WorkLink: A New Day for Day Services 

State Council on Developmental Disabilities Central Coast Office and Tri-Counties Regional Center are pleased to present an innovative look at employment and day services

with Sara Murphy, M.A.Ed., Program Director, TransCen, Inc.

Thursday, June 4, 2015 | 12:30pm to 5:00pm

A light lunch will be served at 12:30pm, followed by the presentation at 1:00pm

TCRC Santa Barbara Annex | 505 E. Montecito Street | Santa Barbara, CA 93103

This workshop is intended for anyone interested in promoting innovations in employment and day services for persons with developmental disabilities.  Space is limited, please reserve your seat today by clicking on the "Register Now" button below. 

About WorkLink:

Although the idea of Integrated Employment is gaining ground across the country, some people, especially those with more significant disabilities, still do not see direct hire employment as a viable option. For some people, relinquishing the structure of a dayprogram or segregated services to go to work seems impossible to manage. To eliminate service gaps and encourage people with more significant disabilities to pursue employment, TransCen,Inc. established WorkLink, awrap-around program that braids “Medicaid-waiver day services” with VR-funded Supported Employment.This flexible, hybrid approach allows support plans to be “built to order”. At WorkLink, Employment is the program’s primary goal. “Day services” are focused on the discovery process, exploring vocational options and building employment skills. However, participants also use day services hours for nonwork needs and to augment part-time work schedules. Sara Murphy, the program director,will discuss how braided services improve employment outcomesfor people with disabilities and impact people’s lives. The group will then discuss how to get similar services started in the Santa Barbara area.

Sara Murphy, M.A.Ed

Sara Murphy is a Senior Associate at TransCen, Inc. and the Director of TransCen’s WorkLink Program,a nationally-recognized, employment service for job seekers with significant disabilities. For thepast 30 years, Ms. Murphy’s focus has been on school-to-work and employment for individuals with disabilities. She has a B.S.in Behavioral Disabilities /SpecialEducation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling from San Francisco State University. She has extensive experience in direct service, policy and program development and system transformation. Ms. Murphy is part of a consultation team that provides technical assistance and training for various federal and state initiatives, such as Social Security Administration’sYouth Transition Demonstration Projects, Department of Labor’sOffice of Disability and EmploymentPolicy (ODEP) Customized Employment Demonstration Projects, ODEP’s Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program, Lead Center’s Policy Roundtable and the California Employment Consortium for Youth (CECY). Ms. Murphy was also a consultant for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s Project SEARCH program (2009 to 2013) where she was responsible for replicating the program model and teaching seminars on systematic instruction, lean principles and job development.