THE CATS INITIATIVE

COMPUTER ABILITY AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

Prepared for
The Dallas Chamber of Commerce

Prepared by
Farhaat Ali
Stephanie Blitshtein
Precious Osuchukwu
Safa Sadatyar
Courtney Fulgam

October 29, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1
BACKGROUND/PROBLEM .......

PURPOSE ... 4
COMPANY COLLABORATION ....... 4
PLAN.... 4
SCHEDULE ................ 5
STAFFING .......... 6
BUDGET ......... 7
CONCLUSION .... 8
AUTHORIZATION REQUEST ...... 8
REFERENCES ......... 9
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1
2
3

Age and Sex of Mentally-Disabled Residents

(Noninstitutionalized) .2
Dallas County Budget .3
The CATS Program Budget.7

INTRODUCTION
Special needs adults comprise a significant portion of the Dallas County community. Many of
these capable adults are only considered for mindless and tedious jobs, such as cashiers, that
provide very little pay. The CATS initiative at Alliance Data believes in the competence and
employability of this underrepresented group. Our team wants to grant these individuals the
chance to attain meaningful and profitable jobs. In partnership with the Citizens Development

Center, the CATS Initiative will provide adults with special needs the opportunity to learn
valuable technical and professional skills that will allow them to obtain appropriate employment.
With the CATS Initiative, the shockingly evident correlation between poverty amongst the
mental health community can begin to be reversed, mentally disabled adults can begin to gain a
new level of independence and feel empowered and supported by their community. Adults with
special needs should be allowed and encouraged to use their full potential and with the
successful implementation of this project, they will be given the chance.

BACKGROUND/PROBLEM
Mental disabilities are very common in the United States, specifically in Texas. Texas has the
second largest population of people with mental illness but is ranked 49th in providing them with
services and care (Special Abilities of North Texas). Dallas, in particular, has one of the largest
populations of special needs adults (Hotchkiss).
As stated in City-Data.coms Dallas County portion, the graph in Figure 1 below shows the
amount of mentally-disabled individuals that are noninstitutionalized in the county (City Data).
Figure 1

City Data- Dallas, Texas: Texas Detailed Profile http://www.city-data.com/county/Dallas_County-TX.html

Figure 2
DALLAS COUNTY BUDGET
Law Enforcement

$152.8M

Justice Administration

$119.5M

Health & Social Services

$18.2M

Juvenile Services

$39.9M

Community Services

$4.8M

Management Services

$61.2M
Garcia, Elba. What is Dallas County and What Do Commissioners Do: County Budget.

According to Figure 2 above, the entire Dallas County Budget totals $858 million dollars. Of the
entire $858 million dollar budget, less than 3% is spent on Health and Social Services and
Community Services combined (Garcia).
Individuals with special needs have great resources available to them throughout grade school;
however, once they receive their high-school diploma, the opportunities available decline
drastically (Special Abilities of North Texas). 61% of working age adults with mental health
disabilities are outside of the labor force, compared with only 20% of working-age adults in the
general population, (Hotchkiss). The special needs community is not jobless because of a
personal choice, they are jobless because most employers will not consider hiring them. Social
stereotypes and stigmas instill fear in employers that cause them to believe that these individuals
are less capable than any other hire. One in three mental health consumers in the United States
report being turned down for a job once their psychiatric status became known, (Garcia). Most
individuals with disabilities wind up with jobs that are mundane, repetitive and provide little to
no mental stimulation. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, most
disabled individuals get jobs related to janitors, dishwashers and building cleaners (Information
Technology).
Employers are not solely to blame for the lack of trust and support the mentally disabled
community receives. In this day and age, many employers are seeking some sort of education or
trade in future hires. The Texas education system is making it increasingly difficult for this
specific community to obtain an education and therefore receive employment (Your Geography
Selections) . For example, of the 118 four-year colleges and universities in Texas, only four
provide a program or support for mentally handicapped students, none of which are in Dallas
County (List of Undergraduate Schools). This is a stark contrast to Dallas County grade schools,
where almost every high-school has a special needs classroom or program for this community.
As a result of the lack of education availability and difficulty in securing a financially stable and
sufficient job, the special needs community of Dallas is living below the poverty line. Individuals
with mental disabilities constitute one of the largest groups of social security recipients,
(About Citizens).

