Students with documented disabilities set to benefit from impact loan
For Immediate Release
June 9, 2026
OKLAHOMA CITY — More than 500 students with documented disabilities from across Oklahoma are poised to benefit from a recently awarded impact loan that will bridge reimbursement into programs that provide workforce training.
The loan is from the Oklahoma Impact Investing Collaborative (the Collaborative), a subsidiary of MetaFund. The funds were awarded to Loom, LLC, which will serve as the bridge to workforce training provided by the Summer Transition Employment Program (STEP) and related services operated by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (OKDRS).
Loom was organized in May 2025 with a mission to design pathways that expand access to education, training, and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, with a special focus on youth and young adults in Oklahoma.
STEP is funded through OKDRS under the Rehabilitation Act, which provides transition services for children with disabilities to facilitate the student’s movement from school to post-school activities including employment.
“We are honored to support programs that create meaningful opportunities for students with disabilities to gain real-world work experience, build confidence, and explore future career pathways,” said Yolanda Scott, Founder of Loom. “This partnership helps expand access to experiences that prepare students for greater independence, community involvement, and long-term success.”
Operating as a four-week paid work-based learning opportunity, STEP provides paid summer internships for OKDRS transition clients and potentially eligible students with documented disabilities who are ages 16 to 21 years. Participants may work in the community for up to 25 hours per week, with students eligible to work up to 100 hours during the summer.
Loom will serve as the employer of record which allows them not only to meet the mandated partnerships with WIOA Title I (adults, dislocated workers, and youth) and Title IV (vocational rehabilitation) programs, but to do so at a reduced cost, thereby allowing more individuals to be served.
To date, approximately 300 employers across participating communities are supporting STEP placements, with additional employer partners continuing to be added throughout the program. These partnerships provide students with valuable real-world work experience while helping employers build inclusive workplaces, strengthen community engagement, and connect with emerging talent.
Through paid work-based learning experiences and support services, the program helps students with disabilities build workplace readiness skills, explore career interests, and gain meaningful community-based employment experience.
“Talent is universal, opportunity is not,” said OKDRS Transition Coordinator Renee Sansom. “STEP helps close that gap by giving Oklahoma students with disabilities the chance to gain experience, earn a paycheck and see what’s possible for their future. Every student deserves the opportunity to explore their potential and contribute to their community. STEP creates those opportunities by connecting young people with disabilities to meaningful work experiences that develop skills, independence and a pathway toward future employment.”
In addition to providing a bridge to access reimbursement from the OKDRS, the impact loan will provide Loom with sufficient upfront funding for the programs.
"The Collaborative is committed to ensuring innovative programs have the resources they need to succeed. We are grateful to our partners in the private, public, and philanthropic sectors for supporting meaningful employment for Oklahomans with disabilities. We are honored to partner with Loom, and grateful to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation for its continued support of STEP services throughout Oklahoma,” said Austin Marshall, development officer for the Collaborative.
As Loom can’t utilize funds that are available to them for interest and fees, the Kirschner Trusts, administered by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, has approved a grant to the Collaborative to cover those costs.
“Programs like STEP are critical to building a stronger, more inclusive workforce in Oklahoma,” said Trisha Finnegan, President and CEO of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. “Loom’s leadership in creating these pathways, in partnership with OKDRS, the Collaborative and OCCF, ensures that more youth can move confidently from school into meaningful careers, which benefits our entire community. This is exactly the difference Phil and Roberta Kirchner and their daughter Miriam Freedman committed to making.”
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Media Contact:
Austin Marshall
(405) 397-1532