Valley Mountain Regional Center’s Employment outreach is a collective effort between our individuals, vendors, employers and the community to encourage Competitive Integrated Employment. Our Employment Specialist is a member of most of our local Chambers of Commerce, where he learns of their needs as businesses, not just “employers”, and he partners with them to access our workforce of workers with disabilities who can help them achieve their business goals. He also connects with local employment service providers to help them secure jobs, and is intimately joined with our school districts as they prepare a qualified workforce as a pipeline of talent for local businesses, non-profits, and government. Each of the 21 regional centers in California has hired an Employment Specialist to assist with this initiative to make sure our individuals receive “Real Work, for Real Pay, in the Real World.”
TransCen Employment Workshops Presentations – January 2024
Imagine the Possibilities – Employment Focused Parent Training
Imagine the Possibilities – Employment Focused Parent Engagement
Call for Employment Grants Applications – Notice to Prospective Applicants, June 29, 2022
The Developmental Services Budget Trailer Bill, AB 136 (Chapter 76, Statutes of 2021), effective July 16, 2021, authorized additional funding to advance competitive integrated employment. Enacted as W&I Code Section 4870.1, DDS, received $10 Million in funding to increase pathways to employment. Through grant opportunities, entities can develop and implement innovative and replicable strategies and practices to increase paid work experiences and employment opportunities for individuals who are served by regional centers. Click Here to Read the Full Announcement.
Amazon Partnership
12/09/21
It is exciting to introduce our new partnership with Amazon. Amazon is by far the biggest company in our catchment areas and are currently hiring in multiple locations (Stockton, Manteca, and Tracy) They also have locations in Patterson, Modesto and soon Turlock.
I am glad to report Amazon has a new Person with Disability (PWD) program which allows for individuals to declare a disability on their application and request accommodations. This will allow for our individuals to be provided with job coaching. Remember it is always up to the individual to choose to declare a disability and we support any choice made. Not choosing to declare will simply send you through application process.
Special thanks to Jaime Perez Staffing Coordinator Amazon for reaching out and making this partnership possible. We feel with job coaches being allowed it will increase our individuals’ chances at achieving competitive integrated employment with Amazon.
Any of our individuals looking to work for Amazon please notify your service coordinator and have them contact me the Employment Specialist. Great news to finish 2021 strong!!!!
There is a flyer below and a direct link here:
Enos Edmerson Jr.
Employment Specialist
Honoring the Late Wilma Murray – Supported Employment Manager (2008-2020)
10/27/21
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). For the final week, I want to honor the late Wilma Murray, VMRC Supported Employment Manager (2008-2020), for her incredible contributions of assisting our individuals with achieving their employment goals.
Wilma Murray’s passion outside of transportation was assisting our individuals to achieve their employment goals. Wilma Murray was an integral part of every VMRC Supported Employment/Vocational Training Day Program. Wilma’s dedication to these employment programs continues to be noted today by the vendors she worked with one year after her sudden passing.
Wilma and I met over 13 years ago at VMRC for an Employment First committee meeting. Wilma’s excitement for the Employment First committee was evident, as she guided vendors and school districts on the policy. The meetings would end and Wilma Murray had a line of people waiting to talk to her, and she happily greeted everyone. Fortune would have it that I would come to work for VMRC and be promoted to Employment Specialist, with Wilma Murray as one of the members on the interview panel. It was a privilege to work for Wilma Murray, her knowledge of employment policies and guidance have been invaluable, and I will be forever grateful.
Wilma Murray was my supervisor, mentor, and friend. Please join me in honoring Wilma Murray on behalf of everyone she assisted with achieving their employment goals. Wilma Murray’s incredible contributions to VMRC employment programs and initiatives will continue to have an impact on our consumer’s lives for many more years to come.
Enos Edmerson Jr
Employment Specialist
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)
State Internship Program 2022
10/21/21
Earlier this year we highlighted our two candidates for the State Internship Program (SIP). It is with great excitement that I announce the SIP was extended into 2022. Therefore, some lucky candidates may get the opportunity to apply for this tremendous opportunity.
