I’ve spent most of my career finding ways to help people with disabilities live a fulfilling, purposeful life. It may be a cliché, but for me, my work has to have a meaningful purpose. Starting during my college days, helping people with disabilities enjoy the same quality of life as me became a passion of mine. Being an athlete, I initially focused my attention on helping my friends with disabilities become more active in sports and other recreational activities. In my graduate program work, I was focused on helping people find employment. Again, the opportunity for a person with a disability to have meaningful work just made sense to me.
As the current President and CEO of Ability Connection, I look forward to sharing some results achieved along the way, my perspective on the disability “system,” and special stories about the people I have a passion for serving. In my many years working in this field, I have seen the disability services pendulum swing both ways from respect for community based and individual services to a segregated and “group think” focus. I am by no means an “expert” in the disability services field, but I believe I have accumulated enough experience to have a perspective that may be of interest and help educate others looking for services for a loved one. Hence this blog.
Compassion. Respect. Results. For 67 years, these core values have driven Ability Connection to provide world-class services to people, regardless of the severity/life impact of their disability – one unique person at a time. Through our “one person” focus, we learn what the person, along with their family, need and value for a purposeful life. We then make it our mission to see that it happens. Services that we arrange/provide for include: therapies, training, housing, skill development, recreation, healthcare, adaptive equipment and various supplies. By constantly measuring our success and the satisfaction of those we serve, we strive to keep improving so we are prepared for the next person that comes our way.
Welcome again to the JIMission journey. I hope you enjoy the entries.