Success Stories
In October 2007, John celebrated twenty years working at The Vanguard Group. John and Vanguard connected at a hireAbility job fair. John has a vision disability but assistive technologies enabled him to work as a microfiche technician, then as a mail handler, and now as an electronic document processing associate. He and Vanguard found ways to tap his abilities and make him a highly valued team member.
Lynn worked years as a legal secretary until multiple medical issues led to job loss. After treatment and rehabilitation, she tried to return to work but was unable to get a job that paid adequately. It seemed that employers focused more on the cane she used than on her abilities and achievements. She took what jobs she could and found herself among the “working poor”, unable to meet basic expenses. hireAbility connected Lynn with Comcast and she was hired as an Account Executive in their high Speed Internet Department in Voorhees, NJ. Lynn says that hireAbility and Comcast saved her life.
Betty contracted polio as a child and acquired other serious health concerns as an adult. She refused to let these challenges keep her from building a successful career and she set about establishing a solid and consistent record of employment. When downsizing put her out of work, she contacted hireAbility and, thanks to hireAbility’s strong relationship with Commerce Bank, Betty was soon employed once again, as a Customer Service Call Center Executive. Not even a heart attack a few months into her new job could keep her down. Betty is a back at work and doing very, very well.
Douglass is a triple-threat. Years ago, he was a hireAbility job seeker. Doug became disabled, as a result of a spinal cord injury, while still in college. After treatment and rehabilitation, he finished his degree at Drexel, went to work and became an accomplished computer programmer.
After launching his career, his desire to help others led him to serving on hireAbility’s Board of Governors. Since April 2006, he is even more directly involved by helping people with disabilities find jobs and helping employers open their minds and their doors. Today, Doug is a full-time hireAbility Employment Specialist. A spinal cord injury made him rely on a wheelchair for mobility and impaired his manual dexterity. But, instead of defeating him, it stoked the fire of determination to live the fullest possible life and help others achieve the same.