Jackson and Anna both live in Davis, CA, where they grew up and went to junior high school together. They have busy lives volunteering in their community, and both say that they relate well to kids.

With help from their job coaches and support teams, and with regular meetings about self-employment, Jackson and Anna were each able to explore their talents, try out business ideas, and eventually decide to become business partners.

Through a thorough planning process, Brian's team explored the people in Brian's personal network. They realized that the owner of a local liquor store had gotten to know Brian well, since he regularly visits to redeem cans and bottles. Together with the store's owner, Brian's job developer created a position at the liquor store doing custodial and maintenance work. Brian is just about to celebrate his first year on the job, which is his first long-term success.

Corey Alley, who lives in Millinocket, Maine, loves being out in the community, volunteering for service organizations, and participating in sports and recreational activities. For the past six years, he has provided a service to the town through his business, Alley's Recycling. The business accommodates his schedule and makes recycling a quick and easy process for his customers.

Ryan has been interested in nature since he was a small child, and once asked only for plants for his birthday. He lives in Reno, Nevada, likes math and science, and describes himself as a positive person. With his teacher as his job coach, Ryan transitioned from high school into the perfect job.

Lisa is a certified lifeguard and swim instructor at the YMCA in Fairfield, Connecticut. After much success as a competitive swimmer in the Special Olympics, Lisa transferred her skills to a career at the YMCA. As a lifeguard, Lisa tests chemical levels in the water and looks after swimmers by surveying the pool during swim sessions. As a swim instructor, Lisa prepares for class sessions and teaches group swim lessons. With support from her supervisor, coworkers, and family, Lisa earned and maintains the necessary certifications for her job, successfully carries out her work responsibilities, and has earned the reputation of being a responsible, detail-oriented, and dedicated employee at the YMCA.

Eric lives in Portland, Maine, and describes himself as "helpful, kind and open to anybody." He owns his own business, Eric's Pizza Express, where he sells pizza, sandwiches, and drinks from Anthony's Italian Kitchen, a well-known local restaurant. He does everything from setting up and taking down the cart to serving customers and working the cash register.

Judy's job developer spends a significant amount of time maintaining relationships with employers in his local community and has often relied on these relationships to create new opportunities for the individuals he supports. Taking into account Judy’s interest in working with people who are elderly, he got in touch with his contact at the Council on Aging and helped Judy secure a job preparing and distributing meals for the local Meals on Wheels program.

Brian lives in Reno, NV. He has been employed since high school in jobs related to music or computers. Recently, Brian's family has supported him to develop and run a business that adds a useful service to a local music store.

Although Michael has held several jobs in the past, he has struggled with retaining them. This success story illustrates how identifying shortcomings in previous on-the-job supports can lead to an improved understanding of current needs. Michael's needs were met by supplementing his job coach with supports from his co-workers and supervisor. Michael now works four days per week as an assistant for the maintenance team at a local rest home. He performs janitorial duties and assists with small maintenance jobs such as plumbing, repairs, and landscaping.

Eddie Alley has worked at Little Caesars, the pizza restaurant chain, since last summer. Several factors helped Eddie to find a position that was a good fit. First, he participated in a job tryout before he started to work. Also, he and his employer were flexible and willing to try new things. Finally, the employer had a long and positive connection with Eddie's job developer.