USBLN® “I Am, I Can, I Do” National Public Education Campaign:

WASHINGTON, DC (December 15, 2011) – The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) is proud to launch their national public education campaign titled, “I Am, I Can, I Do.” The campaign includes a series of 30 and 60 second Public Service Announcements (PSAs) showcasing people with disabilities who ‘Do!’

AMC Entertainment Inc., a USBLN® member company, debuted the first in this PSA series in their theatres nationwide at the end of September 2011. The showings continued through October in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The USBLN® PSA was aired in 5,000 movie theaters nationwide reaching over 20 million viewers.

The campaign’s inclusion of many vibrant young people with disabilities conveys the value that people with disabilities bring to the workplace, marketplace and supply chain plus sends a message to youth with disabilities to aspire to their ‘dream’ careers.Following the AMC sponsored showing during October and unveiling at our 2011 USBLN® Annual Conference, the campaign will continue throughout 2012, culminating with a special event to be held during the 2012 USBLN® Annual Conference on October 1-4 in Orlando, Florida.The first PSA in the series features Steve Derelian, an USC Business Graduate, Attorney and surfer; Lexi Marman a Special Education teacher, Jazz dancer and Former Miss Deaf California; and Dominque Beltran, a Film Maker and a member of Actors for Autism with the exciting conclusion that “inclusion works.” To watch the 30-second PSA, click the following direct links or visit www.usbln.org:

30-second PSA with modern captioning – http://youtu.be/nEKWhR1mf8k

30-second PSA traditional captioning on bottom – http://youtu.be/4bTFVb-twrk

Viewers are invited to share the above PSAs with their organizations, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and social networks.

About the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) is the national disability organization that serves as the collective voice of over 60 Business Leadership Network affiliates across North America, representing over 5,000 employers. The USBLN® promotes the business imperative of the preparation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain while supporting the development and expansion of its BLN affiliates. The USBLN® recognizes and supports best practices in hiring and advancing employees with disabilities, marketing to consumers with disabilities, and encourages contracting with vendors with disabilities through the development and certification of disability-owned businesses. www.usbln.org

Companies that invest in people with disabilities can realize gains. But the investment must go beyond representation to utilization, fully leveraging the knowledge, skills and abilities of this group and applying its talents to real business challenges. Increased revenues by way of access to new markets and improved productivity through innovative and effective ways of doing business are often the result.

It Pays to Court People With Disabilities

Smart companies already know that one way to improve bottom-line performance is to empower workers to do their best. Another is to make it easier for customers to buy and use products. People with disabilities are one of the world’s largest untapped markets for talent, and having a coterie ready to generate ideas and contribute to organizational effectiveness makes sense. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Office of Disability Employment Policy website, about 49.7 million Americans have a disability, which includes people of all ages. The Census Bureau says about two-thirds of these individuals have a severe disability.

In June 2010 consultant TecAccess reported Americans with disabilities control $175 billion in discretionary income. Some organizations, such as DisabilityROI.com, suggest people with disabilities have more purchasing power than the entire teen and pre-teen markets combined. Further, we are an aging population, so numbers in this group will continue to rise.

Despite the size of this population, many organizations do not factor the group into strategic diversity management discussions. That may be because public companies are not required to be Section 508 compliant from a service point of view. However, companies can be found liable under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) if their service access options are not disability-friendly and accessible. TecAccess says making a company website, product, software or training Section 508 compliant could protect against lawsuits and promote good business.
As society ages, diminishing vision and hearing and other related ailments are more common. Not all people who have a disability require Web accessibility, but organizations should ensure customers are not prevented from receiving information in a format suited to their needs. People with disabilities now have easier access to books and information via the Internet, and they are able to shop unassisted. Organizations can improve the quality of their lives by making the tools needed to do so more accessible.

Making the effort to promote accessibility will pay off. According to census data, at least half of all non-disabled adults have a spouse, child, parent or friend with a disability. Therefore, companies that include people with disabilities in their ads sell more products because disability touches the lives of millions of families. Corporate America and other organizations cannot afford to ignore or stereotype this market. Customers with disabilities and their families, friends and associates represent a huge market segment, and many prefer to patronize businesses that hire people with disabilities.

