The CACTI Blog: I Can Do It
By Ashley Bohan, AdvoCats, 2024-2025
Working as a summer vocational specialist with AdvoCats: Advancing Disability Inclusion Through Experimental Learning, a Trainee Program and Summer Work Program at the Sonoran Center, has been an eye-opening experience. The Summer Work Program allows youth with disabilities, ages 16-22, to gain paid work experience with employers all over Arizona with the support of a vocational specialist. This program gave me the chance to help Arizona communities become more welcoming and inclusive of youth with disabilities in the workplace. I supported and gave helpful feedback to young adults with disabilities at four different job sites. Through this work, students built important job skills like completing tasks efficiently and with high quality, speaking up to ask for more responsibilities, and gaining confidence in their abilities. These skills will help them succeed in competitive, integrated jobs.
From the first day, you can tell that the student workers are full of potential. These students are hardworking, focused, and incredibly enthusiastic about their work.
One moment I’ll never forget was when a student said, “I can’t do this because I have a learning disability.” This student, like some other students, came into this experience believing they can’t work because of their disability. That belief may have been from what others told them, or something they internalized. I shared with each of my students that it’s okay to take things slow and do things their own way.
By using task analysis to break work tasks into smaller steps—bite by bite, wave by wave—any task becomes more manageable. For example, with one student, I sat beside him and patiently walked him through each step, speaking clearly, and checking for understanding before moving forward. I stayed with him throughout the process, offering encouragement and reassurance at every stage.
With other students, such as those working at Ace Hardware, I took a similar approach. Restocking shelves could feel overwhelming, so when they asked where an item belonged, I guided them through problem-solving rather than giving them the answer. I would ask: Which aisles are most likely to have this item? How could you figure that out: by looking at the price, brand, or packaging design? Together, we broke a big job into a mini checklist they could follow on their own.
Through these moments, I saw students grow in efficiency and confidence. They began to trust their own judgment, knowing they could figure things out independently without relying on others. Watching them take those steps, in their own time and in their own way, was deeply rewarding. And those students? They proved to themselves that they can do it. With the right support, encouragement, personalized tools, and patience, these students thrive at work. Even the smallest wins are still wins; and when they accomplish something and receive recognition for it, the pride and joy on their faces is unforgettable.
This summer taught me the power of understanding and appreciating people who think differently. Youth with disabilities are incredibly resilient and bring so many strengths to the table. Through the Summer Work Program, they’ve had the chance to grow, learn, and show the world what they’re capable of.
Working as an AdvoCat has helped me see how a more inclusive and open-minded approach benefits our entire community. We all have something to offer. We can all help each other.
I’m so grateful for this experience as an AdvoCat and hope to carry the lessons of patience, encouragement, and empathy with me wherever I go.
The CACTI Blog features the voices of our interdisciplinary trainees and Community Advisory Council members as they highlight diverse images of people with disabilities and provide community information and advocacy on disability issues. Check Out The CACTI Blog