Special needs employment in Macon

By Samuel Jacobs

For many people finding a job can be a rough experience, but for people with special needs finding a job can be much harder. Where should they start? Fortunately Macon has resources to help.

The Arc is a supported employment company that helps people with developmental disabilities find a job they will enjoy.

The unemployment rate for the general public is at a record low of 3.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics but that isn’t the case for those with disabilities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics hasn’t released any data on the 2018 unemployment rates for special needs adults, but in 2017 the unemployment rate for people with special needs over the age of 16 was at 9.2 percent.

“Most people who want to work, they don’t know how to get a job” said Frank Krause, who is director of supported employment at the Arc. “And that’s what we help with here.”

One of the factors that may limit people’s ability to find a job is that they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for.

The Arc does “analysis to see what people are qualified to do. [The Arc] also looks at their backgrounds to see what kind of tasks they would be able to do: would they be able to work night shifts or day shifts, do they like independent type tasks or working in a group.” Krause said. “Once we discovered the likes of a person we can better suit them as far as finding a job.”

The Arc isn’t the only group who helps adults with developmental disabilities here in Macon. The State of Georgia also provides similar services through the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency provides job training as well as help searching for a job. Mac Brydon’s company, Bear Food, is one of the companies partnered with the agency to help people with special needs.

“This is a company that can be a 60 to 90 day transition kind of job where they can work here, be in a social environment with college kids. They come in casually, wear a Bear Food shirt, and just do simple tasks for two hours,” Brydon said. “That helps them realize you have goals and you have to meet them. You’re gonna get paid; we’re not patting them on the back, they have a job. But that’s what they want.”

For information on how to get involved with the Arc or the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency check out their websites thearcmacon.org and gvs.georgia.gov respectively.