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PerspectivesWillie Singleton, Jr. is the
Executive Sous Chef at the Hilton Hotel-Airport in Richmond, Virginia. He has
been a coworker to several individuals with disabilities during the course of
his career, but never a supervisor. Recently, Chef Singleton began working with
the Hilton Hospitality Partnership Program (HHPP). This program works with the
local school system to assist students with disabilities in exploration and
training for hospitality careers.
Initially, Chef Singleton had some concerns. "I was worried about speed,
production, and communication", said Singleton. He was able to address
these concerns during a HHPP training on disabilities. This training gave the
managers a chance to discuss myths, facts and ask questions. The training taught
him that he had nothing to worry about. "Give the student a job
description, train them and monitor them. With those three things they can
achieve success," Singleton stated. When asked what advice he would give to
other managers who were considering hiring someone with a disability, he said
"If you set up your program for them to succeed they will. Now, I don't
even see their disabilities. I just look at them like anyone else."