Is Inclusion Enough? Employment for people with disabilites with Heather Hagen Artwork

The Different Ability® Podcast

Why am I different? Why do things have to be so difficult? Am I dumb? Why am I scared? Will it be this hard forever? Will I ever find the help I need to succeed? When will being different be accepted? Welcome to The Different Ability® Podcast where we will answer all of these questions and a whole lot more! Each week host Katey Fortun brings you tips and tricks on how to navigate being different, along with inspiring stories of guests that are living an amazing life having Different Abilities of their own. Parents and Educators of kids with Different Abilities share their stories to encourage others that they are not alone and we can all get through this together! Katey, who has dyslexia, shares her personal Different Ability stories to show you that being different is a gift, being different is amazing and using your Different Abilities, you too can create and live the life you have always dreamed about! Katey believes that everyone has Different Abilities and it's time to let our Different Abilities shine bright! You are amazing, you are important, you are strong, you are smart and the world needs you just the way you were made! Are you ready to be inspired and encouraged to be the person you were made to be, Different Abilities and all? We know you're ready, so come along, we are all in this together! "You can do anything you put your mind to, with a lot of hard work, determination and never giving up! It's not your disability, it's your Different Ability®!" - Katey

All Episodes

The Different Ability® Podcast

Is Inclusion Enough? Employment for people with disabilites with Heather Hagen

February 05, 2025 • Katey Fortun • Season 5 • Episode 202

Send us a text

This conversation with Heather couldn't have come at a better time! This episode was recoreded early January 2025 and I'm so happy we had this conversation before everything in the US happened in later January 2025. This is not a time to stop fighting for our rights, fighting for DEI and all of our friends, family and neighbors around the country and the world! Thank you Heather for what you do in the disability world to help people get meaningful jobs in our workforce and throughout our communities! Colorado is doing a dang good job and we all can learn from them!

Heather's Bio

Heather Hagen (she/her) proudly serves as the Assistant Director of Employment Services at Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DDRC) in Colorado. Like many colleagues, Heather fell into the world of supported employment in 2010 by chance and found a passion for helping people pursue their career goals. Heather has had the privilege of experiencing employment services evolve significantly over the past 10+ years and is enthusiastic about Colorado’s commitment to Employment First!

In her work, Heather is especially passionate about developing highly competent Employment Support Professionals who approach their work with a historical understanding of disability services and a passion to cause “good trouble” in pursuit of equity and true inclusion for everyone. A person with invisible disabilities, Heather is a recipient of the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) Wendy M. Wood Emerging Leader award and DDRC’s Charlie Allinson award. Heather seeks to move the needle in the day-to-day work that we do with career seekers, and to ask for big change in state and national policies.

Heather enjoys life in the Colorado mountains with her husband, son and two dogs. In her free time, you can find Heather hiking, baking, cross stitching and planning fun vacations with her family!

Connect with Heather:

This episodes ad break:

Join my email list to: get behind the scenes, special videos, book launch date, book tours, discounts, freebies and so much more!
www.kateyfortun.com/thebook

Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
Sign Up Here!

Shop new products here!

Places you can reach me at:
Website:
https://kateyfortun.com/
https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/