On December 4, RIDDC Executive Director Kevin Nerney was featured in Providence Business News in their Five Questions section. You can read that article here. Kevin also wrote an expanded piece, which you can see below.
Kevin Nerney, Executive Director of the RIDDC | PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
Briefly explain how the RIDDC has helped the developmental disabilities (DD) community succeed on the path of self-employment and entrepreneurship?
We have built a program to assist people and their business regardless of where they are in the process. If someone just has a glimmering idea in their head or if they are already up and running, we have full array of classes, support, and opportunity to get their business to where they want it to be.
It starts with our business classes. There are six classes available which include topics such as: focusing an idea, writing a business plan, building supports, developing an elevator pitch, marketing and branding, finances and bookkeeping, and traditional and social media. The classes offer an opportunity to examine your business ideas, explore opportunities of growth, and bounce ideas off of established business leaders and other entrepreneurs.
After the groundwork for the business is established, we have an expansive community of support to help mentor and advise. We have a staff and partnership of experts from the business community, many of them are currently running successful businesses themselves. We also partner with community organizations that can provide guidance, such as SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives), the Small Business Administration, The Center for Women in Enterprise, Veterans Business Outreach Center, and students from the business program at Bryant University. Through this process we are able to build a strong and confident entrepreneur with a solid and sustainable business.
Once the business is established, we want to ensure that they have the opportunity to flourish. We offer mini grants that the business may need in order to become fully operational or expand. This could go towards equipment such as a computer, printer, or other tools specific to the business or it could go towards a service that the business might need, such as building a website or social media campaign.
Finally, we have our annual Small Business Saturday Shop RI event. This is a venue that hosts well over 100 businesses in one location (The Crowne Plaza) where thousands of people come to shop at locally owned businesses from all over Rhode Island. This event is held every year on small business Saturday, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. In order to ensure that the products available and the business owners are representative of uniqueness and diversity of our state, we partner with the SBA, Veterans Business Outreach Center, and the Center for Women in Enterprise in this endeavor. This event has been wildly successful and the response from business owner and shopper has been overwhelming. We really look forward to providing this opportunity for Rhode Island.
How will Small Business Saturday Shop RI event be handled this year in light of the pandemic?
The pandemic has been devastating to many small businesses in Rhode Island, and we want to do everything in our power to assist them in a safe way. Obviously, thousands of people congregating in an area over the course of a day will not be possible. Our staff has been working tirelessly to establish a virtual event to accommodate as many of the businesses as we can.
I would like to point out that when I say “we” or “our staff” that, although we have many people working directly or partnering with us on this project to make it a success, there is one individual who is the heart and soul of all this. Sue Babin is our special projects coordinator and deservedly won an award from PBN for all that she does for small businesses, particularly those owned by people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. I want to make sure she gets the credit she is due.
Although it is stressful and difficult, Sue and her team are organizing the virtual Small Business Saturday Shop RI event, and once it is up and running you will be hearing about through radio, TV, and social media.
On a positive note, we are running a virtual Entrepreneurs’ Forum where people can network, share updates on their business and hear from scheduled speakers. The focus has been on helping people to strategize on how to promote their business given COVID and maximize use of social media.
We also have ongoing Elevator Pitch contests where people can compete to win some financial resources for their business. The creativity of some of these pitches is so amazing, and I hope to be able to make them public very soon after this contest round is complete.
We always encourage buying from local businesses, but this year it may mean the survival of our small businesses and the economy of the state. Please buy from local small businesses and keep a look out for our virtual event.
How else has the pandemic changed the efforts of RIDDC?
Believe it or not, our self-employment efforts are only a small part of what we do. We focus on civil rights, housing, education, recreation, and just about every area of life. When the pandemic hit, it was jarring at first. Many of our projects had to be delayed, some had to be halted, and most had to alter how they worked. Our focus had to change as well.
COVID-19 has had a disproportionately negative effect on people in congregate settings, such as nursing homes and group homes. Even people with intellectual or developmental disabilities not in a group home often require multiple staff in various locations. Many people we represent utilize public transportation or group transportation. Almost all of these services either changed significantly or stopped all together.
We built a coalition of advocates and worked with agencies that provide services and the state agencies to address these new and unique issues. We all continue to work together to build policies and practices that are pandemic-specific. Some of the issues that we have taken on or continue to address include: ensuring people have access to healthcare, including the right to be accompanied into a hospital. Gathering and appropriately distributing PPE (personal protective equipment). Ensuring access to mental and behavioral healthcare. Planning for the reopening of services.
Beyond the new issues, how we interact had to change as well. We are doing almost everything virtually. That, of course, raises its own set of challenges. We have to make sure people have access to and know how to utilize technology. Even with the technology, people are still often isolated or stressed over the uncertainty of the situation. To address this, we have established special “circles of connections” to bring people together in a safe way. In addition, we have restarted almost all of our previous projects and offer people the opportunity to participate in them.
How did removing in-person programs, such as the business classes or others, create challenges for those with DD?
One of the best things about the classes is the interaction with business experts from the community. That in person back and forth that is so valuable, is no longer there. Additionally, people have very different learning styles. Many people need hands on interaction to fully understand all the concepts. Communication also suffers. While email and video calls have been helpful, it is not the same as the individual or communal interactions. While the virtual system is helpful, I just don’t think the experience is the same.
Humans need personal contacts and community. Even prior to the pandemic, this was a priority for The Council. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities are already at high risk for isolation and the ills that stem from isolation, such as abuse and neglect. The pandemic, and less in person contact, have highlighted this issue even more. While it is not an issue we have solved, it has brought it to the forefront, and it is a priority for many in the state.
Beyond the isolation, we found many people did not have access to technology or completely understand how to utilize technology for maximum effect. Ensuring everyone has access to both a device, such as a tablet or laptop and consistent internet access has been a major barrier.
I think the staff have suffered as well. They love the work they do and really miss the people they work with. It is difficult to plan and adjust projects without getting together. We have started to do small in person meetings, so I am hoping that some of these issues will be resolved.
What are some future goals when it comes to education and training efforts post-COVID?
We want to expand and innovate. Everyone who wants a job or to own a business should have that opportunity.
Our focus has and will remain ensuring that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are full members of the community. This includes the business community whether through direct employment, owning a business, or sitting on the board of a corporation. What we have found is that the business community in Rhode Island is ready and willing to help in these efforts. It was because many people were segregated that they didn’t have the opportunity to participate. We will continue to partner with individual businesses, chambers of commerce, industry associations, provider agencies, advocacy organizations, and the community as a whole to ensure this happens.
We will continue to expand our policy efforts to demonstrate the benefits of community inclusion. Connecting entrepreneurs and employees with intellectual or developmental disabilities to legislators, policy makers, and businesses highlights the benefits to the person, the business, and the community.
The Council will take the successful work being done here, partner with other states and create a community of practice nationwide.
We are striving to make Rhode Island, and the nation, a place where everyone has the opportunity to succeed in the life they want.