Debra Ruh:
Passionate About Fair and Equal Employment
I know about Debra because I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at a conference I attended - and boy does she fit the profile of a "Live Your Passion" success story worth highlighting!
A few years ago, Debra Ruh had a dream. She was to create a company that primarily hires persons with disabilities. Debra´s inspiration - a beautiful daughter named Sara, who has Down's syndrome. When Sara entered middle school, Debra realized that her daughter's employment opportunities were bleak. At 13 years of age, Sara´s reading and math skills were still at a kindergarten level.
Some suggested that Sara collect shopping carts at a local grocery store, or work in a sheltered workshop environment. But Debra knew that Sara could do much more.
Drawing upon a long and successful career in information technology, Debra´s entrepreneurial instincts kicked into overdrive and she created an IT company that hired mainly persons with disabilities -- not only mild disabilities, but also severe disabilities.
Today, Debra´s dream has become a reality. TecAccess, located in Rockville, VA, now has over 60 associates with disabilities ranging from developmental to physical. To say that TecAccess is a diverse company is an understatement: there are associates with cerebral palsy, brain injury, quadriplegia, diabetes, bipolar disorder, macular degeneration, visual impairment, blindness, and hearing loss -- just to name a few.
TecAccess, an SBA 8(a) Certified, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), and Woman-Owned Company - has become the global leader in E&IT accessibility solutions. TecAccess specializes in Web and IT Accessibility, Section 508 compliance, and W3C standards. Services include testing and assessment, training, engineering, policy review, and consulting. TecAccess is uniquely positioned to undertake the challenge of developing creative accessibility solutions for private industries, government, and education.
The majority of the TecAccess associates are people with disabilities. TecAccess is composed of the very individuals for whom Section 508 was designed. As such, they possess the inherent capability of realistically evaluating technology from the perspective of the target audience -- people with disabilities.
TecAccess awards can be viewed by visiting their website www.tecaccess.net.
Debra Ruh is a living example of how making a choice to "Live Your Passion" works - often started out of necessity, or a need that just isn't being met. Aside from being a very cool person (I know, I have met her) Debra is inspiring so many others through her work. Just think of all those people she employes, think of the employers (her clients) who now have improved policies around hiring people with disabilities! It is really amazing to watch how living your passion can touch so many lives in a positive way without your even knowing it!
Thanks, Debra for making a difference by going for that dream!