Employers to discuss social and financial benefits of the hiring disabled at the summer meeting of the American Public Human Services Association in Washington.
July 18, 2004
WASHINGTON -- One of the most solid and loyal segment of employees comes from the nation’s disabled population, but employers historically have difficulty getting information on the benefits of hiring the disabled, not to mention how to go about hiring them.
The issue becomes more urgent as the economy improves and demand for labor intensifies. Employment experts say that in the near future, only businesses with a strategic recruiting and retention plan will have the workforce they need. These companies recognize the value of keeping experienced workers.
Meanwhile, many employers also recognize the value of public image and higher employee morale by having diversity on the workplace. Human resource officers often cite social benefits from having a diverse workforce.
“Many Americans with significant disabilities want to work, but are discouraged from doing so by barriers in the current system of benefits and supports. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 seeks to address many of these barriers,” said Jerry Friedman, executive director at the American Public Human Services Association.
“Workers with disabilities can reap the benefits of legislation designed to help them more easily attain gainful employment,” he said.
Martha Roherty, director of the Center for Workers with Disabilities at the American Public Human Services Association, said 32 states have authorization for a Medicaid Buy-In program and 29 states have implemented their program.
“The ability for individuals to buy in to the Medicaid program eliminates what has been a significant problem for people with disabilities,” Roherty said. Without the Buy-In provision, earnings from paid employment have made a person with disabilities ineligible for vital medical coverage, she said.
For those states that have Buy-In programs in place, one of the key challenges is how to get the employers to want to participate in the program by hiring workers with disabilities. Employers express frustration that the vocational rehabilitation training that workers receive does not match the set of requirements that they have. Workers with disabilities often are caught in the cross-hairs between the employers and the states.
A workshop at the upcoming Summer Meeting of the American Public Human Services Association will provide crucial information on how companies can foster employment of individuals with disabilities.
The session will focus on the employer’s perspective on hiring individuals with disabilities. A representative of the Chamber of Commerce will advise employers how states have worked with employer bases to foster employment of disabled workers. The president of the U.S. Business Leadership Steering Committee will describe the work of the Business Leadership Network. The BLN is a group of employer-led organizations dedicated to increasing workforce and marketplace diversity.
The workshop will be at 9:45 a.m., Monday, July 19, at the Grant Hyatt, 1000 H St., N.W. Washington, DC 20001.
The American Public Human Services Association is a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of individuals and agencies concerned with human services. Its members include all state and territorial human services agencies, more than 150 local agencies, and several thousand individuals who work in or otherwise have an interest in human service programs. Its mission is to develop, promote and implement public human service policies and practices that improve the health and well-being of families, children and adults.
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