Director’s Take
Margaux Pagán, Director of Development
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High School High Tech
CIL received The Able Trust’s Ability Award
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Pushing for Change
Disability and unemployment in the state of Florida
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Opening Doors
Stroll ‘n’ Roll 2015 and Aspire to Hire 100
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Impacting Lives
Meet Edwin and see how CIL changed his life
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CIL at a Glance
CIL’s 2014-2015 accomplishments
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The Center Snapshot
CIL celebrates the 25th anniversary of the ADA and prepares for its 40th year in 2016
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Margaux Pagán Development Director
Director’s Take
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fter working in the nonprofit sector for over a decade, many times as a professional a person can be left numb to the real issues the world is facing. Along the journey working with many different causes, few reignite your passion. When the opportunity arose to work with the Center for Independent Living in Central Florida, I felt called to take the role of development director. Fast forward three months and I am more charged to support an organization making tangible change in our community. Every day I witness our staff and directors genuinely helping to make our mission come alive. Personally, my perspective of independence and inclusion were forever altered when I watched my mother suffer from a stroke. This moment and the after effects are engrained into every fiber of who I am as it has also transformed her. One thought I bring with me each day is the notion, “Any one, at any time can be impacted by a disability. Either directly or indirectly; today or tomorrow, but definitely someday.” CIL works with people of disabilities to help break barriers in employment, accessibility, advocacy, information and referral, and transition. A couple weeks from now, we will show our support for National Disability Employment Awareness Month with the launch of Aspire to Hire 100. Employment is a major issue in the way of someone living with a disability’s opportunity to live independently. In Florida, 9 in 10 people with a disability is unemployed. We are a small organization but we are a dedicated one. Our part of the solution is, in partnership with Central Florida businesses, to find gainful, employment for one hundred individuals with disabilities. An unemployed person cannot survive living dependently on disability payments. CIL’s Aspire to Hire 100 is actively working to bring someone out of poverty, into independence. I am thrilled to work with our community to make real and impactful change. Together, progress will be made and lives will be changed.
The Able Trust’s Ability Award CIL’s High School High Tech
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he Florida High School High Tech (HSHT) program is designed to provide high school students with all types of disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs or postsecondary education leading to technology-related careers. High School High Tech links youth to a broad range of academic, career development and experiential resources and experiences that will enable them to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce.High School High Tech is a community-based partnership made up of students, parents and caregivers, businesses, educators and rehabilitation professionals. It is shown to reduce the high school dropout rate and increase the overall self-esteem of participating students. In August of 2013 CIL was awarded a grant through Able Trust to implement Polk County’s first High School High Tech program. Shortly after the commencement of the first program at George Jenkins High School, a second school was added. High School High Tech expanded to include Bartow High School which doubled the number of participants in the program. Students are exposed to off-site campus tours of local colleges and career centers, taught the importance of resume building and interviewing skills, and met guest speakers from Career Source Polk and Learning Resources Center. Additionally, program participants have been provided with career development assessments. Fifth Third Bank partnered with High School High Tech and taught students topics such as money management and responsible credit card management. Over the summer students experienced summer internships in their area of interest and gained hands on work experience. This year, High School High Tech students were fortunate enough to take a behind the scenes tour of Universal Studios and learned first hand the cutting edge technology required to run a theme park. By March of 2015, Jascinth Lawrence assumed the role of Program Director for youth programs and shared in the vision of the program’s success. After just two years, The Able Trust recognized CIL of Central Florida for its innovative programming and received the Ability Award Program of the Year out of 41 High School High Tech programs in the state of Florida. Today we celebrate CIL’s High School High Tech program demonstrating its effectiveness with a 100% senior graduation rate from high school, and a 75% placement in either post-secondary education or employment.
