The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council (RIDDC) is pleased to announce that Sue Babin, Director of the RI Self Employment Business Incubator Project, was awarded the 2024 David Hammis Employment Innovation Award at the National Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) Conference, held this June in North Carolina.
Established in recognition of Dave Hammis, the award honors his contributions to the APSE organization, his creativity and fresh approach to supporting people in inclusive workplaces, whether at a business or through self-employment. Erica Belois-Pacer, Professional Development Director of APSE National, added, “This award is offered to individuals or organizations who demonstrate innovation in technology, customized strategies, and/or self-employment for individuals with significant disabilities.”
Ms. Babin’s award nomination was submitted by eight senior staff of Griffin Hammis Associates, which is an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of customized employment services for people with disabilities. Beth Keeton, Executive Director, stated “ so incredibly well deserved. Dave is smiling down with such joy and gratitude that Sue is out there carrying the Self-Employment torch so beautifully.” Molly Sullivan, Senior Associate commented to Ms. Babin, “You truly embody Dave’s creativity and innovation – finding solutions and building opportunities at every turn! Your vision for a national coalition is a perfect example of your brilliance in action!”
Doug Crandell, Senior Associate, who has conducted Employer Engagement trainings with Ms. Babin for years, added, “This year a number of fans want to recognize her fantastic leadership in developing self-employment outcomes in RI and across the country.” Rhode Island business owners also wrote letters of support.
In her comments about receiving the award, Sue emphasized, “our success is because we have such a solid team of family members, special educators, businesspeople and peers.”
She continued, “The Self-Employment initiative is not just a human service project. We’ve brought in the right people to be able to get the work done. And, more importantly, figured out what the important ongoing support needs are for individuals with disabilities to be successful business owners.”
Clearly, this program has differences that are distinctions. “What makes our program stand out is that we have the right staff and provide the ongoing support entrepreneurs with disabilities need. Many other States have business development programs with classes. We uniquely provide ongoing support that entrepreneurs need for production, for marketing, and for being flexible with their product design. What sets us apart is that we focus on all of it.”
The list of supports the RIDDC Self Employment project offers to help people feel that they have a legitimate business and promote their business is lengthy: the business directory, the mini grants, access to other SBA resources, community vendor events, opportunities to present their business es at presentations of the RI Cross Disability Coalition’s Speakers Bureau and additional support from Developmental Disabilities and Vocational Rehabilitation.
“Above all, if it weren’t for the DLT (Department of Labor and Training) funding and support from the Community Provider Network of RI (CPNRI), we would never have had this tremendous opportunity, “ Babin notes.
Kevin Nerney, RIDDC’s executive director comments, “This award is a very big deal for Rhode Island. Sue developed a great program and team, and she deserves kudos.” Recalling the program’s trajectory, he added, “from just starting up a program six years ago, to national recognition is phenomenal.”