Project Wright Access
Noel McNally
nmcnally@ccc.edu
Project Wright Access will create a workforce pathway for young adults with developmental and cognitive disabilities. Project Wright Access is a progressive and crucial project that is a direct response to the lack of economic opportunities for this city’s young underserved disabled population.
Project Wright Access will remove unnecessary barriers to employment by revealing misconceptions about this able population.
Project Wright Access’s model will create a unique public-private partnerships between the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, and private employers.
- Wright College will lead this effort to recruit, train, and place in permanent employment, at least 30 students with intellectual and related disabilities and whose employment outlook and possibilities have been further dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DECO) has funded Project Wright Access for $300,000 over two years (2022-2024) through
the Job Training and Economic Development grant.
- Jacqueline B. Vaughn Occupational High School and Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences serve large numbers of diverse learners in their vocational transition programs for youth 18-22 and have ties with both Wright College and Eli’s Cheesecake.
- Eli’s Cheesecake will have a leadership role as the sponsor of on-the-job training and as a place of potential employment.
Wilbur Wright College has been at the forefront of this work by partnering with Vaughn Occupational High School in the creation of
the Community, Occupational, Recreational and Educational(CORE) Program. This program provides a college experience to students that historically have been denied college access.
Eli’s Cheesecake has been a neighborhood employer and booster of Vaughn and Chicago Agricultural High School for many years. While Eli’s is known for its world-famous cheesecake, what may be less well known is the company’s ethos, “charity will never bust you” and “treat others as if you were the other.” Through hiring refugees from around the world to training students from Vaughn and Chicago Ag., Eli’s celebrates a neighborly spirit. In fact, Eli’s has a graduate of Vaughn High School as a 13-year employee!
Please help by exploring part-time employment opportunities directly supported by Wilbur Wright College. Businesses should contact Noel McNally, Project Wright Access Program Director at nmcnally@ccc.edu to participate in this groundbreaking initiative.
