Revisiting Amber's Story: From Isolation to Independence
Image: Logo for the Ticket To Work Program
At CPWD, we believe that the most powerful thing we can share is a real story from a real person. In 2023, we published Amber's story, and it remains one of the most meaningful examples of what independent living looks like when someone has the right support at the right time. We love to revisit stories like hers because they remind us, and our community, why this work matters.
Image: Amber smiles at the camera. She is pictured outside by a tree, from the shoulders up. She has long purple hair.
Amber's disability is one that many people wouldn't see from the outside. Diagnosed with Bipolar II and PTSD, she spent years unable to leave her home. Grocery stores felt overwhelming. Even making a phone call was a barrier. After leaving a difficult marriage while pregnant and living on disability benefits in socialized housing, Amber was surviving, but she wasn't living the full, independent life she wanted for herself and her son.
Her path forward didn't happen overnight. It started with a small, manageable step: enrolling in online classes at the University of Phoenix, where she didn't have to leave the house. Over time, that experience gave her the confidence to transfer to the University of Northern Colorado and attend classes in person. There, she found an internship at Connections for Independent Living in Greeley, where a supervisor named Colin encouraged her to believe that she could move from living on benefits to supporting herself and her son through employment.
Through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Ticket to Work program, Amber connected with CPWD's employment team. Jan Dabroski, CPWD's Certified Community Partner Work Incentives Counselor, walked alongside her as she navigated the transition from benefits to full-time work, helping her communicate with the Social Security Administration and track her progress along the way.
The results speak for themselves. Amber went from intern to Employment Specialist to Team Lead. She moved off SSDI entirely, found a better home, bought and paid off her first brand new car, and was nominated for a Personal Achievement Award through the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE). And she is raising her son, now a teenager, with the independence and stability she worked so hard to build.
Amber's own advice for anyone considering a similar path is grounded and practical: start slow. Take baby steps. Try things to find out what works. Use the resources that are available, whether that's a case manager through DVR, an Independent Living Advisor at a Center for Independent Living, or a therapist and doctor who can support the journey.
Her story is a reminder that independence isn't built in a single leap. It's built one step at a time, with people alongside you who believe in what's possible.
To learn more about CPWD's Employment Program and the Ticket to Work program, visit our Employment Program page or read Amber's original 2023 story.