ICD's Cisco CCNA training program was featured by Cisco for International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, 2021. The piece is titled, “abilITy Cisco Academy graduates solve IT issues for New York City’s Department of Social Services,” and includes quotes from a program graduate, Ray Hui, and ICD’s Organizational Co-Lead, Joseph T. McDonald III.

The story highlights how graduates of ICD's Cisco CCNA program served as interns and provided expert technical support to the nation's largest social services agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. These interns, including Mr. Hui, worked with thousands of DSS employees to resolve IT issues as they aided the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

In the piece, Mr. Hui said,

"Prior to joining abilITy Cisco Academy, I was working in the financial services industry as a call center associate with little hope of the vertical advancement I needed to sustain myself and my family financially...

Today, thanks to my education from ICD and internship experience at NYC DSS, I’m living out my career aspirations as an IT Support Technician for Silverline and look forward to further growth opportunities in the future.”

ICD’s Cisco CCNA training program, founded in 2018 in partnership with the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, is the first fully accessible computer networking certification program for New Yorkers with disabilities.

Mr. McDonald said,

“At ICD, our vision is a world where all people feel welcome, included, and valued in the workplace and have equal opportunity to secure economic mobility... Through our abilITy Cisco Academy, we are providing students with the skills and resources they need to pursue meaningful careers in IT. Integral to this are our partnerships with Cisco Networking Academy and NYC DSS, which are helping us to pave the way to a more inclusive and accessible landscape in the tech sector."