As chair of the board of directors at Milwaukee-based Independence First, Ryan Ramos has made a significant impact by building partnerships and bringing funding to help people with disabilities, according to Myra Sanchick, director of marketing and strategic partnerships at Independence First.
Ramos has forged partnerships between Independence First and his alma mater, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, where he also serves on the board.
“That partnership began with a student working with ‘models’ with disabilities to design accessible clothing,” said Sanchick. “That student took his experience with him as he joined the design team at Kohl’s. The partnership continued the next semester with a pilot program at MIAD, in which students worked with Independence First again to learn about designing accessible clothing.”
With a background working for health care companies GE HealthCare and Amgen, Ramos took his interest in serving people with disabilities to create his Milwaukee-based company, Maker LLC, which designs functional and attractive assistive devices.
“Ryan’s life and work bridges gaps in health care accessibility and improves daily experiences for people with disabilities,” said Independence First chief operating officer Kathy Acevedo.
