“Phil and Kevin are doing a fantastic job for us and it’s refreshing to have employees that actually WANT to work.”

In business, it’s all about connections. Take, for example, the improbable partnership Bosma Rehab has forged with Yellow Cab. Before Adam Rodenbeck worked as an Assistive Technology Instructor in the Bosma Rehabilitation Center, he worked as a dispatcher for Yellow Cab in Austin, Texas. Meanwhile, James Michaels, Senior Director of Rehabilitation Services met Scott Beauchamp, Yellow Cab Indianapolis owner, through his involvement with the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Disabilities. At the same time, Employment Services Specialist Clyde Brewer was working on finding a job accessible for a client with a visual impairment. 

One thing led to another, and Scott Beauchamp opened the doors of possibility for Bosma clients. Initially, Clyde merely asked for his client to go to Yellow Cab for a short term job experience answering calls. To prepare, he had Adam Rodenbeck assess the system for accessibility. Since the system was not accessible, Yellow Cab bought a new system on which Adam applied the JAWS scripts he had used at Yellow Cab in Austin, and trained Clyde’s client at Yellow Cab in Indy. “Clyde learned the system, too,” explains James, “Adam weaned out, and Phil (Clyde’s client) did well on his own. A few weeks later, Scott offered him a job.”  

Great success story, right? It doesn’t end there! James and Scott continued their discussion of adding computers for possible externships for Rehab clients and maybe even STEP students. “Even though Scott had been considering buying new systems, we thought it would be a good idea if we built our own computers to donate to Yellow Cab,” says James.

He built one, another client built one, and now, with JAWS and Zoom Text installed on operating systems, Yellow Cab has more than one accessible machine.  But that’s not all!  “Adam built a Yellow Cab simulator for the Rehab clients to practice receiving calls before going to Yellow Cab for a job experience or externship,” says James. And the upshot of that brilliant idea was Yellow Cab hiring a Rehab client, a young man named Kevin, in a 40-hour per week job with benefits. 

“Scott is so open; it’s a wonderful thing how open they are to people coming in for externships and even employment,” says James.  
“The particular job that Phil and Kevin are doing for us seems to lend itself well to an employee who is blind or visually impaired,” says Scott Beauchamp. “Clyde made the whole training process problem free and both guys picked up on the job quickly.  Phil and Kevin are doing a fantastic job for us and it’s refreshing to have employees that actually WANT to work.  Phil’s attention to detail is second to none and Kevin is excellent as well.  I think there are many opportunities in the business community for employees who are blind or visually impaired, and I tell all my business associates about our positive experience with Bosma.  I would not hesitate to hire another employee who is blind or visually impaired if the opportunity was right.”

With Adam’s technical know-how, Clyde’s dedication, and James’s relationships through his role on the board of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Disabilities, it’s what you know AND who you know.