National Disability Institute

The future of entrepreneurship is accessible and inclusive. Join us at the Third Annual Disability Owned Convening to be part of this movement. Register today and secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/gMeNBfEK. Image description: Square dark teal graphic with white and light teal text reading: Disability Owned Small Business Convening. November 20-21, 2024. Register Now. The NDI Small Business Hub logo is in the top left corner. Fading into the background of the graphic is a photo of a man wearing a white button-up shirt with a small blue floral print, glasses and headphones, looking at his laptop screen while taking notes.   #Entrepreneurship #InclusiveBusiness #NDIConvening

It’s time to meet another wonderful member of NDI’s team. Meet Ramonia! Ramonia Rochester is the Director of Research at NDI. She is a social scientist, educator and communications practitioner, with more than 15 years of experience translating business and social issues into effective funding and research development proposals, robust research enquiries and empirically-sound findings and recommendations to support targeted educational programs and social services. Prior to NDI, Ramonia worked as a research administrator for a business strategy consulting research firm, eLearning and Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences researcher and project manager and co-investigator for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Teen Dating Violence Prevention capacity building initiative for Miami-Dade County, Florida. She is an advocate for policy development and empowerment training for equitable access to programs supports for underserved communities, and is particularly passionate about addressing intersecting issues across mental health-related disabilities, homelessness and economic inclusivity. Ramonia holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Science from Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica, a research master’s in Communications from Florida International University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida Atlantic University. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: Meet the Team. Hello, I’m Ramonia! Meet NDI Research Director Ramonia Rochester. rrochester@ndi-inc.org. https://lnkd.in/eJSHBJGq. There is a photo of Ramonia smiling in a pink blouse and pink lipstick with a Polaroid frame. Above the photo is the NDI logo.

NDI’s Small Business Hub is thrilled to share our incredible lineup of sessions and speakers for the 2024 Disability Owned Small Business Convening. Join Artura Taylor in this session where she and entrepreneurs with disabilities will share their personal stories and highlight key aspects of their business journeys, providing practical tips and valuable insights into the entrepreneurial process. Mark your calendar – this is an event you don’t want to miss! Register at https://lnkd.in/g4MsMaB7 Image description: Square dark teal graphic with white and light teal text reading: Meet your speaker: Artura Taylor, President and CEO, TDG Scientific. Turning Ideas into Impact: The Story Behind My Business. November 20th at 12:30 pm. Disability Owned Small Business Convening 2024. The Small Business Hub logo is in the top left corner. In the top right corner is an effect mimicking a spotlight shining down on a circular framed photo of Artura Taylor outlined in light teal.

Meet Vinnie. He used the Ticket to Work program, which provides free employment support services for Social Security disability beneficiaries, to find a unique career. Though Vinnie was already employed, increasing caregiving demands related to his wife’s declining health began to interfere. With help from Susan Gaudet of Maine Vocational Solutions, they discussed the possibilities of attendant services. As a paid attendant for his wife, Vinnie was able to combine his two priorities: caring for his wife and increasing his income. More than achieving his financial goals, Vinnie’s emotional well-being also greatly improved. Read Vinnie’s story at bit.ly/adenvinnie. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: Vinnie’s Story. Before he went back to work, Vinnie said, “I had no self-esteem at all.” Now that he is working again and caring for his wife, Vinnie stated he “feels better about [himself].” Vinnie’s improved self-esteem and excitement for life led him back to his lifetime appreciation of music. Now he sings, plays his guitar and piano and is also working on a new album. There is a cutout photo of Vinnie, smiling playing his guitar in the bottom right corner. In the top right corner are the NDI and ADEN logos.

