Davina Douthard is on a mission to dispel misconceptions about folks with disabilities. By means of her full-service profession middle, Sharpening The Skilled and “The Ready Present,” Douthard has helped 1000’s of non-disabled and other people with disabilities change into gainfully employed.
Douthard’s dedication to working with folks with particular wants stems from private expertise serving to her disabled older brother, Rayvone. She advised the Sentinel, “As he was coming of age, he wished to get a job however couldn’t learn or write, so I’d assist him to fill out the functions.”
Whereas looking for companies that might higher help her brother, Douthard found the Regional Middle Programs, the Division of Developmental Companies, and the Division of Rehabilitation. She presently works with each organizations in addition to the federal authorities’s Ticket to Work program.
Douthard is captivated with difficult the stigmas round folks with particular wants, as a incapacity can embody a variety of bodily and psychological illnesses, together with diabetes or HIV. “Once I work with massive companies to do job placements for my shoppers, as quickly as I say the phrase “incapacity”, they suppose I’m going to carry somebody who’s completely incapacitated and couldn’t do something. When in actuality, there are lots of people with disabilities you can’t see, nevertheless it doesn’t imply that they’ll’t do particular jobs.”
When requested how Sharpening The Skilled expanded to incorporate “”The Ready Present,” Douthard shared, “I’ve at all times had shoppers who wished to work within the leisure trade. They wished to be actors, animators, digital camera operators, DJs, administrators, and so forth. Nevertheless, one of many challenges with doing job placement for folks with disabilities within the Regional Middle programs or the Division of Rehabilitation is that they weren’t allowed to do gig work, though they may make more cash on a gig than they may in a whole yr on an everyday job.
“Nonetheless, I might by no means place the shoppers in these roles though that’s what they actually wish to do with their lives. I’ve had so many purchasers over the past 20 years who’ve wished to work in leisure, in order that’s what impressed me to start out ‘The Ready Present.’”
Shoppers from the Regional Middle System who’re chosen for Douthard’s extremely aggressive Sharpening the Skilled Program obtain the chance to intern on “The Ready Present” for no less than six months and a most of two years. They’re paired with a coach, they usually obtain hands-on coaching in each side of manufacturing from digital camera working, directing, internet hosting, script writing, in addition to hair, make-up, and wardrobe. Upon completion of their internship, Douthard helps her shoppers safe jobs within the trade of their selection.
“It’s been extremely rewarding as a result of, above all issues, I get to offer folks a chance to not solely do the issues that they love but additionally present the remainder of the world that they’ll do it,” mentioned Douthard.
Antonio Faten, a consumer of Sharpening the Skilled and an intern on “The Ready Present” who has Asperger’s syndrome and aphasia dysfunction, shared how being part of Douthard’s packages has impacted his life. “Despite the fact that I used to be identified with disabilities in elementary college, on the time, there weren’t any packages that may settle for college students who had particular wants. So it wasn’t till I dropped out of school once I was 18 that I discovered concerning the Regional Middle and the completely different disabilities that individuals have,” mentioned Faten.
“Being part of Sharpening the Skilled and ‘The Ready Present’ has helped me in numerous methods as a result of I’m a really creative particular person. I like animation, writing, and voice performing, which I used to be making an attempt to be skilled in, however I wasn’t getting anyplace. I wanted one thing to assist not solely myself in the case of getting my independence, but additionally to assist my household. My journey led me to the regional middle, which gave me choices of packages the place I might strive new issues, and that led me to Davina and her packages,” added Faten, who’s thriving within the space of script writing and public relations for “The Ready Present,” he mentioned.
Since its debut on YouTube in 2022, “The Ready Present” has been effectively acquired amassing practically one million views with a plethora of superstar company together with famend KJLH radio character, Tammi Mac, actors Michael Colyar, Miguel A. Núñez and Marla Gibbs in addition to new episodes with actress Kym Whitley and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs premiering within the coming weeks.
The bustling quarterly manufacturing schedule consists of filming 12 episodes at Dream Magic Studios in Canoga Park with a lead host and three co-hosts, one among whom might have a incapacity. Author and actress Crystal Rivers, who turned wheelchair certain in her 30s after a stroke, was not too long ago a visitor on “The Ready Present.” She applauded Douthard for spearheading inclusivity amongst the manufacturing workforce.
“Individuals with disabilities are such nice drawback solvers, we will thrive on set, so there must be extra inclusion in entrance of and behind the digital camera,” mentioned Rivers.
“Within the UK, 14% of castings embrace folks with disabilities, we’re solely at 1% within the US, but 25% of the inhabitants has a incapacity so I wish to see artwork mirror actual life a bit extra,” she added.
In regard to the way forward for “”The Ready Present,” Douthard not too long ago acquired a grant from California Rise to ascertain “The Ready Media Lab” which is able to lengthen the coaching program for shoppers who want extra time to study the technical features of working in manufacturing.
When requested if he would advocate Douthard’s packages to different individuals who have particular wants, Antonio Faten exclaimed, “Completely. There are such a lot of artistic individuals who wish to share their concepts and goals with the world, however they want a little bit assist doing that. So I’d extremely advocate they join both Sharpening The Skilled, or ‘The Ready Present’ in order that they’ll start the following step of their journey.”
Watch new episodes of “”The Ready Present”” each week on Spotify, YouTube, and TheAbleShow.com
