Social Cooperative at CIDA is an innovative workforce development project established by Community Inclusion & Development Alliance (CIDA) to deliver individualized assistance as well as create integrative employment opportunities for people with unique challenges. CIDA is currently running a project using this model for young adults with disabilities and exceptional needs. We also work with local businesses to increase their workplace capacity through diversity and inclusion.
Why Social Cooperative?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for persons with disabilities reached 10.1 percent in 2021 after steadily rising for several years. The rate of unemployment for those with disabilities is about twice as high as the rate for those without disabilities.
Among the disability groups, only 18% of working-age adults supported by state intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) agencies were employed in a paid job in the community (National Core Indicators, 2018).
Traditional work-readiness programs designed for people with disabilities may not work for every individual, given the diversity of the population of people with disabilities. Innovative approaches are needed for those individuals who are not served well by the traditional workforce development model.
