National Disability Employment Awareness Month

In October, Goodwill Industries^® marks the 20th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month by educating employers and debunking myths about workers with disabilities. Between 15 and 20 percent of the U.S. population is disabled, and employers in the public and private sectors are encouraged to reach out to people with disabilities by creating a culture in which accommodations, progressive polices and job training programs are not the exception, but the norm.

For more than 100 years, Goodwill^® has been providing job training and employment services in both the private and public sectors to people with disabilities. Local Goodwills offer a variety of programs to train job seekers in the skills they need for today’s job markets, and to help them advance their careers.  They also offer a variety of trainings for employers for understanding how workplace accommodations and assistive technology devices can promote career success for employees with disabilities.

Employers hiring people with disabilities diversify their workforces and fill positions with qualified, committed individuals. "Employees with disabilities meet a broader need in the community," says Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International^®. "Goodwill guides companies and organizations on how to provide a seamless transition for job seekers with physical and mental disabilities through the use of assistive technology and other devices." 

Most workers with disabilities require no special accommodations, while the cost to accommodate those who do need assistance is minimal or often less than employers believe. "Hiring people with disabilities is good business," says Gibbons,  "Employers should tap into this skilled labor pool for the benefit of what people with disabilities can do, and the value they bring to a company."