The State Internship Program is a partnership between DOR, VMRC, and State Agencies that allow individuals to intern for a state agency. With successful completion of 512 hours and a task analysis will obtain a Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) Certification.
To apply you must be a Valley Mountain Regional Center consumer. Make sure you have completed an intake packet with DOR. Contact your local DOR office and request to be a candidate for the 2022 State Internship Program (SIP). DOR will guide you on the path to qualify and submit for an interview with a state agency.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and it is awesome to be announcing this opportunity during this month!!!
Enos Edmerson Jr.
Employment Specialist
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
10/07/21
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). I will be highlighting one of our many success stories each week. This week I wanted to congratulate James Espinoza for obtaining Competitive Integrated Employment with Mountain Retreat Resort. A few weeks ago, we highlighted our new community partnership with Mountain Retreat Resort located in Arnold, CA (Calaveras County) and here we are congratulating our first hire. Congratulations James on your new job!!!
Special thanks to Ellen Case Owner and Chrissie O’Bar General Manager Mountain Retreat Resort and Arc of Amador and Calaveras our supported employment vendor for providing the job coaching. Left to Right Chrissie O’Bar, James Espinoza.
Enos Edmerson Jr.
Employment Specialist
Updated Competitive Integrated Employment and Paid Internship Programs
09/03/21
Our 21/22 State Budget has included some wonderful new incentives to both the Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Incentive and Paid Internship Programs (PIP) that has taken effect on July 1st, 2021.
The Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) incentive payment program has increased milestone payments, meaning that our employment vendors who find a CIE placement for our consumers will qualify for the below concurrent milestones:
1 month = $2,000.00
6 months = $2,500.00
1 year= $3,000.00
Our Paid Internship Program (PIP) will set a maximum of 1040 hours per calendar year per internship. The Paid Internship program is now offering milestone payments for the first time to our employment vendors who successfully place our consumers in an internship at a competitive, integrated worksite. The milestone payments are as follows:
30 days = $750.00
60 days= $1,000.00
These new incentives will boost more interest in these programs and hopefully provide more employment vendors to help our individuals gain Competitive Integrated Employment. The DDS directives are attached below. Thanks!
Enos Edmerson Jr.
Employment Specialist
State Internship Program (SIP)
08/13/21
Finding Competitive Integrated Employment for our individuals is a grueling process, which was true before the Covid-19 pandemic. This is why I am so excited to announce the State Internship Program (SIP). The SIP brings DOR, VMRC, and state agencies together to provide an opportunity for our individuals to achieve The Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) Certification.
Our SIP candidates this year are Ramon Ortiz and Elizabeth Bradford. Each interviewed for the EDD office in Modesto, CA, and was offered the internship opportunity. Please join me in congratulating our SIP candidates for this year!
As mentioned above, this process required a tremendous amount of effort behind the scenes between DOR, VMRC, and EDD. I want to give a special thanks to DOR representatives Ardria Weston, Mahalia Gotico, Brandi Balkema, Robert Kleyn, Brian Chambers, and Karen Brown. Our VMRC Supported Employment Vendor UCP of Stanislaus County, Ignacio Chavez is providing the Paid Internship Program component to this partnership. Our State Agency EDD where our interns will be working on-site, thank you to Margarita Cabalbag, Maltide Pena-Hernandez and Michal Clutter.
Once again congratulations Ramon and Elizabeth on this amazing opportunity! It was a pleasure participating behind the scenes with everyone above, truly a great team!!!
Enos Edmerson Jr (E.J.)
Employment Specialist
New Employment Community Partnerships
08/06/21
As companies across the nation are opening back up, we are experiencing a nationwide shortage of workers. Companies are doing everything they can to incentivize returning to the workforce. Now is an unprecedented opportunity for our individuals to enter the workforce and achieve their dream job.