Good for the Market and the Workplace

Aside from attracting consumers, addressing the concerns of people with disabilities also can help retain talent and reduce costs associated with hiring, training, conflict and litigation in the workforce. People with disabilities are less likely to change jobs, which can reduce the cost of turnover commonly estimated to be 50 to 150 percent of a position’s annual salary.
Further, in some parts of the U.S., website accessibility, product accessibility and software accessibility, for example, are not just good ideas; they are the law. If a product or information is not accessible to people with disabilities, an organization could face an ADA complaint or other lawsuit.

By hiring and utilizing employees with disabilities, organizations can leverage their insight and ideas to measure the effectiveness of products and services that support employees and reach customers whose disability falls into four key categories: visual, physical, auditory and cognitive/learning disabilities:

1. A person with a visual impairment has challenges accessing content on the Web without the aid of software to read the text aloud.

2. A person with a cognitive or learning disability can benefit from the use of screen readers to present the text in a more understandable way.

3. A person with mobility impairment may not have the motor skills necessary to operate a mouse and must rely on the keyboard to navigate the site.

4. A person with a hearing impairment may be unable to access any audio content, so information needs to be available in a visual format.

Employees with disabilities contribute to an organization’s success by bringing unique perspectives, problem-solving skills and experiences to the workplace. Diverse teams that include employees with disabilities are often more creative and can help to make business more efficient and effective. For instance, people with disabilities can be tapped to develop and implement strategies to attract and retain qualified talent in similar pools, mined for insight on how to use technology in new ways to increase productivity, help to stimulate new product and service development, customize products and services for their market to increase profitability, and foster development of next-generation products and services.

The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy highlights a number of reasons to utilize people with disabilities in the workforce. Among them is innovation. In a June Business Sense newsletter focusing on small business, the Department of Labor states that by fostering a work culture respectful of individual differences, employers can benefit from varied perspectives on how to confront challenges and achieve success. They suggest most of today’s most successful companies proudly deem diversity a core corporate value. And, while diversity is most often used in reference to differences in race or ethnicity, it encompasses a wide range of attributes and experiences, including disability.

Look Beyond the Surface

People can do extraordinary things if given a chance with the appropriate conditions, attitudes and encouragement. According to an article on ThinkBeyondtheLabel.com, Acxiom, an Arkansas-based global technology and marketing service company, found a valued employee by looking at abilities rather than disability.

“An important member of the Acxiom team is Franklin McMurrian, a client delivery analyst,” the article stated. “McMurrian came to Acxiom more than six years ago after graduating from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a degree in information science. During the interview process, the hiring manager focused on his qualifications and skill set, rather than his impairment, according to McMurrian.”

Written by:Putting Disabilities to Work

Edward E. Hubbard, 09-11-2011

From Diversity Exclusive website.

People with disabilities face lack of access to facilities, services

By Sue McGreevey

Masschusetts General Hospital Public Affairs

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Two decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect, people with disabilities continue to face difficulties meeting major social needs, including obtaining appropriate access to health care facilities and services.

In an article in the October issue of Health Affairs, Lisa Iezzoni, director of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard professor of medicine, analyzes available information on disparities affecting people with disabilities and highlights barriers that continue to restrict their access to health services.

“A lot of attention has been paid to how health disparities affect people in racial and ethnic minority groups, and this report details how people with disabilities are also disadvantaged,” she says. “Most of the literature about these problems has appeared in disability-centered journals that are not very accessible to many people, so one of my goals in putting together this analysis was bringing this information to a high-visibility, broadly accessible journal.”

Iezzoni, who has used a wheelchair for nearly 25 years because of multiple sclerosis, explains, “An analogy I use to illustrate how disparities among racial and ethnic minorities differ from those affecting people with disabilities is that Rosa Parks made progress towards civil rights when she could get onto that bus and sit anywhere she wanted to. I can’t even get onto a bus unless it is adapted for my needs, the bus driver notices me, recognizes my disability, and reacts to it. That kind of need for proactive accommodation applies to health care facilities as well.”

The 2010 census found that 54 million Americans — nearly 20 percent of the population — were then living with disabilities. Less than half of adults with disabilities were employed, and 27 percent of those with severe disabilities fell below the poverty rate, compared with 9 percent of those without disabilities. Iezzoni’s review of several broad-based surveys found that people with disabilities were significantly more likely to report being in fair or poor health than were those without disabilities. They also had higher levels of risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity, some which could be linked to a decreased likelihood that primary care physicians would address those issues during routine visits.

