Spotlight: Bridging the Gap — How BIT Opens Tech Careers for Professionals with Disabilities

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VOICEOVER: Spotlight, Bridging the Gap: How the Blind Institute of Technology Opens Tech Careers for Professionals With Disabilities. Speakers: Elliot Natale, Academy Director, Blind Institute of Technology. Taylor Sone, Apprenticeship Program Manager, Blind Institute of Technology. Luis Salazar, Workforce Development Technology Associate, Salesforce. Moderator: Mike Hess, Founder and Executive Director, Blind Institute of Technology.

MIKE HESS: Hello, hello, hello. My name is Mike Hess. First and foremost, thank you Sight Tech Global for this amazing conference and bringing the voice to digital equity and how it impacts employment. My name is Mike Hess. I’m Executive Director and founder at Blind Institute of Technology. We’re a Colorado-based nonprofit truly making a global difference. We’re gonna talk about that, um, uh, and how we’re making that difference.

Uh, I started Blind Institute of Technology, BIT, 13, 13 years ago now, um, way back in 2013. It’ll be 13 years in a few months, and, uh, it, it was after a 20-year career in private industry, always Fortune 500, Fortune 600 companies. Uh, I started out in tech. I started out as a, a mainframe COBOL programmer way back in the day several decades ago and, uh, stayed in private industry for almost 20 years, managed seven and eight-figure projects over my career. And, uh, I left my six-figure income, uh, really because I was always the token blind person, and it wasn’t just blindness. I never bumped into other professionals with disabilities, you know, with my cane. I never bumped into anybody in a wheelchair. Uh, never heard of anybody using ASL as their primary means of communication. Uh, neurodiversity wasn’t even a topic.

And so, I just started doing some research as a good engineer should and recognized there are so many amazing organizations doing some great work, education, advocacy, uh, independent living skills, all sorts of amazing tasks. However, I couldn’t really find an organization that was just solely focused on addressing the un or underemployment epidemic, um, for blind, low vision, and, uh, the broader disability community. And so, foolish or courageous, somewhere in between, I left my six-figure income to start BIT, to start Blind Institute of Technology.

And what’s unique about us is really our business model. We act as a nonprofit staffing agency. So, uh, from the very beginning, we started getting, uh, individuals, uh, people who were blind, low vision placed in, uh, Fortune 100, Fortune 200 brands from, uh, JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce, DaVita Healthcare, uh, NBC Universal, brands at CVS, brands large and small all over the country.

And, um, my background in tech was always, uh… I don’t have a college degree. Uh, all my education is certifications, and that’s what I love about technology and that ability to be able to do a concept called cert stacking or certification stacking. And so, uh, as BIT continued to grow, I always wanted to have a vertical for that. And, um, so we, uh, in 2017, so almost nine years ago now, we were, uh, first organization, uh, in, in the country to put six blind and low vision individuals through the, uh, Salesforce Administrator Certification. So again, kind of creating that, uh, cert stacking model within BIT, and, um, uh, we ended up getting, uh, with our pilot program, five out of the six individuals ended up getting placed because again, our model is as a staffing agency.

And after, uh, uh, a few years of just, uh, working on iterating our, uh, academy offering, it- iterating that, we, we took it from a brick-and-mortar concept here in the Denver metro area. Uh, we turned it virtual, uh, way before it was cool and trendy with COVID. We, we made sure it was virtual because we’re meeting, uh, blind, low vision individuals where they are, uh, from a remote, virtual/remote perspective.

And in, uh, 2020, um, we became the official training provider for Salesforce globally for people with disabilities. In 2021, our training program became the very first national registered apprenticeship program, uh, for the, uh, broader disability community in the United States with the US Department of Labor. And then in, uh, uh, 2024, uh, our model, and our model is really simple. It really is. We have an academy that’s all virtual remote. Uh, 100% of our instructors identify with disabilities. 100% of our, uh, courses are screen reader friendly, and we level people with disabilities up, uh, within the Salesforce and digital accessibility space, and all of our training is done virtual remote.

