Happy Wednesday from the team at Glimmer and The Spark, where we recap some of the more inspiring news happening in the disability communities. Have something we should know? Drop us a line.
- Out this morning is a fantastic piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer discussing hiring trends in the workplace and how more companies are embracing employees with disabilities. But rather than checking a box or hoping for feel-good press, companies are realizing that “disabilities” are often real capabilities that differentiate disabled employees from their more-abled peers. The Inquirer piece includes several examples of actual employees in the workforce at companies like Wawa and TD Bank and how they’re contributing in media production and customer service, among other areas.
- Among the tidbits in The Inquirer piece is the work of The Precisionists, a staffing and placement firm which aims to create 10,000 jobs for neurodivergent adults by 2025. The Precisionists works with some heavy hitters in business, including Pfizer, UBS, Exelon and M&T Bank. You can check them out here.
- Two paws up for this story from WBNG in New York about how some local companies are transforming the lives of the disabled by pairing them with animals to assist in their day-to-day. A woman suffering from multiple sclerosis was recently paired with Newcome, her service dog. “He works so hard for me and he knows when I’m down, if I’m laying on my bed, he’s on the bed,” she says.Similarly, a mom whose son has cerebral palsy has been taking him to Fargnoli Farms to ride horses. She raves that riding has strengthened his legs, arms and core in ways traditional physical therapy hadn’t. In fact, Fargnoli Farms uses its horses to help folks with all kinds of disabilities. Check them out at http://kalisklubhouse.org/.
- And finally, we salute the entrepreneurial spirit of Maxine Simeone, the founder and design diva behind Sparkles by Maxine. Despite having down syndrome, Maxine designs headbands that she sells on her Etsy store and offline in her Florida gulf coast community. How would she describe her style? “Always fabulous, never boring, 100% Maxine.” Check out her site and videos, as well as links to her designs on http://sparklesbymaxine.org/.
Words of Encouragement
“…these employees don’t bring disability to the workplace. They bring this-ability — a unique set of talents and gifts — the way all individuals do, while enriching a company’s bottom line — and making fans of their bosses…”
That’s it for today. If you think there’s something we should highlight in The Spark or on Glimmer, we’d love to hear about it.
Also, head over to Glimmer to discuss this and anything else with fellow Glimmer members.
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— Geoff Anderson
Co-founder of Glimmer