Ariel Parker arrived at Beacon Group in August 2021 to participate in a 90-day on-the-job training program called Work Adjustment Training (WAT). WAT offers individuals the opportunity to learn and polish their universal soft skills that every employer looks for when hiring employees. Parker’s WAT assignment was the main reception desk at Beacon’s Steve and Kathy King Center in Tucson, Arizona.

At the time, Parker was in recovery and hadn’t worked in three years; her employment prior to that was inconsistent.

“I was in a sober living residence and seeking services through COPE [Community Services],” says Parker. “I was working with a case manager at COPE and expressed my desire to work, so they referred me to Beacon Group for Work Adjustment Training and Job Development, Placement, and Retention services.”

She was a perfect fit for the WAT program and adjusted well to her new position. The job “gave her a reason to get up in the morning” and it “was very fulfilling.” For 90 days, Parker participated in WAT and simultaneously received Job Development, Placement, and Retention services from Beacon Group. During that time, she decided that she wanted to find a job at Beacon Group that allowed her to help others the way Beacon helped her.

Upon completion of the 90-day WAT program, Parker applied for a job coach position at Beacon Group but was unable to obtain her fingerprint clearance card, a requirement for the position. In the meantime, she earned a position at a law firm where she put her receptionist skills to good use. However, during that time she yearned to return to work at Beacon Group.

In early 2022, with the help of her Employment Specialist, Stacey Feinsilver, Parker earned her fingerprint clearance card and applied for a job coach position at Beacon’s reception desk. Due to her success in the WAT program and strong interview, she was hired.

“I loved that job because a lot of the people I worked with in WAT were facing the same challenges that I faced just a few months prior,” says Parker. “Many had substance use disorders and were in sober living so I could really identify with them, support them in their recovery, and show them they can do so much more.”

Parker’s positive interactions with program participants and staff did not go unnoticed. In December 2023, Beacon Group was awarded a grant from the Banner – University Family Care Community Reinvestment Program to provide employment services to individuals with developmental disabilities. She was hired to lead this grant effort—working as an employment specialist in supporting progressive moves while building relationships with employers and educating them on the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

She excelled in her new position, expanded her skillset, and made strides as a person and employee of Beacon Group. Her growth, maturity, and ability to relate to people with disabilities, again, did not go unnoticed. Nearing the end of the grant period, she applied for an open program manager position and got the job!

As Parker considers her transition from a member of WAT to job coach to employment specialist to program manager, she recalls, “I feel welcome at Beacon, and I love my job. In the last 8 months, I really fell in love with working with people who have developmental disabilities, and this new position gives me the opportunity to see that through.”