Employment Services
Personalized preparation, job placement, and coaching to help people pursue meaningful employment.
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About Supported Employment
AbilityFirst’s Supported Employment program helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities prepare for, find, and succeed in employment. Services are personalized to each participant’s strengths, interests, support needs, and career goals.
Participants build job-readiness skills and gain experience through community-integrated internship and employment opportunities. Once placed, participants can receive on-the-job coaching to support confidence, growth, and success in the workplace.
Through initiatives like Project SEARCH and DiscoverAbility, we connect participants with meaningful, competitive jobs in their local communities, matching the specific hiring needs of local businesses with the unique strengths, interests, and capabilities of our participants.
Ask About Employment Services
Contact the Employment Services team to discuss job goals, eligibility, and available support.
562.343.3041 | employmentservices@abilityfirst.org
What Participants Can Expect
- Personalized job-readiness skills training
- Support identifying employment goals and opportunities
- Community-integrated internships and employment
- Job placement assistance
- On-the-job coaching and continued support
Program Details
Ages: 16+
Format: Community-integrated employment services
Service locations: Available through AbilityFirst Employment Services, including services connected to the Claremont and Long Beach centers
Our Employment Services
Job Development and Placement
Job developers partner with each individual one-on-one to develop a Person-Centered Employment Plan, then connect with local businesses to understand their hiring needs and match them with the individual’s strengths, interests, and capabilities through assessments, interviews, internships, job shadowing and resume building.
- Create and develop cover letters, resumes, portfolios, and thank-you letters
- Complete paper or online applications and assessments
- Market strengths through tailored employment proposals and strategic networking
- Develop interview skills through personalized mock sessions and hands-on interview assistance
- Follow up with employers, or coach the individual on follow-up procedures and techniques
- Match employer needs with talent through job accommodations and inclusive placement support
Job Coaching and Long-Term Support
Job Coaches provide on-the-job training at the business site through coaching and mentoring, ensuring a successful transition into community employment and encouraging job retention. Support is provided through systematic instruction, performance measurement, natural supports, and any needed accommodations, and is gradually reduced until the individual is independent on the job.
Coordinated Career Pathway Services
A time-limited program that provides direction for an individual’s job search through job shadowing, interest and community assessments, and expanding community engagement. It is focused on individuals transitioning out of work activity programs or subminimum wage settings, or within two years of exiting secondary education, to explore and achieve inclusive options including community employment.
Department of Rehabilitation Work Experience Programs
Student Services Work Experience is a work-based learning experience that offers students with disabilities who are in high school or a transition program the opportunity to explore work in a variety of real-time settings. The program is offered through the California State Department of Rehabilitation.
Paid Internship Programs
The Paid Internship Program helps individuals with developmental disabilities gain work experience through on-the-job training, with the potential of part- or full-time employment with the business partner. The scope and length of each internship is individualized; the optimal outcome is a positive experience, a relationship with an employer, and a job offer.