Vocational Education

The objective of the PASS is to help disabled individuals find employment that reduces or eliminates SSI or SSDI benefits. Individuals can get help in setting up a plan from a vocational rehabilitation counselor, and get access to benefits specialists, protection, and advocacy organizations who have they also in contact with. They can also help find organizations that helps people with disabilities and find employment networks involved in the Ticket to Work program.

The purpose of New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is a state and federally funded program designed to help eligible individuals with documented disabilities find suitable employment. DVR is a voluntary program and services persons who want to work. They provide vocational counseling and guidance; job search assistance; job development; job placement assistance; pre-employment transition services; vocational rehabilitation technology; employment training; and post-employment services. They also provide disability determination services, as they adjudicate cases for Social Security disability benefits.

“SEED” stands for “Self Employment for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities”. The name clearly defines that the program is to make loans available to individuals with disabilities regardless of the type of disability, age, income level, or location of residence in the state, to purchase needed equipment and home-based business supplies. SJCI, in collaboration with DreamSpring and NMTAP, provides low interest loans on a case by case basis. NMTAP loans can be used for tools, computers, home office supplies, business equipment, home office modifications, and portable buildings.

UNM Partners for Employment is a statewide partnership between the University of New Mexico's Center for Development and Disability (CDD), the New Mexico Department of Health's Developmental Disabilities Supports Division (DDSD), and the New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). Partners for Employment offers training, technical help, networking, and collaboration prospects. To provide inclusive employment throughout New Mexico, they collaborate with state agency workers, supported employment providers, educators, family members, self-advocates, and employers. The College of Employment Services which is a hosted online training curriculum, and Project SEARCH, a one-year school-to-work internship program for people with disabilities aged 18 to 22, are examples of the services they provide.

Department of Diné Education, OSERS provides vocational rehabilitation services to eligible Navajo People with disabilities who are interested in going to work. Vocational Rehabilitation is funded by a grant from the United States Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The goal of Vocational Rehabilitation is to assist people with disabilities to obtain or maintain employment. Services include: • Growing In Beauty • First Things Home Visitation Program • Independent Living • Project-Launch Locations available in Crownpoint, Farmington, Gallup, and Arizona. For more specific contact information for your location please visit http://www.nnosers.org/contact-us.aspx.

The NMSBDC offers a range of services to help small businesses succeed in New Mexico.

Services include:

• Business Plan Development

• Access to Capital

• Continuity of Operations

• Online Commerce

• Protecting Intellectual Property

• Cyber Security

• Travel Mitigation

• Mitigating Disaster Effects

Locations include: Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clovis, Espanola, Farmington, Gallup, Grants, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Los Lunas, Roswell, Santa Fe, Silver City, Socorro (TCA, NM Tech), Taos, Tucumcari. For more specific contact information click on your location at https://www.nmsbdc.org/locations/.

The Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team, or WESST, is a statewide 501(c)(3) committed to supporting individuals in New Mexico who want to start a small business or improve the performance of an existing one. Founded by three women in 1989, WESST targets its services to women, people of color, and low-income New Mexicans. In addition to loans WESST offers training and consulting in both English and Spanish. Physical accessibility is provided throughout 7 offices in Albuquerque, Farmington, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, Roswell and Santa Fe. Each of the offices hosts a Women’s Business Center, funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration. WESST is a Small Business Administration (SBA) Microlender and a Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) lender.

DiverseIT is a nonprofit program that is helping people with disabilities, seniors, people of color, and women to get started in tech with hands-on training. We provide computers to people with disabilities and local nonprofits, too. When you work with us, you are supporting our larger mission to help others learn and grow. We appreciate your business!

Provides resources for businesses seeking to access the talent pool of nearly 24 million working-age people with disabilities who are not employed.
NOD developed an industry-standard model to help companies recruit, hire, and retain individuals with disabilities by matching their abilities to locally available positions. In the years since, NOD has become a trusted partner to over a dozen leading brands, such as Lowe’s, Kroger, Walmart, Coca Cola, S&P Global, UPS, Starbucks.