PURPOSE

The main focus of the CATS Initiative is to address and begin to tackle the problem of poverty
amongst the mental health community of Dallas. We plan to do so by teaching special needs
adults skill sets that are sought after and demanded in the current job market. As a result, these
individuals will become much more independent, more confident and more integrated into
society. They will be recognized as a greater asset to the workforce. (Microsoft Office Specialist
Certification)

COMPANY COLLABORATION
In order to see our goal come to fruition, Alliance Data will partner with the Citizens
Development Center. The Citizens Development Center is a non-profit organization that
currently serves the Dallas metroplex. This organization specializes in providing work training
and job placement for the disabled community of Dallas. The Citizens Development Center
serves over four-hundred adults each year. As of now, the Citizens Development Center only
provides job training for extremely simple and low wage jobs. With the partnership proposed,
Alliance Data can bring its expertise to the center to allow a broader range of training and
employment opportunities. We believe the Citizens Development Center is the ideal partner
because their mission statement is to, Empower men and women with disabilities to achieve
their highest level of independence and employment (About Citizens Development Center).
This complements the goals of the The CATS Initiatives goals .

PLAN
The CATS team of Alliance Data plans to provide the Citizens Development Center with
computers and the special needs adults with computer literacy classes. We are seeking to pilot
this program over the Fall of 2016 and Spring of 2017. Special needs adults will have the
opportunity to enroll in the CATS program during the month of July. At that time, they will
choose between Monday-Wednesday-Friday evening sessions of 50 minutes or TuesdayThursday evening sessions of 75 minutes. The duration of the program will be from early
September to the first week of May. The schedule is included below. Throughout the year five
phases will be completed:
Phase 1: We will be focusing on the basics of Microsoft Word. Knowledge of Word is the
foundation used to anything computer related. These skills will help them with growing their
future in computer knowledge.
Phase 2: Microsoft Excel is used for organizing data in a single spreadsheet. We will be teaching
these individuals not only how to input data, but to understand how to navigate through
spreadsheets.
Phase 3: Microsoft Publisher is a simple program that can be used to advertise and promote a
business. Here, they can use these skills to learn the different types of advertising including
brochures, business cards and pamphlets.

Phase 4: Adobe Photoshop is the longest phase due to how challenging it can be. These
Photoshop skills can be added to their previous knowledge of Publisher to make publishments
more appealing to the consumer market.
Phase 5: The last phase is stepping away from the hard skills that they have learned and moving
towards soft skills that people so often forget. We will have Alliance Data employees come in
and talk about professionalism in the workplace and proper attire. This is the only phase that
does not have a testing checkpoint. Instead, we will have more discussions on the workplace
environment.

SCHEDULE
Phase

Details

Dates

Pre-School year

Hire Project Manager

May 2

Install Computers

May 16

Hire Alliance Employee's

June 6

Monday Night Workshops

June 13 - Aug 1

Open On-Site Registration

July 5

Begin Classes

September 6-8

Microsoft Word

September 12-28

Testing Checkpoint

September 29/30

Microsoft Excel

October 3-26

Testing Checkpoint

October 27/28

Microsoft Publisher

October 31 - November 16

Testing Checkpoint

November 17/18

Break

November 21-25

Presentation Assignments

November 28 - December 2

Presentations

December 5-16, 2016

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Thanksgiving

Winter

Break

December 19 - January 6

Begin Classes

January 9-13, 2017

Adobe Photoshop

January 16 - March 1, 2017

Testing Checkpoint

March 2/3, 2017

Spring

Break

March 6-10, 2017

Phase 5

Professional Development

March 13-31, 2017

All Section Review

April 3-27, 2017

Certification Tests

April 24 - May 5, 2017

Phase 4

Post- School year

STAFFING
The CATS Initiative will need personnel for teaching courses in IT and professional development
to students, a project manager, and employment placement staff. Alliance Data is a nationally
known, data-based marketing and loyalty company. This firm has highly educated IT and data
systems employees. As part of their social and corporate responsibility, we will be asking
Alliance Datas IT and data employees to teach a few classes a week at the Citizens
Development Center. All Alliance Data employees who agree to participate in the CATS
Initiative will be paid for their efforts and the time spent teaching will contribute to their 40-hour
work week. Alliance Datas Human Resources Department will be asked to contribute by
teaching the classes in professional development. Alliance Data management has already stated
that participants in the CATS Initiative will be more likely to be considered for future
promotions. Alliance Data employees are held to the companys corporate social responsibility
and the firms company culture of giving back to the local community. Participation in the CATS
Initiative is the best way to demonstrate an employees alignment with these company ideals.
The CATS Initiative team wants to see this project flourish in the future. This proposal is not
intended to be a one semester project. For this reason, we need to hire a project manager to
oversee the entire initiative and ensure its longevity. The ideal project manager will be a current
Citizens Development Center employee seeking a promotion. We believe that promoting an
existing employee of the Center will save valuable time in training and adjusting to how the
Center runs. As a current employee of the Citizens Development Center, the individual has a
passion for providing a future to adults in the community with special needs.
We will also use the Citizens Development Centers existing job placement employees to aid
our students in obtaining jobs with their newly acquired skill set. Additional job placement
employees will be added as needed with the growth of the program.

