JJ Hanley is the new Associate Director of Ventures at Search, Inc. She spearheads jjslist.com and No Boundaries - Train for Work, Train for Life.

We are proud and happy to announce our merger with Search, Inc.

Six years ago, JJ’s List was started as a seedling in JJ’s inaccessible basement in Wilmette, IL.  Fertilized by untold hours of volunteer work and help, we took root in downtown Evanston, IL.

Recently we grafted our innovative social enterprise onto the strong tree of Search, which has the history, infrastructure and progressive thinking that leads the way in disability service in the 21st Century.  Together, as Search, Inc., the merged organization is already becoming a rich greenhouse where services for people with disabilities will grow and improve with a singular focus:  to produce new, sustainable paradigms for the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace and in the community.

What will change?

The on-land and on-line training programs that have served hundreds of people with disabilities and businesses alike are now part of Search, Inc., where they will be formalized into No Boundaries – Train for Work, Train for Life.  Watch our newsletter for more information on No Boundaries.  The Safe and Productive Internet Life & Literacy Skills Curriculum (SPILLS), which has been used in Illinois and beyond, will be integrated, along with Search’s Glidepath Curriculum into the experiential and classroom learning offered at No Boundaries.

What will stay the same?

jjslist.com will remain your go-to place for reviews, blogs and the latest information that connects businesses to people with disabilities for the benefit of both!  Keep your reviews coming and join the thousands of disability awareness advocates and self-advocates sharing vital information on jjslist.com.

jjslist.com will also continue to offer our popular Disability Awareness Training for Businesses, where our cross-ability team of Disability Awareness Players run a fun, lively and audience-inclusive training to help staff learn to interact comfortably and confidently with customers and employees with disabilities.

What’s in it for people with disabilities?

Through No Boundaries, jjslist.com, the Disability Awareness Players and other Search social enterprises, people with disabilities will have unique, first of their kind opportunities to build essential skills for the workplace and for living independently in the community.  And they will find new opportunities for internships and employment as they build their career and life paths.

What’s in it for businesses?

Under jjslist.com’s disability-awareness community engagement services, two businesses are already in the process of earning the jjslist.com Disability-Aware Business Seal of Approval. The seal represents business engagement in building disability-awareness, both internally and externally. When you see the seal of approval icon, you’ll know instantly that a business is disability-aware. Every time a business earns the Seal of Approval, it supports essential technology and communications skills training for people with disabilities. If you’re an interested business owner, ask us about the Seal of Approval. We’re happy to help.

How will we do it?

With you.  With you.  And with you.  As our friend Mary from the film Refrigerator Mothers said, “It doesn’t get better for one, if it doesn’t get better for all.”   So, let us know what you think.  Send us an email or tweet this up or share this on Facebook.  Let’s make change together.

Background on Search

For over 40 years, Search has provided high quality services and supports so that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live, learn, work and play together in the community.  Search’s mission is to empower individuals with intellectual disabilities to achieve their full potential, accept a valued role in their community and lead rich, rewarding lives.  Search provides a wide range of flexible, personalized services including supported living arrangements, adult learning and employment programs, as well as medical, behavioral, counseling and home-based services.  Search’s unique social enterprises, Planet Access Company and the Planet Access Company Store, provide meaningful work opportunities for individuals with disabilities as well as important financial resources to invest back into programs.  For more information please visit www.search-inc.org.

Background on JJ’s List

JJ’s List is a grassroots, Evanston-based 501(c)(3) organization that provides experiential learning and training in Internet Technology, communications and digital marketing for people with disabilities, while helping businesses incorporate disability-aware practices into core business strategies.  Its mission is to bring businesses and people with disabilities together for the benefit of both.  An integrated team of people with and without disabilities runs the organization. The jjslist.com Disability-Aware Business Directory, populated by consumer reviews of the disability awareness of any business, no matter size or location, is a growing resource for people touched by disabilities and for businesses that want to promote their disability awareness.  With a core on-line fan community of 23,000, JJ’s List is a leader in the integration of people with disabilities in Illinois and beyond. For more information please visit www.jjslist.com, twitter.com/JJsList, or facebook.com/JJsList.

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