Each year the Able Trust selects a High School High Tech site that exemplifies the goals of the program and which goes above and beyond expectations through creative programming and student outcomes. This year we are honoring the CIL of Central Florida as High School High Tech program of the year for their efforts in Polk County. Polk High School High Tech has only been in operation for two years, but sprinted out of the gate at the very beginning...In just two short years, we have seen some of the most creative and successful efforts in the state occurring in Polk County.” Allison Chase , Vice President of Youth Programs for The Able Trust
Pushing
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for Change
or individuals with disabilities, becoming gainfully employed is a monumental challenge. This is clearly evident based on statistics from the United States Department of Labor (DOL). According to the DOL theunemployment rate among individuals with disabilities is nearly double those without disabilities: 10.4% vs. 5.4 (July 2015). This disparity is not a new or recent phenomenon but rather an ongoing pattern. So why is this the case? Some factors to consider here center around real and perceived barriers to employment; employer fears around hiring an individual with a disability; and perceptions and stigma around individuals with disabilities in general. At the state level, The 2013 Governor’s Commission on Jobs for Floridians with Disabilities points to a number of key factors influencing the hiring of individuals with disabilities. The top three perceived barriers cited by employers regarding hiring individuals with disabilities are: physical and/or stamina restrictions on their assigned job duties; health and safety concerns; and cost increases attributable to extending health, life, and/or disability coverage are too high (p.15).
An example of the fact that stigma still exists is evident in one of the recommendations that came from the commission which included the term mental health disorder. The term mental health disorder demonstrates that stigma still exists. The more current, enlightened, and common way to identify an individual with this disability is as a person living with mental illness - NOT DISORDER The term “disorder” often elicits more negative connotations and may contribute to an employer’s fear around hiring an individual with this disability. It is also noteworthy that not one person with a disability was appointed to The 2013 Governor’s Commission. The Commission’s makeup was 13 business representatives and 1 person having a child with a disability. Having meaningful-not token-consumer participation in any effort addressing issues affecting individuals with disabilities not only makes sense but seems critical. They are the ones facing the barriers and can provide first-hand knowledge around their real-life experiences. Too often policy and solutions are developed and implemented without their input. Instead of “nothing about us without us”, it too often becomes “everything about us without us”. If we have a voice in electing public officials, why don’t individuals with disabilities have a voice in the policies and solutions that directly affect them? See The 2013 Governor’s Commission on Jobs for Floridians with Disabilities full report HERE:
Opening Doors Throughout Central Florida Stroll ‘n’ Roll 2015 On October 31st, The Center for Independent Living will hold its 5th annual Stroll ‘n’ Roll event held in Harbor Park at Lake Baldwin. Stroll ‘n’ Roll is CIL’s annual fundraising and awareness walk held each October. Participants are welcome to walk, run, or roll around the 4km accessible course using a wheelchair to experience what assistive mobility is like. Last year’s Stroll ‘n’ Roll raised over $35,000 that helped to fund local programs to help our neighbors with disabilities. We will be awarding the top fundraiser 2 Park Hopper passes to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and the top fundraising team will receive an ice cream party for the entire team. Participants will receive t-shirts with registration and be entered into a raffle for exciting prizes! Stroll ‘n’ Roll is a pet friendly event, so participants are welcome to being their leashed animals to participate as well. To register, please visit - cilorlando.org/snr2015.
Aspire to Hire 100
October signifies National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). 31 days to recognize the existing barriers for people living with disabilities and celebrate moving towards a more inclusive workplace. The Center for Independent Living (CIL), serving Central Florida since 1976, is the only local nonprofit dedicated solely to helping individuals with disability achieve independence. CIL led the development of the Business Advisory Council (BAC) based in our Winter Park and Lakeland offices, to further this mission. The council is a working group of business and civic leaders who Think Inclusion and Create Opportunities to increase Access for people with disabilities in the work force. To celebrate NDEAM, The Center for Independent Living (CIL) in conjunction with the Business Advisory Council (BAC) is launching the Aspire to Hire 100 campaign to help one hundred disconnected individuals with disabilities find gainful employment in Central Florida this year. In addition to the Aspire to Hire 100 campaign, CIL will be hosting Discover the Center – a guided, interactive tour of CIL’s facility and programs. Discover the Center will be held on Wednesday, October 21st from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 720 N. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789. For more information about the Aspire to Hire campaign or Discover the Center tour contact Margaux Pagán, mpagagn@cilorlando.org.
