[Electronics-talk] Good News!

[Star Song]

In today's Christian Science Monitor:

Bottom line, disabled people might be better employees






By the Monitor's Editorial Board / August 6, 2013

Few people noticed, but last week marked the 23rd anniversary of 
the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. That 
landmark law is best known for mandating such conveniences as 
designated parking for people with disabilities, wheelchair 
ramps, and Braille on elevators. A whole generation has now 
benefited from it. But one thing has not changed very much for 
Americaâ?Ts 54 million disabled people: landing a job.

That may change with a report last week by the National Governors 
Association. It is called â?oA Better Bottom Line: Employing 
People with Disabilities.â? Note the words â?obottom lineâ? The 
report aims to help states support a trend in American business 
led by Walgreens. Since 2007, the drugstore chain has hired those 
with disabilities not out of magnanimous charity but for the 
competitive advantage in employing disabled workers.

Studies of Walgreensâ?Ts experience at a few distribution centers 
show disabled workers are more efficient and loyal than 
nondisabled workers. Absenteeism has gone down, turnover is less, 
and safety statistics are up. And the cost of accommodating such 
workers with new technologies and education is minimal.

More than 100 executives of major companies have toured Walgreens 
distribution centers where at least a third of workers are 
physically or mentally disabled. And last year, the US Chamber of 
Commerce committed to increasing the employment of people with 
disabilities by 1 million by 2015.

â?oWalgreens has shown that people with these disabilities can 
work alongside people without disabilities,â? says Sen. Tom 
Harkin (D) of Iowa. â?oYou canâ?Tt tell who is who and which is 
which.â?

This isnâ?Tt just a business trend but a societal change in 
attitude. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, the recent head of the 
governors association and the leader behind the report, says 
employers must focus on a personâ?Ts ability rather than 
disability â?" or even on how a disability enhances a personâ?Ts 
employability. Many disabled workers are so grateful for a job 
that they work harder. Some industries, such as software and data 
testing, prefer workers with certain disabilities, such as 
autism, because of a personâ?Ts intense focus on detail.

Still, business needs a partner in government to make this shift. 
The report cites successes in several states in linking up 
disabled people with employers and tracking the benefits of 
hiring such workers. Teens who are disabled need help, beginning 
in middle school, to assess their skills and the industries that 
need them. The report advises states to approach businesses with 
a proposition on the value that disabled workers bring to 
shareholders, not with â?oan appeal to their corporate 
responsibility.â?

â?oBusinesses tell states that they do not want to hire a 
candidate to meet a stateâ?Ts need,â? according to the report. 
â?oThey want to hire a candidate that meets the business needs.â?

Walgreens now plans to have at least a quarter of its workforce 
consist of people with disabilities. Other companies are 
following in its path. They have plenty of people to pick from. 
Only 1 of 3 disabled adults is employed. Finding them is half the 
battle. State governments are best equipped to help in such 
recruitment.

The incentive for government to encourage this trend is strong. 
More than a third of people on income-based assistance are 
disabled. Studies show employing them raises tax revenue and 
reduces entitlement spending.

But more than money is at stake. Disabled people simply want to 
be treated for the best they can offer â?" which might just be 
better than what a potential employer presumes.