Frazer Center is pleased to announce that Unondus Walker has been promoted to Director of Adult Services. Unondus joined the Frazer Center in September 2018 as Employment Specialist and as a member of the leadership team for Frazer Center’s adult program.

“In that time Unondus has shown creativity and flexibility, a positive, collaborative team spirit, and a deep passion for the work and the people,” says Frazer CEO Paige McKay Kubik. “She also has a deep knowledge of the sometimes complex funding and regulatory environment for I/DD services.”

In her role as Employment Specialist, Unondus supported individuals with disabilities who were interested in finding employment, and nurtured relationships with businesses to create customized employment opportunities that would be a win/win for employer and employee alike.

When the pandemic hit, all of the Frazer Center participants who had been gainfully employed, some for over a decade, were no longer able to work. Unondus had to adapt in her role, working with the entire Adult Services team to maintain the program during the eight-month shutdown. She kept up with participants’ documentation, communicating with families and support coordinators throughout the pandemic. She conferred with other agencies about navigating the Medicaid system, and kept up with the changing policies and procedures that needed to be in place before Frazer’s Adult Services could reopen for in-person participation in November of 2020.

Many of the adult participants who were employed before the pandemic are still not back at work, fearing that the risk of contracting COVID is too great. But most of the participants have returned to Frazer Center and are enjoying the social engagement they get with the staff and each other, participating in activities such as cooking, gardening, and art projects, daily exercise, games and puzzles, bonfires with s’mores, and a recent outdoor Mardi Gras parade. 

Now that more and more businesses and organizations are reopening, “we can do a lot more community events,” says Unondus, like having a field day at local parks, playing sports, and joining classes at nearby libraries and community centers. “That’s what the participants like the most about coming to the Frazer Center—being able to go in the community and try different things.” 

In her new position, Unondus is looking toward expanding Frazer’s services. “There are so many opportunities we could provide in the community during evening and weekend hours,” she says, but Frazer currently operates during weekday hours only. The vision is to hire staff who are able to meet participants where they live, working one-on-one to support each individual in accessing the kind of community activities he or she is interested in, such as sporting events and theatre performances.

“As we interviewed candidates for the position, Unondus was unmatched in her vision to increase the individualization of our services and to grow support for people to be meaningfully, inclusively engaged in our community,” says Kubik.

Unondus received her BA in Sociology, with a minor in Social Work, from Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. In 2009, she moved to Atlanta to be closer to family. She has spent 13 years in the disability field, including five years as a program manager and DDP (Developmental Disability Professional) with View Point Health based in Lawrenceville. She is a Certified Employment Support Professional and ACRE certified (Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators).

If you have ideas about possible community engagement or employment opportunities for Frazer Center’s adult participants, please contact Unondus Walker at u.walker@frazercenter.org.