MSU’s Career Horizons Center invites referrals to help those with disabilities from Long COVID gain employment
Contact: Bethany Shipp
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Career Horizons Center is on a mission to help individuals with disabilities gain and retain meaningful employment in the Magnolia State.
Housed in the university’s Mississippi Institute on Disabilities, the center is seeking referrals for individuals with disabilities accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID Syndrome to facilitate competitive integrated employment for them. Now in its second year, the five-year project is funded by a $9.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Referrals are accepted directly from individuals with disabilities. Family members, vocational rehabilitation and health service providers, and employers may also submit a referral on their behalf.
“Our project is about hope and opportunity—helping Mississippians living with Long COVID get the support they so desperately need to keep working, return to work and move forward with their lives,” said MSU Associate Professor Zaccheus Ahonle, the grant’s principal investigator.
Eligible individuals must:
—Have a disability accompanied by or resulting from Long COVID Syndrome
—Be a Mississippi resident age 16 to 70
—Have an interest in working
—Not be a current participant in another project funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Disability Innovation Fund program
Participants in the Career Horizons Center’s program receive employment services for up to eight months as well as support from a comprehensive network of family, social, mental health and other healthcare resources.
According to Ahonle, compelling evidence suggests that Mississippi’s workforce has been impacted by Long COVID more than any other state, based on a 2024 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey and a study from the Brookings Institution. Ahonle also serves as program coordinator of MSU’s rehabilitation counseling graduate program, ranked No. 24 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and housed in the university’s Department of Counseling, Higher Education Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations.
MSU is one of 27 grantees across the nation chosen out of more than 200 applicants to receive the award from the Disability Innovation Fund program. Ahonle and his team are collaborating with multiple state agencies to research, develop and implement interventions statewide that can serve as a national model. Grant activities include producing vocational and worksite assessment instruments, developing workplace accommodation guides, and providing family engagement and social support services that promote successful employment outcomes.
“As an institute, we strive to serve the needs of Mississippians, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner to support the employment outcomes of persons impacted by Long COVID,” said Kasee Stratton-Gadke, executive director of the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities. “If you or someone you know might be eligible, please do not hesitate to reach out to see how our team can best support you.”
To make a referral or learn more about the Career Horizons Center, visit https://careerhorizonsproject.msstate.edu/.
MSU’s College of Education, home of the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities, also includes five academic departments, a division of education, one research unit and numerous service units. Learn more at https://www.educ.msstate.edu/.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.