We have already announced a new partnership with Zavikon for our Self-Determination individuals that provides a staffing service specifically for individuals with disabilities and neurodivergent. We have partnered with Mountain Resort Retreat in Arnold, CA located in our Calaveras county catchment area. Mountain Resort Retreat is looking to hire 3 of our individuals. Goodwill Industries in our Stanislaus county catchment area are looking to hire our individuals for part-time and full-time positions at stores located in Turlock and Modesto, CA. Lastly, in San Joaquin county O’reily’s Distribution Center has hired one of our Paid Internship Program candidates to Competitive Integrated Employment. I appreciate these companies for reaching out and offering Competitive Integrated Employment to our individuals. We need to build on this momentum.
Our supported employment vendors in these catchment areas are working to fill these positions. If you are a consumer in these counties and are looking to work, contact your support staff to find out more information on these exciting new opportunities.
The nationwide shortage of workers is affecting our vendors. If you are looking to work with individuals with developmental disabilities as a job coach, support staff, care home staff, SLS, ILS, or day program. Please go to our jobs page on our website and look at our vendors job postings.
Enos Edmerson Jr (E.J.)
Employment Specialist
Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Roadmap
The CIE Roadmap is an interactive document not meant to be scrolled through. The user learns about pathways to CIE by clicking on the boxes beginning with “Click to Start” we recommend visiting the actual CIE Roadmap as it will be updated as new information and resources are added.
Directions to use the Roadmap:
- 1. Open the CIE Roadmap
- 2. Click on the “Click to START” box
- 3. This will take you to the first page titled “START”
- 4. Choose any box on the left side to learn about CIE and pathways to CIE.
- 5. When a new page opens up, read and then choose the box that fits the next step you want to take to learn more about CIE.
The CIE Roadmap is also available on the California Health and Human Services Agency CIE Toolkit webpage under the CIE Resources section.
- Competitive Integrated Employment Roadmap for Consumers (UPDATED)
- Competitive Integrated Employment Roadmap for Consumers (UPDATED) – Spanish
The CIE Roadmap will be updated as new information and resources become available. The updated English version has added:
- The Student Earned Income Exception, a way to earn an income from work and not affect a student’s SSI. This can be found under Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
- List of Colleges offering the WorkAbility III support program. Found on the pathway for 18 – 21 years old and 22 – 64 years old.
Organizations, businesses, and departments are encouraged to share this resource with the individuals with ID/DD and their families they work with.
California CIE Blueprint Interagency Leadership Workgroup
UCP of San Joaquin Successful Paid Internship
07/08/21
Covid-19 has been a difficult time these past 18 months. Employment practically came to a halt with the shutdown orders over one year ago. Behind the scenes, our agencies have been doing our best to keep our individuals gainfully employed, but most importantly, safe as possible.
For this reason, it is with extreme excitement that I report that UCP of San Joaquin has placed their first successful Paid Intern at Best Buy in Stockton, CA. Jesse Clark worked for Best Buy for over three months through our Paid Internship Program (PIP). Best Buy was more than receptive to the program. UCP of San Joaquin provided the job coaching and acted as the Employer of record.
The goal of the Paid Internship Program is to provide a pathway to Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE). Jesse Clark’s PIP was a success as he is now competitively employed at O’Reilly Auto Parts in Stockton, CA.
Please help me in congratulating Jesse on his success story!!! Special thanks to UCP of San Joaquin, Best Buy, and O’Reilly Auto Parts. It is great when community partnerships result in Competitive Integrated Employment for our individuals.
Enos Edmerson Jr.
Employment Specialist
2021 Transition Fairs and “What is an LPA”
VMRC will be virtually hosting 5 Transition Fairs this year for San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and the Mountain Counties. Transition Fairs allow vendors who provide employment, independent living, and post-secondary education services to highlight their programs. Our Transition Fairs bring together many community resources that can help our individuals achieve their employment goals and hopefully provide a path to independent living. One valuable resource that I will be presenting on during our Transition Fairs is our Local Partnership Agreement (LPA).
VMRC is currently a core partner for the Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne County Local Partnership Agreement. The purpose of a Local Partnership Agreement (LPA) is to streamline services between agencies to increase employment outcomes for individuals with developmental disabilities. Our LPA can be utilized as a guide for VMRC individuals and families to help identify community resources that assist with employment goals.
