Like most young people looking for their first job, Breanna Booker was nervous before her interview at Plato’s Closet.

Breanna Booker, 20, was such a success in her 80-hour work trial, part of Independence Inc.’s Youth Employment Program (YEP), she landed a permanent job at Plato's Closet before the trial was over.

But unlike most young people, Booker faced added barriers landing a job because she has a learning disability. So to get her foot in the door, Booker was applying to participate in an 80-hour work trial at Plato’s Closet as part of Independence Inc.’s Youth Employment Program (YEP), which helps youth with disabilities find and sustain employment.

Despite a few butterflies, Booker was ready for her interview. She had worked with YEP program coordinator Ranita Wilks to do research on the store, craft a resume and practice her interviewing skills. She nailed the job.

In fact, Booker proved herself to be such a valuable member of the Plato’s Closet team that before the work trial concluded last summer, Rebekah Wagner, the Plato’s store manager who hired Booker, was ready to offer Booker a permanent job. Today, Booker works at the clothing store three days a week, organizing and stocking inventory.

“It’s a huge, huge help,” said Wagner, who said she’s seen Booker become more confident and less shy as she’s gained experience on the job.

The reason is simple, Booker said: “I love working here! Since I’ve had this job, I’ve been able to do things I wasn’t able to do before.”

That’s the kind of success United Way community partners Independence Inc. and Cottonwood Inc. like to see. Both agencies receive funding through the United Way of Douglas County’s Self Sufficiency community goal to help students with disabilities overcome barriers to finding and sustaining employment, so they can be more self-sufficient.

United Way funds re-established YEP in 2012, after the program had to be cut by Independence Inc. because of a lack of funding. And they fund the full-time employment consultant at Cottonwood who works with disabled students so they can successfully transition from the Lawrence Public Schools’ Project SEARCH program to the adult services and supports provided by Cottonwood’s JobLink program.

As part of Project SEARCH, students do work internships at the Kansas University and Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Booker, who participated in Project SEARCH last fall, worked in the hospital’s pharmacy bagging medication and stocking patient rooms with supplies.

In 2014, nine students from Lawrence, Eudora and Baldwin participated in YEP, and nine graduated with employment at places like Laird Noller Automotive, Princeton Childcare Center and Scott Temperature Company, Wilks reported.

“Nationally, Project SEARCH has a 70 percent success rate,” noted Phil Bentzinger, the director of JobLink at Cottonwood. “Locally, for our first two years, we have a 100 percent rate for employment.” Within the first year after they exit Project SEARCH, all the students JobLink has worked with have landed 20-hour-a-week jobs. Currently, six students are interning with Project SEARCH.

When students like Booker receive the supports they need to find and keep jobs, everyone wins, Wilks said. They gain independence, develop work and life skills, and contribute to the local economy.

“Through participation in YEP and Project SEARCH, Breanna is obtaining all the skills to become a successful, self-sufficient adult,” Wilks said.