Lisa McMullan Fusco

Mission: To provide holistic employment services while practicing and promoting full inclusion and diversity within the workforce and the community. About Us: Accessing opportunities. Presuming competence. Reducing stigma. Achieving equity. These are not just words at Progressive Abilities Support Services (PASS) but a philosophy that fuels our passion and informs our culture. They are the basis for everything we do, every decision we make, and every person we proudly serve. Founded in 2011 in Edgewater, Florida, PASS was built on a simple premise; that all people deserve the same rights and opportunities. We recognized that, in this regard, the existing support structure was letting us down and could be dramatically improved. We could no longer accept segregated sheltered workshops, sub-minimum wage employment, a nearly universal lack of representation, or societal stigmas baked into the service model. We didn't necessarily know how to improve our community, but we were desperate enough for change to give it a try.So, we set about building an alternative service model based on the equity that all individuals should demand—providing holistic, one-on-one support where job coaches, evaluators, trainers, and developers work collaboratively with individuals to create and follow customized plans for growth. These plans include pre-employment training, career consultation, professional placement assistance, on-the-job training, and resource development. More importantly, no one is left out or deemed unemployable, and every person we serve is the leader of their own process. Our long-term vision builds on these ideals and takes a universal view. We want to help create a world where full inclusion, diversity, and opportunity parity are the norm. We believe disability rights are civil rights and that true equity is achievable and must be achieved. Our mission is to be a rather loud, rather persistent, slightly cantankerous, but ever-optimistic voice of that belief.