You can find our current LPA by clicking this link https://chhs-data-prod.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/04/Amador-Calaveras-San-Joaquin-Stanislaus-Tuolumne-Counties-Local-Partnership-Agreement.docx
I look forward to presenting in more detail about our LPA and hope you can all attend our upcoming 2021 Transition Fairs.
Please see our Events Calendar page on our website for the dates, times and details of the 2021 Transition Fairs.
Enos Edmerson Jr.
Employment Specialist
Employment Specialist Travels and Update 2019-2020
02/20/20
The year of 2019 was a great year for networking and educating businesses about the many benefits of hiring individuals with developmental disabilities. Below is an update on my travels and what I have been working on from the end of 2019 through the first month of 2020. Things are really picking up and I am excited about 2020!
Worknet Job Fair November 2019
We partnered with Worknet several times in 2019 and attended their November Job Fair. Through this, we got to network with many local businesses in the area. HR Generalist Mary Jane Flores attended these fairs to promote VMRC open positions. It is a great partnership that will continue into 2020. The next Worknet Job Fair is Thursday, February 20th, 2020 9:30 am to 2:00 pm.
UEI Stockton Campus Tour November 2019
We partnered with UEI College Stockton Campus and toured the facility. We are looking forward to having them attend our Stockton Transition Fair on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Local Partnership Agreement (LPA) December 2019
We held our Local Partnership Agreement (LPA) team meeting to discuss adding new partners and community resources to our existing LPA. This group is a collaboration between the school districts, community resources, and VMRC to illustrate how we all work together to provide services to our individuals. To see the current LPA document please click the link and click on Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne LPA: https://www.chhs.ca.gov/home/cie/elementor-11522/
Slakey Brothers Presentation and Partnership December 2019
We had the wonderful opportunity to present to Slakey Brothers Elk Grove Corporate office about the many benefits of hiring individuals with developmental disabilities. There are 2 locations in our catchment area of Stockton and Modesto. Supported Employment vendors were sent an update and job descriptions in each county. Slakey Brothers are willing to hire directly and utilize our Paid Internship Programs. More information will be sent out after a tour of each facility is scheduled.
2020 Transition Fair Planning January 2020
It is that time of year again! Our 2020 Transition Fairs are just around the corner. The first one will be held in Amador County on Friday, March 13, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Program manager Rhonda Trout and Senior Service Coordinator Josie Craig have done a great job organizing this event.
Our San Joaquin 2020 Transition fair will be held on Wednesday, April 22, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm here at the VMRC Stockton office in our private parking lot outside. Program Managers Dave Vodden and Erin Goudreau have done a wonderful job organizing this event.
The Stanislaus County 2020 Transition Fair will be on Tuesday, April 28, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the VMRC Modesto office. Program Manager Neidra Clayton is simply terrific when it comes to planning and organizing an event. Thank you so much!
Calaveras and Tuolumne county dates and times will be determined soon. It is great to be part of the planning team and of course run the VMRC booth at each fair in all 5 counties. Special Thanks to Dena Hernandez (SCDD) as she did a wonderful job on the flyers and former Cultural Specialist Carlos Hernandez Jr for being a part of the planning team. Look forward to seeing you all there!!!
To view details of all of our events click here to see our calendar.
San Joaquin SELIT January 2019
The San Joaquin County Supported Employment Living Inter-agency Team (SELIT) meeting was hosted this year by VMRC. Program Manager Dave Vodden and his entire Transformers Transition Team attended SELIT. Teachers, day programs, supported employment vendors, supported living service vendors, and community resources collaborated and discussed the options for exiting transition students. 
Stanislaus SELIT January 2020
The Stanislaus SELIT, organized by Program Manager Neidra Clayton, has been revamped to be more like the San Joaquin County SELIT. Dena Hernandez and I have helped with this process. Neidra Clayton’s transition team attends the meeting. Maricela Rodriguez assists with the scheduling and note taking and helping make this meeting a huge success. This past meeting had a special presenter, Steve Ruder from UC Davis Mind Institute. His presentation on decision making was amazing and very informative.