In her review of how disability is defined and addressed by the health care system, Iezzoni cites a significant change from an approach centered on available medical solutions coupled with patients’ adjusting to their limitations — the prevalent viewpoint of the 19th and early 20th century — to the more recent focus on changing the physical, attitudinal, and social barriers that compound restrictions imposed by specific physical impairments. She writes that a 2001 report from the World Health Organization  (WHO) “shift(s) the focus from prevention or cure to maximizing functioning and well-being,” adding that the Institute of Medicine, in recommending that the WHO framework be broadly adopted, acknowledged that “no single definition of disability can serve all societal needs.”

Reported disparities in preventive health care services include lower rates of mammography and Pap tests among women with disabilities. A review of data from National Cancer Institute registries — coupled with Medicare data — indicated that women with disabilities diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer were less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery and that those who did were less likely to receive the radiation therapy that treatment protocol requires. Similarly, patients with disabilities diagnosed with the most deadly form of lung cancer were less likely to receive surgery, the only definitive treatment. For both types of tumor, people with disabilities were significantly more likely to die from their cancers.

Iezzoni also cites a major survey’s findings that women with mobility disabilities were 70 percent less likely to be asked about contraception during routine medical visits, even though they could be at increased risk of unintended pregnancy because of difficulty using barrier contraceptives or would face heightened risk of complications from birth control pills. Problems accessing health care facilities — including physician offices and hospital buildings — were often reported; and equipment such as examining tables, mammography machines, or infusion chairs were frequently inaccessible. One major academic health center did not have a wheelchair-accessible scale, requiring a breast cancer patient with paraplegia to be carried onto a standard scale by her oncologist, because the patient’s weight is essential to calculating chemotherapy dosage.

“People with disabilities want to be as involved in their care as anyone else would be,” says Iezzoni. “They don’t want to be picked up and placed onto the exam table. If they’re able to get onto a table, they want to move themselves; but they need a table they can get onto — one that automatically lowers to allow them to transfer. Another problem is that most clinicians only see patients with disabilities in the office or in the hospital. They don’t see what the patients are doing out in the community. Health care professionals need to understand that people with disabilities have lives outside of their health care needs — lives in which they may be very active and accomplished. The health care system needs to work on making the accommodations required for effective communication and on giving all patients appropriate physical access.”

Harvard Medical School Professor Lisa Iezzoni’s research reports disparities in preventive health care services, including lower rates of mammography and Pap tests among women with disabilities. Iezzoni, who has used a wheelchair for nearly 25 years because of multiple sclerosis, is director of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Utilizing the talents of all Americans is essential for our Nation to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.  During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recognize the skills that people with disabilities bring to our workforce, and we rededicate ourselves to improving employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors for those living with disabilities.

More than 20 years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with disabilities, including injured veterans, are making immeasurable contributions to workplaces across our country.  Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities remains too high — nearly double the rate of people without disabilities — and reversing this trend is crucial.

In both the public and private sectors, we can increase employment opportunities for Americans with disabilities.  My Administration is promoting competitive, integrated employment for persons with disabilities and the elderly through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Last year, we also recommitted to making the Federal Government a model employer for people living with disabilities.  Agencies are working harder than ever to promote equal hiring practices and increase retention, while also expanding internships, fellowships, and training opportunities.

We know education is the foundation on which all children can build bright and successful futures, and no child should be limited in his or her desire to learn.  In September, we announced the final regulations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C, to improve services and outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families during the critical years before kindergarten.  The educational environments we are creating for children with disabilities will ensure they are better prepared to succeed in the classroom and later in the workplace, helping position our Nation to lead in the 21st century.

Work accessibility is just as vital to success as ensuring educational and hiring opportunities.  Public transportation is a service that should be available to all Americans, and rules instated this year by the Department of Transportation require new rail construction or renovations to ensure accessibility to persons with disabilities.  We are also improving our compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to make Federal agencies’ electronic and information technology more accessible to individuals with disabilities.  This will ensure all applicants have equal opportunity to apply for jobs, and it will allow Federal employees to better use technology at work.

