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Hiring A BIT Bridge Academy Teaching Assistant

Posted on by BIT Media

The Blind Institute of Technology (BIT) is seeking a BIT Academy Teaching Assistant. We are seeking a part-time, local professional who has experience working with people with disabilities in an educational environment. This is a joint effort between Blind Institute of Technology, Three Talents Advisors LLC, and area employers.

Our goal is to train adults with disabilities on skills that are in high demand by local companies and place them into competitive, long-term jobs in the IT industry. This innovative program is the first of its kind in Denver, Colorado and represents a great career opportunity for the right individual. Professionals with disabilities are often trapped in the revolving door of not having experience but not being given the opportunity to gain experience. BIT aims to change that through partnering with Fortune 500 companies and other organizations to place candidates in positions that match their skill sets.

The BIT Academy upskills and reskills professional-ready individuals with disabilities to fill roles in the IT industry. Currently, we are offering IT training to local individuals with disabilities that will result in globally recognized technology certifications in IT and an introduction to cybersecurity, networking, and cloud computing. We will expand this program with future cohorts and add new certifications determined by labor market needs and demands as well as by recommendations from sponsoring companies.

This program will be the first of its kind to be offered in the Denver area, so it is a groundbreaking opportunity that we expect to receive high exposure. Bring your skills and experience with technology and working with people with disabilities into the classroom for a rewarding and ground-floor opportunity to make an impact.

We are seeking an experienced, local Teaching Assistant who:

  • Can assist with leading this program on a part-time basis. We estimate this program as 25-30 hours per week.
  • Can answer questions and help reinforce class material with students in the absence of an instructor.
  • Has IT experience or has IT aptitude and interest in an IT related role.
  • Can learn the Cisco NetAcad network academy course material and assist the instructor in the program as well as help the students with their assignments and learning.
  • Will help ensure course and program learning outcomes are delivered as defined by the course syllabus and program expectation.
  • Will communicate to management requirements for suggested accommodations with sufficient notice to ensure timely and cost-effective procurement prior to class.
  • Will help maintain and submit accurate documentation in regard to attendance, pre-post exams, lab sheets, student progress/snapshots, and accreditation/state required documents, and others as required.
  • Will assist in the evaluation and documentation of student progress, student advising, and support of academic success for at-risk students.
  • Will assist with course/program evaluation and continuous improvement.
  • Will assist, as requested, in the marketing/promotion of the program to prospective students and sponsors by providing information regarding course content and objectives.

The ideal candidate for BIT Bridge Academy will possess the following:

  • Minimum of 3 years’ experience working with people with disabilities preferably in a classroom setting. Prefer Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Special Education or IT related field.
  • Passion for teaching and/or helping people with disabilities achieve success and employment.
  • A strong interest in technology, preferably someone who may be interested in acquiring a Cisco Certification (Cisco Certified Technician, CCNA, etc).
  • Effective presentation, communication, and technology skills.

Please submit your resume and salary requirements to bridge-academy@blindit.org.

BIT Rising Stars

Posted on by BIT Media
BIT Academy

One of the most impactful partnerships that we have here at BIT is our relationship with salesforce. Through our partnership, we have created the BIT Academy which includes our salesforce administration course, Salesforce developers’ course and our apprenticeship program. Typically, when you hear the word sales, you automatically assume the worst, but a career with  salesforce is so much more than you would imagine. Salesforce is a cloud-based software company  that provides customer relationship management (CRM) software and applications focused on sales, customer service, marketing automation, analytics, and application development. And the best part about salesforce, their programs are accessible for professionals with disabilities!