These have been my highlights the past few months. Please follow the Valley Mountain LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-mountain-regional-center/?viewAsMember=true for more updates and events.
The Employment Specialist
The Employment Corner, by VMRC Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson, Jr.
10/09/19
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and many organizations are promoting the hiring of individuals with developmental disabilities. Valley Mountain Regional Center is also participating by sharing information about NDEAM, and more specifically promoting the programs that we are currently offering to our individuals. Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) is our newest program with the slogan “Real work, for Real Pay, in the Real World”.
The entire State of California, through our regional centers, are encouraging our individuals to be working competitively, and in an integrated employment setting, where they are working side by side with individuals without disabilities. In order to educate businesses, I have been promoting these benefits for hiring individuals with disabilities:
- Reduction in Turnover Rate
- Job Coaching 1 to 1 support
- Workers Opportunity Tax Credits
- Paid Internship Program
Through our local chapters of chambers of commerce, I am sending out a flyer to businesses in all counties, offering to come to their place of work and educate about each of these benefits for hiring our individuals. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and I will do my best to help make each business aware!
Disability Employment Awareness Month Flyer
The Employment Specialist
To view this article in PDF click here
The Employment Corner, by VMRC Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson, Jr.
09/05/19
Networking at its Best
One month ago, Stephanie Duval, who is an Intake Coordinator here at our Modesto office, sent an email to our Executive Director, Tony Anderson and our San Andreas Program Manager, Rhonda Trout about a conversation she had with Joel and Jamie Brandt, owners of the new Grocery Outlet in Valley Springs at an event she attended in Roseville. Stephanie visited their Grocery Outlet booth and mentioned she worked for Valley Mountain Regional Center. Joel and Jamie were excited to learn more about VMRC and potentially partner to provide employment opportunities for our individuals.
Tony Anderson forwarded the email to myself, and provided me with Joel and Jamie Brandt’s contact information. Jamie was eager to schedule a meeting to learn more about the employment programs that VMRC has to offer and stated that if we had anyone ready to interview to bring them to the meeting.
On 09/04, at our San Andreas office, one month after Stephanie emailed about her conversation with Joel and Jamie Brandt, we had our first meeting with our supported employment partner, Arc of Amador and Calaveras, as well as Jamie Brandt. Arc of Amador and Calaveras had three candidates ready to interview that day. Each candidate interviewed great and have second interviews scheduled.
I would like to thank Joel and Jamie Brandt for opening a new Grocery Outlet in Valley Springs, CA and being willing to learn more about the individuals we serve. We are looking forward to building on this partnership in the future. Thank you to Arc of Amador and Calaveras, and congratulations to our three individuals who have second interviews coming up, we wish you the best of luck! Lastly, a special thank you to Stephanie Duval for always keeping the individuals that we serve at the forefront, and inquiring about potential employment opportunities. One month later Stephanie’s conversation has led to three of our individuals getting interviews, which truly is Networking at its Best!
The Employment Specialist
The Employment Corner, by VMRC Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson, Jr.
08/09/19
UCP and the PIPs (PDF)
It is with great pleasure that I recognize United Cerebral Palsy of Stanislaus County (UCP) as our first Supported Employment partner in Stanislaus County to add the Paid Internship Program (PIP) to their program design. Within the first 6 months of UCP’s PIP program, it has quickly began to benefit and help their individuals achieve their employment goals. I am excited to recognize the 4 current PIP placements listed below:
- Ramon Ortiz – Interning as an IT worker with MM Technology Solutions in Modesto.
- Anna Miller – Interning as a general bakery worker at Frost Bakery in Modesto.
- Isaiah Reyna – Interning as a janitor at Creekside Middle School with the Patterson Unified School District in Patterson.
- Bradly Jesus – Soon to be an intern as a general worker at the Dragonfly Art for Life Art Studio in Modesto.
