In 1993, in a cramped college dorm room, Matt Henry built his first computer from scratch. It was equal parts curiosity and determination—taking components apart, figuring out how they fit together, and making the machine boot up successfully. More than 30 years later, that same curiosity is powering his next chapter, this time through Melwood Community Services’ abilIT program.
Henry—who goes by “Squatch”—graduated from abilIT in November 2023. The free, 14-week training program prepares people with disabilities and injured veterans for careers in IT and tech-related fields by combining rigorous technical instruction with personalized professional skills development and job placement support. For Henry, abilIT provided something he had long needed: structure, focus, and access to industry-recognized certifications.
“I knew computers,” he said. “I just couldn’t pull everything together to get over that first hurdle.” Although he had been building and troubleshooting systems since the early days of personal computing, the cost and logistics of certification exams were barriers. The abilIT program removed those barriers and set Henry on a path to success.
Former workplace challenges
Diagnosed with ADHD and later autism, Henry has spent much of his career in education, earning multiple graduate degrees, teaching English, and eventually teaching computer technologies for many years. But when an autistic-related meltdown caused him to lose his job, he wound up at a call center that he was later furloughed from. That job loss coincided with learning about abilIT through a friend, and the timing felt serendipitous. The program’s dual focus on technical mastery and professional skills proved transformative. “The tech experience was top-notch and truly changed my life,” he said.
Overcoming challenges using coping strategies and earning IT certifications
Along with technical instruction, the abilIT program teaches mindfulness, emotional intelligence, coping strategies, and how to utilize schedules and structure in the workplace. These tools are often not taught explicitly to individuals who are neurodivergent. By including these lessons as part of the curriculum, abilIT graduates like Henry are better able to enter or re-enter the workforce successfully.
Since graduating, Henry has earned five industry-recognized certifications, including both A+ exams, Network+, and Security+, and he continues to build momentum. He described passing each exam as an adrenaline rush, and the fuel he needs to focus on his next goal. Henry’s long-term ambition is cloud engineering. Today, he works as an IT Technician II for a major retailer in Raleigh. The role represents a crucial doorway into the IT and tech field, and Henry credits having the A+ certification as the linchpin that led to his interview.
With certifications in hand and a clear career path ahead, Henry is proving that experience, persistence, and opportunity—when aligned—can build something powerful, just like that first computer in his dorm room.
