Many professionals have invisible disabilities that go undisclosed. These professionals bring unique strengths and skills and help diversify the workplace. Invisible disabilities can bring challenges to a person’s success in their work. Come and learn from David Murahashi and CJ Webb as they share their experiences of what it is like to have invisible disabilities in the workplace. They will discuss the pros and cons of disclosure and strategies for successfully working with employers and colleagues.

CJ Webb

CJ has supported people in many capacities for over 30 years. She is passionate about providing employment information, so people can live and work based on their skills, strengths, and gifts. She currently works at Vocational Rehabilitation, as a Pre-Employment Transition Services Program Coordinator. She is a Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP) and a Person-Centered Thinking Mentor Trainer, credentialed through The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices. She has been a Personal Futures Plan facilitator since 1996, and also facilitates other person-centered plans such as Essential Lifestyle Plans (ELP), PATH and MAP. One of her favorite excerpts is: Our jobs should help us take the vacations that help us live a full life. She loves to cook, bake, go backpacking, hiking, and seeing live music. CJ is currently the Oregon APSE Chapter President and newsletter, The Focus, publisher.

Heather Evans is rooted in the intrinsic worth of all humans, and has had the joy and privilege of working for people with I/DD and their communities for over 20 years. She joins Wise with extensive experience in Supported Employment, from developing new SE Programs, Customized Employment, and leading teams to Legislative Advocacy, certifying direct service providers as Mental Health First Aiders and managing Organizational Development. She has provided technical assistance to organizations around Systematic Instruction, Customized Job Development, Mentoring Leaders, Mental Health First Aid, Person Centered Planning, Program Development, and several other best practices in Supported Employment. Heather is proud to have completed her Work Incentive Practitioner Credentialing Certificate from Cornell University and is excited to work with the BenefitU team.

She is especially passionate about the inherent right of people to have agency in their lives, and helping Supported Employment practitioners understand how centering the job seeker makes the work of Supported Employment so much more successful. As president elect for the Pacific Northwest Partners for Work Rotary club, she is also learning about how powerful Rotary is for Supported Employment!

Aaron Dickson

Aaron Dickson is the Executive Director of the Community Employment Alliance, a coalition of supported employment and Community Inclusion providers across the state of Washington that focuses on legislative advocacy in Olympia. He has experience as an Employment Consultant, Employment Specialist, and Program Manager at a supported employment agency in Bellingham (Cascade Connections), along with previous experience as a caregiver, as well as running a respite summer camp for adults for disabilities. He is passionate about including people with disabilities in advocacy work so that their voice is heard.

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Blake Duarte

Blake Duarte is the Accessibility and Inclusion Liaison at Morningside, a supported employment provider in Western Washington. He has worked for other nonprofit organizations where he successfully advocated for new sidewalk infrastructure, organized historical records, and created trainings for people with disabilities. Blake has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Washington Tacoma and is currently working on his Master of Sustainable Transportation from the University of Washington.

[Alt-text: A white and Native American man with short brown hair and a goatee is smiling and is looking towards the camera. He is wearing a dark gray, short sleeve shirt and gray glasses. The background is a textured peach-colored wall.]