Since the start of our sales force administration course, we have had many talented students come through the program! Recently, we have  had the privilege of providing the course to two very gifted international students. Fawaz Abdul Rahman and Marina Aziz have demonstrated both A strong understanding for accessibility and leadership skills! They are now Salesforce certified passing the exam on their first tries! “I heard about BIT from a friend,” explains Aziz.  “They took the Salesforce admin course and recommended me to take it as well. Back then, I had never heard of Salesforce, and honestly, I didn’t expect it to be that life changing. I’ve in fact, took a lot of online courses but I’ve never took one that lead me to be officially certified in something.” Aziz, who is from Egypt has a bachelors in languages and translations. She began her journey and technology when she taught herself some programming which includes JavaScript, Python, HTML and CSS.

Abdul, A student majoring in computer science, heard about the salesforce class when a friend of his forwarded an email from BIT. “ I registered immediately,” said Abdul. “I was the first blind student doing a Computer science degree in this country Bahrain; thus, I’ve faced plenty of accessibility challenges while studying. Therefore, I’ve always wanted to enroll in a program where it was designed with accessibility in mind.” One of the major things that makes BIT’s salesforce courses unique, is the fact that all our classes are top by instructors with disabilities. Which is why our programs put such an emphasis on accessibility because our classes are specifically designed to set professionals with disabilities up for success. “It was a dream to have that place where its main goal is to foster blind people with technology interest professionally,” said Abdul. “What made me most excited is seeing the accessibility notes being provided by the instructor with each module, which otherwise I would have to fight on my own to get them right.”

The BIT Academy, through its collaboration with salesforce, has made it possible for professionals with disabilities to pursue meaningful careers within technology. Former students of the BIT academy have gone on to work for incredible companies such as CVS health, Salesforce and Benetech. The future for Aziz and Abdul looks very promising, as the possibilities for where they’ll end up next is endless! They both shared with BIT that they highly recommend this class to other professionals with disabilities and can’t wait to continue their training within the salesforce developer’s course. “You can really profit from The Salesforce class,” shares Aziz. “The instructors are very helpful and responsive, which is not always available outside of BIT. Also, BIT is very supportive and flexible, if you’ve got any specific accommodation or you’re facing a problem, don’t hesitate to reach out. And finally, and most importantly enjoy what you’re learning, and be eager to learn more. Don’t treat it as a certificate to pass, but rather a new job to learn, and keep in mind that you will use what you are learning in real life business situations.”

Blind Institute of Technology Partners With Salesforce to Bridge the Digital Divide

Posted on by BIT Media

Inclusion Hub has featured Blind Institute of Technology on our ongoing partnership with Salesforce. BIT and Salesforce have recently teamed up with Computers for the Blind to help bridge the digital divide and reduce the low employment rates for professionals with disabilities. Thanks to a generous donation from Salesforce, BIT is able to assist with integrating Salesforce into Computer for the Blind’s organization, along with conducting a Salesforce user training which includes using the technology with screen readers. Executive director, Mike, Hess, is confident that Salesforce will be the first software as a system platform to employ 5000 professionals with disabilities into long lasting careers. To read more about all the work BIT, Salesforce and Computers for the Blind are doing together. Read more here!

Dining in the Dark at the Georgia Aquarium

Posted on by BIT Media
Dining in the Dark at the Aquarium
Salesforce

Salesforce Proudly Presents a Gala Fundraiser for the

Blind Institute of Technology logo

Friday, March 18, 2022, 6PM – 11PM

Join us for Dining in the Dark at the Georgia Aquarium

Salesforce proudly presents the Blind Institute of Technology’s Dining In The Dark Fundraising Gala at The Georgia Aquarium.  BIT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing workplace development and inclusive employment solutions for individuals with disabilities.  BIT helps ready individuals with disabilities for success in the workplace as well as aids the employers who hire them! 

Michael Patellis, VP of Corporate Development for BIT is excited to bring BIT’s Dining In The Dark Annual Fundraiser to Atlanta to help us significantly reduce the severe unemployment and underemployment rates of people with disabilities in the state of Georgia. Please join us in the Oceans Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium for a night of fun!

