
“Our experience with Cody has been nothing but a positive for us,” he says. Thompson has received employee-of-the-month recognition at least four times with the company.
Dr. Kelly Kelley is the UP Program director and professor at Western Carolina University.
“Cody has always been eager and driven to reach goals he sets for himself,” she says. “He has been determined to achieve big things from the day we met at Western Carolina University, and he knows it takes hard work and dedication to get there. It has been a pleasure to play a small part in supporting him to dream and achieve his goals.
“Partnering with Vaya and adult service providers to continue support services beyond inclusive postsecondary education with WCU UP graduates plays a critical part in these success stories and long-term competitive employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.”
Thompson mentors students and families participating in the WCU UP Program. He pays his own bills and is determined to continue making a difference in his community.
Thompson also has advice for others about working in competitive integrated employment settings.
“For a job, being kind and patient goes a long way,” Thompson says. “The thing I have learned in the workforce is that communication is very important, especially with coworkers and supervisors, to make sure you are on the same page and working as a team.”
Profile: Grace Cooley
Artist Grace Cooley owns a microenterprise business called Filtered With Grace. Cooley lives in Chatham County.
“Being a neurodivergent artist means so much to me,” Cooley says. “I like to express myself through my work, and I love being in a community with other artists like me.”
Cooley’s cards and artwork captivate viewers with bold colors and geometric play. In her artist statement, she says her mediums are coffee filters, watercolors, markers, canvas, a laminator, and Mod Podge, which provides glue, sealant, and a matte finish.
“The reason I started doing artwork is because my dad inspired me,” Cooley says. “He was an artist. When I was younger, I used to sell my coffee filters for 25 cents each. Later, I started using Mod Podge to arrange the coffee filters onto canvases.”
For Cooley, owning her business is a way to connect to people. “It brings me joy to see people’s reactions to my work,” she says, “and for them to be interested in my process.”
She also says that she likes to provide art to people at affordable prices.
Cooley works with FIRST WNC and Abilities FIRST microenterprise job coach Michelle Cates to develop and build her business. “Self-employment empowers individuals to earn income on their own schedules while showcasing their unique strengths and abilities,” Cates says.
Describing the microenterprise-coaching program, Janet Price-Ferrell, the Executive Director of FIRST WNC, says, “By connecting self-employment to self-empowerment, Abilities FIRST helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities turn their business ideas into reality.
“Disability should never be a barrier to belonging, opportunity, or joy.”
Profile: Joey Sale
Joey Sale is a Crew Member at Annie B’s Homemade Ice Cream shop in Arden.
“I do everything they need me to do,” Sale says. “I make milkshakes, and I’m pretty quick at it. I do dishes. I started making waffle cones a couple of months ago. I just do everything they need me to do.”
Pete Brewer and Betsy Brewer are the co-owners of Annie B’s in southern Buncombe County. They opened the shop when their daughter—Annie—was graduating from high school. Pete Brewer says they wanted to provide Annie with a career and to do the same for other adults with disabilities.
Most of the shop’s employees are adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The business opened in July 2022, and Sale has worked at the shop from the start.
Brewer says, “I don’t think I’ve ever worked with an employee across my entire professional career as infectiously positive as Joey. And that’s not hyperbole. To have someone who comes into the shop every day and is thrilled to be here and ready to give his maximum effort—that’s tough to find in any workplace. Joey is at the top in terms of positive attitude. You just can’t help but have your day brightened by working with him.”
The business assists Sale and its other employees’ success with very purposeful design and visual structure supporting the shop’s work processes.
Brewer says, “One of the keys we learned—and I believe this is true for any business and any employer—is that you need to say, ‘how do I design my business and my processes and support my employees to maximize their chances for success.’
“That’s what we’ve done here to have a supported workplace for folks with disabilities. With processes that are custom-designed and with managers in place who have the empathy and the expertise that our employees need, folks with disabilities come here to work, and they absolutely can rise to the occasion and shine.”
Some of Annie B’s managers have backgrounds as special-education teachers. They and the Brewers expect excellence from their employees.
“Our crew members are adults who are in the workplace,” Brewer says. “They are full-fledged employees. We deliver our ice cream and products as fast and efficiently as any other ice cream shop.
“We count on our employees, and they are fantastic. We need them to do the work and to do it well for the business to run. It’s a multitasking, high-responsibility job environment.”
Sale says that working at Annie B’s has strengthened his confidence and helped him develop professional skills.
“I can talk to the customers more now,” he says. “I interact with the customers more. And most of them are nice.
“Sometimes it gets really, really busy, like 90 miles an hour. But I like to be busy. I think you need to work as hard as you can possibly work.”
Sale says that working at Annie B’s is a big part of his life.
“I love my job—it’s awesome,” he says. “I like meeting new people. Working is important. It gives me more independence.
“I love Pete and Betsy. I love all the staff here. They’re great. I plan to retire from this. I love this job.”
