nAblement - Part 2

Parking Places, Restroom Stalls and Learning to Love the Law

December 20, 2010

Maybe it was the first blast of another Chicago winter that had me feeling testy. As my colleague and I pinballed from one dead end exit to another in the East Monroe Street garage on Chicago’s lakefront for an evening meeting in early December, I began to express my frustration with our nation’s lagging commitment to genuine [...]

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Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Honors Betts Champions

December 13, 2010

Last year around this time I was honored by the Business Team of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago with the Dr. Henry Betts Employment Advocacy Award for my efforts related to the nAblement channel as well as other work within boards and committees where we’re focused on strengthening career opportunities for PWD. Having such [...]

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Steve Luker – on disability, education and opportunity

November 2, 2010

Steve Luker is one of the most insightful people I know. I consider myself very fortunate to count Steve and his wife Michelle among my friends. This post in his own words will provide you a glimpse into the challenges that he has faced for a lifetime as a man living with severe spastic cerebral [...]

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Boomers will retire…I promise!

October 19, 2010

Several years ago I heard Diane Swonk, now Chief Economist at Mesirow Financial and sought after expert on economic trending, offer the keynote address at the Abilitylinks Annual Meeting. She was an outstanding speaker, framing the pre-great recession crash prompted by the demise of our financial and housing markets around an impending global need to [...]

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Please say it isn’t so, Mr. Stossel

September 16, 2010

John Stossel’s dismissal of the Americans with Disabilities Act as a “well-intentioned” piece of legislation – No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?, Sept, 2, 2010, FoxNews.com - poorly disguised as a challenge to the law’s questionable influence on strengthening employment opportunities for the disability community – reflects ignorance, or simple disregard, of the law’s deep impact on so many areas of [...]

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Whether in Wheelchairs or IT – Innovation is Way Cool!

August 24, 2010

I just had my Ti-Lite equipped with Spinergy Spox rear wheel assemblies while replacing my Frog Legs assemblies and having my footplate adjusted to accept the FreeWheel mount. Huh? All of these represent wonderfully innovative technologies in the durable medical equipment industry that help me continue to maintain an outstanding quality of life. Over the past 30 years I’ve [...]

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The ADA at 20 – Are We There Yet?

July 26, 2010

A 20th anniversary is a big deal. Twenty years in a personal relationship. Twenty years with the same employer. Twenty years of service to a great cause. All can be reason for celebration, reflection and, unfortunately, in the case of the Americans with Disabilities Act, at least some concern. I will be in Washington, D.C. at a celebratory [...]

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Matt’s Mission – Lessons On Effort and Determination

July 1, 2010

People lose jobs all the time. In the environment of the past couple of years job loss in nearly every sector has become the norm. We all know this, but unless it’s us or someone close to us losing that job, the impact is modest. Admittedly, when your business is focused on establishing opportunity for careers and someone [...]

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The forerunners – STEM Success among Students with Disabilities

May 19, 2010

Late last July I received an email from one of my favorite colleagues about an extraordinary opportunity. Professor Fong Chan related that Hunter College – a member of a unique academic collaboration, the MIND Alliance, which supports the academic success of students with disabilities and of color in STEM disciplines, had funding associated with a National Science Foundation grant [...]

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Are Millennials Charting a Path for Professionals with Disabilities?

April 28, 2010

I’ve had a great opportunity to begin working with some very skilled facilitators within Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) principles over the past year. One of my colleagues within the Illinois Technology Foundation’s advisory board, Elaine Robbins Harris, is a very experienced facilitator and curriculum developer within D&I. Her current passion is in recognizing both the exceptional [...]

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