I recently saw a television advertisement for this organization: Think Beyond the Label | Evolve Your Workforce. Their website, www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com, says that they are ”committed to making the business case for employing people with disabilities.”
“Our goal is simple: to raise awareness that hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense. Employees with disabilities have unique, competitively relevant knowledge and perspectives about work processes, bringing different perspectives to meeting work requirements and goals successfully. Hiring someone who ‘thinks outside the box’ might be thinking too small when there’s an opportunity to hire someone who lives outside the box.”
The EEOC recently celebrated 20 years since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. One quote from the article stuck with me: “Work is key to the soul.” Chai Feldblum, the EEOC Commissioner, is quoted as saying that work is not just about paying bills. “It’s about feeling important, about feeling useful.” http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/7-22-10.cfm
Anyone who ever met my cousin would understand this sentiment first hand. She was born with a host of physicial disabilities: legally blind, legally deaf, dwarfism, you name it. For more than 15 years, she has worked part-time at her local library alphabetizing and organizing. This job, which some would deem unimportant, means everything to her. The idea of missing a day of work is inconceivable to her. Work gives her purpose.
Many employers panic when it comes to handling issues related to employees with disabilities. The reality is that the multitude of laws surrounding disabilities, accommodations and leave are daunting. That said, I have witnessed many a success story involving an employer who took the time and the heart to work with a disabled employee. This website has pages devoted to such stories. They have a page devoted to debunking the myths associated with hiring individuals with disabilities. They also have a page devoted to the “Business Case” for hiring individuals with disabilities. Additionally, they have an informatin page related to the tax incentives for businesses who employee people with disabilities: http://www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com/Learning-Tools/TaxIncentivesTipSheet.aspx .
My cousin is an inspiration to me. She reminds me to value my good fortune and that my good fortunhe includes my abilitiy to work and be a productive member of society. I believe she has that impact on everyone she meets. Her very presence at the local library breaks down the barriers and the myths of working with individuals with disabilities.
