Irving Middleton's Fight to Thrive: AbilityOne Supports Disability Employment

While Irving Middleton's journey to Palmetto Goodwill Services was not easy, he hopes by sharing it, he can inspire other people with disabilities to fight for what they need in life and strive for what they want.

"I want to lead the way for people behind me to be able to thrive in life instead of just surviving," Middleton said.

Middleton was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. His life changed at age 16 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Complications led to kidney failure and eventual transplant, vision loss, and a leg amputation below the knee. Through it all, Middleton never let his circumstances define him.

"There's always more than one way to do something, and I always think outside of the box to try to figure out the other way to do it," Middleton said.

Family also helped Middleton get through those trying times. His two daughters are his inspiration and purpose. Middleton wants to set an example for his girls to always find a way to keep going even when life gets tough.

"I want my daughters to see that obstacles don't define you," Middleton said. "If I can keep going, they'll know they can too."

That's one of the reasons he kept trying to maintain competitive employment. However, the physical demand without appropriate reasonable accommodations eventually led him to temporary unemployment. Still, Middleton kept trying.

At a job fair in 2023, he connected with Palmetto Goodwill Services, an AbilityOne® federal contractor in SourceAmerica's network. Palmetto Goodwill Project Manager Scott Kinney says they get calls from their Workforce Development team about people with disabilities who may or may not be able to work in the custodial or food service field. Kinney says when they got the call about Middleton, they put him through the paces.

"He not only vacuumed," Kinney said. "He could find the plug. He could do the wall. He would do a certain area. Then, he would go almost to the area that he just finished, and he'd start that other area again in the place that needed to be vacuumed."

Middleton is now working as a custodian at the Naval Information Warfare Center on an AbilityOne contract.

"Many people assume that being visually impaired limits what you can do, but with the right tools and guidance, we can do anything anyone else can," Middleton said.

"The sky is the limit for Irving," Kinney said. "He can do anything he wants to do, anything he believes he can do, and I would say that about any person with a disability… We do what we do out in the field, because we believe in the people that we are working with."

Middleton is also deeply involved in advocacy work. In December 2023, Middleton and five others founded a nonprofit organization named, "The Blind Titans." It is a support group raising awareness for various disabilities, including blindness, diabetes, kidney failure, amputations, mental health, and paraplegia. He is also a member of Palmetto Goodwill's Grassroots Advocacy program. His goal is to become a more polished motivational speaker.

In September 2024, Middleton had the opportunity to advocate for the AbilityOne Program at SourceAmerica's Grassroots Advocacy Conference. He shared his story with Congressional members including South Carolina Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham, their staff, and dozens of other self-advocates and AbilityOne federal contractors. Part of Middleton's story really touched The Kennedy Collective President and CEO Rick Sebastian. While speaking with Middleton about his goal to inspire his daughters, Sebastian said, "Your daughters are growing up to be strong women because they have a strong father... You are achieving that goal in real time."

In May 2025, Palmetto Goodwill honored Middleton with its Achiever of the Year Award , which is presented to an exceptional individual who has overcome significant barriers to employment while continuing to benefit from the supportive Goodwill work environment or services. Through Palmetto Goodwill and the AbilityOne Program, Middleton is going after what he wants with the stable employment he needs, proving that with perseverance and proper support, there are no limits to what individuals with disabilities can achieve.

If you or someone you know is looking for a job, the SourceAmerica Job Board connects people with disabilities seeking employment with positions available through nonprofit agencies in the SourceAmerica network.