Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT)

The Sherlock Center offers Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) to help youth and adults with disabilities, their families and the professionals who support them explore the possibilities of employment. FEAT provides tools, resources and real-life examples to show that employment is achievable.

Session 1 provides an overview of the series and is required for all participants. It includes:

• Introduction to employment in Rhode Island
• Supported and customized employment
• Self-employment
• Types of employment supports

Session 2 focuses on youth, and Session 3 focuses on adults. Participants can register for one or both of these topical sessions.

• FEAT-Y – Designed for youth with disabilities (ages 14–22) and their families, this session helps build a vision for employment, understand the role of schools and families in transition planning, explore a wide range of employment options, and learn about adult service systems and supports.
• FEAT-A – Participants in this session learn how to access adult service systems, use tools to map strengths and create a plan for employment. They also hear directly from adults who are successfully employed.

FEAT aims to expand what families know about employment, increase expectations and provide the knowledge needed to take the next steps toward meaningful work.