Last month, we covered the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities’ employment Initiatives for transition-aged youth. Now we’re going behind the scenes to highlight the dedicated team members making it all possible.

Every person lives at the intersection of identities: age, class, gender, religion, and all the things that play a huge part in how we move through the world. For Anya Carillo, standing at the intersection of Native youth and disability identities is an opportunity to tell her story while helping others find their own voice.

Dr. Edgin says her research will focus on answering a single multi-layered question: “Can we provide a solution that will help facilitate the safety of these individuals through the delivery of their reports, and alongside these methods, change the public’s perception of the validity of their reports?”

As high school students prepare to make their way in the world, schools seek to streamline the transition. This looks different for every student, but for students with disabilities, this process presents unique challenges.

On November 29, 2022, the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities proudly hosted Commissioner Jill Jacobs of the Administration on Community Living (ACL)'s Administration on Disabilities in Tucson, Arizona for an extended meeting session.

For National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Arizona Developmental Disability Network—including the Sonoran Center and the Employment First Initiative—partnered with Vocational Rehabilitation to host a series of Windmill Trainings focused on inclusion for people with disabilities in the workplace.

The Sonoran Center proudly hosted Harunah Damba as part of the State Department's Professional Fellowship Program. As chairperson of United Persons With Disabilities, he aims to use his experience with the Center to help him bring Uganda's disability community together.

The agreement has the goal of creating a national technical assistance and resource center that will improve support for people with co-occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and mental health needs, so they can live and participate in their communities.

A new project by the Sonoran Center hopes to harness the power of stories to get a clearer picture of what it means to live with a disability in the US-Mexico borderlands.

This year featured new students, new employers, and even new virtual work opportunities. 32 students in Tucson had the opportunity to learn valuable skills, get experience, and earn money.