Empowering Independence and Confidence

Founder of HIRE Ex, Anne DeWeese- has a calling to work with people who have various disabilities. She has spent her career developing special education programs and curricula for students ages 3 to 21. She loves to see each person shine, and focus on their abilities, not their limitations. There are many programs for school aged children, but what happens when her students become adults? Most are not employed. Just like you and me, they have many skills to use and want to be a part of things, too. 

Anne sees situations differently than most people. As she goes about her day, she automatically assesses her community and sifts out tasks and opportunities that adults with disabilities could be doing. She started cataloging and creating a list of things that could be jobs for this amazing group of individuals. She mentally catalogs the skills necessary to perform a task and thinks about ways things could be adapted. Anne recognizes that they could learn more skills for success in other areas like communication, building independence, socialization, and time management. Who wouldn’t want to learn more or be a lifelong learner? 

As she continued to consult with families and coach their adult children with disabilities, the need for a program became more and more clear. 

One of her students, Jack, landed a job. It’s just a few hours per week, but that doesn’t matter. Anne worked closely with Jack, preparing him for his interview. When Jacvk got the job, Jack proudly announced to his brother, “I got a job, just like you, Alex!”

THAT’s what matters.

And that’s when Anne knew it was the right time for HIRE Ex to come to fruition.