Just after Kamal’s high school graduation in June 2024, he came to Easterseals New Jersey’s Supported Employment program seeking job opportunities. Assisted by his mother, the shy but friendly teen was eager to speak with a job coach in hopes of finding his very first job.
Kamal was supported by Employment Specialist Jehron Holland, who discussed his goals, developed new interview skills, and learned what jobs were available in his area. After five months, in November 2024, Kamal had the opportunity to speak with members from Jetro Restaurant Depot in Atlantic County, a recent partnership of Easterseals.
After discussing their current job openings, Kamal realized one aligned with his skills and happily accepted an offer as their new Cleaning Porter. Kamal worked tirelessly and dedicated himself to learning all about his new position so he could do his best. Recently, Kamal celebrated reaching his 90-day mark with the company!
We are so proud to see Kamal thriving in his new workplace and are grateful to Jetro Restaurant Depot for their partnership in finding him a position!
Arisbel joined Easterseals New Jersey in 2019, struggling with challenging behaviors, including aggression and hesitation toward new experiences. At the time, she lacked the confidence to navigate tasks independently and step outside of her comfort zone. With the guidance, support, and encouragement from our dedicated staff, Arisbel has transformed her life in ways that inspire everyone around her.
Story written by Employee Experience Specialist at Easterseals NJ, Monica Cucciniello
Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity to attend The Chamber of Commerce Networking Event at Rutgers University. I was unsure of what to expect, but after being there for a short time, I knew it would be an unforgettable experience. From being greeted by the welcoming Chamber of Commerce Committee Members to meeting such outstanding, kind, and hardworking employees, I knew this experience was something every organization should be a part of.
If you are super lucky, you love your work. Getting up every day is a thrill and you can’t wait to see what new information the day will bring. However, if you are, unfortunately, like most, you go to work to earn a paycheck. And, hopefully, you have more good days than bad.
If you find yourself “not fitting in” at work, stop and think. Does your company have a Diversity and Inclusion policy that protects you?
When it comes to hiring in the workplace, diversity is a rather easy area to measure. It’s not difficult to make goals and measure metrics to assure the Human Resources recruiters are hitting various targets.
On the other hand, measuring inclusion is far more difficult. In a sense, the only way to truly measure inclusion is by starting to have conversations with various teams at your company. From management down, ask questions and not only listen to answers, but create strategies to integrate new ideas for inclusionary practices into your company’s culture.
Asking these questions could include personal 1:1 meetings with teams and managers, managers sending out micro surveys to their teams, or by a companywide annual employee survey asking employees to share their opinions anonymously. Yes, you’ll have to ask the hard questions… so be ready to read what could be harsh responses. However, employee feedback is the only way to truly gauge if your company is doing its role to be part of the DEI solution, rather than adding to the problem.
Welcome to PART 3 of our Business Side of Disability blog series. If you’ve missed PART 1 and PART 2, please give them a read, but it’s not necessary to understand this article. In those blogs, we discussed recruitment strategies and the benefits employees with disabilities bring to an organization. Now, we will be discussing how you can make your workplace more accessible by exploring technology and workplace accommodations.
As part of our continued celebration of October being National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), this is PART 2 of our blog series showcasing the untapped workforce of job seekers with disabilities. In PART 1, we explored the overall value workers with disabilities can bring to your organization, but here we will be exploring how you can attract those employees to apply for open positions at your company.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and in the spirit of the occasion, we decided to do something a little different with our blog…
Many times, we have written about employment and disability from the perspective of the job seeker. For this article we will be taking a different approach. Easterseals job coaches often go above and beyond providing individual job supports to our program participants. They visit businesses to speak with owners/managers to discuss how hiring an employee with a disability can help meet their staffing needs. Often hiring managers are unaware of the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, let alone that so many people are actively seeking work. That’s why we’re going to discuss why looking to the untapped workforce of people with disabilities to fill your next open position, makes good business sense.
Workers With Disabilities by the Numbers
Purely decorative graph
Unemployment has dropped to record levels, which has made it
difficult
for employers to find the right people for the open positions they desperately
hope to fill. A perfect opportunity to look toward the 7.7%
of New Jersey working-age (21-64) persons who identify as has having a disability.
That’s approximately 700,000 people. 10.7% of those individuals were unemployed
and actively seeking work. That’s 70,000+ individuals in New Jersey only who are
looking to work for New Jersey businesses. Still, there is hesitancy for hiring
managers to employee people with disabilities, evidenced by the 35.8% point
employment gap between people with disabilities and those without.
There may be many reasons for this disparity, but the number
one issue our job coaches have encountered is the stigma that still surrounds workers
with disabilities. This stigma often stems from some commonly held
misconceptions on the topic. So let’s address take a look at these issues here
and now and learn more about why you should start hiring people with
disabilities.
The More You Know
Employees with disabilities are reliable, dedicated, and consistently are recorded as having impressive job performance, attendance records, and retention rates.
It’s actually cost-effective to hire people with disabilities because benefits and insurance are sometimes covered by government programs, reducing your company’s overhead. You can also receive a tax credits for working with people with disabilities, helping to off-set any accommodation costs for providing accommodations for an employee.
Employees with disabilities often qualify for training and support programs like those Easterseals provides. This means often the individual you are hiring is either already trained in their job task, or the training you would normally pay for, instead is provided by Easterseals rather than coming out of your budget.
There is plenty of accessible technology available today which allows integration into the workplace possible. Everything from screen readers to accessible phone applications allow for many employees with disabilities to accomplish job tasks you may not have initially thought was possible for them.
These points may have dispelled some of the reservations you may have about hiring a person with a disability, but if you still have questions, let us know! Our workforce development team is always open to meeting with business leaders to discuss how we can work together to help solve your staffing issues.
It’s a line we hear all too often from hucksters, schemers, and con-men:
“You can go from rags to riches by buying my book and learning my money making secrets!”
They make promises of earning a six-figure salary in 6 months if you give them your money and listen to their advice. We of course know these are scams. But what if I told you I had a story about someone who enrolled in an Easterseals New Jersey program, spent $0 to do so, and ended up leaving the program with a $100,000 salary for a 40/hr. a week job – in under six months? Would you believe me? You should.
In America today, we have a strong economy and unemployment is at an all-time-low. Companies are hiring, and have even expressed difficulty filling all their open positions. Now is the perfect time to start offering these employment opportunities to people with disabilities and special needs.
There is an unfounded misconception (emphasis on MISconception) that people with disabilities cannot work effectively.