To win the future, we must harness the power of our Nation’s richest resource — our people.  Americans with disabilities, like all Americans, are entitled to not only full participation in our society, but also full opportunity in our society.  Their talents and contributions are vital to the strength of our Nation’s workforce and our future prosperity.  Together, we can ensure persons living with disabilities have equal access to employment, and to inclusive, supportive workplaces.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2011 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.  I urge all Americans to embrace the talents and skills that individuals with disabilities bring to our workplaces and communities and to promote the right to equal employment opportunity for all people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

The 2011 theme emphasizes the rich diversity and talent that workers with disabilities bring to the workplace.

The theme serves to inform the public that workers with disabilities contribute to the output of any organization. According to Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy, “Return on investment means hiring the right talent. Workers with disabilities represent all skill sets and are ready to get the job done.”

Have you ever had a certain impression about what a certain field of work was like, only to have that impression change significantly once you worked in that field or explored it more closely? Like anyone else, people with disabilities may express an interest in a field, but have a limited understanding about what it entails. Additionally, they may have a finite view of the types of jobs that are available. The following are methods for helping people with disabilities (or any job seeker) determine what direction to go with their job search.

Assessment and Career Exploration Tools

Americas Labor Market Information System and Americas Career Kit has a number of excellent resources:

• Americas Career InfoNet (www.acinet.org), which includes a wealth of information on job trends, wages and national and local labor markets.
• O*NET Online (http://online.onetcenter.org/), is a database that describes a wide variety of occupations, their requisite skills, and earnings potential.
• O*NET Career Assessment and Exploration Tools, which include:
  • Interest Profiler – A self-assessment career exploration tool, where participants identify and learn about broad interest areas most relevant to their-related interests.
  • Work Importance Locator – A self-assessment career exploration tool which helps clarify what an individual finds most important in jobs.
  • Ability Profiler – An ability assessment developed for counseling and career exploration which measure nine job-relevant abilities.
    [Additional information on these O*NET tools is available at www.onetcenter.org/tools.html]

As with any other customer, One-Stop staff should help customers with disabilities use these and similar tools, for career assessment and exploration.

Research

Like any other job seekers, business and community research can help an individual with a disability learn what types of jobs are available (and not available), areas of growth, and who the areas biggest employers are. Research on specific professions and employers can help to plan a job search and identify business contacts. The tools of Americas Workforce Network available at One-Stop Centers, and online, can be an excellent starting point including Americas Career InfoNet, and O*NET Online, described above.

Besides the tools of Americas Workforce Network, One-Stop Center are likely to have other information sources in their resource library. Sources for information include:

• annual reports
• business publications
• newspapers
• directly contacting the employer for an information packet.

The advent of the internet has made collecting such information much easier, and its recommended that the world wide web be used as the starting point for such research. The Career Resource Library of Americas Career InfoNet provides links to other internet based resources.

Experiential Methods

While these can be good starting points, activities that expose individuals to the realities, dynamics, and idiosyncrasies of real work environments can be invaluable. Also, due to a variety of issues (limited life experience, cognitive limitations, etc.), standard assessment tools do not always fully or accurately reflect the interests and capabilities of many people with disabilities.

The following experiential methods can help determine the types of positions to explore in the actual job development process. The connections that the One-Stop system has with the employer community should make it relatively simple to arrange those activities that involve direct employer contact. The One-Stop system will find these methods useful not only for customers with disabilities, but for all job seekers. In fact, many local One-Stop systems may already have many of these and similar services available to assist job seekers.

