If you’re like me, you’ve probably noticed the help wanted signs at many places in our community. It seems like everyone desperately needs employees, no matter what type of work is being done. One potentially untapped pool of workers is people with disabilities. Employers who overlook people with disabilities may be missing out on great opportunities to hire amazing employees.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness month. The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate the community about disability employment issues and celebrate the various contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. This year’s theme is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” Employment can be a huge part of our identities and many people with disabilities want to experience that feeling of a job well done. Many people with disabilities can and want to work but need an employer to take a chance on them. Every person has individual strengths that they can bring to work, regardless of their disability. When we include people with disabilities in our workforce, the results benefit everyone.
The Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities can assist employers interested in hiring a person with a disability by helping that person learn the skills necessary to be a successful employee. We can offer or contract with a provider to offer assessment and on-site job coaching. We often work with other organizations such as Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities to offer services to people who are searching for employment.
As of October 2021, 51 people served by the Shelby County Board of DD are competitively employed in the community. We want to thank those employers in Shelby County who have chosen to hire people with disabilities and welcome any employer who may have a need to contact us for more information. When we include everyone, it makes our community better.
For more information on the Shelby County Board of DD, please visit our website at www.shelbydd.org or call 937-497-8155. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shelbydd.org.
