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The Florida Grantor, Fall 2001

The Able Trust Announces Grant Awards for First Quarter of FY 2002

The Able Trust recently awarded $533,659 in grants to thirteen nonprofit agencies and three individuals with disabilities in Florida for employment-related purposes. These agencies received funding for the following programs: Bethune-Cookman College (Daytona Beach/Volusia County) $100,000 to research 2000 Census data with relation to African Americans with disabilities and their employment status; The Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida, Inc. (Pensacola/Escambia County) $24,000 to help coordinate and plan the Disability Summit Council which will provide a forum for businesses and agencies serving people with disabilities to share resources and develop relationships that will help qualified people with disabilities to enter the workforce; Central Florida Deaf Services (Lakeland, Polk County) $50,000 to hire a Client Specialist, Interpreter and Employment Placement Educator who will recruit, train and help place individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; Creative Clay (St. Petersburg/Pinellas County) $10,000 to develop a program entitled Artlink, which will pair professional artists and students with disabilities; The Deaf Service Center of Pasco/Hernando County, Inc. (Port Richey/Pasco/Hernando County) $44,585 to hire a Client Services Manager and Case Manager, who will help develop the Independent Skills and Employability for Deaf Adults project.

These new employees will work with individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or late deafened to provide employment, advocacy and independent living skills for its clients and also assist employers in gaining awareness and providing accommodations for people with disabilities; Dyslexia Research Institute (Tallahassee/Big Bend) $40,423 to provide a training program for dyslexic adults with literacy and life skills, as well as offer job counseling and placement; The Florida State Rural Development Council (Tallahassee/Big Bend) $10,665 to purchase modems for donated equipment to develop the Rural Florida School-to-Work Transition Project.

The updated computers and Internet service will be donated to rural high school students with disabilities who will be paired with college mentors to help the students develop relationships, pursue academic goals and develop plans for future employment; Goodwill Foundation (Sarasota/Sarasota County) $30,000 to hire a Job Literacy Program Coordinator to begin the Job Literacy Program, which will use one-on-one tutoring methods to help eliminate employment barriers and increase on-the-job performance for adults with learning disabilities; Independence for the Blind of West Florida, Inc. (Panama City/Bay County) $39,343 to hire a computer technology specialist, vocational rehabilitation specialist and an orientation and mobility instructor to help develop the Vocational Rehabilitation and Computer Training Center for blind/visually impaired individuals; Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, Inc. (West Palm Beach/Palm Beach County) $47,613 to hire a full-time attorney to coordinate and develop the Disabilities Law Project, which focuses on helping people with disabilities achieve or retain meaningful employment and gain access to adequate health care; Southwest Florida Addiction Services, Inc. (Ft. Myers/Lee County) $44,000 to hire a Registered Occupational Therapist who will work with individuals in their treatment programs and develop the Transitional Living Occupational Therapy Program; and The Webb Center, Inc. (Jacksonville/Duval County) $39,350 to develop the STEPS project (Successful Transition Evolves from Positive Steps) which provides career and vocational development training for young adults with disabilities.