Employment Programs for Young Adults with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities have one of the highest barriers to employment among underrepresented groups in the workforce. The Employment Program for Young Adults with Disabilities Program is designed to counter those barriers by providing employment opportunities for those individuals.

The Employment Program for Young Adults with Disabilities is administered by Commonwealth Corporation on behalf of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, in support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s efforts to improve workforce outcomes for young adults with disabilities. This grant initiative is funded through a General Appropriation Act line item in the State Budget (7003-0607).

Request for proposals are generally released in September of each year and applicants must propose to serve participants who are:

• Unemployed or underemployed and,
• Have a diagnosable disability and,
• Between 18 and 35 years old and,
• Massachusetts resident and,
• Not enrolled in high school as of program start (may or may not have previously earned a high school diploma or HiSET/GED)