LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Collaboration Center, a Las Vegas local disability resource network, is opening a new café aimed at preparing individuals with disabilities for future employment.
The CollabCafé is the final phase of the Collaboration Center’s new campus on Windmill Lane near Cimarron Road in the southwest valley and a part of the organization’s expanded adult vocational training program.
“It is such an underserviced area of the population, and you have these young adults with disabilities who graduate out of school and really don’t know those next steps and aren’t given the training and opportunities,” Collaboration Center Executive Director Cindy Goussak said.
The CollabCafé features an 18-month and two-year program where individuals with intellectual, developmental, physical, and learning disabilities develop transferable skills, build workforce confidence, and prepare for job opportunities.
“We will help them develop the skills based on their interest, based on their capabilities, and then hopefully help them transition into the broader community,” Goussak said.
Veteran campus assistant Grant Tache hopes to one day start a career in the media industry. He was diagnosed with autism and ADHD when he was five years old.
“Having a job like this would be really beneficial for somebody. Take it from me, somebody who struggled in the workforce for a while from retail and fast food,” Tache said.
He added that since working at The Collaboration Center, he’s made great strides in his personal and professional life.
“I feel like I’m a lot more professional and a lot more communicative,” said Tache. “I think my time management skills have improved a lot. I also feel like my confidence has improved a whole lot, like I’m a lot more confidence in myself.”
Participants will not only gain skills like tracking inventory or communicating effectively with customers, but more importantly, they will develop a sense of self-worth.
“Most importantly is empowerment,” said Goussak. “Just the idea that they have a skill set that can be utilized and that they can really be contributing.”
The CollabCafé opens to the public on March 3. The café was made possible through the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
