Vocational Services​

When you introduce yourself to someone new, you typically exchange names, and then you ask the all-important question:
“What do you do?”

At CHI Friendship, we understand the value of work and contributing to society as parts of a person’s identity, and we believe that people who are of working age should work. In light of this, we help each person discover his/her interests and assist in finding meaningful employment and volunteer opportunities that nurture these interests. We assist people to find full-time work, part-time work, self-employment opportunities, and volunteer positions. We also actively support people at or near retirement age with this important, but completely normal, transition.

Support staff in CHI Friendship’s vocational program work side-by-side with the people we support to contribute to their communities, to be integrated in their workplaces, and to gain independence with essential work and social skills. In addition to providing this support, each CHI Friendship employee maintains CPR and First Aid certification to provide safety supports on the job and in the community.

There are five categories within CHI Friendship’s vocational program in which a person may receive support, which include “Day Habilitation”, “Prevocational Services”, “Small Group Employment”, and “Individual Employment Support”. Although a person may only receive support in one of these areas at a time, he or she may receive support in multiple categories throughout the week.

CHI Friendship also provides Vocational Rehabilitation services. Vocational Rehabilitation, also abbreviated VR or Voc Rehab, is a process which enables persons with functional, psychological, developmental, cognitive, and emotional disabilities, impairments or health disabilities to overcome barriers to accessing, maintaining, or returning to employment or other useful occupation.