Warwick, RI – The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council (RIDDC) announced the launch of “The Spirit of Individual Enterprise; Self Employment and Business Ownership,” a series of public information programs produced by cable access television and designed to assist all those who want to start, develop or promote a small business. Each half-hour program will address a variety of business topics, from creating an elevator speech to preparing marketing and business plans and will feature interviews with new and seasoned entrepreneurs.

Recorded in the Providence, RI studio of PegRI, the public, education and governmental access television, which focuses on creating community programming throughout the state, the programs will be carried on the Interconnect A statewide as well as the Providence/Kent County service area, with dates and times to be published on RIDDC’s Facebook page, and also shared on the website at a later date.

“This is a key element in the RIDDC’s The Self-Employment project,” notes Sue Babin, program coordinator of the RI Developmental Disabilities Council, “together with a six-part business class series followed by individual technical and business counseling.”

Serving as moderator of the first program which launched in July, Sue acknowledged that the talent pool within the RI Developmental Disabilities community is tremendous, from graphic artists to unique retail and virtual shop owners. “We plan to highlight the information we teach in each of the classes and share the insights and expertise of the instructors as well as the successes and challenges of our entrepreneurs.”

The program “The Spirit of Individual Enterprise” is a collaborative project with RI Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE). The project is funded by the Governor’s Workforce Board’s (GWB) and Department of Labor and Training’s (DLT) “Real Pathways RI” initiative.

Deanne Gagne is dedicated to Building Bridges and we’re happy that Johnston Sun Rise recognized her efforts by sharing this story. RIDDC’s “Self-Employment Project: The Spirit of Individual Enterprise” funded by the Governor’s Workforce Board’s “Real Pathways RI” initiatives really helped Deanne and others.

Deanne Gagne is no stranger to overcoming the odds.

Gagne was born with cerebral palsy, and doctors did not give her a high chance of survival. That was prior to starting work as a coordinator for Advocates in Action, the state’s self-advocate organization, in 1997. It was also before she went to Rhode Island College and obtained her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2006.

“Considering I wasn’t supposed to live and I wasn’t supposed to walk, talk and use my hands, any of that, I just do my daily life, I’m used to it,” Gagne said during a phone interview on Monday morning. “But it’s kind of remarkable when you think about it.”

Her prognosis came many years before Gagne began Bridge Building Services, a business focused on fostering connections between and offering support to communities such as those with developmental disabilities, in 2010.

Now Gagne, 47, is sharing her story as part of National Developmental Disabilities Month, and her inspiration begins with helping others.

“I’ve always loved to help people,” Gagne said. “Most of the time I’m talking to direct support, they really want to know the best practices and how to best support people and … about what self-advocacy is and speaking up and helping people figure out what is best and what is going to work for them.”

To read the rest of the article from the Johnston Sunrise, click here.

 

 

Each March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), partners with Association for University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and National Disabilities Rights Network (NDRN) to create a social media campaign that highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life, as well as awareness to the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live. DD Awareness Month covers three main areas: education, employment and community living. Throughout the month of March NACDD will use these themes to guide our weekly content.

The RIDDC wants to use this campaign to showcase the excellent work that is being done to celebrate and improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities in RI. If you have resources or materials that you think should be included and shared with this campaign, please send them to us! We will feature the submissions on our Facebook Page and they may be shared to audiences all across the country. Examples of resources include, but are in no way limited to, videos, news articles, photos, personal stories, promising practices, etc. Share what events your community is doing to celebrate DD Awareness Month and show us how you are making a difference during March! With your help, we can make the DD Awareness Month campaign a success.

A special element of this year’s campaign is highlighting the artwork created by people with disabilities. With the artist’s permission, NACDD will highlight their art in the DD Awareness Month campaign imagery.

 If you have a resource you would like to be shared contact Sue Babin at 401-737-1238 or submit your resource electronically to riddc@riddc.org.