The Facts

  • Current unemployment rate of people with disabilities is 81%.
  • 21.5 million American adults, age 18 and older are blind or visually impaired.
  • Annually the government spends over $4 billion of taxpayer money to support unemployed visually impaired Americans.
  • Nearly one in five visually impaired Americans live at or below the poverty level and only 19% are currently employed.
  • Among all demographics, unemployment and underemployment rates are among the highest for people with disabilities especially when considering qualifications.

The facts speak for themselves and this is why we do what we do every day.  Our team recruits candidates with disabilities from universities, vocational rehabilitation centers, disability-focused forums and events, and social media. Our career development services include interactive workshops, resume writing, interview training, and specific skill training. Our BIT Academy focuses on official certifications for careers at companies such as Salesforce, Cisco, Amazon, and companies within their ecosystems.  At a minimum, we guarantee each candidate who completes a course from the BIT Academy a paid internship with the ultimate goal of placement in a full-time employment role.  Candidates we place earn a median salary of $72,000.00 per year which is 40% higher than the U.S. average household income of $50,740 per year.  At the same time, we work closely with our corporate partners to increase awareness and education on the value of hiring individuals with disabilities.    

How You Can Help

BIT’s services are 100% complimentary to all of our candidates. Even after we place our candidates in meaningful careers we continue to mentor and provide career guidance to them. Upon successful completion of the BIT Academy courses, we work closely with the candidate and our corporate partners to identify the perfect fit for mutual success on both the candidate and corporate sides. On average we invest about $5,400 in each candidate that completes our BIT Academy courses. For 2022, our goal is to have at least 100 candidates complete the BIT Academy’s skill-up courses to then place them on a life-changing meaningful career path.

All the money raised at the Dining In The Dark Gala will go directly to maximizing the number of candidates that participate in the BIT Academy. Below you can see just a very small handful of lives we have changed forever by empowering individuals with disabilities and placing them in the professional workforce. Please help us achieve our goal by joining us at the Dining In The Dark Gala for a seated dinner, live auction, and entertainment while being surrounded by the breathtaking views of the Ocean’s Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium.

Does our approach work?  YES!

Contact Michael Patellis. (678) 429-5539 or E-mail.

Blind Institute of Technology Expands Partnership with Salesforce Office of Accessibility

Posted on by BIT Media
Salesforce

Organization Providing IT Training, Certification and Jobs for Blind and Visually Impaired Professionals Partners with Salesforce to Strengthen Global Communities

DENVER, CO., December 6, 2021 – The Blind Institute of Technology was awarded its second grant in 18 months from global leader Salesforce for its workforce initiatives, providing BIT with a global expansion of its BIT Academy™, staffing wages for blind and visually impaired professionals (BVI), and to assist with Project SOAR.  Project SOAR is a nonprofit program in Morocco focused on adolescent girls to help them break barriers and understand that they are equally capable and have just as bright of futures as their male classmates.

BIT has been providing Salesforce training to BVI professionals since 2016 through its BIT Academy™    and began working with Salesforce’s Office of Accessibility in early 2020.  BIT’s recent work created an organized and utilized Salesforce program for Project SOAR that includes a comprehensive dashboard that allowed the nonprofit to track, aggregate, and report on important impact data.

“We appreciate Salesforce’s partnership because their funds were dedicated to paying wages for BVI professionals in our program, then, to fund BVI professionals to create this Salesforce program for Project SOAR that will ultimately help the Moroccan-based nonprofit in multitudes of ways,” said Hess.  “It makes my heart happy that we can have such an impact to help previously underserved girls in other countries realize their fullest potential while also helping BVI professionals succeed in their careers,” he said.

“I am convinced that Salesforce will become the first global SAS provider in history to be the vehicle for employment for more than 5,000 professionals with disabilities,” said Hess. 

“We appreciate partnering with Mike and BIT because they are extremely focused on breaking barriers for people with disabilities, and in proving that each individual deserves to be recognized for his or her abilities,” said Sarah Mark, Salesforce’s Senior Manager of the People with Disabilities (PwD) Workforce Development Program.

