Creating possibility

Imagine a chef named Galen who opens up a year long apprenticeship program for those who have been homeless, who are addicts, to teach them how to cook - and runs it like any other program, allowing them to work, gain job experience and take four hour classes in cooking. Imagine that he got the idea from his wife, who worked at a literacy program and that he wanted to do  more. So he called it Chefs in the Making and made it - a reality.

I woke up this morning to see this article and knew that I had to post about it. Why? Because it got me thinking about whether this kind of idea could help on the issue of employment and people with disabilities in opening up possibilities.

Galen opened up possibilities for people. He took his own talents and resources and is sharing those with a population that would probably not get a second chance otherwise. He created possibility. 

He says its reward is to see how people do as they go through his program, what they do with the opportunity given to them.  

When we talk about the issue of employment and look at the dismal figures for people with disabilities, I'm open for creating possibilities by thinking outside the box.   In fact, that may be all that's needed because there are numbers of people with disabilities who, unlike the trainees in Galen's program, already have the skills and education they need.

They just need the opportunity.