Lunchtime Spotlight Session: Shifting Mindsets and Solving Real Problems – How The Uniquely Abled Project Collaborates for a Triple Win

Posted on by

Session Description

Join us for an inspiring lunchtime session that offers an insightful look at the multiple transformations involved in helping talented neurodiverse individuals build fulfilling lives. These include shifting mindsets, creating opportunities, overcoming challenges, and supporting neurodiverse individuals on the job. Moderator Ivan Rosenberg, Founder and President of The Uniquely Abled Project (UAP) will discuss the organization's mission and model training program. Meet three UAP partners: Sem Martinez, Production Manager, Classic Wire Cut (employer), Shane Kurtz, Classic Wire Cut, UAP Graduate (employee), and Bruce Javitz, a parent of a UAP graduate, who will tell the story of their shared journey of success in inclusive, competitive employment.

Key Takeaways

This session emphasizes the many ways that hiring neurodiverse talent is a winning business proposition for everyone involved. From the founder of the job placement program, to an employer, to a parent and an employee, these personal stories can provide:

  • Insights into the experiences and accomplishments of a neurodiverse individual transitioning into adulthood and the workforce.
  • A parent’s perspective on helping adult children realize their potential and start their careers.
  • Recognition of the shift in thinking on the part of employers to embrace neurodiverse talent.
  • Options for replicating the UAP model and match uniquely abled talent to employment opportunities in diverse industries.

About Your Presenter(s)

Ivan Rosenberg
Founder and President of The Uniquely Abled Project

Dr. Ivan M. Rosenberg is the Founder and President of The Uniquely Abled Project, which empowers neurodivergent individuals by training and placing them in high-skill careers within the manufacturing industry and beyond. He is the father of two children with autism and a passionate advocate for expanding employment opportunities and fostering inclusion for individuals with diverse abilities. With over 30 years of experience as a management consultant and change agent, he is also the Managing Partner of InVista Associates, helping organizations achieve breakthrough results. Dr. Rosenberg co-founded and serves as Executive Director of The Aerospace & Defense Forum, an international community of industry leaders. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Management from Cornell University and the University of Rochester. A sought-after consultant and speaker, he has advised organizations ranging from startups to NASA and Fortune 500 companies.

 

Mike Bastine
UAA Consultant and Member of The Uniquely Abled Project Board

Mike currently is on the UAP Board and serves as a UAA consultant. He has served as a college administrator and faculty member collaborating with business communities on various workforce education initiatives, to include – apprenticeships, internships, externships, and contract education. He has collaborated with business communities on various workforce education initiatives, to include – apprenticeships, internships, externships, and contract education. Mike has developed a UAA program, graduates attaining industry-recognized credentials and achieve over a 90 percent placement rate.

 

Sem Martinez
Production Manager, Classic Wire Cut

Sem is a true success story of the value of hard work, perseverance, and humility. He started his journey at Classic 25 years ago as a driver and rose through the ranks to the role of Production Manager. He has responsibility for managing over 100 shop floor employees and is a role model servant leader. Sem was instrumental in encouraging Classic to hire Uniquely Abled graduates and his enthusiasm for the program grows stronger with every cohort.

 

 

Placeholder image for Individual registrationShane Kurtz
Classic Wire Cut, UAP Graduate

Bio coming soon!

 

 

Placeholder image for Individual registrationBruce Javitz
Parent of UAP Graduate

I am the father of a neurodiverse individual who has gained full time employment after completing the Uniquely Abled training program.

 

 

 

What do you hope to learn or impart to others during the conference?

“I hope to help impart to people that neuro diverse individuals have many strengths that make them uniquely qualified to be proud and productive members of the workforce.”
– Bruce Javitz

What do you hope to learn or impart to others during the conference?

“I hope to learn how others are embracing community, lifelong learning, and engaging in action or thought and idea to support our community building the future.”
– Danny Combs

Meaningful Quote

“”Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t… you’re right.”
– Henry Ford

Emily Iland

What do you hope to learn or impart to others during the conference?

“By following the JAN mission statement, I hope to help others, particularly employers, recognize the valuable contributions that qualified workers with disabilities add to the workforce by providing information on accommodation solutions, trusted strategies, and practical guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Job Accommodations play a vital role in increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”
– Melanie Whetzel

Meaningful Quote

“If a workplace fails some of us, it will eventually fail all of us.”
– Rajesh Anandan

Meaningful Quote

“Life doesn’t come to you…it’s up to YOU…to COME TO LIFE!
– Thomas Iland

Meaningful Quote

“Our individuality is all, all, that we have. There are those who barter it for security, those who repress it for what they believe is the betterment of the whole society, but blessed in the twinkle of the morning star is the one who nurtures it and rides it in, in grace and love and wit, from peculiar station to peculiar station along life’s bittersweet route.”
– Tom Robbins

Robin Kacyn

Meaningful Quote

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
– Steve Jobs

Sam Morris

Meaningful Quote

“Where words fail, Music speaks.”
– Hans Christian Andersen

Christopher Horning

Meaningful Quote

“The job of a manager is to make the implicit explicit.”
– Claire Hughes Johnson

Thomas D’Eri

Meaningful Quote

“Still ’round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien

Tara M.P. Havlicek

What do you hope to learn or impart to others during the conference?

“I hope to inspire a shift in perception among parents, uniquely abled individuals, employers, social service organizations, and government agencies. Changing long-held assumptions isn’t easy—it requires redefining what we see as “truth”—but embracing the full potential of employment for the uniquely abled benefits everyone.”
– Ivan Rosenberg

Posted in Conference Sessions.