Inclusion and more

Approximately 7.3% of people with disaiblities are unemployed. Imagine yourself without a job to go to everyday with co-workers and supervisors who support you.  I recently started a job at BridgeWater Assisted Living and Memory Care Midtown! My parents know family friends who work for Solterra Properties, which owns BridgeWater. A few months ago, my job coach Fiona took me to an interview at Solterra's main office in Scottsdale. We had the inteview with BridgeWater and Solterra employees. I got offered the job on the spot as their Dining Room Attendant at the Midtown location. Let me share a cool story. I started finding out I knew more and more people who worked for BridgeWater. My cousin Brittany's friend Morgan Kemp's mom does marketing for all of BridgeWater's communities. I am currently working in the kitchen/dining room. I help assemble silverware place settings, make salads and bus tables. I deliver meals to seniors on different floors sometimes. I love getting ...

 Lately I have been learning about how to be a LEADER at work and in life instead of being a boss.  I want to share with you some key traits of GOOD LEADERS 1. Leaders INSPIRE OTHERS Some of the best leaders I know including my dad Doug who used to run Vantage Mobility International, a local company that converts vans by lowering the floor to make them work for people with disabilities, inspire people. Leaders inspire people by trying their best and having a passion for what they do. 2. Leaders TAKE CRITICISM WITHOUT GETTING DEFENSIVE As a leader and employee, I am all about continuously improving myself. I benefit from receiving constructive criticism from supervisors and co-workers. A good leader takes criticism without getting defensive. Feedback helps people grow and learn how they can do better.  REAL LIFE STORY: At a job I used to have, I used to get so scared to meet with my bosses when they had feedback. I would get sweaty palms and have bad nerves. I didn't rea...

  My name is Lindsey Eaton. I am 26 years old. I have autism. I want to share with you my experiences living with autism during a worldwide pandemic. When the Coronavirus first became a pandemic I was frustrated. I was mad that my routine was taken away from me. A routine that consisted of working and volunteering in the community at the Arizona Science Center. A routine that was interrupted by not waking up consistently, having frequent anxiety meltdowns. These meltdowns would involve me crying to myself in my apartment and not talking to anybody about how I was feeling.  As more time went on, I realized there was only so much I could change. I realized there would eventually be more routine. I realized that attending First Place-Phoenix community life events, participating in Zoom calls for Best Buddies and adding services through HOPE Group would add to my  routine significantly. I also realized that I wasn't alone. More people started to come forward and share their m...