let me tell you a story about John I met
John many years ago at a conference
where he was sharing his employment
during journey with us with the group
now John’s a relatively large young
adult he uses a wheelchair which is
rather large as well
he is completely nonverbal and uses a
communication device that is hooked up
to his wheelchair
he works at Panera as a greeter but the
most important thing you need to know
about John is his incredible smile when
he smiles the light shines from the
window into the room and everybody is
transformed he only could work one day
in the afternoon one day a week and when
somebody would come in to the Panera he
would push the button on his
communication device and it would say
hello my name is John welcome to Panera
and then he would smile at first when
they first came in and saw John people
were taken aback he’s very big and he’s
using like this thing that speaks like a
robot but because of his smile they
would smile back before they could think
about it they couldn’t help themselves
Jeff was the manager and life was going
on John was doing great he loved his job
and his district a Regional Manager
somehow noticed in the in the sales of
the day that in a week’s time there was
this uptick one day one afternoon a week
so he went to Jeff and said what are you
doing this day this time every week why
is there an increase in your sales
what’s what’s going on are you having a
party or what just like no we do the
same thing every day
you know we rotate the food bah blah
blah and then it hit him it was John
John was making the difference so pretty
soon John was working three days a week
for three hours in the afternoon and
everybody was really happy John was
happy because he knew that he was an
important part of that team and he the
only thing he did was push a button and
smile and it changed the culture in that
store
Jeff was happy because this intriguing
employee that he had found was making
everyone else all his other staff was
happy the culture had changed in that
workplace because of John’s smile Jeff
and John became good friends really good
friends they started spending time
together going to the movies eating
dinner Jeff came over to his family’s
got to know him really well he even did
that thing you know where the you do the
triathlon and the Jeff is pushing the
running stroller with John and then tie
in the rope on and dragging the raft
across the lake or whatever body of
water with John in the raft and then
getting to the other Shore lifting John
out and putting him in a bicycle trailer
and finishing up that marathon the guys
loved it and they did it often because
they were friends technology helps level
the playing field
in 2010 something happened in our world
in our society here in America that
completely changed the world for people
with disabilities Apple launched the
first iPad and we’re for us it’s a nifty
little device that made us more mobile
and it was really fun to take with us on
places and watch movies and play games
but for people with disabilities it
completely changed the way that they
were able now to communicate to the
people they loved or the people they
were like in school with to show them
the their interior life their wishes
their needs in a way that they could
never do before
they now had a tool and it was the
technology that made the difference my
son Charlie was born with Down syndrome
I want to share a story about his
I pad one day when he was six or seven
he’s a mom look and he’s pulling up
YouTube on from the iPad and I’m like
you can’t read how can you know how to
work this thing and he works it better
than I do still to this day he found the
Gene Kelly singing in the rain video he
turned it on and left off the sofa and
started doing the exact choreography
that Gene Kelly was doing dancing around
the living room with an umbrella and I’m
looking at corn what it’s happening how
did you know I mean he moves his body
his arms his legs and the exact
choreography and that was the day when I
realized that this technology on this
iPad and I still don’t know how but it
allows him to learn and use his brain in
a way that talking to him and reading
for him to him at that time makes no no
inroads it’s watching the technology
it’s seeing the visual move and dance in
front of him that wires his brain so he
can do the exact same thing I can’t do
that I can’t watch a video and then
repeat exactly the other fun thing was
he would watch disney on ice and he
would start going around the the living
room with his butt out first no because
that’s how skaters ate right the other
key to that is Charlie watch that Gene
Kelly video a hundred times at least for
a couple months before that the
repetition is key in 2012 I was at
another conference and I was in the
exhibit hall and across the way I saw
this an amazing little site there was an
iPad on the stand and it had the actual
photo and video of a young man with
autism going to the kids kitchen opening
the refrigerator or pulling out the
picture and pouring the water for us
that’s not such a big thing for him it
was huge and somehow seeing himself do
it over and
over and over again made it really
happen he could do it the real-time
pictures and videos and Charlie’s and
others watching them over and over that
repetition makes a difference it helps
them learn it helps them express
themselves in a way they never could
before
in 2014 I was really lucky I got to work
at the arc of Northern Virginia and I
was tasked with developing a curriculum
to help train individuals with cognitive
challenges to take the bus in the Metro
now recent research at the time had
shown surprise these individuals need
constant repetition many many many
trials of taking that same trip just one
trip I knew and it’s obvious there’s not
enough staff in the world to go out with
those individuals all there’s many times
but I was thinking maybe technology
could help and I remembered immediately
the iPad in the exhibit hall and the
real photos and I’m like oh we can use a
real photo of a real bus there their bus
with the number on the side then sitting
