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Disability Employment Month and Small Business Owners

October 19th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a great time to honor individuals with disabilities who serve as role-models. Two of those individuals are business owners Blaine R. and Brendan M. Together, these two men show that business ownership is within reach for almost anyone – regardless of any disability.

Blaine R. is unable to use his legs due to paraplegia. Despite his disability, Blaine completed a demanding training program offered through the Easter Seals Central Alabama ACE Micro-Enterprise Program. Upon completion, Blaine received a small loan to purchase equipment. He also received management and technical support. Combined with Blaine’s untiring motivation and hard work, that was enough to help him realize his dream of starting his own business. Today, Blaine owns and operates CAD Tooling Design & Drafting. He capitalizes on more than 20 years of experience in the engineer field by providing engineering support and three dimensional computer-aided design.

The Easter Seals Central Alabama ACE Micro-Enterprise Program (ACE) is funded by ODEP, the federal Office for Disability Employment Policy. The program is designed to prepare people with disabilities to launch their own business enterprises. ACE assists with workshops in management training skills essential to success as a small business owner. The also provide training and technical assistance for people with disabilities to start up small businesses, and one-on-one management consulting, networking, and a loan program.

Brendan M. first became interested in the vending machine business while still a student at the Indiana School for the Blind. Thanks to help from the Indiana Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the school’s transitional services program and the Indianapolis Private Industry Council’s Customized Employment Project, Brendan is the owner of a vending machine company. The company currently services the vending needs in eight office buildings, and is growing every day. The Small Business Administration coordinated the development of his business plan, but Brendan credits his family for their help in starting his fledgling company.

The Indiana School for the Blind (ISB) was established in 1847 and is funded by the State of Indiana. The school is free for young people of Indiana who are blind or visually impaired. ISB offers a complete curriculum for preschool through high school. In addition, the school offers specialized classes in mobility, independent living skills, vocational education, Braille and adapted computer technology. The school also offers opportunities to participate in recreational activities including band, chorus, piano, scouting, creative dance and ham radio, and competitive speech to 179 students who live onsite or attend on a daily basis. The ISB Rockets compete in track and field, wrestling, cheerleading and swimming.

Indianapolis Private Industry Council provides a number of programs for businesses, jobseekers, young people, the homeless and the community. One of them is the Customized Employment Project, or CEP. The project is funded by ODEP, the national Office of Disability Employment Policy.

Blaine R. and Brendan M. are successful party due to the efforts of the ODEPDr. Roy Grizzard, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) made some huge strides. It partnered with employers and agencies at the state and local level to show the nation the still-untapped talents of disabled workers. It formed a key alliance with the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM), the largest society of human resource managers, with 500 chapters worldwide.

Dr. Grizzard’s directorship of ODEP was just the final achievement in a career founded on battling the odds. In his 20’s, he was struck with a degenerative retinal disorder known as retinitis pigmentosa, which left him legally blind by age 40. Despite the odds he went on to get a PhD, then became a teacher and a school administrator. From there he went on to a state agency for the disabled, and finally joined ODEP.