"In California, only 13% of working adults with developmental disabilities are employed, leading to a disproportionate number of people with disabilities living in poverty and seclusion from their community." California State Council on Developmental Disabilities
In response to this staggering statistic, on October 9, 2013, Governor Brown signed into law California's Employment First Policy. The policy states "that opportunities for integrated, competitive employment shall be given the highest priority for working age individuals with developmental disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities." This mandate was intended to facilitate the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace and community.
In 2015 OFI transformed its STEP Day Program into a state of the art job readiness and employment first program with the goal of providing competitive employment opportunities in non-sheltered, non-enclave settings for all of their program participants. Today, OFI, offers job coaching and behavioral supports to individuals who have historically been unable to access and/or sustain employment and we are seeing high rates of success.