in the bus stop so I called wonder it’s
oh and Edie er because it’s wonderful
and told them what I was up to and said
would you help and they agreed and our
collaboration began wonder provides a
software platform and it is amazing
incredible and otherwise unprecedented
it provides multiple formats to meet the
unique needs of many individuals so
it’ll it offers functional meet formats
to meet the spectrum of needs that our
population presents I provided the task
analysis I took the bus trip and broke
it down into steps and then made lessons
or activities out of each step with
real-time photos and videos I
immediately saw the implications for
employment because it would be like once
they transition to doing all the smart
phones it’s like having a virtual job
coach
it’s like having a person standing
behind you telling you what to do from
the moment you set in foot in the
workplace to the moment you go home and
even after that so on technology they
can do what they need to do they know
what they need to do and they don’t need
a person over their shoulder wonder
technology stands alone in the
marketplace even today and allows us to
create customizable curriculum that
levels the playing field for everybody
so now we have this amazing technology
but how do we get employers to see
people with disabilities especially
developmental disabilities and cognitive
challenges as people with a wealth of
potential that could benefit their
workforce their workplace I want to take
a minute and talk about the word
disability I’m not a fan this the prefix
means opposite or against so we’re
literally saying our friends with
disabilities are against or opposite of
having abilities and that’s simply not
true they’re filled with abilities that
we don’t have often so from now on why
don’t we instead of saying a person with
disabilities let’s say a person with
different abilities because even though
you might not recognize them or they
walk and talk differently than we do
they’re still full of abilities in 2001
the National Institutes of Health
released a study about why employers the
barriers for employers to hire someone
with different abilities number one they
don’t know how to handle these people
they don’t know how to meet their needs
they’re scared because it’s new to them
our technology or any technology
completely obliterates that fear it
takes away the strangeness because we’ve
created the step by step you know the
employer doesn’t have to number two this
is a tricky one they’re afraid to treat
the individual with different abilities
like everyone
for fear of lawsuits and liability but
if we use a technology to level the
playing field the personality shines not
the deficit of different abilities in
2016 I had an aha moment at the
intersection of route 50 and 29 there’s
this lovely little strip mall that’s
kind of dingy but it had really had two
businesses that I already knew Camryn’s
chocolates is there and on the other
side is the office for a non-profit
private employment provider and what
happened Cameron’s chocolates was
created by Cameron’s mom who was
terrified that once her Cameron got out
of high school there would be no job so
she created a place where Cameron could
have a job and all of Cameron’s friends
and everybody they knew and other people
with different abilities came rushing in
to Cameron’s because there’s no one else
nowhere else for them to go so I’m
thinking wow what if the employment
providers and Cameron’s get together and
they spread those people through the
whole strip mall we have our teas
Restaurant Bowl America thrift store dry
cleaner something for everybody there’s
a passion in there for everybody we need
to spread that trend we need to do it
there and we need to spread it through
Tyson’s Maryland DC Virginia the world
Oh
reality steps in if there’s not even
enough staff at the employment provider
in the strip mall to spread Cameron’s
people around how can we how can we
spread this we need more we needed more
people but maybe we don’t
what could bridge that gap between the
people the staff that we have and the
people who need it
technology what if technology could
level the playing field and be a
low-cost option to benefit everyone
technology does provide an efficient and
effective way to maximize success and
independence of people with different
abilities in the workplace it allows
their abilities to shine and employers
and employees to create quality relation
chips instead of dependent relationships
in the workplace
just like John at Panera there’s a
crisis in our disability community
thousands of people with different
abilities are not working only one out
of five have a meaningful job and
there’s a crisis pending in our work
force as our beloved baby boomers with
John one are aging phasing out of work
where are we going to get people to fill
those positions what if we could solve
both at the same time my experience
tells me we can my experience with
travel made and employment is shows
great success particularly because it
levels the playing field it supports the
individual the way they need to be
supported I know I’m so blessed to live
with my son Charlie every day I can’t
wait to go home to him and I can’t even
explain to you why it’s so amazing to be
with him he has a way of making my life
better
richer deeper he’s a way of making me
see very clearly what really matters and
what is just a distraction not all of
you can be lucky enough to live with
someone like Charlie I’m sorry but all
of you could work with someone like
Charlie please join me in making that
possibility a reality but doing two
things first practice seeing people with
different abilities as people who are
talented dedicated loyal and done right
funny and the to start making it
possible for your business or company to
hire just one person with a disability
if you’re already hired someone with a
disability get to it’ll change the
culture of your workplace technology is
the key it levels the playing field and
lets people see people with different
abilities as valued members of our teams
let’s go change the workplace
thank you [Applause]
