OLATHE, Kan. — Many people with physical or intellectual disabilities were the first to be laid off or fired during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a local support organization called GoodLife Innovations is doing its part to help them recover.
Clients in the “RISE” program at GoodLife Innovations take classes on valuable life and career skills.
Founder Jenni Bryan said topics range from how to get a job, to how to deal with conflict, to sexuality and social skills. Bryan was inspired to start the “RISE” program after seeing the needs of her own son who has Down syndrome.
“I really wanted to create something that I thought he would like and that a parent would like — and coming from a parent’s perspective,” Bryan said.
One of her clients, Spencer Nemecek, recently grew out of foster care and got a job with GoodLife Innovations. He is attending their classes weekly and growing with his peers to hopefully become a full-time accountant one day.
“It really helps 'cause it provides you with the materials I need, 'cause eventually I want to be able to be on my own completely,” Nemecek said.
He credits much of his current success to the program.
“I moved in in February, and I’ve seen major improvements in my life since I moved in,” Nemecek said. “I’m not sure I would've gotten the job I have right now if I wasn't here right now.”
Lindsey Green said having a community of people to fall back on puts her mind at ease. She was recently employed again after leaving her job during the pandemic and is excited to share the news with her peers.
“They were only having me work two hours which wasn’t enough,” Green said. “I'm really excited about starting to work again. Getting some money!”
She said she is excited for her newly-found freedom with her own apartment and a consistent paycheck.
“RISE” Program Director Meg Ward told KSHB 41 News much of what they do is getting their clients back out into the community. Many of them just need encouragement to start again.
“It was really, really sad for a lot of them. Just really, feelings of isolation and just, questions of worth really, happened for a lot of our people,” Ward said.
Ward said she believes positive interactions can break negative stereotypes. They hope to show employers the value of what their clients have to offer.
“You’re gonna see way better job retention, see way better customer service and things like that, which is what a lot of studies show,” Ward said.
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