Organizations like ATI are expanding to provide more resources for people with disabilities seeking employment. (Photo by Paige Connors.)
Part of our regular coverage of the job market for people with disabilities are the reports from the U.S. Department of Labor. Now April brings the quarterly composite data, which reveals an unemployment rate that is 74% higher among this population set, according to a story by Kristin Samuelson of the Chicago Tribune. Fortunately, more and more programs are springing up to provide people with disabilities with employment via contract services or offer career training and business development opportunities.
In fact, in the very next day’s issue of the Chicago Tribune, Elliot Raphaelson discusses where people with disabilities looking to start their own business can find help. (Short answer: vocational rehabilitation services like here at ATI are a great starting point.) Raphaelson writes that people with disabilities are twice as likely to be self-employed, and loan guarantee programs, business plan development, and business counseling services are important for getting a budding entrepreneur on his or her way:
When they plan to establish a business, people with disabilities have to confront extra challenges, such as arranging for insurance and special furniture. They often lack the assets they need to start a business, as well as mentors and business contacts who understand the particular challenges they face.
The same day as the Tribune piece, Walgreens Stores issued a press release announcing the hiring of Rueben Slone as senior vice president of supply chain management. We’ve commended the retail drugstore chain on a few occasions for its efforts to employ people with disabilities, and Slone’s experience in the logistics industry combined with his involvement with the Illinois nonprofit, Aspire, make him a good choice to achieve Walgreens’ stated goal of having 10% of its workforce comprised of people with disabilities by the end of 2012.
Logistics has been a sector where many people with disabilities have found employment, either with organizations like Walgreens or through contract labor services. As more manufacturing jobs are outsourced to Americans instead of overseas, businesses are realizing the value of utilizing these services for assembly, sorting, packing, and other manual labor duties to help them maintain control over their supply chain.
In a report by Newschannel 34, an NBC affiliate in Binghamton, NY, they mention that the organization, ACHIEVE, is expanding its operation to a fourth location, which will make light manufacturing jobs and vocational training immediately available to 28 individuals with disabilities on its current waiting list.
The ATI contract services workforce of almost 200 people are ready to handle various logistics duties for businesses in this part of Massachusetts. Talk to one of our reps today to see how we can help control your supply chain costs.
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