Rise News

Rise worked with more than 2,600 people with disabilities and other challenges last year as they achieved their goals. Many people work together on Rise teams at local businesses. People learn valuable skills and gain friendships at these jobs, all while earning a paycheck. One of these talented workers is Tsega Afrassa. She is a production associate at Integer, a medical device manufacturer in Minneapolis. Finding a supportive job can be difficult for people with disabilities….

Han Burrell’s work piles up in the dish room of Concordia College’s dining services in Moorhead, Minn. That’s the nature of his job, which requires him to keep the dishes clean for approximately 1,900 students six days a week. “I enjoy my work,” Burrell said through an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. Because Han is Deaf, work conversations with his managers and coworkers often happen through handwritten notes and text messages. It’s a scenario repeated…