'The needle moved': 'Connectable' opened Jacksonville, its workplaces to more special-needs people

Andrew Hozier and Greg King bonded over dog biscuits.

A graduate of the North Florida School of Special Education in Jacksonville, Hozier works at the school's Barkin' Bakery and volunteers with the horses at its equestrian center. One day when Hozier was making biscuits at the bakery, King, vice president of sales for Ashley HomeStore, was also there as a volunteer.

"I was trying to figure out what I was doing and I watched him," King said. "I introduced myself and he instantly became very engaged with me. He was methodical with his process in making the pet biscuits and taught me how to do it."

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That first meeting led to a friendship and a new job for Hozier, who has Down syndrome.

He works one day a week assembling furniture at an Ashley warehouse. Forming relationships like the one between him and King — and the employment outcome — is the goal of Connectable.

The initiative was founded five years ago by philanthropist Delores Barr Weaver, a long-time advocate for the special-needs community, through her fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. The goal was to help change public attitudes toward people who have intellectual and developmental differences.

In 2017 Weaver initiated a year-long public-awareness initiative to shift from "disabilities" to "differences" in the nonprofit world that serves people with special needs and in the wider community. Next came a summit for nonprofit leaders to help them reinforce the message.

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In 2019 she funded a staff position for Connectable to build on the momentum.

"The original campaign was a success," director Sarah Troup said. "It inspired thousands of community members to 'take the pledge' to … connect with people of varying abilities and shifted the dialogue to spotlight what people with intellectual differences bring to friendships and businesses."

'Meaningful connections' key to campaign

The next phase led to "deeper partnerships and broader collaborations for greater impact," such as Shopability, an annual citywide event to support the 150 or so inclusive employers in Jacksonville, Troup said. The next one is April 30.

JAX Chamber, inspired by its employee Megan Bell, who has Down syndrome, launched a year-long 2020 campaign to encourage its members to hire employees with intellectual or developmental differences. Volunteers, including mothers of young people with Down syndrome, also acted as ambassadors for the Connectable mission at speaking engagements, trade shows and board meetings, among other events.

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"Connectable has always sought to do together what we can’t accomplish on our own. Despite the pandemic, it’s been a full and productive initiative," Troup said. "We can all help by using our influence or platform — personally or professionally — to support our community members with IDD. We can all do something.

"It might sound simple, but meaningful connections begin with a smile and taking the time to chat," she continued. "When we take time to get to know one another, we quickly learn that we are more alike than different. We have the same hopes — a good home, a good job and good friends."

That's what happened with King and Hozier as they made dog biscuits.

"We began getting to know each other and I quickly realized how intelligent he was," King said. "He has an amazing memory and was … very process-driven. He did the same thing over and over again with great accuracy and efficiency. I thought to myself, 'What do we do at Ashley that requires this type of process?'"

The answer was dining room chairs, each of which are assembled "basically the same way," he said. "I wanted to see if we could work it out for him to join the team. I knew that he would be a breath of fresh air … and that his constant smile would be contagious. Also, we wanted to see if we could help him find work where he can make some money. I’m glad we did."

Hozier said he enjoys the work.

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"I help to assemble chairs and sometimes kitchen stools and tabletops too. I use a power screwdriver to screw in the screws," he said. "It felt good to work in a different environment. I used to work in a grocery store."

He is also gratified that he can help show the world that people with differences also have abilities.

"It means I’m capable of doing a job well," he said.

On Tuesdays, Hozier works at Ashley. Wednesdays he volunteers at the North Florida school's therapeutic riding program — he learned his horse-riding and handling skills through a Special Olympics equestrian program in New Mexico, according to his father, John Hozier — and Thursdays and Fridays he works at the bakery.

He has a full life and is thriving.

"I think his work at Ashley and North Florida School have made a big difference in his day-to-day life," his father said. "We are both thankful for the opportunities."

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Hozier has proven himself a valuable employee — he was named 2021 "Rookie of the Year" at a regional summit for staff from South Georgia to South Florida — and King encouraged other businesses to hire people who have intellectual and developmental differences.

"We love having Andrew on the team," he said. "He puts a smile on everyone’s face when he comes in and always has a great attitude. He doesn’t build chairs as quickly as our other team members, but he does it with care and love. Watching him use a power drill for the first time was awesome. He was so excited.

'The needle moved in our city'

That Connectable was successful was clear to Troup at Mayor Lenny Curry's 2021 budget address to the City Council last summer. She sat with the guests of honor: five city employees with intellectual and developmental differences who were hired as part of the JAX Chamber's Connectable campaign.

Curry talked about the contributions of each of those employees, recognized the chamber's Bell and noted his long friendship with EverBank employee Jason "Moose" Hamilton, who also has Down syndrome and is a prominent advocate for people with the condition.

"It feels like a new era when a mayor and chamber president both use their microphone to talk about the value of individuals with IDD in the workplace and how they impact their lives personally," Troup said. "This is not the norm. This is remarkable. Sitting in that City Council meeting, I knew the needle moved in our city as a result of Connectable — and it was set in motion by the philanthropic heart, mind and fund of Delores Barr Weaver."

At a recent "Connectable Roundtable," community leaders, people who have intellectual or developmental differences and their families gathered to discuss how to move the needle even more.

"We all agree that Jacksonville is already a great place. Still, we are impacted by similar quality-of-life barriers that those with IDD face across the country," Troup said.

The barriers include insufficient access to direct-route transportation, housing and support services such as specialized mental health treatment. Also, more employers must be educated about the potential workplace contributions of people with intellectual and developmental differences.

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"While Jacksonville still has work to do, we have many individuals and organizations working together to get it done," Troup said. "As we near the end of our three-year grant, we are evaluating the past as we consider the future. In the meantime, we will continue to bring people together for meaningful connections."

She cited King and Hozier as an example of such a connection.

"As Greg got to know Andrew, he realized this is a really cool, capable young man. Greg used his sphere of influence and offered Andrew a job. Andrew did the rest," she said. "He just needed that opportunity. He needed someone to take a chance and it started with a friendship."

She urged the public to do the same.

"I guarantee you will be rewarded when you take the time to connect with individuals with autism, Down syndrome and other IDD," she said. "Your life, your school, your congregation and your workplace will be better."

bcravey@jacksonville.cm, (904) 359-4109

CONNECTABLE

For more information go to connectablejax.com. To read the Rountable report, go to connectablejax.com/roundtable-discussion-summary-report.

SHOPABILITY

To download a guide about the April 33 event, view an interactive map showing IDD-inclusive businesses or get more information, go to connectablejax.com/shopability.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Initiative improves outlook for special-needs people in Jacksonville