October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a congress-sponsored initiative dating back to 1945. NDEAM was a means to stimulate job opportunities for persons with disabilities. The month-long campaign came many decades before the better-known American Disability Act (ADA), which became law in 1990, and was the next big step taken by the Government...Read More
Whether you are looking for the perfect one-of-a-kind gift, antique, or espresso, look no further than Rehab Station located in LaConner, WA. The owner and staff will be happy to show you around and help you find what ever treasure your heart desires. Recently, Jen Land from our Employment Services Division, visited Rehab Station and...Read More
We are pleased to introduce Ann, an entrepreneur who specializes in making custom jewelry. Ann has worked in the assembly division at Chinook Enterprises since 2001, helping to produce products for a wide variety of manufacturers including the Boeing Company. Ann uses her assembly skills in her personal life as well––making her own jewelry: earrings and other beautiful...Read More
Our production department was buzzing with excitement the day our new MultiCam 3000 CNC Router arrived. It was almost like we were expecting as new baby. And in a way, we were. Getting the machine into its new home took quite a bit of effort and ingenuity as you will see. It will be a...Read More
Opening Doors to Business Opportunities Steven Brown has an affinity for people, working, and candy. Meeting people comes easy to Steven. He’s a social guy with a lot of energy, a passion for business, and he’d rather be out and about more than anything else. Like most active people, Steven works at keeping himself occupied,...Read More
The inability to communicate is as frustrating for the person who wishes to be understood as it is for the person who seeks to understand. Fortunately, we have seen firsthand how technology helps to improve communication of those who live with cognitive and physical disabilities. We’re familiar with communication devices that can verbalize for people...Read More
The Seventy-Five Percent Back in 1980 when we started Chinook Enterprises, unemployment for people with disabilities was approaching seventy-five percent. Since then, we have seen major changes in the way the world works. Our communication can be instantaneous, our files are “virtual”–– they exist in clouds and on drives, and we can snap photos and video...Read More
If you are familiar with our organization, you likely already know that we take all opportunities to celebrate. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, achievements, awards and accolades. Basically, we take any and all opportunities to celebrate our people. We also celebrate our community. Last month we decided to make a year-end video as a way...Read More
Last month was National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which celebrates the many contributions of workers with disabilities. The campaign’s goal is to raise awareness about disability employment issues. So, what did we learn? Close to 70% of people with disabilities are not in the labor force in any capacity. There are more than 10 million Americans...Read More
Sometimes when you least expect it, wonderful things happen to your business. Take what happened on a Tuesday morning back in 1989. I was in a staff meeting when my secretary came in and told me I needed to take a call, which was pretty unusual. But the call was pretty unusual too! The woman...Read More
