19552 GW Mag 26_Final_singles - Flipbook - Page 49
“I treated GW as a resource hub. It felt like the university wanted
undergrads to actually use those resources, and that made all
the difference for me.”
— NATE DISKINT, BS ’12, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COHOME
But Diskint eventually went off to college, where he ran cross
country at GW and would amass the skillset from the Of昀椀ce of
Innovation and Entrepreneurship to start his own biomedical
supplies company—Imagnus. His parents handled Jeremy’s affairs
back home, one of those being to transition him to alternative
living, a task many families eventually must tackle for their
loved ones with disabilities.
In 2016, Jeremy moved to a highly recommended residential
facility out of state—and hated it. It was too restrictive and didn’t
offer him much individuality. Diskint, back in New Jersey with
Imagnus, sought a solution. He would take a few months off work
to help his brother land on an adequate living arrangement in their
hometown of Morristown, N.J.
The effort would become so much bigger.
Enriching Lives
Inspired by the quest to 昀椀nd Jeremy a home that offered an
enriching life, Diskint would end up founding an inclusive housing
model that aims to provide adults with disabilities meaningful
opportunities to fully engage with their communities.
“The goal isn’t for us to take over their life. It’s simply to
provide a housing opportunity like any other—plus enrichment that
makes life more ful昀椀lling,” Diskint said. “With my brother, for
example, in one house all they really did was feed him. Now he’s
going to parks, going out into the community and having real
experiences. That’s the difference.”
Cohome has expanded its mission to create independent living
opportunities for adults with disabilities through affordable
partnerships. Diskint has not only developed a nine-person 昀氀agship
co-living model in Morristown but has also successfully opened
additional supportive housing opportunities. He actively consults
with real estate developers to integrate supportive housing within
affordable housing obligations, which he believes 昀椀ll needs for
people with and without disabilities.
“You could live in a beautiful new building, and your neighbor
down the hall might have autism,” Diskint said. “You might see staff
come in to support them—maybe four hours a day, maybe 24/7—but
they’re just your neighbor. It’s not a separate, isolated environment.”
GW helped to provide toolkits to found such an endeavor as he
learned from mentors such as former Associate Vice Provost for
Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Jim Chung and former
Research Professor of Anthropology Peter Lucas. Diskint led research
projects and learned to move 昀氀uidly between disciplines by
collaborating with the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
“I treated GW as a resource hub,” Diskint said. “It felt like the
university wanted undergrads to actually use those resources, and
that made all the difference for me. Honestly, it felt like going to
graduate school as an undergrad. That’s how rich the experience
was for me.”
Family is at the root of Cohome’s operation, which Diskint
runs with his wife, Julie, who serves as the associate director. As he
learned through Jeremy, every family’s situation transitioning their
person with disabilities to independent living is different. It’s an
emotional move for them to make, and some clients may live in
several residences before 昀椀nding a right 昀椀t, according to a study in the
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Diskint believes it is best for families to have “trial runs” while
they still have the capacity to provide support, because living at
home may not be realistic forever, and Cohome can help with that.
Winning GW’s New Venture Competition with what would be
his 昀椀rst company, Imagnus, gave him the tools to build a team and
think like a founder. A little more than a decade later, New Jersey
families are feeling that domino effect. He hopes it’s only the
beginning of the story.
— Nick Erickson
GW Arts & Sciences | ALUMNI & DONORS | 49
