Aspire Chicago

Sixty-year-old Aspire has launched an innovative segment that departs from its 60-year-old model of providing support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. The Hillside-based non-profit last year created additional employer-driven instruction on a much larger scale than the standard one-person-at-a-time model. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Career Academy provides hands-on work with disabled adults in simulated industry-specific training spaces, such as warehousing/supply chain operations and big box retailing. Aspire’s training model aims to deepen the quality of training offered to its students and become a trusted pipeline to local employers.