Working with Employers to Place Clients With Disabilities Best Practices re: Working with Employers and Employer Intermediaries to Place Job Seekers with Disabilities G ary E. Enyard Project Manager/Rehabilitation Coordinator

Background The goal of placing clients with disabilities on jobs is part of the overall strategic plan of the Full Employment Council. The Full Employment Council is a business-led, non- profit corporation whose mission is to obtain public and private sector employment for the unemployed and underemployed residents of the Greater Kansas City area. The Full Employment Council is also the fiscal agent for the One Stop system in the Greater Kansas City area.

Employer Outreach To increase the placement rate of clients with disabilities the Full Employment Council entered into a partner with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce to develop employment information and identify potential employers for the disabled community and provide information to its membership base. The program brokers information, initiates business connections and makes available an untapped labor market of people with disabilities.

Employer Outreach The chamber’s job board is utilized for businesses to post positions directed toward job seekers with disabilities and for potential employees to post resumes/job orders. Job seekers with disabilities can also complete an application for services from the One Stop Career Centers. The site is also used to educate the business community about the available expertise that exists among workers with disabilities and how to hire such persons.

Employer Outreach The Chamber markets disability information to member companies through Workforce Solutions and Workforce Connections. The Chamber works with employers to improve their understanding of the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities. The Chamber coordinates job development with placement staff at the One Stop Centers and facilitates employer’s tours of the One Stop Career Centers. The Chamber assists the One Stop staff in facilitating employer focus groups on the hiring of clients with disabilities.

Employer Response/Results Though the Chamber’s initiative, employers with a history of hiring clients with disabilities were identified. Clients with disabilities participate in hiring fairs that are held weekly at the One Stop Career Centers. Clients with disabilities are referred for on-the-job- training, internships and work experiences. Employers expressed a need for a better understanding of what having a “disability” means.

Employer Response/Results Employers express concern about the need to provide accommodations and the fiscal impact of providing accommodations. Employers state that they do not know where to go when they want to hire someone with a disability. Employers express frustration over having to deal with rehabilitation professionals in the hiring process. Employers express concern over punitive action being taken if they violate tenets of ADA.

Conclusion The Full Employment Council’s experience in working with employers in the hiring of clients with disabilities is that the placement process has to be integrated into the overall placement protocol within the One Stop system. Employers state that qualification and experience are the benchmarks by which they make hiring decisions. Job placement specialists at the Full Employment Council conduct job matching and hiring fairs with clients with disabilities along with other clients who are looking for employment.

Conclusion The protocol for addressing the issue of a client’s disability with an employer is dealt with during the prescreening process. Decisions such as will the client need to let the employer know that they need accommodations for the interview process are made jointly with the client. The goal is for the client to get the employer to look at the client’s ability and not the disability.

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