UCP continues to be committed to excellence in service, utilizing a person-centered approach in the areas of job placement, development, and implementation, while partnering with the Department of Rehabilitation and Valley Mountain Regional Center to help their individuals achieve Competitive Integrated Employment. I would like to thank Employment Services Manager Ignacio Chavez ([email protected] ) and his entire Supported Employment team at UCP (www.ucpstan.org ) for offering the Paid Internship Program as part of the program design. If there are any companies in Stanislaus County that are interested in partnering with Valley Mountain Regional Center and UCP to utilize the Paid Internship Program please contact Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson Jr. at 209-955-3672 or email [email protected].
The Employment Corner, by VMRC Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson, Jr.
06/27/19
Joshua Irigoyen was the first hire to begin our partnership with Karyn and Tom Gallo at their restaurant, Hauck’s Grill, in Turlock, Ca. Joshua interviewed with Chef Michael Goularte at Hauck’s Grill and Michael could see Joshua’s enthusiasm to work. The interview went well and Joshua was offered the job on the spot. Joshua was attending a day program and needed quick job coaching. Howard Training Center was willing to help out and provided job coaching within a couple of days for the weekend shift. Karyn and Michael report that Joshua is doing a great job and he has added days to his shift. Howard Training Center continues to provide job coaching and this partnership has been a success. Special Thanks to Karyn Gallo for offering this opportunity to our individuals, Chef Michael Goularte for training and assisting Joshua, and Howard Training Center’s Leonard Hansen and Sandra Holt for providing job coaching on short notice and continuing to work with Joshua to help him succeed on his job. Also, thank you to Program Manager Neidra Clayton for referring Karyn Gallo to me to kick start this awesome partnership.
The Employment Specialist
To view this article in PDF please click here
The Employment Corner, by VMRC Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson, Jr.
06/13/19
What is Your Dream Job?
The 2019 Transition Fairs have all concluded. Each of our 5 counties; Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne, hosted a Transition Fair and they were all highly successful. I would like to thank all staff involved for volunteering and helping out with each fair. I was present for each fair and had the opportunity to speak with many transition age students about their future. The main question I asked was “What is your dream job?”
The reason for asking about their “Dream Job” is to determine the best work environment possible. Often times our individuals are working in industries that they do not like, or are not passionate about, thus creating inappropriate behaviors and bad work habits. Utilizing Person-Centered Planning (PCP) by determining an individual’s “Dream Job” can help place our individuals in their preferred work environment. The issue is what to do when the “Dream Job” may be very difficult to achieve.
The most common answers that I received were professional wrestler, famous, singer, Nascar driver, and actor/actress. These “Dream Jobs” are very difficult to achieve, but they do offer insight to what our individuals are passionate about. For an individual who does not achieve their dream of being a professional wrestler, they may be more content working at an arena where wrestling performs. For this reason, it is important to know what a person’s “Dream Job” is in order to help them achieve their dream, or get them as close as possible.
The Employment Specialist
To view this article in PDF please click here
The Employment Corner, by VMRC Employment Specialist Enos Edmerson, Jr.
05/09/19
Galletto Ristorante
Karyn Gallo, owner of Galletto Ristorante, was informed about Valley Mountain Regional Center and the individuals with developmental disabilities that we serve, and expressed interest in hiring one of our individuals at each of her restaurants. Valley Mountain Regional Center’s Employment Specialist, Enos Edmerson, Jr., met with Executive Chef Stephanie Chavez to discuss the specifics of the job description and the search was on. Through Valley Mountain Regional Center’s partnerships, 3 candidates were submitted for interview. According to Chef Stephanie each interviewed well, but the one candidate that would be the best fit was Pedro Perez. Pedro has been working for Galletto Ristorante for a month now. Chef Stephanie and Karyn report that he is a hard worker and a valued member of the crew. So many people helped with this partnership, so a special recognition to Modesto Transition Program Manager Neidra Clayton, VMRC Modesto Staff, and Ignacio Chavez, UCP, for all contributing to making this partnership a success. Also, a special thanks to Karyn Gallo, owner of Galletto Ristorante, for providing this opportunity and allowing for Pedro Perez to work in a Competitive Integrated Employment worksite.
The Employment Specialist