Albany Area Chamber of Commerce & Dougherty County School System support careers for students with developmental disabilities

ALBANY, Ga. – The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce is lending a hand to local students with developmental disabilities. Because for the first time, the Chamber is helping these kids learn the skills needed to land a job after high school.

Dougherty County School System para-professional, Gordina Porter, has known many of the students for years, and knew that they would need help learning skills that can be difficult to grasp for most.

“…It’s exciting to see them develop, I’ve seen some that have gone from being shy. And, this will help them to be more confident. To have more flexibility and adaptability with individuals they don’t know, and speaking with them, sharing information about them. So, this is a great experience…” said Gordina Porter, para-professional, DCSS.

We caught up with Albany Area Chamber of Commerce President, Bárbara Rivera Holmes about hosting an event like this…

Since this is the first time they’ve done an event around building networking skills for students with developmental disabilities.

And, she wants to make sure these kids have a good grasp on networking and being professional.

“We have employers here talking about the jobs available in our community. Albany Technical College is talking about educational opportunities. So, we’re practicing interview skills, we’re working through what to wear, and what not to wear in the workplace. Really focusing on the employability skills that our employers say are so important in the workplace,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes, President, Albany Area Chamber of Commerce.

For these kids, both the Chamber and the school system want to make sure that they get as much help as they need to be set up for success.

“…There is life after high school. So, once you complete this path, we want you to be thinking of the future. We want them employed. We want them to be able to maintain those jobs once they are employed. If they want to go to school, we want them to have the option of technical school, college, and then we want them to have the support that they’re gonna need to go there,” said Porter.

“…And we also want to ensure that all people in our community have opportunities. And, through this program we’re able to reach out to our students, provide them with information about job availability, connect them with some employers. Open their minds as to what’s available to them in our community…” said Rivera-Holmes.

While graduation may be months away for some of these students, they’re getting a jump on networking and getting into the workforce.

Holmes says they plan to host more ‘Thrive’ events aimed at helping prepare developmentally disabled students in the future.

Brian Roche reporting.

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