And, uh, our model is super simple. We go from academy to apprenticeship, and that model in 2024, we were given an amazing grant, federal grant of, uh, $8 million to scale, um, our offerings. And so, um, and so the rest of the conversation today is gonna be about meeting the amazing team, uh, that we have that’s delivering our services and then one of our amazing apprentices. So you get to hear directly from, uh, the individuals who are, uh, making all of this wonderfulness happen and those who have been impacted and hear directly from an apprentice.

So, um, so I’d like to start, uh, today with, uh, Elliot Natale, who is the, uh, Academy Director. Elliot, please introduce yourself, my friend.

ELLIOT NATALE: Sure. Thanks, Mike. Um, so as Mike said, my name’s Elliot Natale. I am the academy director for the BIT Academy. Uh, I have been in the technology education space for over 15 years now. Uh, and about nine of those, I’ve been working with people with disabilities. And I’ve come to the BIT Academy to expand our offerings and, uh, expand our reach. And, um, it’s growing pretty quick I think. (laughs)

MIKE HESS: That’s awesome. Thanks, Elliot. Uh, Ms. Taylor Soane, you’re our apprenticeship manager. Please introduce yourself.

TAYLOR SONE: Sure. Um, so my name is Taylor Soane. As Mike said, I’m the apprenticeship program manager here at BIT. I help support apprentices going through our apprenticeship program, um, through their professional and technical, uh, skill development.

MIKE HESS: Awesome. Thank you. And then, Luis, please introduce yourself. You’ve been, uh, an, uh, yeah, a, an apprentice with us for a while now, but, uh, please introduce yourself.

LUIS SALAZAR: Hello, everyone. My name is Luis Salazar. I’m currently a Salesforce admin apprentice at, uh, Salesforce, um. I have over a decade of experience in technology and, um, and I went through certification program, um, and, uh, currently are, uh, in, uh, I’m gonna be a full-time employee at, at Salesforce after November.

MIKE HESS: Uh, which is really ex-… That’s, that’s the goal for all of our apprenticeship programs, Luis, is, is full-time employment. And so, uh, so excited for you to go from, uh, apprentice to an apprentice at Salesforce and now being offered a full-time role at Salesforce itself, so congratulations on that.

Um, Elliot, I, I wanna start with, uh, for, as director of academy, um, how is it that you ensure that our programming, right, our courses are accessible to all individuals?

ELLIOT NATALE: Yeah. You, you kind of touched on that a little bit. So, uh, every one of our instructors identifies with having a disability. So, uh, we’re not just teaching about accessibility or, uh, teaching about the, what it’s like to, to work with a disability. We’re, our instructors are using lived experiences to, uh, to help design their courses. So from day one, uh, our focus is making the learning, uh, equitable and, uh, genuinely effective for professionals with disabilities. Uh, every part of our curriculum from our Canvas modules to our hands-on digital, uh, exercises, they’re designed to work seamlessly with assistive technologies like screen readers, like you said. Uh, and as I said, because every one of our instructors identifies with a disability, uh, they know exactly what our students are going through.

MIKE HESS: Oh, that’s fantastic. And then, so again, our model is super simple. It’s, it’s from academy to apprenticeship. And, uh, Taylor, like talk to, uh, talk to us about, uh, as the apprenticeship manager, y- what, what is, you know, what is your engagement, um, with, with the apprentices, right? Or, or let, let’s talk about the engagement as, uh, um, the students are getting their certifications and then getting ready to, uh, come into the apprenticeship program. Talk to us about, like, that engagement, uh, with you.

TAYLOR SONE: Sure. Um, so after a student gets their certification, I am meeting with them to kind of discuss, um, the apprenticeship as one opportunity, but also get to know them a little bit, get to know what their career goals are and, you know, if they are considering, um, long-term career goals, uh, things past the apprenticeship. So that when they enter our apprenticeship program, um, we’re not only focusing on building the technical skills and gaining that real world experience, uh, through the two years that they’re in the apprenticeship, but we are also aligning their professional development opportunities with those long-term career goals.

