Real work, real pay, real respect. That is slogan guiding the Arizona Office of Employment First, a new initiative hosted by the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities dedicated to a future where everyone can fully participate in their local community through competitive integrated employment. 

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"Employment first is a part of the Civil Rights Movement. It is a human right," said Mỹ Lê Sandaine, systems change liaison for the Sonoran Center. "It is the expectation that people with disabilities, no matter their disability, have the right to work just like everyone else. They don't have to be segregated or work less than minimum wage. There is an assumption that people with disabilities are not capable of working, and that's not true."

The Sonoran Center is a unit within the College of Medicine – Tucson, and is one of 68 federally designated centers located across the United States that assist and support disabled individuals and their families and collaborate with state and local government agencies and community providers. That work includes interdisciplinary training for students and service professionals on developmental disabilities, technical assistance for community members, and supporting research. 

The Arizona office is part of a nationwide movement and will collaborate with the Vocational Rehabilitation Program hosted by the Arizona Department of Economic Security and several other statewide and university partners to coordinate efforts across the state.  

"True systems transformation doesn't happen overnight,” said Kristen Mackey, administrator of the Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration. "System change is a long-term journey fueled by perseverance, a shared purpose and a commitment to collaboration. The launch of the Arizona Office of Employment First is a testament to the dedication of everyone who kept pushing forward to make this vision a reality." 

The office's current initiatives include We All Work Arizona, a project supported by the Vitalyst Foundation that advocates statewide competitive integrative employment becomes the expected and supported outcome for people eligible with the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities or in center-based or group-supported employment services. 

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The office is working with the Office of Special Education Rehabilitation Services to develop and support self-employment opportunities offered by state-provided vocational rehabilitations and are developing improved implementation and training programs alongside the Arizona Department of Economic Security. The team will also support Arizona's direct employment support professionals, who work with disabled individuals to find competitive integrated employment, live independently and thrive in their local community. 

"Employment First means that everyone can work with the right support, which is competitive integrated employment in the community," said Jessica Winchester, Sonoran Center Employment First program manager. "We consider that at least minimum wages, or what coworkers without disabilities are making in the field."

Jacy Farkas, executive director of the Sonoran Center, added that the new office is the perfect way to not only celebrate the center's 20th anniversary but to prepare for the next 20 years of service to Arizona. 

"This office feels like a major milestone, and the next step is implementing employment first into our policies and resources," she said. "When I think about all of the partnerships it took to reach this point, it's clear that our community wanted to make this office a reality."