Honoring Disability Pride Month: Two Local Groups Use Volunteering to Empower Their Participants

Every July, we celebrate Disability Pride Month to commemorate the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Signed into law on July 26, 1990, this act aimed to break down the barriers to inclusion faced by people with disabilities. Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of people with disabilities while honoring the struggles they still face. Feeding San Diego is proud to partner with various groups that provide assistance and job skill training for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This month, we spoke to two groups about their experiences volunteering at Feeding San Diego.

Independiente, Juntos (iJuntos)

iJuntos is a program that was created to teach professional skills training. As a transition program, they also strive to help adults build confidence and social skills.

“What we do is we try to find as many volunteer opportunities as we can to have them try as many different things as they can to help them improve their job skills and at the same time learn to be in different environments and get comfortable in those different environments,” explained Marco Rodriguez, director of community outreach for iJuntos.

The iJuntos participants with their career coach, Mariana, and Director of Community Outreach, Marco

Identifying Skills and Planning for the Future

For the team at iJuntos, the goal is to figure out where their participants can thrive. One of their participants, Hugo, discovered an excitement for working with fruits and vegetables.

“It’s been life-changing,” Hugo shared. “I’ve never done this before. I enjoy coming here because I get to learn about certain foods and how to sort by bad and good. If I get a grocery store job, I will know how to sort the good and bad groceries. I’m helping feed people.”

“As we go, we identify things they want to center in on,” Marco told us. “For example, some want to be caretakers and work at a daycare with kids. Some want to become CNAs (Certified Nurse Assistants) and work in the medical field. Since he started working here at Feeding San Diego, Hugo has expressed that he would like to get into something dealing with fruits and vegetables and agriculture.”

Another participant, Jorge, found inspiration in our program of sending leftover produce to local farms. Now he’s interested in working with livestock and feeding animals.

“This job allows the group to work off their strengths,” Marco added. “Jorge’s strength is that he’s a muscle, he helps do things, and he’s very good at following directions, so I think this job gave us an understanding of ways he would be successful in the job world. I do appreciate Feeding San Diego because of that. It’s definitely opened our eyes to be able to help him and support him better, and also for him to understand that there are many things he can do, even if there are some limitations sometimes.”

Toward Maximum Independence (TMI)

Similar to iJuntos, TMI helps individuals with I/DDs lead an independent and successful life. They partner with non-profits and job sites to help foster independence and self-responsibility.

“Everything we do is community-based. Nonprofits are essential for our program,” explained Dennis Moran, an Integrated Work Program Coordinator and Division Manager at TMI. “They provide our participants the opportunity to work on work and social skills and be an integral part of the community to give back. In turn, that helps the specific goal of the program, which is employment. Observing our participants here, you can see that they love meeting new people and feeling a part of the community. We’re very thankful that nonprofits like Feeding San Diego provide our program that opportunity.”

The Power of Support in Action

TMI has three groups that volunteer at Feeding San Diego. Every Monday and Wednesday, CJ, Derek, and Ryan start the day with a volunteer shift, helped by their job coach, Molly. Through volunteering, they practice a range of social and other skills.

From left to right: Derek, Molly, CJ, and Ryan 

“I can see that this is their favorite site. They’re excited every time we go here,” Molly told us. “We’ve been working here for a year already. They like making friends here. Everyone knows them. They learned teamwork too. I see them doing it, and I know it started here, and they can use it in other aspects of their life.”

It quickly became clear during the shift that CJ, Derek, and Ryan all enjoy the work they do at Feeding San Diego.

“It’s hecka fun,” CJ said. His favorite activity is sorting the different fruits during a gleaning shift. “I like doing the backpacks too. Putting drinks and the bars and stuff like that. It was really fun.”

“I love to put all the foods that are not good in one container and all the foods that are really good in the other container,” Ryan told us. “And I really love to dump all the bad foods in the dumpster. I love doing all of that.”

While the overall goal for TMI is employment, their program centers on individualized support. By keeping their groups small, they can focus on the specific needs of each participant and encourage their unique strengths.

“Some of our participants are just naturally extroverted and social, but for other individuals who maybe aren’t as social, they can start feeling comfortable and safe,” Dennis added. “This is a really safe site for all our participants. Everyone’s very welcoming and warm and makes our participants feel comfortable and needed and wanted. To me, just seeing our group be a part of this and that they’re able to give back as well, it’s a full circle thing.”

Promoting Disability Pride Year-Round

As organizations, both iJuntos and TMI are committed to disability pride throughout the year. They recognize that a disability doesn’t mean their participants cannot thrive. Instead, their programs focus on highlighting strengths and uplifting individuals. Feeding San Diego is proud to be a part of the excellent work of iJuntos and TMI and promote an inclusive and accessible space.

Interested in volunteering? Check out our volunteer opportunities here.