MIKE HESS: That’s fantastic. And then, uh, but so then, okay, that’s the apprentice side, and then the, the other side, right, like, so as, as you’re working with the apprentice and we get, you know, amazing apprenticeship partners, um, that are out there, and that’s like an official D- US Department of Labor designation, right? And, and so we have, uh, some amazing apprenticeship partnerships. One of them just happens to be Salesforce themselves. So, so working with Salesforce on the other side, right? So, so from our academy over here to working with these apprenticeship partnerships, talk to us about, like, that because then that’s the bridge to, let’s say, a Luis, right? So talk to us about the engagement we have with organizations such as Salesforce and Dell and others.

TAYLOR SONE: Absolutely. Um, throughout the two years that an apprentice is, uh, being hosted at an employer partner organization, BIT is providing support. Uh, we are providing support to the apprentice through biweekly check-ins, um, through training opportunities, as well as career coaching sessions. Um, but we’re also providing that support to the employer partner organization, so as Mike said, um, to Salesforce or to Dell. We are meeting with them biweekly to check in on the apprentice’s status, but also check in on the employer partner. Um, is there any questions that they have about our apprenticeship, about the competencies, um, an apprentice is working on? Or is there any training opportunities they would, that, that they would like from us, um, to further support the apprentices that they are hosting, um, and their long-term professional development?

MIKE HESS: Love it. Okay. All right, Luis, then, um, so obviously, re- remember, you’re gonna get a BIT-sponsored toaster here. So, um, you know, what was it like from your side, you know, working with … L- let’s start with the Academy, so working with, uh, Elliot’s team. What was it like with you working in the BIT Academy?

LUIS SALAZAR: So, um, when I, when I started engaging with, uh, BIT, I, um, I came across, um, the courses that leads you to these certifications. And so my, uh, personal, uh, experience was w- working with these, uh, partnerships like the Workforce Navigators team on, on Salesforce that provides mentorship and certification vouchers because each of these certifications are $200 or, um, or so. So, um, having the ability to, to, um, to get certified, um … Many times I have a- eight certifications, um, is, is one of the things that the Academy helps to, to get in, in, in the various courses. For example, the business analyst or the admin, um, the associate certifications. Um, and so those are some of the things that supported me to get to the starting line, which is the apprenticeship program. So before, before getting to, to be an apprentice, I had to do all of those things.

MIKE HESS: Awesome. And, uh, d- d- was it … Did we, did we make it, you know, uh, easy to work with, right? Or again, ’cause we want this your experience working with the Academy and, again, uh, w- tell, tell, tell us, you know, how, how we did working with you.

LUIS SALAZAR: Oh. Um, the experience was, was, was great. I, I mean, I … Um, my disability is, is more related to neurodiversity and so, um, the, the, uh, the experience for me in terms of accessibility, uh, wasn’t as, um, uh, as, as somebody that has, uh, blind or low vision or has other disabilities. But throughout the time that I was here, I, I came across individuals that have all, all different disabilities, and I saw how easy it was for everybody to, to, um, uh, achieve certifications or, or complete, um, the knowledge through, through these, uh, programs.

MIKE HESS: Okay. And then ultimately, uh, we’re, we’re s- we’re getting now to how was the interview process? You know, how did we set that up with you and, you know, Salesforce going through that interview process before you became an actual apprentice with Salesforce themselves? Talk to us a little bit about that process.

LUIS SALAZAR: Yeah, absolutely. So, um, the apprenticeship has, um, a component that are called, uh, competencies. And so, um, it’s important for me to talk about this because what led me to s- succeed in the interviews was being able to complete all of these competencies. I believe there’s, um, 31. But by the time that I was interviewing, I had completed over half of them. And these competencies are very thorough ways for somebody to understand how to use Salesforce because certifications are one thing. Um, they’re, they’re like the starting point of it, but being able to go in and demonstrate, um, your … Basically the ability to, to solve issues in a live setting is what gets you to the next level in, in, into suc- uh, a successful interview.

