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A picture of the Rock engraved with "AtWork!" outside the Bellevue office.
This is who we are: Passionate, innovative, and supportive. We're here for you.

Pictured: The AtWork! rock at our Bellevue Headquarters.

Who We Are

AtWork! is a highly supportive and innovative conduit between people with disabilities and employers in the community. AtWork! approaches its mission of empowering people with disabilities to be productive, integrated, and contributing members of their communities from a unique 360-degree perspective.

By focusing as much on the business’s needs as on the job seeker’s needs, AtWork! can – and does – strategize, design, and create jobs that are valuable, meaningful, and deliver a measurable benefit to everyone involved. When placing people with disabilities in new positions, AtWork! provides customized on-site training and continuing on-site support to ensure that both the employee and the business achieve or surpass the results they expect.

Our Vision

People with disabilities are an integral part of our society, our businesses, and our lives.

Everyone has the capacity to work. There is a place for a person with disabilities in every business in America. Everyone is employed and all work forces are inclusive.

AtWork! is a national leader in developing innovative employment services. We are the best place to get services as defined by the people we serve and their families.

AtWork!’s social enterprises generate a reliable revenue stream to support our mission.

The people with disabilities we train are recruited by businesses seeking skilled and competent employees.

AtWork! is a key collaborator and partner in the public policy arena, successfully advocating and supporting system change and improvements that empower people with disabilities to lead more independent and fulfilling lives.

Our Values

INTEGRITY: Doing what is right, even when it is difficult. We believe in honesty, fairness, and being transparent.

RESPECT: Honoring all. We respect the people we serve and meet people where they are. We respect our staff and all the people we interact with. We honor the unique perspectives and talents that everyone brings to the workplace.

COLLABORATION: Working with others. As great collaborators internally and externally we honor the differences and similarities that make up our vibrant communities.

STEWARDSHIP: Managing our resources. Managing our money, our connections, and our staff well. Utilizing everyone’s individual talents to help achieve our mission.

CREATIVITY: Transcending traditional ideas. A collection of vision, resourcefulness, and talent to get the job done, to find good job matches, and to discover connection through community inclusion.

Our Diversity & Inclusion Declaration

We commit ourselves to creating and sustaining a culture that respects diverse abilities, heritages, and experiences. We uphold the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals.

To live this declaration, we will:

– Engage and lean into crucial conversations that challenge our bias and our comfort.

– Encourage and invite people to share their stories and journey, so that all will be heard and strengthened.

– Take active roles in our education, as it relates to the injustices and inequalities of our communities so that we may take action.

– Lead with compassion for people’s experiences and perspective.

Our Mission & the Movement

1963 - John F. Kennedy

At the dawn of the New Frontier, as John F. Kennedy launched his administration, intellectual disability was a neglected issue, receiving minimal state or federal funding. President Kennedy, with strong support from his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver, brought intellectual disability “out of the shadows” and into the public light.

1964 - The Civil Rights Act

While this was a landmark act and worked to end discrimination of people based on gender or color, it did not make any provisions for people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities still lacked opportunities to participate in society, were denied access to employment and were discriminated against based on disability.

1970's - The introduction of Supported Employment

Supported Employment was finally introduced in the 1970s for individuals with significant disabilities in competitive job placements in integrated settings. The critical issue was funding for long-term services.

1975 - IDEA

President Ford signs into law the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), guaranteeing public education to every child with a disability.

1990 - The ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) becomes law in 1990. This civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

2004 - The Working Age Adult Policy (WAAP)

Released by the State Division of Developmental Disabilities, the policy is a statement about people with disabilities and the importance of community-based integrated employment in realizing full citizenship. It moves county funding of day programs away from non-integrated, non-work activities and requires all working-age adults to be on a pathway working towards gainful employment.