Imagine Enterprises | Benefits training + consultation
Imagine Enterprises is committed to finding new and innovative approaches to assist people with disabilities and their families to successfully negotiate the service system and to use their public and personal resources to acquire a meaningful and productive life in the community. The SWTCIE Illinois project is partnering with Imagine Enterprises to provide benefits counseling and consultation to SWTCIE Illinois participants, in addition to benefits training for various partners within the project. We are excited to have the expertise of Sandy Smith, Imagine Enterprises chief operating officer for benefits and employment services, a part of the SWTCIE Illinois team. Sandy will be working closely with the community research specialists to provide comprehensive benefits planning services to SWTCIE Illinois customers to ensure they receive comprehensive information about how employment may affect their Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP and other public assistance benefits.
Sandy has worked for more than 30 years in community-based employment services, with 25+ of those years spent learning and fine-tuning her knowledge of Social Security benefits. She currently leads Imagine’s Work Incentive Planning & Assistance (WIPA) across 53 counties in Texas. Sandy works to ensure that individuals with disabilities and their families get the support they need to understand their benefits and find jobs that work for them. In addition to her work with Social Security benefits, Sandy and her team also partner with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (TWC-VR) to help with benefits counseling and employment services such as job placements and starting your own business. She also leads Imagine’s pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS).
Silfies Media | Videography
The SWTCIE Illinois project has contracted with Silfies Media to provide a variety of videography services for the balance of our project. The mission of Silfies Media is to advocate for and amplify the voices of individuals in the developmentally disabled community. They accomplish this by collaborating with local provider agencies, statewide organizations, and national entities to share impactful stories that challenge societal norms and foster a more inclusive world. The purpose of their work with SWTCIE Illinois will be to educate and increase awareness surrounding competitive integrated employment opportunities for persons with significant disabilities in Illinois.
Instrumental to this initiative is John Silfies, founder of Silfies Media. John started his career as a direct support professional in 2011. He served as the director of marketing for a prominent provider agency from 2016-2019. In 2019, he served as the public relations manager for 10 County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, where he saw a rapid decline of professionals joining the field. John decided to use his skills, passion, and years of experience to make a direct impact on people with developmental disabilities and the people that support them by establishing Silfies Media in 2021.
We are thrilled to have John and his team on board to help tell our project’s story.
Virginia Consultants | Technical assistance
Established in 1983, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research Training Center (RRTC) provides resources for professionals, individuals with disabilities, and their representatives. Their team of nationally and internationally renowned researchers is committed to developing and advancing evidence-based practices to increase the hiring and retention for individuals with disabilities.
We have the privilege of having several expert members of the RRTC staff providing project consultation and technical assistance to our partnering agencies:
