Celebrating Accessibility and Creating Opportunity
October is Disability Employment Awareness Month. It is also the month The Chicago Lighthouse puts on its annual Rise to Shine Run & Walk. This year, two great things are coming together as the Rise to Shine adds a new element, “Accessibility Avenue,” showcasing organizations that employ people with disabilities.
“Our Rise to Shine Run & Walk is about envisioning a world without barriers for people with disabilities everywhere within our community, and that is especially true for the workplace,” says Janet Szlyk, President and CEO of The Chicago Lighthouse. “We have been helping people with disabilities find employment inside The Lighthouse and around Chicagoland for more than a century, and it’s great that we can incorporate this into our Rise to Shine event.”
Five organizations will be showcasing their programs and products in our inaugural Accessibility Avenue. They are:
- Aspire CoffeeWorks is a social business enterprise created by Aspire in partnership with Metropolis Coffee Company. Through the partnership people with disabilities work side-by-side with employees from Metropolis to roast and package coffee for retail sale.
- Fueled by AF is a snack company that handcrafts protein bites and nut butters that are gluten-free, vegan, and made with wholesome ingredients. The company champions inclusion by providing meaningful jobs to people with disabilities, with 10 team members currently on staff.
- HBThreads is a part of Easterseals Serving Greater Chicagoland and Rockford that employs 14 neurodivergent individuals who develop buttons, magnets, totes, apparel and more for clients including the Chicago White Sox, banks and unions.
- Hugs and Mugs is a retail café and gift shop in Hoffman Estates associated with GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement centers. Hugs & Mugs employs interns with Down Syndrome to learn valuable employment skills, such as customer service, sales and order fulfillment, that can be transferable to other workplaces.
- Just a Dollop was founded by a trio of young women with Down Syndrome who have written a healthy recipes cookbook, sell tote bags and encourage others with disabilities to follow their own entrepreneurial dreams.
- Lighthouse Industries is our own business (perhaps you’ve heard of it) that creates clocks and other products primarily for government and commercial markets. We also assemble clocks and select other products for the consumer markets (some of which will be for sale at Rise to Shine) and do special orders. Eighty percent of the employees who work at Lighthouse Industries are blind or visually impaired.
This year’s Rise to Shine 10K/5K/1M Run & Walk takes place on Sunday, October 19. Haven’t registered yet? You can do so at www.RiseToShineRace.com.
