For more than 28 years, Chet Cooper has been one of the leading advocates for employment, awareness building and housing for people with disabilities (PWDs). He saw the need to break down the myths and stereotypes associated with disabilities, focusing on three major areas that needed change; social attitude, resources, and awareness.
In seeking to alter society’s attitudes about PWDs, he launched ABILITY Magazine in 1990, at the dawn of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The publication quickly became an award-winning magazine and was selected by Time-Warner for distribution. Simultaneously, Cooper created a specialized career system for job seekers with disabilities so companies could find this untapped talent. In 1995, this system converted to the first employment website for PWD’s, called JobAccess.org/ABILITYJobs.com. Since it's inception it has helped hundreds of thousands PWDs connect with thousands of employers.
He also developed ABILITY Awareness, dedicated to enhance volunteer opportunities for PWD’s, showcasing employability. Cooper also co-founded ABILITY Corps expanding partnerships with NGO's around the world.
Since publishing ABILITY Magazine, Cooper strove to redefine disability into ability. Using the same strategy Ad Agencies use to shift public perception of a product, he created a celebrity driven publication. Featured interviews consisted of film and TV celebrities, business leaders, sports figures, Presidents, First Ladies and more.