Impacting
LIVES
Edwin’s Story
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little more than a year ago, Edwin was unemployed, living in a transition home, and unable to afford life on his own. Living dependent on less than $800 a month from supplemental security insurance paired with his mental disability caused great strife in work and life. After losing a number of jobs and facing defeat head-on, Edwin committed himself to his own success by completing a Bachelors of Arts program in Design. After graduating college Edwin spent much of his time volunteering at the transition home where he lived. But once he began to look for work again, he found it difficult to leverage his volunteer experience to the jobs he was applying for. “Some companies, I realized, don’t see volunteer experience as experience. So I had to kind of sneak it in, in a way, to make sure that I could use it.” Edwin recalls about his job search. “I don’t like to feel unproductive, and you hear everybody always saying ‘you don’t want to do anything with your life’ and that’s not really true. A lot of times we try our best and the requirements that employers put for good paying jobs or for jobs in general can really hurt the people that are really trying.” After nearly 10 years of searching for jobs and going through school, Edwin spent his time helping volunteering for non-profits and working low wage “dead-end” jobs. The anxiety of not working and being unproductive, for Edwin, was too much to bearThis volunteer experience soon led him to CIL, where he found the Aspire to Hire program dedicated to helping people in Edwin’s situation. “My life did change almost immediately after coming here. It’s different when you don’t have experience, when you try to face all these challenges on your own. Then all of a sudden you find yourself having an entire team of these really cool people that relate, might have come from a similar background, or have worked with a multitude of people with similar backgrounds who know how to make it work.” Working with CIL’s Aspire to Hire team, he was provided an individualized independence plan to help guide him towards achieving long-term career goals. Even so, Edwin experienced a number of disappointing interviews. Side by side, CIL and Edwin never gave up. Maintaining his positive attitude Edwin kept searching with the help of the Aspire to Hire team. A few months later, Edwin found success at SunTrust Bank as a valued employee with an annual salary over $30,000. He feels like he has a purpose and is saving to buy a home. With continuous support from family and friends, Edwin is now achieving independence!
The Center Snapshot StepAhead Welcomes New Cohort
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he Fall 2015 StepAhead cycle is well underway! Participants have been working hard and building skills that will help them be successful in the workforce. This month, participants toured the Publix in Winter Park Village, and learned about different departments and employment opportunities. They were able to meet the Customer Service Manager at Publix, and learn about the application process. Participants also toured the Goodwill Career Center where they learned about community resources and free training sessions. In the coming weeks, we are looking forward to touring the Winter Park Police and Fire station, Orlando REP Theater, Clean the World, and the Microsoft Store at Mall of Millennia. If you are a person with a disability between the ages of 17 and 25, you are eligible to participate! StepAhead offers Case Management, Pre-Employment Training, and Work Experience to help transition participants into the work force.
Americans With Disabilities Act Turns 25; CIL Celebrating 40
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n July 24th, 2015 CIL celebrated the 25th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities act in Winter Park. Mayor Steve Leary made a proclaimation declaring July 26th Disability Awareness Day in Winter Park. The Photovoice project highlights the progress made since the signing of the ADA into law in 1990, but also identifies significant barriers that still exist to accessibility. Thanks to the tireless work of the Photovoice volunuteers and the generosity of our community, including Colonial Photo and Hobby, Brooklyn Water Bagel, and Starbucks. Attendees experienced a gallery of what inclusion means to our neighbors with disabilities in the Central Florida area. CIL looks ahead to celebrating 40 years of independence in 2016 and continuing to break barriers as the ADA did 25 years ago. CIL will be hosting a gala in the spring of 2016, so please look forward to our save the dates in your mail.