By Leigh Anne Wenning
Contributing columnist
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 recognized as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This is a special time for us to highlight the contributions of workers with disabilities and to raise awareness of the very real impact and importance of inclusion in the workplace. Statistics have continued to demonstrate that people with disabilities are reliable and dedicated employees.
Locally, we at the Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities support 79 individuals with disabilities to be competitively employed in our local community.
In collaboration with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, we provide support directly to the employees to help remove obstacles, as well as the employers to make sure the job is a fit for all parties. We can also assist by providing support to our provider partners who can offer assessment and on-site job-coaching.
The photograph shows our Employment Specialist, Shellie Farrier, trying out a cutting-edge device that assists people with vision impairments to move around more independently.
The SCBDD starts working with students with disabilities in high school to gauge their interests and skill levels, as well as to start broaching topics like punctuality and workplace attire. Every year, a group of students goes through our Summer Work Experience camps and has the opportunity to experience several different jobs, as well as learn about the skills needed to do them.
If you or someone you know wants to know more about how you can hire people with disabilities, please call 937-497-8155 and ask for Jeff Coaty. We would like to thank our local business partners who continue to employ people with disabilities in Shelby County.
For more information on other services provided by SCBDD, please visit our website at www.shelbydd.org and make sure to follow us on social media.
Leigh Anne Wenning is the superintendent of the Shelby County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