• Informational Interviewing: Informational interviewing involves meeting with an employer, not for a job interview, but simply to gather information about the business. It is a wonderful way to increase job seekers knowledge of a field; it also provides the opportunity to gain experience interacting with employers without the pressure of a hiring decision.
• Job Tours: Similar to informational interviewing, touring various businesses exposes the job seeker and One-Stop staff to a variety of jobs and work environments.
• Job Shadowing: Job shadowing involves spending time observing an individual as he/she performs a job. This can last for an hour, an entire work day, or a series of days, depending on the nature of the job and the level of interest of the job seeker.
• Volunteer Work: Doing volunteer work can be a helpful step for some individuals and for certain fields. For example, many people enter the human service and radio/television production fields through volunteer work and internships. Certain cautions apply:
  • From a values standpoint, it is important to recognize that volunteer work is not a substitute for paid employment. As part of the career development process, keep volunteering brief, and make sure that the goal remains employment.
  • For both legal and ethical reasons, people with disabilities should only do volunteer work that is similar to what other members of the community are doing as volunteers.
  • It can sometimes take enormous effort to find a volunteer job for a person with a significant disability. Such effort may be better spent on finding paid employment!
  • A final word: Volunteer work is an option for some people in specific situations, but it is not for everyone.
• Temporary Work Assignments: A short-term, temporary work assignment can help an individual determine whether or not a job or setting suits them, and adds experience to a resume.
• Situational Assessment: Situational assessment means trying out a job in the community, for a few hours up to a few days, so the job seeker can determine if they are well-suited for that type of work. Individuals are often paid by a non-employer source for situational assessments. State Vocational Rehabilitation (a One-Stop partner) or local community rehabilitation providers may be able to assist in arranging situational assessment. For a detailed explanation of situational assessment, see the book Demystifying Job Development (reference at the end of this article).

What Method to Use

There is no one right way to go about career exploration; methods will vary depending on the needs and abilities of each individual. To determine which methods will be the most useful, consider the following points:

• Choose methods that are appropriate to the individual. For example, someone who has limited interpersonal communication skills and abilities will probably not benefit from an informational interview, and might be better off doing a situational assessment.
• Use the methods that provide the most information in the shortest time so the individual can move ahead with the actual job search.

No matter what methods are used as part of the career exploration process, its important to gather certain information:

• What types of work are available in the fields that interest the job seeker?
• What skills do these jobs require?
• In what types of work cultures and environments is the individual comfortable?
• What types of jobs meet the specific requirements of the job seeker?

Placement Planning and Career Exploration: Areas to Look At

When determining the types of employment opportunities to pursue, the focus is often on the individuals job skills and where these can be applied. Yet many people (with and without disabilities) succeed or fail on a job based on how well they fit into the social environment of the workplace. When developing successful employment opportunities, consider: where would an individuals personality be considered a real asset? (For instance, a friendly, outgoing personality is an important attribute for a customer service job.) A list of possible criteria to examine as part of the career exploration process are listed below under Placement Planning and Career Exploration: Areas to Look At

As the career exploration process progresses, the job developer and job seeker should be looking for common themes among areas of interest. For example, an individual may have explored several different fields. While the person may have had interest in a variety of jobs, the ones where he/she is most intrigued may be jobs where there is a great deal of interaction with others, where there is a low level of supervision, which have an informal work atmosphere, which have a variety of tasks, or which focus on a specific area.

The following lists some areas for consideration when undertaking career exploration and planning. This information can be used as part of a job search profile, and also in evaluating a career exploration experience. Use these criteria to examine two perspectives:

1. the requirements of a field or specific job
2. the degree of importance that a job seeker places on each requirement

In no way is this list exhaustive. Add your own ideas!

• Types of jobs and businesses that are of interest
• Geographic area for job search
• Minimal salary and benefit requirements
• Number of hours of work per day/week
• Time of day and week requirements (mornings, evenings, overnights, weekends, holidays)
• Access to public transit
• Connection with seekers past education and training
• Personal attributes of job seeker that could be an asset within a job setting (e.g., friendly, helpful, neat, attention to detail, quiet)
• Formality or informality of workplace
• Amount of supervision desired/required
• Level of interaction with co-workers and supervisors
• Camaraderie and sociability of employees
• Level of worker autonomy
• Repetitiveness of tasks
• Variety of tasks
• Flexibility and opportunity for changes in routine
• Availability of training
• Opportunities for career advancement
• Stamina and endurance requirements
• Mobility requirements (i.e., need to move around in an area or within a work facility)
• Communication requirements
• Production rate/speed requirements
• Strength: lifting and carrying
• Manual dexterity
• Reading requirements
• Mathematics/counting
• Level of independence required
• Customer contact
• Dress requirements
• Need to work independently
• Complexity of tasks
• Amount of self-initiative required
• Need/ability to tell time and time awareness
• Stress and pressure of position
• Need to ask for assistance
• Area orientation requirements (small work area, large work area, entire building, several buildings, etc.)
• Environment: noise, temperature, indoors/outdoors

Based in part on material from:
Hoff, D., Gandolfo, C., Gold, M., Jordan, M., (2000). Demystifying Job Development, TRN, St. Augustine, FL. Web site: www.trninc.com; e-mail: trn@aug.com; voice: (800) 280-7010

Written by:

Institute for Community Inclusion

The Austin Harmony Project provides special needs citizens the opportunity to be involved in the arts. Harmony utilizes the arts as a natural means to positively stimulate and celebrate life, while giving each participant a deserved sense of well-being.

