A scene of people with various disabilities gathered around a blue lake, enjoying their home, community, the out-of-doors, health, recreation, housing, transportation and education with an accessible path for them to a high mountain and large yellow sun on the horizon.  New Horizons Un-Limited Inc.


Disability Press Releases: 2016

New Horizons Un-Limited

Supporting Personal Journeys Toward a Brighter Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
New Horizons Un-Limited
811 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 937
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 299-0124
Email: horizons@new-horizons.org


New Horizons Un-Limited

- Supporting Personal Journeys Toward a Brighter Future

New Horizons Un-Limited is proud to work towards a future in which all the doors are open to equal opportunity, full participation, independence, inclusion and economic self-sufficiency for persons with disabilities, guaranteeing the same opportunities as everyone to participate in the mainstream of American life.

NHU holds a spotlight on our efforts to open gateways to full participation and opportunity with two personal journeys from our programs. Learn what your contributions to NHU have meant to affect change toward a brighter future for each of these individuals. Help NHU reach more individuals by giving this year to our NHU 2016 Annual Appeal!

Employment Skills Development Program – Emily’s Journey

When people with disabilities find employment, we all benefit. Community members with disabilities are ready and willing to work! NHU cares enough NOW, to ensure brighter futures by offering the opportunities of office and technology skills training and work experiences! Through our partnership with Adonai Employment, a provider through the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, NHU has offered the Employment Skills Development Program.

A few years ago, we met a motivated woman from Adonai Employment. She was fairly fresh out of high school, and contemplating her future. No matter the direction her life would take, one thing was clear; she wanted to work. She wanted to contribute.

Like many young people, a lack of experience was holding her back. She had skills and experience, but not “work” skills, not “work” experience. She was stuck.

How was she going to find an employer willing to invest in her potential?

This is where New Horizons Un-Limited comes in. We see the potential that most employers see as work and make that much needed investment. We are often the very first stop on what we hope stretches into a lifelong, fulfilling journey.

We offered this young woman a Temporary Work Experience in Office and Event Administration in 2012. In just three months time, she soared beyond ours and her own expectations. She learned from us and we learned from her. In the end, we all won. We are all better because we had this experience.

Who is this young woman and what is she doing today?

Emily, New NHU Staff member, sitting in her wheelchair in a tall grass field with city skyline in background.

Although her journey took her away from Milwaukee for a period of time, almost three years later she is one of our most valued employees, providing a unique perspective, endless energy and drive, and a skill set that could rival many seasoned pros. Now an Administrative Staff member at NHU, she works in Marketing, Social Media, Programs, Research and Advocacy.

She is 22 years old. Her name is Emily. She happens to have Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She happens to use a wheelchair for mobility. And, she happens to be a smart, witty, kind, hard working and deserving woman. She is an asset and we are lucky to have her working alongside us.

To know more about Emily, visit her recent publications:

  • Visit our NHU Guide for Hiring Personal Care Assistants (PCAs), on our website: new-horizons.org/gdehir.html
  • Find tips on living with disability on our NHU blog: How I became a Boss: (Like a Boss) Hiring My Own PCA’s.

  • Also on our blog: Learn if we all understood only a little from a disability perspective, how we could remove barriers for people with disabilities:
         From Secret Entrances to Plywood Ramps: Navigating Your Social Life with a Disability.

  •  

    Computer Grant Program – Charlotte’s Journey

    NHU cares enough NOW, to ensure our collective futures by offering the opportunity to our community members with disabilities the information, tools and experiences for lifelong learning through our Computer Grant Program. We encourage volunteering and teaching others to enable people to be confident, contributing citizens. Our community members accept the challenge to invest in themselves!

    In 2008, we met a motivated woman who received her first individual Computer Grant from New Horizons Un-Limited. Life is physically challenging for her and she has faced years of living with the struggles of disability. We have continued to support her with her computer needs throughout these many years and each time she has come back for more computer training. Each time she has also given the time to volunteer at NHU, giving back to her community.

    She returned again this past year as it was time to upgrade to a more recent computer and operating system.

    Recently she let us know how it was going with her new computer. “There are so many things that I am using my new computer to do. I continue to write my book on personal reflections and disability obstacles. I am discovering how to do more, like check my bank account statement and play chess. I use Pandora Radio because I love music and it allows me to choose the Christian and Jazz music I most enjoy. I like the Oral Roberts Ministry website as I can study at my own pace. New Horizons Un-Limited set up my computer so the programs I like most, are right on the menu bar.”

    “Having the computer relieves my boredom and keeps my mind on things of interest to me. When you keep your mind on your interests, you can keep your mind positive and bring down stress. When you are able to relieve yourself for a while of your troubles, you can come back with a different and more positive perspective. “

    She uses her computer to write her book. By writing about her disability and her experiences she is able to look back, as well as to the future. “The writing allows me to see how far I have come, how much I have grown spiritually, emotionally and have helped my self-esteem. This encourages me to go on. I write because people with disabilities can get too inside themselves and feel they are the only ones, but each of us is not alone. I am hoping, what I write, can help others. That is why I like New Horizons Un-Limited, because they are getting the word out about disability.”

    Her name is Charlotte, a thoughtful, kind, hard working and deserving woman. Through NHU she has volunteered and been granted a computer, a tool to assist her to overcome the everyday barriers and grant her opportunities to participate in the mainstream of life. By investing in herself and giving to others, she has found a way to help herself with her challenges. We are privileged to have Charlotte working alongside us.


    This year as you decide on your giving, remember New Horizons Un-Limited needs your help to reach more people! Remember what your continued support has offered and continues to offer people like Emily and Charlotte, not just the opportunity to overcome barriers to all that life can offer, but also assist them with the tools to face their disability armed with self-esteem and hope.

    Please Join NHU in our Grassroots Effort to Care Enough NOW Ensuring Brighter Futures!


    What can YOU do?

    Our NHU 2016 Annual Appeal for Sustaining Funds will arrive at your door or via your email before the end of the year! As a grassroots, non-profit organization, we rely wholly on contributions from right here in our community, for our organization’s sustaining funds which also allow NHU to grow .

    We need your help!

    Help NHU provide more of our community members with disabilities the tools, training

    and encouragement they need to move forward in their lives!

    Please share our story and fill out our donation form with two individuals who may be interested in NHU.
    Print copies of the donation form from our website at new-horizons.org/pdf/appl16.pdf.

    The time to act is today!


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