Center Hosts Second Community Conversation on Employment for Individuals with Disabilities

The Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing—in partnership with the University of Mary Hardin Baylor (UMHB) Occupational Therapy and Friends for Life— hosted a community conversation on employment for individuals with disabilities on November 12 at the UMHB campus. The event brought together nearly 100 community members—including employers, educators, service providers, families, and individuals with disabilities—to explore ways to expand meaningful employment opportunities across Central Texas.

This conversation builds upon the Center’s first gathering, held in February at Waco High School in collaboration with the Waco Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. Together, these events represent a growing effort within the Center’s Flourishing Futures initiative, which supports youth and young adults with disabilities as they navigate the transition to adulthood. Through a series of community-based conversations, the initiative seeks to identify local strengths, address ongoing barriers, and foster collaboration that leads to more inclusive and supportive workplaces.

The evening opened with welcoming remarks from Program Manager for Youth Transitions, Katie Laubender, who organized the event on behalf of the Center. Participants then engaged in small-group discussions focused on identifying what is working well within the community, where gaps remain, and how individuals and organizations can partner to create new pathways to employment.

A highlight of the event, local business owner, Wes Teeters, shared about the meaningful employment opportunities he provides to adults with disabilities at his restaurant, Wes’s Burger Shack. Participants expressed deep appreciation for the impact of his leadership and the positive model his business offers to the wider community.

Dinner was generously sponsored by Ativo Therapy and catered by Wes’s Burger Shack, with additional support from Bush’s Chicken in Belton.

As with the Center’s first conversation, attendees emphasized the importance of focusing on individuals’ strengths, potential, and valuable skillsets rather than limitations. Many attendees spoke of the mutual benefits that inclusive employment brings—to businesses, to employees, and to the broader community.

Looking ahead, the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing plans to extend these community conversations to additional communities across Central Texas and beyond. By cultivating dialogue in communities both within and outside our immediate network, the Center hopes to build a broader movement committed to belonging, opportunity, and flourishing for all.