Disaboom: You are doing wonderful things at Harmony, and it appears that this could be a good model for other communities. How did Harmony Project get started?

Tressie Seegers: “I worked in the public school system, and saw a need for programs like this for young adults and adults with special needs. I began Harmony as a summer program, but went full-time in the summer of 2010.”

Disaboom: How does art and music help your special needs students?

Tressie Seegers: “So many times people with disabilities can’t express themselves verbally. They may have some condition that keeps them from communicating to others and so the art and the music gives everyone a voice. They are happier when they go home and the family is very appreciative for that.

”I have an 18-year-old student with mental disabilities. He’s had issues from not being able to express his anger properly. He has been locked behind his disability however he was born to be on the stage. At Harmony, he has been given a platform to express his gift of music. He gets to release all of the frustration and reap the many benefits that come with artistic self-expression. The Austin Harmony Project has made a big difference in Stevie’s life. Often you will find Stevie at my live music gigs around Austin, TX. He always gets to sing a few songs or even a whole set! He always has a smile because he is getting to do what he loves best.”

Disaboom: What are the ages of your students?

Tressie Seegers: “Our student ages range between 17 and 46.”

Disaboom: What is a typical day at Harmony?

Tressie Seegers: “We have around ten people every day for five hours. We start at 10 AM and do art in the morning. We discuss what projects we are going to work on. Some people like to work independently and others like to work on group activities. Everyone makes their own decision. Since many of our students are older, we try to do things that are more age appropriate. After art, we have lunch together and then music. We stop around 3 PM. During the school year we are also open on Saturday, so that the students who go to school can continue Harmony all year long. We just try to have as much fun as possible every day.”

Disaboom: Your mission statement says that Harmony fills the gap through an adaptive program. How would you describe your adaptive program?

Tressie Seegers: “We make adaptations for each participant, so let’s say, if someone can’t use their right hand, then we help them with whatever help they need to get the art done. We want them to participate as much as they physically can. Each individual has a special need, so we aid them in whatever way we need to so they accomplish their project.”

Disaboom: How much do your students pay to attend Harmony

Tressie Seegers: “There’s a $28 per-day-charge.”

Disaboom: What is your facility like?

Tressie Seegers: “We started out in a rented room at Akins High School but I needed to find a place where we could hold concerts and perform our music. I was driving around one day and saw the Community Renaissance Market, in a renovated old grocery story, and stopped. We began doing concerts there and eventually moved in. They worked with us on the rent, donating much of the space. The program would not be where it is today without someone donating part of our rent. They have enabled us to operate and grow and serve the community better.”

Disaboom: Do you have art shows and concerts?

Tressie Seegers: “Our location at the Renaissance Market is ideal for art shows and musical performances. In the past we’ve gone out in the community to restaurants and different venues and done live music. The kids and I play and the community is extremely supportive. Last year we did a live Christmas album at Waterloo Icehouse. We try to get out in the community as much as possible.”

Disaboom: I know that you are a songwriter, a musician and an artist. Do you have need of additional volunteers, and if so what skill sets would they need? Also, do you accept donations?

Tressie Seegers: “We do have need of additional volunteers experienced with special needs as well as donations. We are a 501c3 so any donation is a tax deduction. We have a complete list of needs available if anyone is interested in supporting the efforts at The Austin Harmony Project.

To read more about The Austin Harmony Project go to: http://www.theharmonyprojectaustintx.org/

To read more about The Community Renaissance Market, see Disaboom Article: http://www.disaboom.com/arts/harmony-school-makes-art-at-the-community-renaissance-market-austin-tx

Disaboom is the leading resource for disability information and real-life articles about people with disabilities. Our broad range of topics, including health conditions, lifestyle, and helpful resources, help you