New inclusive initiative program aims to teach entrepreneurial skills to students with disabilities
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For John Robinson, born a quadruple amputee without the extension of his arms and legs, entering the workforce after graduating from Syracuse University wasn’t as straightforward as it was for his peers. But following four and a half years without a job, he went on to a successful career in television.
Now, Robinson is focused on giving back to the disability community to help make the job transition easier for others.
Twenty-six students in the Syracuse area are set to participate in an inclusive entrepreneurship program organized by SU and local disability rights nonprofits. The program was funded in part by New York state Sen. John Mannion, and the semester-long online class will teach entrepreneurship skills geared toward helping people with disabilities enter the job market.
Robinson said he’s working to spread an inclusive experience at SU because he’s seen firsthand the difficulties of attending college as a person with a disability. He has now been the President and CEO of Our Ability, an AI-powered job search platform that connects people with disabilities to employment opportunities, since 2011.
“If you’re physically disabled, the university can be daunting with the hills in the snow and the amount of buildings,” Robinson said. “If you’re neurodiverse, the university can be daunting because of the number of people. If you’re intellectual and developmentally disabled, it can be daunting because of the education requirements.”
The program is coming to fruition with a $50,000 partnership from Mannion, who is the chairman of the New York state Senate committee on disabilities. Robinson said he sees Mannion as “a champion for people with disabilities” because of his support for the program.
Following Mannion’s partnership, SU matched the $50,000 to further support the project, said Stephen Kuusisto, a professor in SU’s School of Education. Kuusisto, who is blind, called the inclusive entrepreneurship program “a first of its kind program” for the disability community. As students progress through the class, he said, they’ll have the opportunity to present their own entrepreneurship projects and ideas.
“It’s really an interactive kind of program, where students’ imaginations are encouraged,” Kuusisto said.
Although the class will focus on entrepreneurship and business skills, Robinson said students will be supported in whatever field they choose to pursue after completing the class.
Kuusisto said the program was originally going to be an on-campus program when he first discussed it with Robinson and other collaborators at SU, but the COVID-19 pandemic inhibited these plans.
Beyond SU and Mannion, the class is working with other locations for support in the program, including Our Ability and ARISE, an independent living center in Syracuse for people with disabilities.
Tania Anderson, ARISE’s CEO, said she knew she wanted ARISE to partner with the inclusive entrepreneurship program because it matched their mission. She said the program will open up avenues for people with disabilities to have employment and independence.
The program is also partnering with other organizations like the New York State Adult Career and Continuing Education Services, InSourcing, the Business Incubator Association of New York State and the Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College.
Both Robinson and Kuusisto expressed how their success in the job market was rare for people with disabilities, leading them to want to help increase that success rate with the inclusive entrepreneurship program.
“I’m a full university professor, and I’ve been a full professor at three major American universities,” Kuusisto said. “I’m one of the lucky ones.”
Anderson said while she usually doesn’t see people with disabilities enter the business industry, this class could be a chance to expand opportunities.
“Small business generally and entrepreneurship generally are engines of our economy,” Anderson said. “Investing in people with disabilities accessing this part of the business economy is really important.”
Even though the program will be a learning environment with a professor and weekly classes, Kuusisto said another aspect of the class that stands out will be people with disabilities working with one another.
“One of the most exciting things is that it brings disabled people together in a productive and, I think, inspiring setting and that has to do it in a way with how higher education can promote cultural advancement,” Kuusisto said.