 “Mike and his team deliver exactly what they tell us they will, and as a global corporation, we depend on Mike’s professional passion and expertise,” added Mark.

“Additionally, as graduates of BIT’s Salesforce Admin Certification Prep course started gaining real-world experience, we saw an opportunity to connect them with non-profits to put their skills to the test. It was a win-win: the admins could put what they learned into practice, and local organizations benefited from their expertise,” Mark said.

“For us at Salesforce, Mike and everyone over at BIT are more than just partners, they’re true friends,” added in Tom Frantz, Salesforce’s Senior Manager of Accessibility Partnerships and Public Relations.

“Our common goal should be to go beyond inclusion and move toward creating a world of belonging for people with disabilities. This work is a great example of how we can reach that goal together,” he added.

“Another thing to note is that creating an atmosphere of belonging starts with our day-to-day interactions as human beings. Mike is one of my favorite people to work with because this is just a natural part of who he is. It’s the difference maker when it comes to creating high-quality work and having a partner that will be there for you during the hardest of times,” Frantz said.

The BIT Academy™ and its instructors provide virtual classes over 12-13 weeks.  The courses create a foundational understanding for students including those who want to go on to gain Salesforce certification as well as additional skills to succeed in interviewing and corporate work environments.  BIT will be launching its first-ever global cohort in early 2022 in the UK thanks in part to the Salesforce grant.

Since founding BIT in 2013, Hess and his organization have been involved in a number of Salesforce programs including:

  • BIT has received two separate grants from the Salesforce Office of Accessibility.
  • Hess was a speaker at the national Dreamforce 19 international conference with more than 170,000 people from 120+ countries.
  • He spoke again at Dreamforce21, where more than 100,000 people attended in person or virtually.
  • He has been an invited guest on multiple Salesforce LinkedIn interviews, including a recent show about the Salesforce economy and BIT.
  • BIT was recently highlighted in an article about the work BIT did for Project SOAR.

“Our mission is to ensure that people in the blind and visually impaired community reach their professional goals and for companies to see the enormous value that people of all abilities bring to the workforce,” he added.  “Professionals with disabilities possess skills and abilities that corporations have overlooked or have yet to discover,” he said.

To support BIT’s program, please donate to the organization or learn more about how employers could hire from BIT’s team of professionals.  Salesforce has multiple articles and resources about breaking through accessibility barriers

Blind Institute of Technology Academy Graduate Now a Digital Accessibility Solutions Engineer for CVS Health

Posted on by BIT Admin
BIT graduation April 2017 1

Ethan Holliger Was One of First-Ever Graduates from the BIT Academy™ in 2017

DENVER, CO., November 23, 2021 – Ethan Holliger is part of the team ensuring that CVS Health is making sure its digital presence is available to people of all abilities including the more than 60 million Americans living with some sort of disability.  He works with the CVS designs systems team in developing reusable components and patterns to customize the website that reports more than 100M visitors for this more than $250B corporation.

Continue Reading Blind Institute of Technology Academy Graduate Now a Digital Accessibility Solutions Engineer for CVS Health

Blind Institute of Technology Awarded Largest State Grant in Organization’s History

Posted on by BIT Admin
Governor Hickenlooper and Mike Hess

Organization Providing IT Training, Certification and Jobs for Blind and Visually Impaired Professionals to Foster Visual Diversity and Inclusion in U.S. Workplaces

DENVER, CO., November 23, 2021 – The Blind Institute of Technology was awarded its largest grant ever from the state of Colorado to increase training for the BIT Academy™  professionals with disabilities (PWD) seeking to upscale careers and training.  Since inception in 2016, the BIT Academy™ has worked with 70 students, with 50% graduating and 20 of whom were hired directly in professional positions.  Each of the students were accepted using grants and donations and none of the students were asked to pay tuition.

