UW Student Creates Business Model to Help Those with Disabilities

Students who are beginning their studies at the University of Wyoming Division of Social Work are encouraged to embrace career goals that include creating positive change in society and promoting the health and well-being of people in the community.

Tea Hill the pursuit of the second course of study added depth and a layer of human understanding that helped form a distinct career path. Hill is set to graduate this spring from the UW College of Health Sciences with a Bachelor of Social Work and a minor in disability studies, offered through the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND).

Hill was awarded $10,000 after placing third in the 2019 UW John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition for a business model that would incorporate the knowledge and values of both her major and minor. Torch Creamery, an ice cream business, was conceived by Hill and her sister Tesa as a business model that would provide inclusive employment for both individuals with and without disabilities.

With plans to officially open Torch Creamery in her hometown of Belle Fourche, SD, this coming June, Hill is excited about the benefits to both employees and customers.

“Ultimately, we want Torch Creamery to be a model for other businesses; hiring people with disabilities should be a normal business practice, and it has immense benefits,” Hill says.

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