John many years ago at a conference
where he was sharing his employment
during journey with us with the group
now John’s a relatively large young
adult he uses a wheelchair which is
rather large as well
he is completely nonverbal and uses a
communication device that is hooked up
to his wheelchair
he works at Panera as a greeter but the
most important thing you need to know
about John is his incredible smile when
he smiles the light shines from the
window into the room and everybody is
transformed he only could work one day
in the afternoon one day a week and when
somebody would come in to the Panera he
would push the button on his
communication device and it would say
hello my name is John welcome to Panera
and then he would smile at first when
they first came in and saw John people
were taken aback he’s very big and he’s
using like this thing that speaks like a
robot but because of his smile they
would smile back before they could think
about it they couldn’t help themselves
Jeff was the manager and life was going
on John was doing great he loved his job
and his district a Regional Manager
somehow noticed in the in the sales of
the day that in a week’s time there was
this uptick one day one afternoon a week
so he went to Jeff and said what are you
doing this day this time every week why
is there an increase in your sales
what’s what’s going on are you having a
party or what just like no we do the
same thing every day
you know we rotate the food bah blah
blah and then it hit him it was John
John was making the difference so pretty
soon John was working three days a week
for three hours in the afternoon and
everybody was really happy John was
happy because he knew that he was an
important part of that team and he the
only thing he did was push a button and
smile and it changed the culture in that
store
Jeff was happy because this intriguing
employee that he had found was making
everyone else all his other staff was
happy the culture had changed in that
workplace because of John’s smile Jeff
and John became good friends really good
friends they started spending time
together going to the movies eating
dinner Jeff came over to his family’s
got to know him really well he even did
that thing you know where the you do the
triathlon and the Jeff is pushing the
running stroller with John and then tie
in the rope on and dragging the raft
across the lake or whatever body of
water with John in the raft and then
getting to the other Shore lifting John
out and putting him in a bicycle trailer
and finishing up that marathon the guys
loved it and they did it often because
they were friends technology helps level
the playing field
in 2010 something happened in our world
in our society here in America that
completely changed the world for people
with disabilities Apple launched the
first iPad and we’re for us it’s a nifty
little device that made us more mobile
and it was really fun to take with us on
places and watch movies and play games
but for people with disabilities it
completely changed the way that they
were able now to communicate to the
people they loved or the people they
were like in school with to show them
the their interior life their wishes
their needs in a way that they could
never do before
they now had a tool and it was the
technology that made the difference my
son Charlie was born with Down syndrome
I want to share a story about his
I pad one day when he was six or seven
he’s a mom look and he’s pulling up
YouTube on from the iPad and I’m like
you can’t read how can you know how to
work this thing and he works it better
than I do still to this day he found the
Gene Kelly singing in the rain video he
turned it on and left off the sofa and
started doing the exact choreography
that Gene Kelly was doing dancing around
the living room with an umbrella and I’m
looking at corn what it’s happening how
did you know I mean he moves his body
his arms his legs and the exact
choreography and that was the day when I
realized that this technology on this
iPad and I still don’t know how but it
allows him to learn and use his brain in
a way that talking to him and reading
for him to him at that time makes no no
inroads it’s watching the technology
it’s seeing the visual move and dance in
front of him that wires his brain so he
can do the exact same thing I can’t do
that I can’t watch a video and then
repeat exactly the other fun thing was
he would watch disney on ice and he
would start going around the the living
room with his butt out first no because
that’s how skaters ate right the other
key to that is Charlie watch that Gene
Kelly video a hundred times at least for
a couple months before that the
repetition is key in 2012 I was at
another conference and I was in the
exhibit hall and across the way I saw
this an amazing little site there was an
iPad on the stand and it had the actual
photo and video of a young man with
autism going to the kids kitchen opening
the refrigerator or pulling out the
picture and pouring the water for us
that’s not such a big thing for him it
was huge and somehow seeing himself do
it over and
over and over again made it really
happen he could do it the real-time
pictures and videos and Charlie’s and
others watching them over and over that
repetition makes a difference it helps
them learn it helps them express
themselves in a way they never could
before
in 2014 I was really lucky I got to work
at the arc of Northern Virginia and I
was tasked with developing a curriculum
to help train individuals with cognitive
challenges to take the bus in the Metro
now recent research at the time had
shown surprise these individuals need
constant repetition many many many
trials of taking that same trip just one
trip I knew and it’s obvious there’s not
enough staff in the world to go out with
those individuals all there’s many times
but I was thinking maybe technology
could help and I remembered immediately
the iPad in the exhibit hall and the
real photos and I’m like oh we can use a
real photo of a real bus there their bus
with the number on the side then sitting
in the bus stop so I called wonder it’s
