IDD Employment Podcast Series

About IDD Employment Podcast Series

At the California Policy Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CPCIDD), understanding barriers, challenges and successes to employment for people with IDD is a priority. Through our research we closely examine the multifaceted challenges that impede competitive, integrated employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). By drawing on best practices, academic findings, and the real-world perspectives of people with IDD, their families, and employers, we highlight critical gaps and barriers to employment—from limited vocational training and fear of losing benefits to workplace accommodations and enduring stereotypes that hinder advancement. With funding from Ability Central (https://abilitycentral.org/) we are able to further our research and provide policy recommendations designed to reduce barriers to employment and increase opportunities not only for people with IDD but employers as well. We look forward to sharing our findings, resources, and community conversations centered on strengthening inclusive employment practices. We are excited to share the first episode in a series of podcasts that highlight community conversations about employment for people with IDD. For more information, visit www.cpcidd.org

Publisher

California Policy Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Jun 2025

Latest episode

6 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

3 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2025

   Work, Will, and Worth: IDD Perspectives on Employment

   CPCIDD Board Member and Self-Advocate Azucena Garcia-Ferro hosts Episode 3 of CPCIDD’s IDD Employment Podcast, funded by Ability Central. Self-advocates Tracy, Joe, and Scott describe their journeys into work—starting early jobs, long-term positions in day programs and restaurants, and moves into advocacy and entrepreneurship. They name persistent barriers such as low expectations, flat-rate pay, benefit concerns, and gaps in supports, and highlight what helps: peer networks, community encour...

2. 

   10 Jul 2025

   Unraveling Myths About Benefits and Work

   Welcome back to the CPCIDD IDD Employment Podcast Series. In our first episode, we sat down with Carole Watilo, a supported employment provider to uncover real-world strategies for building inclusive workplaces. Now, in Episode 2, we’re tackling one of the biggest concerns for job seekers with IDD—the fear that earning a paycheck means losing vital benefits. Join us as a trusted policy expert and our host, a self-advocate with lived-experience separate fact from fiction, so you can pursue mea...

3. 

   11 Jun 2025

   Recommendations to reduce barriers to employment for the IDD community

   Researchers discuss policy recommendations to reduce employment barriers and increase opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, aiming to strengthen inclusive employment practices.

Podcast Authority Score: 8 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

15

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0