Um, when it comes time to interview for me, it, it was always difficult because I don’t do as well on a live setting and, um, demonstrating competencies and demonstrating that I could do the work, um, is, is something that is a differentiator for me. And, and also once I joined, um, Salesforce and I was able to demonstrate the work, um, that’s what led me to, to being, uh, considered for a full-time role. But, um, that competencies, certifications and the training are all the aspects that, um, that make it so that people whenever they go to an interview, they can demonstrate that they can succeed at the job.

MIKE HESS: Love it. Love it. Okay. So, so Elliot, coming back to you then on, you know, again ensuring that our programming is accessible for, um, folks who are blind/low vision, folks who are, are deaf, folks who are neurodiverse, you know, wh- what … H- how prepared are you as the Academy director to ensure all of that is happening? And can you give some examples of some of those, uh, accommodations that we provide that we make sure that, um, all students are able to be successful through our Academy?

ELLIOT NATALE: Yeah. Uh, so we … The … At the Academy, we work with people with all disabilities, like, like was mentioned with Luis. We work with blindness, deafness, um, people with neurodiversity, uh, chronic health conditions. So we have a, a, a wide array of students that we work with, and because of that, we’re, uh, very accustomed to the different types of accommodations that might be needed. So whether that is, um, permission to not be on camera or whether, uh, they need a little extra time on their homework or, um, if, uh, someone is hard of hearing or deaf, uh, we use live captioning. Um, every exercise that we, uh, that, that we have our students do, um, is tested ahead of time to ensure that it works with a screen reader…. uh, ensure that there’s captions on the video or ensure that there’s descriptions, uh, in the video if needed. Um, and so, um, we, we allow students to, to make those accommodation requests, uh, whenever they’re needed.

Um, on, on top of that, we know that the… just being a student is stressful enough, uh, but being a student in a new environment, learning something new, um, and, uh, having to juggle that with whatever that, your disability might be, is stressful, uh, and, uh, can really affect your mental wellbeing. And so, one of the things that we’ve also brought into the academy is a, uh, mental, uh, wellness, uh, and, and wellbeing, uh, workshop that we do with our students. Uh, this happens, is g- is happening monthly with our students so that they can talk about, uh, what struggles they’re having, uh, learn techniques to manage those, uh, stressors, uh, and, and really find ways to cope, uh, with whatever, uh, stress they’re having or whatever difficulties they’re having.

MIKE HESS: I, I love that you bring that up, Elliot, because… So this is for, uh, Elliot, you and Taylor. So ’cause we, we, BIT, we ha- we do have these wraparound services. Um, so it’s not just the academics, right? The academics are really important, but so many times, as we heard from Luis, right? Luis is l- saying, “Hey, I, like I struggle with that live interview process.” But that’s not just, that’s not just Luis, right? So we have, we have supports, we have these wraparound services to help our, uh, our students, uh, to become apprentices, to be prepared for interviews, uh, yeah, at a, a huge Fortune 100 tech company like Salesforce. So how do we… what do the wraparound services look like? Taylor, let’s start with you, please.

TAYLOR SONE: Yeah, absolutely. Um, as Elliot mentioned, we’ve got the mental wellbeing sessions. Um, another one that I think is a strong support, uh, for the professionals with disabilities coming through our programs is our partnership with an organization called Spinalpedia. Um, they provide a lot of consultation and kind of direction when it comes to conversations around, um, Social Security disability, um, funds and how to, how to get on SSDI, how to get off of SSDI, um, how to kind of make that long-term planning. Because while our apprenticeship is paid, it is two years, um, you know, in the long run, that’s a short time, so being able to plan for what comes after the apprenticeship, uh, through Spinalpedia.

We also offer, um, career coaching sessions. Uh, we’ve got a licensed career coach professional who provides tailored, um, intervention and support for those that, you know, wanna work on specific professional skills like communication, time management, um, you know, learning how to manage ADHD with, uh, task workload or, or energy management and kind of overflow. Um, so those are just a few of the wraparound services that you see at BIT, both as an apprentice, but also as a career seeker, um, or anyone, you know, being served at BIT.

