By Angela Cleary, Director of Volunteers at Red Mountain Park
My name is Angela Cleary and I’m the Director of Volunteers at Red Mountain Park in Birmingham Alabama. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to work with over 4,000 volunteers during my 3.5 years with the Park. Out of all of those volunteers, Nakisha Adams has taught me the most about personal and professional growth. I first connected with Nakisha through a friend who works at United Ability (formerly United Cerebral Palsy). I was told Nakisha had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair, but she was interested in staying busy with administrative tasks and data entry for our non-profit organization.
I’ll admit, the first day I met Nakisha in May of 2016, I was incredibly nervous, but open-minded. What if she’s not a good fit? What if I had a hard time understanding her? What if her work required more responsibility for the RMP staff? What if her wheelchair didn’t fit under the desks we had? My mind raced. I sat down next to Nakisha who was wearing a pair of glasses that use a glare-recognition technology and sensors on the computer to type up data by tilting her head, moving the cursor letter to letter to type! I was intrigued.
After introductions, I explained how I’d like our data formatted, and I watched Nakisha work quickly. I finally cracked a few nervous jokes and explained I’d never worked with someone with a disability before. I wasn’t sure how much to help or if I should step back and let her do things independently. I asked if there was anything I could do to make her job easier and she responded with the most sincere, heartwarming smile I’d ever seen and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” She’d be a perfect fit for our team.
Nakisha has now captured marketing research from thousands of adventure reservations, added over 7,000 recipients to the RMP newsletter, created thousands of volunteer profiles, and contributed more than 1,200 hours of service to Red Mountain Park. Although these measurable outcomes are impressive for bragging on how she’s become an essential member of our team, those statistics can’t even compare to how she’s helped me grow personally and professionally. She’s completely changed the way I look at individuals with differences and disabilities. She’s coached me on creating realistic job expectations, respecting her independence, opened my eyes to physical obstacles I didn’t realize existed in our office layout, and has become a close friend!
Nakisha has also encouraged our staff to make more inclusive decisions for the development of Red Mountain Park. I have attended training sessions on creating and installing Park signage for the Universal Trail Assessment Program. We are also building a sensory trail for individuals with wheelchairs, kids and adults with autism, and individuals with low vision and low hearing. We’ve been able to learn more about the needs of these underserved demographics by partnering with places like the Lakeshore Foundation and NCHPAD for input on development. I am proud to work for a Park that is built BY the community, FOR the community… and making strides to include the ENTIRE community.
We are fortunate enough this year to offer Nakisha a paid position to continue helping Red Mountain Park! I would encourage any employer to consider hiring individuals with different abilities. Not only will it change your outlook on the individuals and their capabilities, but it will transform your working environment into a stronger, more compassionate and diverse force.
Angela Cleary | Director of Volunteers and Projects
Red Mountain Park
