By Susan Campbell, Contact Reporter, Hartford Courant
When he was a kid, Nick Glomb watched his mother prepare food for the family in her kitchen. He knew enough to stay out of the way — this was his mother’s kitchen, after all — but it was inspiring in the way his mother made so much from scratch, and her preparations planted a seed.
Now Glomb is putting his dream into action. He wants to open a hot dog stand, using only the best ingredients, and he has a GoFundMe account to help him raise the cash. Right now, he’s at just over $6,500, a few thousand short of his $10,000 goal.
He has a name for the cart already, Family and Friends Roadside Cart.
“I named it that because everyone with a disability deserves a family and friends who care about the issues,” said Glomb, who has Down syndrome. “People see me as a person with a disability, so this is to show them that yes, I have an illness, and I’m not afraid to talk about it. Many people do see me as a person with a disability, but this is who I am.”
Who Glomb, 28, is, is a driven, serious businessman. He’s working with the New England Business Associates, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities meet employment challenges. Alicia Dziob, an employment consultant for the group, has big plans for Glomb. “We’ve really been boots on the ground with getting this business up and running,” she said.
If you spend any time at Hartford’s Capitol, you already know the family name. Walt Glomb, Nick’s father, is a tireless advocate for families with loved ones with developmental disabilities. And now Nick is an advocate, as well — and that’s a good thing. Last week, the state Department of Developmental Services announced layoffs of another 418 employees — in addition to the 189 layoffs already completed. Meanwhile, the state will privatize multiple group homes, day-care programs and in-home services in an effort to cut $70 million from its budget. Everyone with a disability needs family and friends, indeed.
“It’s harder and harder to find a job,” said Walt Glomb. “We are moving into the gig economy. You have to make your own job.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics calls a “gig” as a “single project or task for which a worker is hired,” to work on demand. They’re hard to count. Figures that exist are more than a decade old, though the government intends to collect the data again next year.
This is not Nick’s first job, not by a long shot. He has worked at Ellington’s Big Y grocery store for nearly a decade. This is, however, his first step toward self-employment.
As Nick talks about his cart, Walt attempts to explain finer points, and Nick holds up his hand.
“Dad! Dad? Please,” and then he proceeds with his own explanation. Nick contributes to his family coffers, but his aim, along with the cart, is to one day move out on his own.
His push for independence swims against the stream in a state that, before the recent layoffs, had a reputation for providing good programs for people with developmental disabilities. The intent that stretches back a quarter-century was to create in Connecticut an environment that pushed for innovation and independence. These days, the state still has wonderful people doing incredible things, but in Walt Glomb’s estimation, there’s still a prejudice for so-called “legacy programs,” like day programs. Those can be wonderful, but they are limited in what they can offer clients like Nick.
“For Nick to say ‘I want to open a hot dog cart,’ in a day program, you’re not going to have that kind of support,” said Dziob.
You can learn more about Nick’s fundraising efforts online.
Susan Campbell teaches at the University of New Haven. She is the author of “Dating Jesus: Fundamentalism, Feminism and the American Girl” and “Tempest-Tossed: The Spirit of Isabella Beecher Hooker.” Her email address is slcampbell417@gmail.com.
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