MIKE HESS: Yes, as, as a student as well. And we just, we provide those services to everybody. Um, uh, Elliot, fro- so they, uh, I’m gonna bounce back actually. So I’m, I’m, I’m squirreling you here on the… so the accommodations conversation, because accommodations aren’t just… Like, so when we do transcripts and closed captions, like y- yes, tha- that’s an accommodation for somebody who is deaf, hard of hearing, but again, th- that, that’s an accommodation that many times our, uh, individuals who are neurodiverse, ADHD also appreciate as well, correct?

ELLIOT NATALE: Yeah, very true. Um, so th- the thing about accommodations, they’re not… So s- a- as an example, screen readers were designed for someone like yourself who has, uh, no vision, right? But, um, someone with dyslexia, for example, might utilize, uh, text-to-speech technology to have things read to them, right? So because we are so, uh, because we’re so focused on accessibility as a whole, uh, and because we’re so focused on, um, the, the different unique needs that, that, uh, one group might need, but it, it, it expands to everybody. So, um, we allow our students to, to u- to utilize any assistive technology that might make their experience, uh, better or, um, or, or easier for them to, to, to get through the course.

MIKE HESS: Love it. Luis, what’s t- t- like tell, uh, a p- you know, out there the millions and millions of people that are watching us live right now, okay? We’ll, we’ll, we’ll call it 4 billion people. They’re all watching us right now, and you got a few people with disabilities, Luis, who are thinking, “Gosh, could I do this?” What advice would you give to, uh, an individual with a disability out there who is contemplating a career in a tech company?

LUIS SALAZAR: Yeah. So the path that I followed was, um, the first thing is to take care of, of yourself. You have to understand, um, what is your disability and how to best work with it. Um, so for somebody with, uh, blind or low vision, uh, to use a tech- um, a technology tool like JAWS to be able to navigate, um, a computer. For me, somebody that might take medication or has to take care of their body, um-… in, in, in a very disciplined manner. Um, the second part would be to join a community like BIT, somebody that understands those needs, somebody that can support you and that has a growth path. But at the same time, nobody has the solution just for you. You have to do the work. Uh, that’s… That depends up to you. So these are just structures that are there for support. They’re not there to do the work for you. So you have to make sure that you’re competing against yourself, that you’re trying to, um, understand that right now, you’re working in a global market and it’s not just competing against the best in this country, it’s competing against the best globally sometimes. And so the best way to go, um, and do that is to make sure that you’re just doing the best that you can every day, um, competing against yourself because then, um, you can always achieve as much as you want.

Um, Salesforce, for me, was, uh, the road that was, um, quite clear because with Trailhead, with all, all of the information that they have for certification training, I could basically understand Salesforce within a few months or within a few years, just with all of the material that is available for self, uh, learning. But also, um, with a lot of companies that, that have that support or, or with BIT that has that, that support for additional training and additional, um, competencies and certifications and, and all of that. And then from there, it’s just, um, doing the best that you can once you have that opportunity, um, and making sure that, that you give your best.

MIKE HESS: Awesome. Okay. Uh, I wanna finish just kind of, uh, um… Elliot, what ad- what advice would you give a, uh, potential student, uh, that’s, uh, looking to, uh, come into our academy and, uh, experience a tech career?

ELLIOT NATALE: That’s a good question. Um, (clears throat) I think what I would encourage, uh, anyone, uh, is, is to always push yourself into uncomfortable territory, right? U- starting, starting learning or, uh, uh, starting a course in a… in Salesforce, for example, uh, i- is scary. Especially as we get older, um, doing something new can be very scary. Uh, and it’s, it’s really easy to, (clears throat) to just say, “Ah, no, I can’t do that. I’m, uh…” You know, “I have this, th- this reason or that reason.” Um, but at BIT, we have an, an ample amount of examples of people with all sorts of disabilities, all sorts of, uh, unique situations, who are n- not only going through this course and passing, they’re getting their credentials and, and like Luis, getting jobs at massive corporations like Salesforce. Um, you can do it. Your disability isn’t gonna… doesn’t have to stop you. It- it’s only gonna stop you if you let it. Um, we’re creating an environment where, uh, no matter your ability, you can be successful.

