New partnerships between government, schools and the private sector aim to bring more people with disabilities into today’s workforce.

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At 54 million strong, people with disabili-
ties are now America’s largest minority group.
The unemployment rate for this group has
steadily declined, and improvements in access
and technology have helped make it easier for
people with disabilities to join the workforce.
Companies are hiring more people with dis-
abilities as part of their overall diversity pro-
grams, and for good reason. “Employees with
disabilities come from all backgrounds and
ages, and have varied skills and perspectives,
which adds value to companies and contrib-
utes to more innovative and effective ways of
doing business,” said Jeff Klare, founder and
CEO of Hire Disability Solutions, an employ-
ment-consulting firm.
Still, there’s more work to be done. Today
only 22 percent of the nation’s working-age
Americans with disabilities have a job, com-
pared to 70 percent of those without dis-
abilities, according to the U.S. Department of
Labor. To spur hiring, the government plans to
add 100,000 federal employees with disabili-
ties to its workforce within five years, and will
continue extending tax credits to businesses
that hire from this group.
Across the U.S., people with disabilities are
taking advantage of new job-training and
placement programs that they hope will make
them more competitive. Meanwhile, new part-
nerships between government, schools and the
private sector aim to bring more people with
disabilities into today’s workforce.
Hire Disability Solutions
Based in West Nyack, Hire Disability Solutions
connects national employers with skilled men
and women with disabilities for all types of
jobs. The company focuses its services on
training, staffing and recruitment. Training
involves educating executives and hiring
managers on how to build a more produc-
tive environment for people with disabilities.
Sessions might include training on ADA law,
reasonable accommodations, accessibility and
assistive technology.
Hire Disability Solutions also
works to develop a roster of
qualified candidates through its
recruiting efforts at university,
alumni and organization events.
Then it seeks far and wide to
find the right fit for a company’s
workforce needs.
CEO Klare said he believes
there’s a strong business case for
hiring this group, from reduced
turnover costs and improved pro-
ductivity to access to new markets.
“We want to get companies to
understand exactly how integrat-
ing people with disabilities into
their workplace can really make
a difference to their bottom line,”
Klare said. “At the same time, we’re
helping to level the playing field for
people with disabilities.” For more
information, visit hireds.com.
The EmployME! Project at New Jersey
Institute of Technology
At the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT),
a public-private partnership called EmployME!
is preparing adults with physical disabilities for
entry-level and advanced jobs in information
technology. NJIT is in its third year of this con-
tinuing education program, which is funded by a
grant from Henry H. Kessler Foundation of West
Orange, N.J., with training and development of
students for the program done by The Carey
Group. “This is a win-win program for every-
one,” said Elaine Katz, Vice President of Grant
Programs and Special Initiatives at the Kessler
Foundation, “because public-private partnerships
are always about each partner delivering on what
their organization does best.”
In addition to an 18-week training course in
computer-aided classrooms that are equipped
with assistive technology, EmployME! stu-
dents receive one-on-one job coaching and
placement assistance for jobs. By the con-
clusion of 2010, 52 students will have been
trained for new or upgraded jobs. More than
half of the graduates have obtained jobs with
area employers.
A 2008 graduate, 38-year-old Cris Rosenvinge
has a traumatic brain injury as the result of a
motorcycle accident. He recently found a job as
a research and data-entry clerk and works out
of his home in Parlin, N.J. Said Rosenvinge, “This
program gave me the chance to show potential
employers that even though I may be different,
I can still be a good employee.” For more infor-
mation, call (800) 624-9850.
Diversity &
Disability Hiring
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ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT
This year, the nation will celebrate
the 20th anniversary of the Americans
with Disabilities Act, a landmark law
that removed employment barriers
and opened new opportunities for
people with disabilities. Much has
changed over the last two decades,
but challenges remain.
Across the U.S., people with disabilities are taking advantage
of new job-training and placement programs that they
hope will make them more competitive.
