Currently, less than 15% of adults with intellectual disabilities make a living wage in our state.
The lack of real employment opportunities, the lack of a living wage, the lack of full participation in our communities...all of these barriers and missed opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities can be attributed to minimal, sub-standard employment options.
The Redwood SEED Scholars Program aims to change that.
Our program keeps employment readiness and employment opportunities at the center. We build social skills that are crucial to success in employment settings in context. We create learning opportunities that build skills that will directly improve employment options. We use the Living Learning Lab as a place to develop, practice and increase communication skills, relationship skills, executive functioning skills and time management/organizational skills. This is done in context and with meaning. Our Foundational Courses work to develop and enrich employment skills. All parts of our program are meant to work together to develop the skills necessary for our students to be successful within their larger communities upon graduation.
Our students begin their first internship on the UC Davis campus in spring quarter of their first year. Each quarter thereafter our students will have internship and employment opportunities based on their person-centered plan, their areas of interest, their hopes and dreams for the future and their skill set.
After that first internship experience, we work to find paid employment. Adding in more hours of work and new skills quarter by quarter. If employment goes well for the scholar, we work to add in a second employment opportunity moving toward a second paid job.
Our Third and Fourth Year Scholars also volunteer with an organization that is of interest to them. With this experience, the scholar works to build leadership skills and the program provides a third worksite experience with volunteering.
We build Ladders of Opportunity for employment that are customized and individualized for each scholar. This takes a general area of interest that the student may have and works to find an area on campus that could be a good fit for an internship opportunity. After that quarter, if the internship was a success, we will move to develop other skills or deepen already acquired skills with a different internship. It could be within the same area of interest or some place else.
Our goal is to offer choice to our students and to open up their understanding about what is possible when they consider the world of work. Having a world-class university willing to open its doors and share the diverse employment opportunities available is an incredible gift and our program takes full advantage of it.
“We have a dedicated and experienced professional as our Employment Director, Maddi Hinchey, and she works to build employment opportunities, internship opportunities and career-readiness skills with the scholars.
THANK YOU to our amazing UC Davis Campus Partners:
UC Davis Athletics
UC Davis Baseball
UC Davis Bookstore
UC Davis Calf Barn
UC Davis Center for Child and Family Studies
UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health
UC Davis Chemistry Department
UC Davis Coffee House
The Craft Center
Cuarto Service Desk
UC Davis Environmental Safety Services
UC Davis Equestrian Center
UC Davis Gymnastics
KDVS
UC Davis Lacrosse
UC Davis Library
UC Davis Memorial Union Information Desk
The UC Davis MIND Institute
The Mondavi Center
Outdoor Adventures
UC Davis Police Department
Segundo Market
Segundo Service Desk
UC Davis Student Disability Center
UC Davis Supply Chain Management
Tercero Service Desk
UC Davis Tour Guides
UC Davis Veterinary Hospital
UC Davis Women’s Volleyball Team
THANK YOU to our off-campus community partners as well, including:
Birch Lane Elementary
Davis Community Church Nursery School
Davis Forest School
Davis Parent Nursery School
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Redwood SEED Scholars and FOA
Across FOA departments, a quiet transformation is taking place, led by the hardworking, determined Redwood SEED Scholars, California students with intellectual disabilities who live, work, attend classes and participate in student life at UC Davis. Read more about their experience in this article published by UC Davis Finance, Operations and Administration.