Don't Let a Disability Affect Employability

By Leslie Battiste, Public Relations
Goodwill Industries-Big Bend, Inc.
Tallahassee, FL
November 16,2009
http://www.tallahassee.com/

When you think of Goodwill Industries, what comes to mind? A place that needs donations? A store with low prices? Goodwill does sell donated items, but only to fund our programs to help people with disabilities and other barriers to employment reach their fullest potential in the work force.

Through Goodwill Industries-Big Bend Inc.'s mission services, those individuals receive job counseling, computer and office training, GED preparation, job-search skills and assistance in finding jobs. We also work with high school students with disabilities, giving them work experience in our workshop and stores.

Not only does Goodwill help people with disabilities find jobs in the community, but also many of our nearly 500 employees have disabilities or other barriers to employment. I was hired in 1976, one year after graduating from Florida State with a degree in mass communications. William Graham, CEO at that time, and Denise Horne, then human resources director, had the confidence to put me in charge of writing and designing publications as well as other tasks, when other employers were afraid to hire me. Now I'm a wage earner and taxpayer. I own my home and am financially independent because Goodwill gave me a chance.

Ira Jones has also worked for Goodwill for about 30 years, supporting his wife and two daughters. He has a hearing as well as a learning disability. He has attended adult basic education classes through Goodwill's "Earn and Learn" program for employees.

Many, like Ira and me, have been hired by Goodwill, but hundreds of men and women find jobs in the community through Goodwill's career training centers each year. Goodwill Industries-Big Bend has CTCs in Tallahassee, Panama City and Valparaiso as well as in Thomasville and Cairo, Ga. Counselors and instructors work with each participant to determine employment interests and abilities and then work with them and their employers to ensure their success on the job.

Why should you hire a person with a disability? Here are six of many reasons given by Goodwill Industries International:

· Your assumptions may be wrong. Just because someone has a disability doesn't mean he or she is defined by that disability. People with disabilities have a variety of skills and talents — the same as is true of the entire work population. You may be under the impression that just because someone has a disability, he or she is unable to perform a certain task. Often, that's an incorrect assumption.

· It's all about performance. A 30-year study by DuPont found that employees with disabilities have above-average records in job performance, attendance, dependability and safety. Many employers mistakenly believe that workers with disabilities have higher absentee rates or cannot be trained to perform certain tasks.

· It won't affect your insurance premium. Some employers worry that, if they hire a worker with a disability, their insurance premium will rise. In fact, insurance rates are based on the relative hazards of the job and the accident history of the workplace, and not on whether workers have disabilities.

· Accommodations? Not so much. You might be surprised how many worker disabilities simply go unnoticed in the workplace. That's because most workers with disabilities need little or no accommodations to perform their jobs. The bottom line, according to the Job Accommodation Network, is that nearly half of all job accommodations cost nothing to implement. And for those that do require a cost, almost three out of four have a price tag under $500.

· Technology is helping. Technological advances are leading to increases in productivity for all kinds of workers, including those with disabilities. Dictating software, screen readers and special keyboards are just a few of the many advancements in the modern workplace. And nearly half of the adults with disabilities say that the Internet has helped improve the quality of their lives.

· What you don't know can help you. It's true that we all bring our own life experiences to our jobs. A life lesson learned along the way can prove invaluable to a worker down the road. Workers with disabilities often have distinctive perspectives on life based on their own unique experiences, adding to the diversity and vitality of the workplace.

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20091116/OPINION05/911160307/1006/opinion

Copyright ©2009


Leslie Battiste works with public relations at Goodwill Industries-Big Bend, Inc. Contact her at lbattiste@comcast.net.