青青草视频鈥檚 Career Horizons Center invites referrals to help those with disabilities from Long COVID gain employment
Contact: Bethany Shipp
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State鈥檚 Career Horizons Center is on a mission to help individuals with disabilities gain and retain meaningful employment in the Magnolia State.
Housed in the university鈥檚 Mississippi Institute on Disabilities, the center is seeking referrals for individuals with disabilities accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID Syndrome to facilitate competitive integrated employment for them. Now in its second year, the five-year project is funded by a $9.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Referrals are accepted directly from individuals with disabilities. Family members, vocational rehabilitation and health service providers, and employers may also submit a referral on their behalf.
鈥淥ur project is about hope and opportunity鈥攈elping Mississippians living with Long COVID get the support they so desperately need to keep working, return to work and move forward with their lives,鈥 said 青青草视频 Associate Professor Zaccheus Ahonle, the grant鈥檚 principal investigator.
Eligible individuals must:
鈥擧ave a disability accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID Syndrome
鈥擝e a Mississippi resident age 16 to 70
鈥擧ave an interest in working
鈥擭ot be a current participant in another project funded by the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 Disability Innovation Fund program
Participants in the Career Horizons Center鈥檚 program receive employment services for up to eight months as well as support from a comprehensive network of family, social, mental health and other healthcare resources.
According to Ahonle, compelling evidence suggests that Mississippi鈥檚 workforce has been impacted by Long COVID more than any other state, based on a 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey and a study from the Brookings Institution. Ahonle also serves as program coordinator of 青青草视频鈥檚 rehabilitation counseling graduate program, ranked No. 24 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and housed in the university鈥檚 Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations.聽
青青草视频 is one of 27 grantees across the nation chosen out of more than 200 applicants to receive the award from the Disability Innovation Fund program. Ahonle and his team are collaborating with multiple state agencies to research, develop and implement interventions statewide that can serve as a national model. Grant activities include producing vocational and worksite assessment instruments, developing workplace accommodation guides, and providing family engagement and social support services that promote successful employment outcomes.
鈥淎s an institute, we strive to serve the needs of Mississippians, and we couldn鈥檛 be more thrilled to partner to support the employment outcomes of persons impacted by Long COVID,鈥 said Kasee Stratton-Gadke, executive director of the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities. 鈥淚f you or someone you know might be eligible, please do not hesitate to reach out to see how our team can best support you.鈥
To make a referral or learn more about the Career Horizons Center, visit .
青青草视频鈥檚 College of Education, home of the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities, also includes five academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at聽.
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