BUDGET
The CATS Initiative budget includes the cost of new Dell desktop computers for the Citizens
Development Center. Dell was chosen as the computer of choice because the company often
sponsors many non-profit organizations in their endeavours. The average non-profit who
contacts Dell is likely to receive a 40% discount on computers (Dell Sponsorship and Giving)
Figure 3 below, displays the breakdown of the CATS Initiative budget. Aside from the computer
costs, the CATS Initiative will need funding for wages of the project manager and Alliance Data
employees involved in teaching the courses. Alliance Data will compensate employees involved
in the CATS Initiative to receive overtime wages (1.5x) for their time at the center (Alliance
Data).
Figure 3
THE CATS INITIATIVE BUDGET
Expense

Quantity

Price per Unit

Total

Dell Inspiron 3000

Series 20

100 desktops
(monitors included)

$270.00 (w/ discount)

$27,000

Project Manager

$ 3,145 monthly

$37,740/ year

Alliance Data
Employees

20

$45/hour

$4,500

5 hours/week/employee

$69,240

CONCLUSION
As mentioned, the mentally handicapped community is underestimated when it comes to
receiving an education or a sufficient job. The special needs community is very willing and able
to work, they just have not been given the opportunity. For these reasons, the CATS Initiative
would like to partner with the Citizens Development Center, in order to give this group of people
a chance. The CATS Initiative will provide computers, teachers and funding to the Citizens
Development Center in order to teach the students, at the center, necessary and marketable skills.

Classes will include general IT skills, such as Microsoft Office, and professional development
classes. With their newly acquired skills, the students at the Citizens Development Center will be
able to go out into the workforce and acquire jobs that will actually provide mental stimulation
and financial stability. Employers in the Dallas area will benefit as well because adults with
disabilities are able to enhance the diversity in the work force. Their unique perspective can be
incorporated into jobs and businesses to offer innovative ideas and alternative approaches to
dealing with challenges. Once these individuals have the skills needed in a professional
environment, their employment opportunities will significantly grow.

Authorization Request:
The CATS initiative hopes to reduce the number of disabled citizens living in poverty in the
Dallas community. Alliance Data hopes to provide all the help that our participants could
possibly need in their quest for jobs and success. We humbly request your support for our
program and goals. In order to start this program we ask for $69,240 so we can start making a
difference today. Your contribution to our program will be a great investment and help enable us
to make this program successful. To indicate your approval of this program, please sign this
authorization request by December 31st.
Approval Signature _____________________________________
Edward J. Heffernan, President and CEO of Dallas Chamber of Commerce

REFERENCES
About Citizens Development Center. Jul. 2015. Web. 4 Oct. 2015
<http://www.citizensdevelopmentcenter.org/aboutus/>.
Alliance Data Contributes $1 Million Toward My Possibilities Visionary: Development of
Educational Campus for Adults with Cognitive Disabilities. 6 May. 2015. Web. 11 Oct.
2015 <http://3blmedia.com/News/Alliance-Data-Contributes-1-Million-Toward-MyPossibilities-Visionary-Development-Educational>
City Data - Dallas, Texas Dallas County: Texas Detailed Profile. 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 12 Oct.
2015. <http://www.city-data.com/county/Dallas_County-TX.html>

Dell Sponsorships and Giving. Sponsorship and Giving: Fundraising and Sponsorship. Jan.
2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015 <http://www.dell.com/learn/ca/en/cacorp1/corpcomm/corporate-sponsorships>
Garcia, Elba. What is Dallas County and What Do Commissioners Do: County Budget. Texas:
Dallas County, 2015. Print. 11 Oct. 2015.
<http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?
q=cache:03QhedAzByEJ:https://www.dallascounty.org/department/comcrt/district4/medi
a/dlscountyoverview2.ppt+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari>
Hotchkiss, S. People with Disabilities: A Texas Profile. Texas: Texas Workforce Council, 2013.
Print. 11 Oct. 2015. <http://gov.texas.gov/files/twic/Disabilities_Profile.pdf>
Information Technology Jobs in Richardson Disability Job Exchange: Jobs Web. 3 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.disabilityjobexchange.com/jobs/l-richardson-tx-k-information-technology>
Your Geography Selections. Web. 4 Oct. 2015
<http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?
pid=ACS_14_1YR_B18121&prodType=table>
List of Undergraduate Schools - 4 year School Colleges Universities in TX. Think College:
Special Needs Programs. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.thinkcollege.net/databases/programs-database/search?
state=TX&typeSch=2&adult=1&res=0>
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification | Microsoft Learning. Benefits: MOS
Certification. Web. 3 Oct. 2015. <https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/moscertification.aspx>
Special Abilities of North Texas. Vision: Special Needs has Access to Special Vision. 12 Apr.
2013. Web. 4 Oct. 2015 <http://specialabilities.net/about>