To The Best of My Ability

Charlie Conway knows what intellectually challenged adults are able to achieve, and he doesn't consider what can't be done.

That philosophy led Conway to reorganize the 33-year-old Cheshire Occupational and Career Opportunities organization and rename it Abilities Without Boundaries.

Conway said the problem with the old name was it didn’t describe what the organization does. "People would call thinking we’re an employment agency," he said.

COCO was formed in the late 1970's when a group of parents realized their intellectually challenged adult children needed more employment and social opportunities in Cheshire.

Abilities without Boundaries now has nearly 70 clients and a staff of 35. The staff train and supervise clients in group-supported employment, either at their headquarters at 615 West Johnson Ave. or at area businesses.

"There really is no limitation," Conway said. "What I stress to my staff is I really don’t want to hear what someone can’t do. I want to hear what they can do."

Conway began his career as a  nurse and EMT paramedic in Danbury and Stamford. He worked for more than a decade at Fairfield County Safe Kids, which warns about how to reduce the risks for unintentional childhood injuries.

Conway said he has received a positive response to the new name. "If you don’t know what we do and you hear 'Abilities Without Boundaries,' you’re probably going to ask about us."

And that inquiry is all Conway needs to explain his vision for the renamed organization.