He was wheelchair-bound and could not speak, but they were able to find him a job working on parts in the sheet metal fabrication department. He described the person as someone who was previously considered “unemployable”. Perkins clearly remembers the impact of the first individual they hired with a disability. The range of special needs they have worked with has spanned from people with significant physical limitations to the more unable to be seen developmental disabilities like autism. Since 1993, Brass Light Gallery has had, at times, up to nine percent of their employees comprised of individuals with disabilities. With that basic understanding, a culture of inclusion can grow. Like all people, we are the sum of many parts.” When disabled employees join any organization, it becomes obvious pretty quickly to everyone that those with and without disabilities aren’t all that different. She added, “Our disability is part of us, certainly, but it’s not all of us. Because the reality is, people with disabilities are just that – people. Sheehy noted that exposure to reality is the quickest way to shatter misconceptions. Our disability is part of us, certainly, but it’s not all of us. Nothing is more effective than having people with disabilities as part of your team.” And my answer is always very simple: hire someone with a disability. When asked what is the most important thing an employer can do to increase opportunities for individuals with disabilities, she replied: “That’s such a great question, and one I’m often asked in different variations by individual employers who want their company to become more disability inclusive. Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) also agrees that it’s worth it for businesses to hire individuals with disabilities. According to Perkins, “With the little bit of work that you have to do up front, you get someone who is loyal, conscientious, and hard working. Small investments were made early on for physical accommodations and to help individuals acclimate. With the company having trouble filling many of their open positions, Perkins says it was an easy decision to hire someone with a disability to do production tasks in the factory. In the 1990s when Brass Light Gallery was experiencing a high demand for general labor, they were approached by a local agency representing individuals with disabilities who were looking for employment. Operations Officer Jeff Perkins has been instrumental in incorporating individuals with disabilities into the company’s workforce for more than twenty years.
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Getting information on how to hire people with disabilities is time-consuming and complicated.The truth is that many misconceptions about hiring individuals with disabilities still exist in the business world. Multiple studies have been published that highlight all of the various ways that individuals with disabilities can enhance and improve a workplace, such as increasing productivity and morale, improving employee retention and creating a more diverse culture, but statistics still show that a growing percentage of adults with disabilities do not have a paid job in the community. He or she is believed to have a physical or mental condition or impairment that is not minor and transitoryĭisability-forward companies are those that have successfully integrated people with disabilities into their workplaces and business activities.
He or she has a history of a physical or mental condition or impairment (such as cancer that is in remission).He or she has a physical or mental condition or impairment that substantially limits a major life activity (such as walking, talking, seeing, hearing, learning, or major bodily functions, such as functions of the immune system, cardiovascular system, or normal cell growth).Under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, a person is defined as having a disability if: Recent statistics point to the fact that one out of every five adults has a disability.
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It could also be that you know someone with a disability in your professional life, if you work for a disability-forward company. Perhaps a physical or developmental disability affects someone you know personally.
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