Sharing Employment First with Senator Mark Kelly’s Office

By Gina Griffiths

In June of 2025, Jessica Winchester, Employment First Program Manager, and Rosa Rojas Franco, Native Initiatives Project Coordinator, travelled to Washington DC for the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) Employment First, Employment for All conference. As part of the conference activities, APSE coordinated a Day on the Hill so that Employment First champions could meet with members of Congress to tell them about Employment First, the systems that support employment outcomes, and the important work that Employment First champions do every day to support people with disabilities in pursuing their dreams.

During Day on the Hill, Jessica met with Sydney Pearson, a Legislative Aide on Senator Mark Kelly’s team. Since that meeting, Jessica has kept in contact with Sydney, sharing information on Employment First and keeping Sydney informed on what is happening here in Arizona. During the August Senate recess, Sydney travelled to Arizona to meet with constituents. She made time on August 6th to visit the Sonoran Center’s offices and meet with Jessica and Gina Griffiths, Employment First Coordinator. Jessica and Gina were able to share detailed information on Arizona’s Employment First Initiative. The mission of Employment First is to seek to ensure that competitive integrated employment is the preferred outcome and expectation for all working age Arizonans who have disabilities. Jessica and Gina also shared information on the Arizona Customized Employment pilot, the funding mechanisms that support Arizona’s job seekers with disabilities, and the overall disability employment landscape in Arizona.

As we state on our website Arizona Employment First is a grassroots movement of Arizona Stakeholders. We believe people who have disabilities have the right to work in their communities in jobs they care about. We are working to change policy and practice to make this happen.

Sharing information on the barriers facing disabled job seekers and the vision of Employment First champions to address those barriers is an integral component of the work in the Employment First Initiative. The systems that fund disability employment supports offer essential services that ensure all citizens have the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the workforce, engage in their local communities, and contribute to the overall economy. Employers benefit from a large and diverse applicant pool and employee base. It is imperative to maintain and improve the system of disability employment supports. The Employment First team is always willing to engage in conversations to further this effort.

The Sonoran Center is grateful for Sydney’s time and her willingness to engage on this important policy issue.