MIKE HESS: Awesome. Okay, Taylor. So what about a, a company, large or small, that’s out there thinking, “Huh. I, I, I wonder, I wonder if we would be a good fit for a BIT apprentice?” What would you tell them?

TAYLOR SONE: Um, I would tell them, you know, like, “Have a conversation with us.” Uh, we are more than happy to find the best match apprentice for your organization. We talk with you about, uh, what your needs are, what type of position you’re looking for, um, and what type of team you have, how many individuals are you looking to place in the apprenticeship. Um, we provide support throughout an employer partner apprenticeship, but the main thing is that employing an apprentice gives your organization the unique perspective, the unique value that the professionals with disabilities from BIT, um, and our apprentices bring to your organization. They come with skill sets. They come with a strong desire to learn and eager and very hungry, um, thrive to make a contribution to your organization.

But employee professionals with disabilities also brings that new perspective, uh, that your team may be looking for, that refresh, that may bring new ideas or, um, new opportunities or new growth paths for your team, for your organization. And being around, uh, you know, individuals, um, from BIT is a truly unique experience. Um, I think we’re all fantastic. I think- (laughs) … um, it’s been a true pleasure to be the apprenticeship program manager and, uh, see people coming from the academy entering, uh, the program of the apprenticeship and, um, just, you know, working their hardest, constantly wanting to learn, constantly looking for new opportunities to grow, um, to pursue additional certifications outside of the academy, um, and to, you know, truly become the best that they can be, um, as they’re exiting the program. So it’s, it’s truly something that you just gotta dive your feet into, and, uh, once you get an apprentice working at, uh, you know, at your organization with your team, uh, I hope that you’ll be coming back asking for more. (laughs)

MIKE HESS: That’s right. Um, okay, Luis. Uh, this is unscripted, my friend. But, uh, you’re, you literally have a full-time employment offer starting here and just, uh, uh, starting at one of the largest tech companies in the world. Um-Like, like this experience, like how, how has this changed you and your family lives?

LUIS SALAZAR: I get emotional because it’s life-changing. Um, it’s, it’s, it’s truly something that, that I worked, um, quite hard to, to get to. And the impact that it’ll have is, it’s, it’s life-changing.

MIKE HESS: Ah. Well, on that note, um, uh, we do this. We, uh, it’s, uh, uh, we do this for you. Like I get up every single day-

LUIS SALAZAR: Mm-hmm.

MIKE HESS: … um, knock on doors, kick in doors, (laughs) uh, have an obscene, uh, schedule, and it’s all because of individuals like you. I was so… It was such a pleasure to get to meet you in person, Luis. Uh, I don’t always get to meet, uh, ’cause we’re, we’re such a virtual remote environment. But, uh, it was such a pleasure to get to meet you, uh, last week in, in San Francisco, uh, at the Salesforce tower. Um, you’re amazing, um, and we just, we do th- we do this work for you, Luis. We really do. So, um, I wanna thank, uh, all of you for, for watching us today, and, um, if, uh, if, if you as a career seeker are interested, please, please, please come, come check us out. Have a conversation with us. This too could change, uh, the traject- trajectory of your life, your family’s lives, um, forever. Uh, technology is an amazingly expanding, uh, career, and Salesforce, uh, literally is the greatest digital opportunity for people with disabilities that’s ever been. Uh, we’d love to, uh, talk to you about this. Um, I wanna thank the Vista Center for, uh, m- making this amazing Sight Tech Global Conference happen yet again. We’re thrilled to be back. We’re thrilled to partner with all of you, uh, and, uh, we look forward to working with you in the, in the future. Thank you so much.

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