As the unemployment rate in Michigan has improved one group of works has lagged behind. In the state, 81 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed.
"They want to work," says Ellen Stone, executive director of The Arc Community Advocates. The organization advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to help them achieve their goals for work, school, housing, or any other area of life.
Each year the Arc Community Advocates has an inclusion conference that explores ways to improve life for those with disabilities. On a three year rotation, the conferences explore education--how to get students the support they need in school, employment--how to make the transition from school to work, and life in general--how to access the systems and support needed to stay connected to the community.
For 2015, the recent conference focused on issues related to employment and transitioning from school to work for individuals with disabilities and included sessions for both individuals with disabilities and for employers.
The day drew about 150, including 10 employers and a number of service providers.
Those attending the sessions learned about ways to navigate the systems when receiving SSI or SSDI. "Being on disability does not mean you can't work," Stone says, but employees must understand the rules.
The day included 20 workshops on a variety of topics such as sessions on how those with disabilities can access transportation, when and how to disclose your disability to potential employers, and what types of supports are available to assist people in gaining meaningful employment.
There were also sessions targeted at local businesses on how to make the workplace accessible, understanding employment law as it relates to working with individuals with disabilities, and how to build a business culture that is inclusive.
Michigan Protection and Advocacy Services Executive Director Elmer Cerano and Lt. Governor Brian Calley gave updates on the many initiatives happening across Michigan to change the employment story for those with disabilities. (Calley was also in Kalamazoo four days later along with Michigan's first blind Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein as part of MI Hidden Talent Tour, a statewide tour showcasing the talents of often-overlooked individuals who have disabilities.)
Employers who say they have no jobs for those with disabilities were asked to consider their hiring practices and how they might be changed. For example, most employers require a high school diploma or GED. Those with disabilities graduate with a certificate, many of them after having been in school from age 5 to 26.
"Is the diploma what they need to do the job?" Stone asks. "If what the employer is looking for is someone who finished school, who did not drop out, these young people have gone to school for more years than their peers."
Stone says that there were examples at the conference of ways those with disabilities can be an asset to the companies they work for if time and effort is taken to match employees with jobs they have the skills to accomplish. For example, the major retailer Meijer had a distribution center in Lansing where annual turnover was 200 percent. "It was killing them," Stone says.
The company found that when it put those with disabilities in the job they came to work consistently and stuck with the job, Stone says. "It improved the profit of the company once they found employees who were willing to do the job."
Another success story came from Fifth-Third Bank, which found those with disabilities who helped with a data transfer project that was too boring for most employees without disabilities. One of them was able to recognize an error that could have been quite costly to the bank, but which most people would not have noticed.
"What makes them unique and different, if they find the right job, can make them a stellar employee," Stone says.
Michigan is working to implement more inclusive employment policies at the state level and is ready to encourage businesses statewide to do the same with the hidden talent tour, the Lt. Governor says.
"Hiring Michiganders with disabilities would change the dynamic for many companies across our state," Calley says. "There are more than 500,000 working-age adults whose talent could move a company to the next level--but they need to be given a chance first."
For more information on The Arc Community Advocates, visit their website or call 269-342-9801.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Ellen Stone, The Arc Community Advocates
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