Expanding opportunity requires more than a single intervention. For many people we serve, outcomes depend on skills development, practical access to services, and public policies that sustain essential systems. Across Easterseals, Affiliates and National work together to strengthen all three.
Skills Building That Expands Opportunity
Getting and keeping a job requires more than determination. For many people—including people with disabilities, veterans, and others facing structural barriers—it depends on access to targeted skills training, coaching, and modern tools.
Affiliates integrate workforce development into programs that build technical skills and job readiness, helping participants move toward stable employment and long‑term economic mobility .
In 2025, a $600,000 investment from The Coca‑Cola Foundation supported workforce upskilling across 15 Affiliates¹, combining digital learning platforms such as IBM SkillsBuild and Northstar with individualized coaching and hands‑on learning labs.
[GRAPHIC PLACEHOLDER]
These outcomes show how coordinated workforce investments translate training into employment—connecting skill development to sustained wages and economic prosperity.
Workforce participation also depends on reliable transportation. With support from the General Motors Foundation, Affiliates in Southwest Florida, Northeast Indiana, Chicagoland and Greater Rockford, and Colorado are strengthening the Accessible Transportation Coalition Initiative—improving access for more than 58,000 community members to date.
Together, these efforts show that workforce development requires more than training alone. Skills development, digital access, and transportation must work together—and the Easterseals network enables integration to scale through shared partnerships, coordinated training models, and cross‑Affiliate learning.
Footnote
1Easterseals Affiliates included Colorado, Greater Houston, Goodwill-Easterseals Minnesota, Northeast Central Florida, Nebraska, San Antonio, East Georgia, Lone Star, Massachusetts, Midwest, New Jersey, New York, South Florida, Southern California, and Washington
