In October, eight people from YAI’s Westbury supported employment program put on their most professional clothes, printed out their resumes, and headed to eVero’s headquarters in Melville, Long Island. All eight participants did three 30-minute interviews with different eVero employees.   

“The first step toward employment is the interview process, and it can be daunting,” said Jeannine Azan, Business Manager at eVero. “We wanted to do something for Disability Employment Awareness Month, and we've partnered with YAI in the past for seminars on interview skills and how to get and keep a job, so it seemed only natural to reach out.”  

eVero, which creates case management software that’s used by I/DD agencies, has collaborated with YAI for more than 20 years. For Azan, getting to do mock interviews and otherwise engage with people YAI supports is a perk for eVero staff.  

“Everyone here wants to be partnered with endeavors like this,” said Azan. “Everyone wants to be involved, everyone wants to help.” 

On the YAI side, that help was greatly appreciated.  

“Everyone was very excited to know what the process would entail, and how to go about dressing for an interview, and what to say in an interview,” said Anika Adams, a DSP who accompanied the group to eVero’s headquarters.  

The group all have different job aspirations—a few would like office administrator roles, one would like to be a busser in a restaurant, and another wants to work in the produce section of a supermarket. The eVero team prepped interview questions for each person’s specific career goals.  

“The people we support were very proud and I feel like they’re very happy to see what the future holds. They’re more excited after the mock interviews,” said Adams. “It was a really good experience for them, and they got a little taste of what to expect for the future.”