SCHENECTADY – A pilot program starting in the fall at SUNY Schenectady County Community College in partnership with Our Ability Inc. will provide 15 people with disabilities an opportunity to become an entrepreneur or find employment at no cost.
“We’re in the shadow of what General Electric is and was and you can’t think about this without the bright lights of an idea and the bright lights of an idea moving forward can begin here,” said John Robinson, the CEO of Our Ability Inc., Friday during a press conference announcing the new program.
Our Ability Inc. in Albany is an online portal used worldwide by people with disabilities to find jobs.
Robinson said while running his company he realized that employment wasn’t just about finding the job but providing access to the skills needed for jobs or entrepreneurship. The students would take courses for a one-year period. Courses for the entrepreneurship track include introduction to business and business plan development, according to a press release from the college. The business courses include culinary, coding and medical billing.
Logistics of the program are continuing to be worked out, said Sarah Wilson-Sparrow, vice-president of workforce development and community education at SUNY Schenectady.
However, she said there will be some sort of application process.
The plan is to run the program for four years, enrolling 15 people each year, said state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Rotterdam, who is also the chairman of the state assembly’s Subcommittee on Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Joined by his son Michael, who has autism, Santabarbara announced that $150,000 was allocated in the state budget for the program. He said he will seek out even more funding in coming years.
He said everyone knows the difficulties of finding and keeping a job now, but those challenges are magnified for people with disabilities. For adults with autism the unemployment rate is between 75 and 80%, he said.
“The truth is people with disabilities serve an essential role in our workforce and they deserve a fair chance to succeed,” he said.
Robinson said people have to think about how they do business differently and the partnership with the college is a step in that direction.
SUNY Schenectady President Steady Moono said this partnership holds special meaning for him, noting his sister Gladys has impaired hearing and is mute.
“The measure of a country, the measure of a community, the measure of an institution is how you take care of the ‘less fortunate’ as defined, the downtrodden, the voiceless,” Moono said.
He said it was morally and ethically right that the college be a partner in the program.
As a business owner, Schenectady County Legislator Richard Ruzzo said he’s elated to see the program happen in Schenectady and empower people with tools to reach their dreams.
“If you can dream you can do it. If you can build it they will come and if you can dream it and build it better than anyone then you will succeed beyond your wildest imagination.
Ruzzo said he looks forward to seeing what the inaugural class is able to accomplish.
“To all the students that commit, I say be bold,” he said. “Never give up on your dreams because what awaits those who dare will be life-changing.”
Reporter Shenandoah Briere can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SB_DailyGazette.
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