Sixto, Jr, as he prefers to be called, joined Toward Maximum Independence (TMI) in October of 2012. He was referred to TMI by his Inland Regional Center Service Coordinator in hopes that TMI would be willing to accept him into our Employment Solutions program in Temecula even though he is an undocumented resident. As a 13 year old boy, Jr and his family came to the United States without legal documents. Twelve years later, during his intake with TMI, Jr expressed his desire to find paid employment. Without a social security card, nor a work permit, he was faced with rejection after rejection that caused Jr a great deal of frustration and sadness. His heart’s desire had always been to work. Even with Regional Center's legal assistance, the process to obtain the necessary documentation was lengthy to say the least. Recently, Jr was switched to a different Employment Solutions group with Nila Ambrossi as his new Job Coach. Upon learning about Jr's status, Nila immediately contacted resources that she learned about from her brother. She reached out to the non-profit organization, Libreria Del Pueblo in San Bernardino . This organization is known for assisting undocumented residents with legalizing their status. They have immigration attorneys that do pro-bono work as their way of giving back to their community. With their help, Jr acquired his conditional permanent residency status, which granted him a permit to work as of November. He received his Social security card in January and his California ID in February. Jr was thrilled and Inland Regional Center was very grateful to learn about this much needed resource for clients. Jr is well on his way to finding a job and he couldn’t be happier! We wish Jr all the best on his job search. (Pictured: Jr and his Job Coach Nila Ambrossi)
An estimated 1 in 6 people are born with a developmental disability. Just like you, they are born with hopes, dreams and the drive to contribute to society. Since 1981 Toward Maximum Independence (TMI) has transformed thousands of lives by providing assistance to children and adults with developmental disabilities, giving them the ability to realize their hopes and dreams.