Success Stories – Capital Area Employment 1st Coalition

Catch of glimpse of “Employment First” success stories from your local area. Learn from stakeholders how they are engaging employers and persons with disabilities in today’s workforce.

Ryan, with Emma, WOU Career Resource Specialist.

A Shining Example of Success: Ryan K. at Walgreens

Ryan started with Work Opportunities Unlimited (WOU) services back in November 2024. He had participated in various volunteer experiences on his own, but he and his family were looking for direction to foster more independence.

Ryan and Career Resource Specialist (CRS) Emma got to work on completing a short-term Community Based Work Assessment so WOU could determine the skills Ryan already possessed that would serve him in his employment journey. Emma arranged for Ryan to complete the assessment at a local art gallery that supports individuals with disabilities’ creativity through art. Ryan worked alongside the receptionist to trial his office and customer service skills.

After the assessment, Emma and Ryan determined that he needed to sharpen his work skills in a setting where he could have a variety of tasks and also keep his body active; enter Walgreen’s REDI program.

Thanks to the great relationship fellow CRS, Ally, had established with Walgreens through previous Pre-ETs programs, Emma easily arranged a meeting with Walgreen’s new manager, Thais. Emma skill marketed Ryan for his current abilities and outlined how he could continue to cultivate those as well as develop new skills in the REDI program. She emphasized how Ryan would contribute valuable time and energy to positively impacting the store and shoppers.

Walgreens excitedly agreed, and over the next three months Ryan completed the REDI program. He learned skills such as stocking, merchandising, cleaning, and customer service. Ryan consistently received positive feedback from his coworkers about how well faced the store looked and how caught up on unloading truck shipments they were.

Still, CRS Emma and the other members of Ryan’s support team were not fully prepared for how much of an impact Ryan truly made. As Ryan’s work experience was coming to an end, Emma approached Thais to discuss the next steps. Unfortunately, reported Thais, despite Ryan’s fantastic performance, there were no hours to give him at this time to be able to bring him on as a regular employee. Ryan’s coworkers were not satisfied with this answer. Instead, they rallied around Ryan and pushed to have Ryan join the team. After seeing the demand for Ryan in the store, Walgreens management went further up their chain of command to get Ryan on board.

Although the hours were made available for Ryan to work, Emma and Ryan faced red tape in getting his application submitted and approved. When facing these barriers, Emma reached out to WOU’s Corporate Partnership Coordinator, Amanda Tosoni, to see if she had contacts through Walgreens that could push progress in a positive direction. Within 48 hours, Amanda and a REDI Program Coordinator were able to bypass the red tape, and Ryan was set for hire.

The multifaceted rally for Ryan worked! Ryan was hired in November and is currently continuing his success in his role as “store associate” alongside the support of CRS Emma. Ryan’s coworkers express their gratitude for Ryan’s commitment to work each shift. He continues to expand his job duties to items such as learning to complete outdates and how to place sales tags. Furthermore, the relationship with this corporate partner has strengthened, and
since Ryan’s work assessment there has been one long-term and two short-term work assessments completed at this location.

Way to go, Ryan!

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A Shining Example of Success: Ryan K. at Walgreens

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