The Ramble Collective (formerly Boulder Treasures) turns disabilities into possibilities! Our innovative programs help adults with IDD overcome the challenges of securing independent employment and accessing affordable community housing - while breaking down barriers to inclusion in the community.
Employment
Adults
Mentally/Emotionally Disabled
Physically Disabled
Disabled
People/Families with of People with Developmental Disabilities
The Ramble Collective operates an apprenticeship program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities where they receive paid on-the-job training, work experience, and job placement services. The program takes place at Ramble on Pearl and Ramble Marketplace, two retail stores established, designed and staffed to assist our apprentices secure and successfully transition to permanent employment in the community. In our program, apprentices learn transferrable job skills while gaining valuable work experience. Individuals work up to 12 hours per week under the supervision of a skilled job coach and alongside our retail staff who have been trained to provide natural supports to ensure their success. After demonstrating independence, our apprentices continue to gain work experience as Master Apprentices without a job coach. After 2 to 3 months in training, our apprentices are provided job placement services to help them secure independent, competitive, and sustainable employment in the community.
Since we started, 40 individuals have participated in our programs and 30 have secured independent community employment while some still train and work at Ramble on Pearl.
From the outset, we established a goal of 66% of program participants obtaining competitive, integrated employment and 50% maintaining their original job for one year or more. In the years since we have far exceeded those expectations! After seven years, 80% of program graduates have obtained competitive, integrated employment and 73% are still employed in their original or subsequent jobs while being periodically monitored by Ramble's job coaching staff to ensure their continued success. These individuals have achieved an average tenure of 21 months, while their first program graduate is still in her original place of employment over six years later. For positions that are typically high-turnover, entry-level roles, this job stability is remarkable, especially when compared to statistics for employees without disabilities and the past year's challenges due to the pandemic.
