A Provide technical assistance to and engage with businesses interested in employing individuals with disabilities. Expertise in private sector-specific
challenges and opportunities should be developed and then communicated in a business-friendly manner. With the goal of increasing shared knowledge and collaboration, states should establish and/or reinforce connection points for businesses with public servants supporting those individuals with disabilities.
Suggested Strategies i Written resources, including best practices, should be developed for and by those with business experience.
ii Dedicate staff with business expertise.
iii Provide a single point of contact to interact with the business sector who can help businesses navigate state agencies that support the employment of individuals with disabilities.
Note: The national network of the 80 state vocational rehabilitation programs supports a united or “one company” approach to working with business customers. As part of this, each state vocational rehabilitation, or VR, director has named a business consultant who functions as the designated point of contact for their agency. These 80 points of contact, through Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation—or CSAVR—leadership and support, form the National Employment Team, or NET. The NET’s vision statement is: To create a coordinated approach to serving business customers through a national VR team that specialized in employer development, business consulting and corporate relations.
iv Establish, expand and improve governor’s committees/commissions/boards that work for businesses interested in employing people with disabilities. v Engage in a public awareness and education campaign highlighting success stories of businesses hiring people with disabilities.
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities Ohio’s Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities “works with partners in business, education and nonprofit organizations to facilitate customized employment plans for Ohioans with disabilities; help Ohio companies recruit and retain employees with disabilities; and is the sole agency administering the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs in Ohio.” There are three bureaus under the OOD that work on services, vocational rehabilitation and disability determination. The program also emphasizes business engagement. The Annual Report showcases DisAbility Job Fairs, employers’ trainings, and fostering a peer-to-peer business organization.
EXAMPLES IN ACTION The Florida Governor’s Commission on Jobs for Floridians with Disabilities has established an employer help desk within the Abilities Work web portal, part of the Employ Florida Marketplace, to provide a single point of contact to assist employers in navigating state and federal disability support systems. South Dakota’s Ability for Hire campaign, an initiative of the South Dakota Department of Human Services, provides links to critical resources and video testimonials from business owners on their own experiences and realized benefits of hiring people with disabilities. It should be noted that South Dakota is the state with the highest employment rate of people with disabilities.
National Task Force on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities
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