Employment Works – Job Placement Programs

Employment Works provides job placement services to adults and youth with disabilities through referrals from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Ticket to Work and in collaboration with community service providers.

ACCO is currently not accepting Tickets for the Social Security Ticket to Work Program

Beneficiaries who are currently part of the Ticket Program or who are interested in becoming part of the program should use the contact information below for all inquiries.

Phone: 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD)
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET
Email: Support@choosework.ssa.gov

Please contact us to determine program eligibility and for more information. We work with you to explore and pursue your career interest, and help you evaluate your knowledge skills and abilities in order to find the right outcome for you and employment. We spend time focusing on getting to know you and determining what your needs are. Our first step is always listening.

Tracie Hammons-Director of Employment Works

Phone: 303-691-9339

thammons@abilityconnectioncolorado.org

Sandra Lopez– Employment Consultant

Phone: 303-691-9339

slopez@abilityconnectioncolorado.org

CAREER PLANNING AND GUIDANCE

JOB SEARCH: We work with you to narrow down your top three job preferences. We help you affirm your career goals. We work with you to survey businesses in your desired location. We help you create or revise your resume as necessary. We work with you to search for as many jobs as possible.

JOB PLACEMENT: We follow up with potential employers as an advocate on your behalf. We debrief with you after each interview to evaluate your performance. We work with you to determine when and how to disclose disability or accommodate concerns with the employer.

JOB-SEEKING SKILLS: We coach you to develop your job search skills. We share techniques that can improve presentation skills. We work with you to improve your interview skills. We give you tools to continually build self-confidence. We help you develop strong pre- and post-employment preparation skills. We teach you about online application procedures.

POST-EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT: We connect with the new employee as well as the employer to ensure that the start of a new job is successful. We help you assess and adjust during the first week in the new position to identify areas of concern you may have and teach you how to appropriately communicate your concerns or issues with your employer.

The Employment Works! Center of Ability Connection Colorado helps youth and adults with disabilities to obtain and retain employment that matches their interest and choices.

Employment Works (EW) provides employment-related services to nearly 3,000 people in Colorado annually through RAMP, Colorado Work Incentive Counseling and Ticket to Work. Colorado businesses who collaborate with EW become more competitive by exploring new approaches to employment and gaining access to non-traditional labor sources.

Long term success for the people we serve happens when a “career” replaces a “job,” and the need to rely on benefits is reduced or eliminated over time. Long term success is also based on whether goals determined by the individual or the family have been reached.

Employment Works outcomes are determined and monitored first and foremost by the people who use our services and whether they assess that their needs have been met. Additionally, programs within EW are subject to rigorous federal and state training processes that equip our staff with the knowledge, skills and ability to serve the people in our community.

The moment the eyes of a person receiving social security benefits light up when they understand that work and retaining benefits is a real option. It is the moment that an at-risk youth with a disability begins to gather the tools needed to become career-focused and their own advocate. Sean* is a man in his mid-fifties who has been experiencing gradual loss of sight due to a degenerative eye disease. He came to Employment Works seeking resources that could help him transition to impending blindness. EW connected Sean to a comprehensive training program in mobility, assistive technology and strategies for daily living, including food preparation, in anticipation of his future reality.

In addition to providing coping strategies for the changes to his sight, EW also assisted Sean by supporting him through the job search and interview process. His degree in computer science and information made him a great candidate to be an Assistive Technology Specialist with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Sean has been tremendously successful in this new position and enjoys teaching people who are experiencing vision loss the technological skills and coping strategies that create self-sufficiency and personal independence.

*Name has been changed