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.
