In a move that highlights both the societal value and the practical benefits of inclusive employment, Let’s Go Texas, a nonprofit organization, is carving out pathways for people with disabilities to secure meaningful work in Texas. According to San Antonio Report, Kristian “Krissy” Salinas, the director of Let’s Go Texas, has been steering the organization toward bridging the gap between disabled individuals and the workforce, drawing from her background influenced by her mother's passion as a special education teacher.
The seeds of the initiative were sown when Salinas, during her days at Texas A&M International University, helped a man with Down Syndrome secure a job at a local college, which marked a turning point in her career and the lives of many others, embarking on a journey to facilitate similar opportunities for individuals facing similar roadblocks, her resolve solidified by witnessing the man's joy upon employment, Salinas told Robert Rivard on the bigcitysmalltown podcast. Let’s Go Texas operates under the funding of the Texas Workforce Commission's Vocational Rehabilitation Program, their purpose stretching beyond job placement to encompass programs that promote self-adequacy and self-advocacy among its participants.
The services provided by Let’s Go Texas are tailored to meet the varied needs of people with disabilities; these offerings include vocational assessments, pre-employment courses, job skills training, and ongoing support after employment, many of which have adapted to digital formats to increase accessibility. In pushing the envelope, the nonprofit has also instituted innovative programs within public high schools that lay the groundwork for students with disabilities, teaching them crucial workforce-readiness skills, according to Salinas in a statement obtained by San Antonio Report.
The scope of Let’s Go Texas's high school programs spans a wide array of practical skills, preparing students in domains such as work readiness, self-advocacy, career exploration, work-based learning, and social interaction; Salinas emphasized the significance of such programs in her interview with Rivard, noting that they don't just train students for jobs, but also aim to instill a sense of empowerment and agency, allowing them to navigate their own paths with confidence.
