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Email:info@abletrust.org
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Businesses and individuals around the state were honored for their employment, leadership and service to Florida citizens with disabilities at The Able Trusts 10th annual Ability Awards program, held in conjunction with the Employability Symposium in August in Tampa, Florida. This years award recipients were nominated by members of their community for going above and beyond the legal compliances of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and demonstrating a clear and conscious effort to be disability-friendly. The Able Trust would like to thank this years Ability Awards sponsors, Darden Restaurants and Walt Disney World Co.
The 2007 Ability Awards winners are listed below by category:
Crystal Bay Enterprise, Inc. owner Debbie Hietala operates the cafeteria in the Hillsborough County Courthouse in Tampa, with over half of her current workforce having a disability. Being visually impaired herself, Debbie has a long standing commitment to hiring, serving and accommodating employees with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired.
Regal Cinema in Pinellas Park currently makes including people with disabilities in their workforce a priority. Manager Cheryl Basaldo sets aside jobs to match the capabilities and goals for employment for people with disabilities and encourages them to move up and explore work opportunities in the theater. The Cinema's managers are given the time and encouraged to work with those with disabilities so that they might fulfill their full potential.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) has a long standing commitment to diversity and inclusion and recognizes the importance of increased access to meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Company chairman and CEO Dr. Robert Lufrano recently made a commitment to becoming the "employer of choice" for Floridians with disabilities over the next few years. The company has a dedicated team member whose role is to develop and provide individualized accommodations for new and returning employees with disabilities. They are also actively involved the Florida Business Leadership Network (BLN), including serving as the lead employer in the local BLN chapters of Orlando and Jacksonville.
The Florida Lions Conklin Center for the Blind in Daytona Beach has an outstanding track record for helping people with disabilities build careers. The organization's Supported Employment Program provides adult Floridians with disabilities with assistance with finding and maintaining employment in their community. Clients are served for as long as assistance is requested in the areas of job retraining, communication, problem resolution and transportation assistance. Last year the program supported 65 graduates.
In 1995, Grace-Anne Alfiero developed the idea for and co-founded the Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center, Inc., with the goal of making the arts accessible for all members of the community, particularly individuals with developmental, physical or behavioral disabilities. Today Creative Clay offers four art programs in St. Petersburg, including ARTLINK which pairs artists with students for visual art, theater scripts or musical performance collaboration and ARTBIZ which provides the necessary vocational skills for students to market and advertise artwork.
Geoff Oldfather is a columnist with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. With over his 28 years of reporting in South Florida, advocating for and working with individuals with disabilities has always been important to Geoff. He has a personal passion, being a father of a son with a disability, and a community passion, serving as vice chair of the board of directors for The ARC of Martin County. Through that role he founded the Treasure Coast Challenge Ride, a major motorcycle event which draws thousands of people to Stuart each year.
Twenty-two year old John Thomas (JT) Davis lives with a learning disability that affects his ability to grasp math, reading and spelling, yet he doesn't allow it slow him down. JT is a strong, outspoken advocate for people with disabilities, serving as a role model at The Able Trust's Florida's Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) for the past five years, as well as a member of the Florida Youth Council. In addition to attending school, JT works for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Recreation and Parks where he is working to make sure all of Florida's parks are ADA compliant and accessible for individuals with disabilities.
The High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Project of Madison County School Board is an exceptional program that assists students with disabilities with achieving their dreams. Under the leadership of Mary Coody, HS/HT Project Coordinator, this HS/HT project has flourished over the last six years. They have developed strong partnerships with local businesses, colleges and universities which have provided incredible career opportunities to students. In 2007, students received college and career resources from North Florida Community College, Florida State University, The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, The Art Institute in Jacksonville and the Sally Corporation, to name a few.
The Big Bend BLN (BBBLN) helps local businesses learn more about hiring people with disabilities through training and technical assistance, making it easier for employers to recruit, hire, train and retain employees with disabilities. With more than 20 internships in place, the BBBLN has been very successful in their efforts to place students and job seekers with disabilities in the work place. The chapter was recently awarded a grant by The Able Trust for an additional 20-25 internships next spring.