oh and Edie er because it’s wonderful
and told them what I was up to and said
would you help and they agreed and our
collaboration began wonder provides a
software platform and it is amazing
incredible and otherwise unprecedented
it provides multiple formats to meet the
unique needs of many individuals so
it’ll it offers functional meet formats
to meet the spectrum of needs that our
population presents I provided the task
analysis I took the bus trip and broke
it down into steps and then made lessons
or activities out of each step with
real-time photos and videos I
immediately saw the implications for
employment because it would be like once
they transition to doing all the smart
phones it’s like having a virtual job
coach
it’s like having a person standing
behind you telling you what to do from
the moment you set in foot in the
workplace to the moment you go home and
even after that so on technology they
can do what they need to do they know
what they need to do and they don’t need
a person over their shoulder wonder
technology stands alone in the
marketplace even today and allows us to
create customizable curriculum that
levels the playing field for everybody
so now we have this amazing technology
but how do we get employers to see
people with disabilities especially
developmental disabilities and cognitive
challenges as people with a wealth of
potential that could benefit their
workforce their workplace I want to take
a minute and talk about the word
disability I’m not a fan this the prefix
means opposite or against so we’re
literally saying our friends with
disabilities are against or opposite of
having abilities and that’s simply not
true they’re filled with abilities that
we don’t have often so from now on why
don’t we instead of saying a person with
disabilities let’s say a person with
different abilities because even though
you might not recognize them or they
walk and talk differently than we do
they’re still full of abilities in 2001
the National Institutes of Health
released a study about why employers the
barriers for employers to hire someone
with different abilities number one they
don’t know how to handle these people
they don’t know how to meet their needs
they’re scared because it’s new to them
our technology or any technology
completely obliterates that fear it
takes away the strangeness because we’ve
created the step by step you know the
employer doesn’t have to number two this
is a tricky one they’re afraid to treat
the individual with different abilities
like everyone
for fear of lawsuits and liability but
if we use a technology to level the
playing field the personality shines not
the deficit of different abilities in
2016 I had an aha moment at the
intersection of route 50 and 29 there’s
this lovely little strip mall that’s
kind of dingy but it had really had two
businesses that I already knew Camryn’s
chocolates is there and on the other
side is the office for a non-profit
private employment provider and what
happened Cameron’s chocolates was
created by Cameron’s mom who was
terrified that once her Cameron got out
of high school there would be no job so
she created a place where Cameron could
have a job and all of Cameron’s friends
and everybody they knew and other people
with different abilities came rushing in
to Cameron’s because there’s no one else
nowhere else for them to go so I’m
thinking wow what if the employment
providers and Cameron’s get together and
they spread those people through the
whole strip mall we have our teas
Restaurant Bowl America thrift store dry
cleaner something for everybody there’s
a passion in there for everybody we need
to spread that trend we need to do it
there and we need to spread it through
Tyson’s Maryland DC Virginia the world
Oh
reality steps in if there’s not even
enough staff at the employment provider
in the strip mall to spread Cameron’s
people around how can we how can we
spread this we need more we needed more
people but maybe we don’t
what could bridge that gap between the
people the staff that we have and the
people who need it
technology what if technology could
level the playing field and be a
low-cost option to benefit everyone
technology does provide an efficient and
effective way to maximize success and
independence of people with different
abilities in the workplace it allows
their abilities to shine and employers
and employees to create quality relation
chips instead of dependent relationships
in the workplace
just like John at Panera there’s a
crisis in our disability community
thousands of people with different
abilities are not working only one out
of five have a meaningful job and
there’s a crisis pending in our work
force as our beloved baby boomers with
John one are aging phasing out of work
where are we going to get people to fill
those positions what if we could solve
both at the same time my experience
tells me we can my experience with
travel made and employment is shows
great success particularly because it
levels the playing field it supports the
individual the way they need to be
supported I know I’m so blessed to live
with my son Charlie every day I can’t
wait to go home to him and I can’t even
explain to you why it’s so amazing to be
with him he has a way of making my life
better
richer deeper he’s a way of making me
see very clearly what really matters and
what is just a distraction not all of
you can be lucky enough to live with
someone like Charlie I’m sorry but all
of you could work with someone like
Charlie please join me in making that
possibility a reality but doing two
things first practice seeing people with
different abilities as people who are
talented dedicated loyal and done right
funny and the to start making it
possible for your business or company to
hire just one person with a disability
if you’re already hired someone with a
disability get to it’ll change the
culture of your workplace technology is
the key it levels the playing field and
lets people see people with different
abilities as valued members of our teams
let’s go change the workplace
thank you [Applause]
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