The following is a conversation between WFSU Public Media's Tom Flanigan and Allison Chase, president and CEO of The Able Trust.
TF We're joined on Capital Report this week by,
AC Allison Chase. I'm the president and CEO of The Able Trust.
TF It seems you folks at The Able Trust are marking a pretty gala anniversary.
AC This school year is our 30th anniversary Florida High School High Tech Program. It's a program we've run for youth with disabilities throughout the state for 30 years now and it helps students with disabilities get to explore different career opportunities, get to learn what they like and don't like and be prepared for what comes after high school, which our primary goal for them is secondary education.
TF In recent years there's been a revival of the idea that secondary education needs to cover not only academics, but also preparation for what could be called careers in the trades. Does the High School High Tech Program focus on that, or is it a more comprehensive kind of thing?
AC It does go across the board. A lot of people, when they hear the name 'High School High Tech,' often think of technology STEM related careers, which the program did start with 30 years ago, focusing on that. But what we found over the course of 30 years is that we really need to focus beyond that. The wide variety of good and growing jobs in-demand industries that we have here in Florida. So, for example, we have a group of brothers that went through our program at Wakulla High School. So we operate the program in coordination with local non-profits and school districts. In Wakulla County, they work with Wakulla High School. We had a group of brothers who worked through and really focused on all of the career and technical education certifications that were available. A couple of them did well and one particular brother really wants to be a mechanic. So he has taken advantage of all the different certifications from safety to brakes to steering, through transmissions and was part of a cool project where the school had a former military vehicle that they took and turned into a hot rod. So he did all of that and got his high school degree and is now in the world of work and becoming a mechanic. So when you asked the question about what kind of jobs, it's as wide as you can think, because people with disabilities have the same breadth and depth of interests and abilities as people without disabilities.
TF I recall seeing somewhere that people with disabilities tend to have better concentration, dedication and work ethic than many fully abled people.
AC That's correct. Employers are really looking for the kind of work ethic that we're trying to help students attain. The types of experiences aren't just about exploring careers, but it's getting those soft skills: communication skills, working in teams, all of the kinds of things you hear employers talk about; 'Yes, they have the education. I can teach them how to do the job, but I can't teach them to show up on time or be a good team player. I can't teach them to think critically.' And that's what High School High Tech is really trying to do is provide that breadth of experience so when students walk out, they are the star candidate when an employer's looking.
TF Allison, what's the current state funding status of The Able Trust and do you have any concerns about the level of that support as we head towards the 2025 legislative session?
AC We have a really great partnership with the State. We're a direct support organization and we support the Department of Education and their vocational rehabilitation program, which their mission is employment for people with disabilities. We help them in lots of different ways and they help us in lots of different ways. We recently doubled our funding that we get for High School High Tech. So we get a little over $1 million. We also got $300,000 this past year to do an expansion that's a spin-off of High School High Tech called Features and Focus. One of the things we know is that disability employment, disability services, is really a non-partisan issue. So we have friends on both sides of the aisle. We've had 30 years of great success with the program so we have a lot of champions within the legislature. So I can't say we're really worried about anything. What our focus is for the 2025 session is telling our story, telling our students' stories, celebration the 30 year history and partnership that we have with the Department of Education and also with the legislature because this is something that they fund and they can be proud of. And we want to help their constituents know about what's happening with High School High Tech in their backyard because we have sites in 47 locations throughout the state. We work in partnership with community based organizations and school districts so there's a great story to tell there in a lot of those communities. Here in Tallahassee, we work with Ability First, which is the center for independent living for the Big Bend area. We have more than a 20 year relationship with them and are really proud of that partnership. So it's all really good news. There's nothing that we're concerned about. We want to continue to grow. We're launching a campaign in the next couple of weeks to do just that. It's our intention to go from 1,200 students a year to 5,000 students a year in the next 4 years. So lots of partnerships to grow and develop and the legislature is one of them.
TF That 5,000 student goal is a big step up for sure! But when you look at the entire state, I suspect it's just a fraction of the total need that's out there.
AC You're right. There are over 200,000 students in public high schools alone that have disabilities. And our long term, 'moon shot' goal is that every student with a disability in high school will have access to High School High Tech. But one of the things we know is that we have to grow slowly and intentionally, because we are very serious about maintaining the fidelity of the program, the quality outcomes that we achieve. And because we do it in partnership with other organizations and school districts, we have to nurture those partnerships. We're not just a funder of the program; we're really involved in the administration of it and supporting those local sites. So, as you said, it's not insignificant, but it's also a drop in the bucket. So my long term vision is that we'll have ALL students with disabilities having access to High School High Tech. I don't know if that will happen in my lifetime, but the legislature's going to be a big part of that and I think we'll just continue to show them the good work that we're able to do with their support and partnership.
TF Is there anything we haven't touched on that you think is significant, Allison?
AC I just want to thank the local community for all the opportunities for students like Edgar, the Wakulla High School student that I mentioned. We wouldn't be able to do this program without all of the different businesses that open their doors to show them what is possible. That's really what High School High Tech is about, helping students and their families to realize things they didn't even know were opportunities beyond high school.
