The Job Match Makers Podcast shares stories from employment consultants about supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to find employment in their communities—one person, one job at a time. This podcast is produced by the Minnesota Transformation Initiative, a technical assistance center focused on expanding capacity for competitive, integrated employment across Minnesota. Hosted by Brian Begin and Sherry Healey from the University of Minnesota, the Job Match Makers Podcast is a partnership between the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration and UMass Boston's Institute for Community Inclusion.
Jeff Gentry from JVS Boston discusses the transformative power of inclusive work experiences for transition students, highlighting how they can lead to permanent employment in this interview.
14 May 2025
Pivoting to support new mental health needs
In this episode, Brenda Albright from Lifeworks shares a story about supporting a person who had to leave a long-term, stable job to start an entirely new career after a mental health event.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
29 Apr 2025
Supporting jobseekers in rural Minnesota
In this episode, Dominique Berg shares a story about overcoming concerns from a person's support team and supporting a jobseeker to find a job at a nursing home in rural Minnesota.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
4 Feb 2025
A job at a thrift store
In this episode, Danny Brady from Reach for Resources shares a story about a job search that got off to a rocky start but eventually resulted in a job and better training for managers at a chain of thrift stores.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
2 Jan 2025
A job monitoring an indoor playground
In this episode, Jessica Stejskal from TSE, Inc. shares how she supported a jobseeker to look beyond working in grocery stores to pursue a job working with children and found an employer that is helping her grow and thrive.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
21 Dec 2024
A job doing "spec checks" for a furniture company
In this episode, Cynthia Capota from Reach for Resources shares how watching a jobseeker put together complicated Lego creations helped her recognize skills he had that filled a need of a furniture company.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
17 Dec 2024
A job creating and performing live DJ shows
In this episode, Jill Eastman from our podcast partner, the University of Massachusetts-Boston's Institute for Community Inclusion, shares a story about supporting a jobseeker to customize a job that led him to become a local celebrity on the nursing home circuit in greater Boston.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
12 Oct 2024
A job that combines fishing and woodworking!?
Brian and Sherry are joined in the studio by their Institute on Community Integration colleague, Kathia Fernandez. Kathia shares a story from her time as an employment consultant when she supported a jobseeker who had two primary interests: fishing and woodworking. She describes the ups and downs of negotiating a customized job for the person at a small business that makes wooden fishing lures (...or is it fishing bait?).
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
9 Oct 2024
Perspectives from 50 years in employment services for people with disabilities
In the second episode of Job Match Makers, Brian and Sherry are joined by their Minnesota Transformation Initiative colleague, Don Lavin. Don explains how he left his cousin Vinny behind in New Jersey to begin his career in employment services for people with disabilities in Minnesota over a half century ago. He also describes how the field has changed since he started his first rehabilitation counseling job in 1973 (one week after the passing of the Rehabilitation Act, no less). Don reaches into his vault of memories to share one of his favorite employment stories from his decades of promoting customized employment.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu/)
7 Oct 2024
Welcome to "Job Match Makers!"
In the first episode of Job Match Makers, hosts Brian Begin and Sherry Healey introduce the podcast, explain the objective of the Minnesota Transformation Initiative, and share about their careers working in employment supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Learn more about the Minnesota Transformation Initiative here: mti.ici.umn.edu (https://mti.ici.umn.edu)
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1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100
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