Exciting news! Illinois has a new cohort of 26 trainers for Financial Wellness for People with Disabilities! Self-advocates, case managers, family members, advocates, financial advisors and Illinois leaders came together for a three-day training at UIC’s Department of Disability and Human Development. The training covered important financial topics like credit, work supports, ABLE accounts and more. A special thanks to Stephanie Canter, Deputy Director of IL ABLE, who presented, and to Kimberly Mercer-Schleider, Director of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Nathan Stevens from the Coleman Foundation, for joining us. This new group joins over 130 trainers in Illinois as part of the Trainer Support Network, with ongoing assistance from the National Disability Institute. We can’t wait to see the impact they’ll make! Image description: Photo of a group of five people, from left to right: Michael Roush, Director, Center for Disability-Inclusive Community Development, NDI. Kimberly Mercer-Schleider, Director, Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. Nathan Stevens, Program Officer, The Coleman Foundation. Margie Harkness, Program Specialist, Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. Kish Pisani, Project Coordinator, NDI. The Coleman Foundation #ILDD

At NDI, we believe that employment is more than just a paycheck. As NDI Executive Director Thomas Foley says, “It's a promise of economic, financial and community inclusion.” People with disabilities deserve equal access and accommodation in their workplaces. This #NDEAM, and all year long, NDI celebrates the achievements of workers with disabilities and continues to create pathways for full inclusion in the workforce. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: “It’s not just a job, or an opportunity, but a promise of economic, financial and community inclusion.” -Thomas Foley, J.D. Executive Director, NDI. The NDI logo is in the top right corner of the graphic. 

Meet Rebecca! Rebecca Salon is Principal Investigator on NDI’s Financial Engagement as a Gateway to Community Participation research grant and Senior Advisor on the LEAD Center/WIOA Policy Development Center. She was Project Director of the LEAD Center for more than six years, starting in 2013. Dr. Salon is a recognized national leader in policy and program development with an emphasis on cutting-edge demonstrations that promote employment and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with significant disabilities. She has more than 35 years of experience with management of federally funded projects and has more than 40 years of experience working with people across the spectrum of disabilities. Dr. Salon also works with the State Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation at the District of Columbia Department on Disability Services (DDS), where she works on DC’s Employment First, Technology First and other program initiatives, in collaboration with DDS’s developmental disabilities and vocational rehabilitation administrations. Almost all of her energies focus on creating opportunities for employment, community inclusion, self-determination and economic self-sufficiency for youth and adults. Image description: Square teal graphic with white text reading: Meet the Team. Hello, I’m Rebecca! Meet NDI Senior Advisor Rebecca Salon. rsalon@ndi-inc.org. https://lnkd.in/eJSHBJGq. There is a photo of Rebecca smiling in a grey turtleneck with a black blazer and a Polaroid frame. Above the photo is the NDI logo.

As we continue to celebrate #NDEAM, NDI is proud to celebrate 139 ADEN Ticket to Work graduates to date. Congrats grads! Learn more at bit.ly/3zTp0Ef. The Ticket to Work program offers employment support to SSA disability beneficiaries ages 18-64 who have a goal of self-sufficiency. The process of helping individuals move from a recipient of SSA disability benefits to financial independence takes time. SSA understands this, which is why the Ticket to Work program offers long-term employment supports to beneficiaries. Ticket holders can continue to receive support through this program for an average of five to seven plus years, depending on the type of benefit they receive. Once a Ticket holder is served for this period, they have completed Ticket to Work services and “graduate” from the program. Ticket holders in this category have achieved the goal of the program and are no longer receiving SSA disability cash benefits and are self-sufficient. Image description: Square teal graphic with photos of three gold number balloons displaying the number 139. Gold confetti is layered in the background of the photo and sitting on the number 9 balloon is a black grad cap. Under the numbers, white cursive font reads: “Congrats Grads!” The NDI and ADEN logos are in the top right corner of the graphic. 

That’s a wrap on the 2024 NDI Staff Retreat! We had an incredible few days of recharging, connecting and planning for the exciting work ahead! This time away helped us refocus on our mission and brainstorm new ways to make an impact. We are so grateful for our team, our community and the opportunity to work together to build a better financial future for people with disabilities. Pictured is a sneak preview of some of what we were working on while we were away. Stay tuned for exciting new content to come! Image description: Behind-the-scenes photo of a camera set up on a tripod behind NDI Executive Director Tom Foley being interviewed by NDI Communications Specialist Al Milioto.