The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council (RIDDC) is thrilled to announce that one of our self-employment program participants – Alton Stuckey, owner of Alton Stuckey Portraits and Beyond – has been selected to speak at the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) Meeting on May 1, 2023.
A screenshot of Alton Stuckey’s presentation
The scope of the May 1 meeting is for the four PCPID workgroups – Federal Support, DSP Crisis, Community Living, and Employment – to provide information on their current activities and their plans for upcoming initiatives for the year. A report, featuring comments from Mr. Stuckey, will then be compiled and submitted to the President of the United States for his review.
In late 2022, Amy Gonzales, Senior Consultant for the Administration on Disabilities (AoD), attended a Self-Employment Program event at Red, White, and Brew. After the event she wrote a reflective article about her visit, stating that it was clear that “when funding streams are brought together in a creative manner while keeping the person at the forefront of core planning, [it] seems to enhance a person’s ability in securing the proper resources to succeed as a business owner. Those key ingredients were present in every person’s success story in employment.”
Just a few months later, in her capacity as the head of the Employment Workgroup for PCPID, Ms. Gonzales requested that RIDDC submit some participants for consideration to speak at the meeting and, ultimately, Mr. Stuckey was selected.
During his participation in the meeting, Mr. Stuckey will discuss how he got started as a business owner, the support he has received from RIDDC and through the Self-Employment Program funded by the Department of Labor and Training (DLT), and provide insight as to how he believes that people with intellectual disabilities can be better supported in the workforce and on the path to entrepreneurship.
“The RIDDC has been so proud of Alton and his successful entrepreneurial endeavors. He’s an incredibly talented artist who has devoted himself to building his business,” said Sue Babin, Program Director at RIDDC. She continued, “he was one of the first participants to complete our Self-Employment Program and has been a vendor at our Small Business Saturday Shop RI event since its inception. We are honored that RIDDC was asked to participate in the PCPID meeting in this way and are absolutely thrilled for Alton to be able to represent himself, his business, and the intellectual disabilities community on such an incredible national platform.”
ABOUT PCPID
The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) aims to provide advice and assistance to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on a broad range of topics that impact people with intellectual disabilities as well as the field of intellectual disabilities. The foundation of this mission is a goal to improve the quality of life experienced by people with intellectual disabilities by upholding their full citizenship rights, independence, self-determination, and lifelong participation in their communities.
ABOUT RIDDC
The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council (RIDDC) believes that people with developmental disabilities should fully participate in community life. Men, women, and children should be able to enjoy family life. Children and adolescents should go to school. Adults should work. All should have decent homes, have friends, and live as independently as possible. For more information, visit www.riddc.org.