PolicyWorks projects connect college graduates with disabilities to work and careers and develops electronic tools to assist jobseekers with disabilities of all ages learn about work incentives and obtain employment.
Projects Serving College Students and Graduates
GRADS was initially developed by Daniels & Associates and the Interwork Institute of San Diego State University (SDSU) to provide outreach, peer mentorship, benefits planning and counseling, and other job supports to college students/graduates receiving Social Security disability benefits. The program was built around peer mentors, called “Ambassadors,” who educate their peers about work incentives and transition resources while supporting them in their career search. For more information click on logo.
Access CQ (Career Quest) builds on the Ambassador model developed in the GRADS project. This expansion project is open to all college students with disabilities and utilizes a multi-level strategy including peer mentorship, social networking, sequential work experience, career mentors and intensive job development to achieve employment outcomes, preferably in career-level jobs. Like GRADS, it is a joint endeavor between PolicyWorks and SDSU’s Interwork Institute. In this new model we are moving to incorporate an innovative curriculum developed by Paul Hippolitus from University of California at Berkeley. This course is called Professional Development and Disability. The model also engages the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). DOR will provide support for internships for students who complete the coursework. Students will provide on-going support as Access CQ Ambassadors.