National Disability Employment Month Hire Ability Henry

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Ablevision is proud to present 6 stories of working individuals with disabilities. They describe what it was like to find a job and what it means to be working in the community. Henry works as a Development Coordinator for the Clarks Shoes Company. He also runs the First Step Internship program which gives people with disabilities an opportunity to train for competitive employment through an internship program at Clarks. Triangle's Ablevision is an innovative, award winning show produced entirely by people with disabilities. For more information about Ablevision, or to order episodes in their entirety, please visit www.ablevision.org. Enjoy!

My name is Henry Winkleman.

I'm a working person with ability not disability.

Here at the Clarks company my job title is Development Coordinator

I am the Development Coordinator for opening up new stores and renovating existing ones.

I'm the development coordinator for the First Step Program

which is a program for people with disabilities

return to work through a short term intership here a Clark's

The goal of the program is for people, during their six month internship,

to build their self-esteem and their confidence and to realize

that they bring value to companies.

Once they build up their self-esteem and confidence

their really truly able and ready to learn the skills that they need

to become fully employed.

Having a job makes me feel excellent.

When I don't have a job, I felt worthless.

I felt like I provided no value to anyone.

I found that it very very hard to find a job

and luckily I became involved with Triangle and the MRC.

My memory disability, in fact, aided my redevelopment,

because whenever people would say you can't do that

I would just turn around and think that I could and I would do it.

I always kept look toward the future.

To really succeed, it makes sense to start at the bottom

take a good first step, then you can take another step forward

and another step forward, but you need to start at a basic level

where you can bring yourself a sense of self-worth and where you can show other people

the value that you have and offer.

When I hear the word disability used, I think that it is the worst word

in the English language.

Disability implies that you do not have abilities and that you are unable.

In fact that is not what it is supposed to mean,

It is supposed to mean abled but limited in their abilities

Disability, should be stricken from the English language.

I talk with employers very often about offering opportunities to people with disabilities

and I think I would describe it in a way that very few can

because I have a person who had a disability

and now I'm an employer.

I would say that you made the right choice

You're offering opportunity to people that is crucial, but what you're going to find

is a diamond in the rough.

With a little bit of time, effort and education, these people grow

into the most productive members of your staff.

The advice that I would give to people looking for work is

give 100% effort.

Too many people give that 50% effort and that is what they get out of it

but if you apply yourself completely,

devote yourself to looking for a job, you'll find a job.

Don't ever give up.

Keep going; keep moving forward.

We can all lay back on our past, but the future is where the future lies.