YIELD the Power

Access Living is a cross-disability organization majority-governed and staffed by people with disabilities. Access Living offers peer-oriented independent living services, public education awareness and development, and civil rights education on behalf of persons with disabilities. Through their Y.I.E.L.D. (Youth for Integration through Education, Leadership and Discovery) the Power Project, Access Living taught youth participants about résumé writing and interviewing skills, offered a Youth Leadership/Organizing Training Curriculum designed to build pride and self-efficacy, and offered participants referrals when mental health or physical health services were needed. Additional services included mentoring programs, housing referrals, and transportation assistance.

The purpose of Access Living's Y.I.E.L.D. (Youth for Integration through Education, Leadership and Discovery) the Power Project was to increase the participation of youth with disabilities in mainstream workforce development activities through a variety of youth-led systems change initiatives. Specific goals included the following:

-Train 100 youth with disabilities to become leaders in the disability community and other sectors of their communities

-Witness and document systems change in at least 10 WIA (Workforce Investment Act)-assisted youth programs in Chicago through trainings and focused one-on-one technical assistance

-Provide paid and unpaid work experiences for youth with disabilities.

The Y.I.E.L.D. the Power Project reported the following positive outcomes:

-122 youth with disabilities were trained using the leadership and organizing curriculum. The pre-and post-test questionnaire developed and refined during the first two training groups revealed significant gains in skills and knowledge around self-efficacy, disability identify, self-esteem, leadership, and political and civic engagement.

-Over 300 WIA Youth program staff were trained in Chicago. Twenty-eight WIA youth contractors made programmatic or structural changes to improve the accessibility of their offices. Twelve WIA youth contractors made substantial changes, such as hiring staff with disabilities and serving youth both with and without disabilities in the same setting. One WIA youth contractor applied for a grant to make physical changes to improve the accessibility of their office.

-Job leads were provided to Y.I.E.L.D. the Power Project participants based on self-identified interests, and as a result of these leads, some youth were able to obtain employment. Several youth participants are now employed at Access Living, and one participant was hired by UPS.