About

nAblement is a unique channel of SPR Companies focused on supporting the training, mentoring, networking, placement and professional growth of qualified candidates with disabilities into technology roles. nAblement fosters its own client opportunites while also collaborating closely with each of the SPR Companies three strategic companies – MPS Partners, Redpoint Technologies and Talent Acquisition Partners. Qualified candidates secure professional technology opportunities suited to their skill sets, and clients secure access to this valuable and underutilized segment of the workforce while extending their diversity profile.

Our History

Late 1980s
The demand for IT services, resources and solutions in the 1980s was strong – so strong in fact that many companies were investing heavily in creative approaches to identify, train and deploy many non-traditional candidates into the field. In this spirit, a unique training and placement initiative was developed with both government and private backing. Program Able identified candidates with disabilities with non-IT backgrounds and degrees for intensive mainframe application development training (exs; Cobol, DB2) and then placed them onto project teams at many of the high-profile corporations supporting the effort. It was a very successful effort to identify and train this underutilized candidate base for a very real need in the IT field.

1990
With the passage of the most inclusive and sweeping human rights legislation for persons with disabilities (Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA) in our history, we began to move toward a more accessible society for all – at least in terms of physical and communication access. Currently there is a far more pervasive expectation of accessibility of place, as well as being able to both communicate and be communicated to in an accessible fashion irrespective of the presence of a disability. The major unfulfilled aspiration of the ADA of 1990 relates to employment among persons with disabilities (PWD). In fact, by any accepted statistic, employment among working-age PWD remains stagnant at 30-40% even today.

Mid-1990s
Influenced by several factors on both the private and public side of the relationship, Program Able disbanded in the mid-1990s. This unfortunately created a vacuum of access to available IT opportunities for this candidate base and also eliminated, for the most part, access to or awareness of these candidates by the employer community.

2001
With the tragedy of 9/11 and the widespread economic downturn, there existed a corollary reduction in the need for investing in IT resources. Coupled with the already prevalent downturn in IT investment post Y-2K, and further exacerbated with the dot-com bust, by year-end 2001 the demand for this unique pool of IT candidates was at a low.

2003
Broad unemployment continues within the population of PWD. SPR, through the leadership of its CEO Rob Figliulo, begins developing a framework for supporting candidates with disabilities into its clients’ IT application development and support efforts.

2004
Pat Maher is hired by SPR to direct the nAblement effort. IT demand overall is accelerating, promising opportunity for the delivery of this unique resource pool into clients’ IT operations. SPR staff supporting the nAblement business are already well-represented within the disability and disability services communities.

2005
The first Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) programs are conducted in an effort to educate the business hiring community surrounding challenges and value to hiring professionals from the nAblement business as well as creating an environment supporting an honest dialogue surrounding the integration of professionals with disabilities into clients’ IT functions.

2006
nAblement represented teams are engaged in IT projects with multiple clients. The BDB program is expanded to include the Milwaukee market, nAblement launches its candidate-focused Lunch & Learn programs, and a broader client and market penetration is achieved.

nAblement enters into collaboration with Professors from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Wisconsin-Madison to begin research effort to gain demand-side awareness of Employment Factors Affecting the Employment of People with Physical Disabilities in Professional Positions.

2007
nAblement launches its Solution-based delivery efforts with focus in web site accessibility audits, data validation and testing, and helpdesk/desktop support functions.

2008
nAblement and IL ITA launch the Information Technology Knowledge Abilities Network (ITKAN) around the technology sector, aspiring to become the Premier Community Supporting Professionals, Aspiring Professionals and Students with Disabilities into technology sector careers.

Demand-side Employment Factors Affecting the Employment of People with Physical Disabilities in Professional Positions research cited in Career Builder’s Workers with Disabilities – How an underutilized talent pool can help companies gain a competitive edge white paper.

nAblement and MPS Partners engage on EDI On-boarding solution offering.

2009

nAblement begins developing its business/social media presence and creates its ITKAN Linkedin group.

nAblement director begins supporting consulting in diversity and inclusion with Capital H Group.

nAblement celebrates its 5th anniversary and launches the new www.nablement.com site with focus on actively engaging the community of candidates, employers and collaborative partners!