This special advertising feature is sponsored by participating advertisers. The material
was written by Suzanne Robitaille of abledbody.com and did not involve the reporting
or editing staff of The New York Times. ©2010 The New York Times

2. rugers
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newton public
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njit marketin
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james
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ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT
Think Beyond the Label Campaign
While disability employment ads aren’t new,
one organization is taking a radically different
approach. Think Beyond The Label, a collabo-
ration of 38 states with Medicare Infrastructure
Grants, is using edgy humor to make a busi-
ness case for hiring people with disabilities.
Instead of creating typical public service
announcements, Think Beyond the Label raised
enough capital for a $4 million marketing-
and-advertising campaign aimed at small and
mid-size companies. Its goal: Raise awareness
about the benefits of hiring people with dis-
abilities and compel employers to take action.
“We knew we had to think about this cam-
paign as a business in order to make an impact
and attract decision-makers,” said Barbara
Otto, Executive Director of Health & Disability
Advocates, a state and national policy and
advocacy organization that led the project. The
national “Think Beyond The Label” ad campaign
will run through 2010. It depicts workers as
having quirky impairments ranging from being
a fashion disaster (“pattern-deficient”) to hav-
ing two left feet on the dance floor (“rhythm-
impaired”). “The point,” said Otto, “is to shed
the labels given to people and look instead at
what value they can bring to a company.”
To reach decision-makers, particularly those
in the C-suite, the campaign targets prominent
news and business outlets in both broadcast-
ing and print media. Interested businesses are
also encouraged to visit the campaign hub,
thinkbeyondthelabel.com, for information on
hiring people with disabilities in their area.
To date, more than 1,000 businesses have
registered on the website. For
more information, visit think-
beyondthelabel.com.
The John J. Heldrich Center
for Workforce Development
Rutgers, the State University
of New Jersey, is home to
several national research and
policy centers that are devot-
ed to improving employment
opportunities for individuals
with disabilities.
One center, The John J.
Heldrich Center for Workforce
Development, identifies and
analyzes best practices in
workforce development and
policy. It also turns the center’s
cutting-edge education and
workplace research into practi-
cal programs that companies,
unions, schools and government agencies can
use to strengthen their workforces, create
jobs and remain competitive. “It’s like a labo-
ratory,”
said Kathy Krepico, Executive Director
of the Heldrich Center, “where we create
innovative, applied solutions to well-doc-
umented workplace challenges, especially
those involving a diverse workforce.”
With a grant from the U.S. Department
of Labor, the center recently estab-
lished the National Technical Assistance
and Research Center to Promote
Leadership for Increasing Employment
and Economic Independence of Adults
with Disabilities. The NTAR Leadership
Center is devoted to helping states
improve disability employment rates,
and is working closely with three states
— Connecticut, Maryland and Minnesota
— in an intensive leadership institute
designed to develop sustainable state
models for job creation for people with
disabilities. Other states, including New
York and New Jersey, will also benefit from
access to NTAR Leadership Center experts
who can help them improve their disability-
employment initiatives. For more information,
visit heldrich.rutgers.edu.
Newton Public Schools
As the ninth-largest school district in the state of
Massachusetts, Newton is no stranger to diver-
sity. The city currently educates nearly 12,000
students in 21 schools, with a new $200-million
high school scheduled to open in 2010.
A commitment to diversity and special
needs is what makes Newton an outstanding
school system, said Gil Lawrence, Assistant
Director of Human Resources at Newton
Public Schools. One school, Newton North
High, is the region’s high school serving deaf
and hard of hearing students; it also serves
more than 100 students with significant
physical and emotional disabilities.
Newton North High takes a hands-on
approach to teaching, exemplified in the
school’s student-run restaurant, Tiger’s
Loft. “It’s a program for kids, including kids
with disabilities, to get hands-on experi-
ence that translates in the real world,”
Lawrence said. Culinary exploration is a
central theme at the school. David Ticchi,
who is visually impaired, leads the culinary
internship program that trains and places
deaf and hard-of-hearing students in res-
taurant jobs throughout the Greater Boston
area. Ticchi’s disability, Lawrence adds,
“makes it easy for him to be a leader and
relate to the students.” For more informa-
tion, visit newton.k12.ma.us. n
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is home to
several national research and policy centers that are
devoted to improving employment opportunities for
individuals with disabilities.