Deb Hanson gets things done; “I think [I’m seen as] the last resort” in some ways, she says happily.  As an Employment Specialist at Expandability for the past two years, Deb has been offering her encouragement, support, time, and efforts to help disabled adults in the Monterey County find work.  Deb feels that the area’s Department of Rehab refers clients to her when a particular client needs “that extra push to tell [them] ‘yes indeed you can do this’”.

Encouragement is Deb’s specialty; she offers her clients what she calls a “gentle shove” and sometimes a “kick in the butt” to convince them that “everybody has potential”.  By helping client’s expand their portfolio’s, write sample cover letters, improve their resume’s, and practice pre-meeting and interview skills, Deb’s goal is to not only to find job placement for clients, but also to find a job that the client will feel happy doing.  Deb says that she tries to “treat everyone with compassion and empathy, not sympathy,” and she strongly believes that she “works with people who are very capable; I see potential, I don’t see disabilities”.

Previously, Deb worked closely with the Expandability WorkAbility program and with the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, and sees her transition from working with students to being an Employment Specialist for adults as the “perfect job” where she has “grown a lot.”  Her favorite part of her work is watching her clients succeed in being hired, but she doesn’t stop there. When she sees potential she “recommends that they move forward with their education” and encourages clients to find their niche in not just a job, but in a career that they love.