Continue Reading Blind Institute of Technology Awarded Largest State Grant in Organization’s History

Reducing Blind Unemployment Drives Outlook Business Solutions and Blind Institute of Technology Partnership

Posted on by BIT
Outlook Business Solutions logo
Blind Institute of Technology

Denver, CO (July 20, 2021) – Nearly 70 percent of blind Americans are unemployed. Two organizations want to lower this statistic by joining forces and letting their complimentary missions work together.

Blind Institute of Technology and Outlook Business Solutions found common ground in their passion for fighting the epidemic of unemployment among Americans with visual disabilities.

Today’s perceptions of people with disabilities often present multiple employment challenges. The Blind Institute of Technology focuses on finding employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired professionals in corporate America, placing qualified talent into positions on par with their education and skill level through networking, education and workforce development. Outlook Business Solutions helps businesses overcome growth obstacles through consulting, marketing and accessibility testing by hiring skilled professionals with vision loss.

The Blind Institute of Technology focuses their work on disability advancement and professional development, providing innovative workplace solutions leading to successful and sustainable employment partnerships. The nonprofit’s programs have led to securing positions for professionals with vision loss in all aspects of business, including IT, finance and sales. Their partners around the country include Salesforce and CVS Health.

“We find Outlook Business Solutions’ dedication to ensuring people with disabilities are an important part of DEI initiatives across the country refreshing,” said Mike Hess, CEO of Blind Institute of Technology. “This company works hard to find meaningful earning opportunities for blind professionals. Together, we can help more of the disabled population gain valuable work experience in their chosen fields.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 25 percent of adults in the U.S. have some type of disability. People with disabilities want to work, but they often find limited opportunities because of their differences and lack of awareness of their capabilities.

Outlook Business Solutions provides businesses with consulting, marketing, and accessibility services. Half of the company’s full-time employees and more than 90 percent of its network of knowledge-based professionals have limited vision.

“As businesses struggle to find skilled, dedicated employees, knowledge-based workers with disabilities represent an untapped labor pool,” said Natalie Hadley, vice president of Outlook Business Solutions. “With some minor adaptations, our freelancers and full-time employees with vision loss produce quality work and are dedicated to the success of our clients. The Blind Institute of Technology will help us find more visually impaired professionals looking for work while educating companies on the importance of inclusivity for everyone.”

Through their partnership, the two organizations use speaking engagements, thought-leadership articles and professional conference presentations to educate businesses on the benefits of seeking out job candidates with disabilities. Hadley and Hess believe that this partnership will move the dial to help low unemployment become common among people with disabilities.

About Outlook Business Solutions

Outlook Business Solutions helps businesses clear their roadblocks to growth while creating knowledge-based earning opportunities for people with vision loss. As part of Outlook Collaborative, a nonprofit with a mission to positively impact everyone who is blind or visually impaired, Outlook Business Solutions provides business consulting, marketing, digital accessibility and customer care services. The company’s growing network of professionals covers marketing strategy, customer service, sales, digital accessibility testing, graphic design/art, copywriting, videography and data entry. Businesses can be successful and help reduce the 70 percent unemployment rate among people with visual disabilities by outsourcing projects to Outlook Business Solutions. Call 531.365.5055 for a free consultation. Learn more at OutlookBusinessSolutions.com.

About The Blind Institute of Technology (BIT)

By leveraging relationships built with its corporate partners, emphasizing workforce development and accessible technology, BIT strives to put its talented, corporate-ready professionals in the best possible position for success. BIT works with disability inclusive Fortune 500 industry giants across the country, placing professionals in all aspects of business, including IT, finance and operations, earning a median salary of $70,000 a year. For those candidates who have the technical aptitude but lack relevant certifications, the BIT Academy offers opportunities to achieve the training and certifications that help them to be competitive, such as its Salesforce Administration Certification Prep course. BIT is the only authorized Salesforce training provider for people with disabilities. Learn more at blindinstituteoftechnology.org.

Media contact:

Kristy Schenderlein
Director of Talent and Marketing
720-933-6388
kristy.schenderlein@blindinstituteoftechnology.org