GREENFIELD — By thinking a little differently, employers can fill open jobs and tap into an underutilized market.
Kathy Bernhardt of Tangram Business Resourcing spread this message to a group of about 10 individuals on Thursday, during a presentation aimed at helping employers learn how to tweak their hiring practices to employ more people with disabilities.
Bernhardt, the agency’s managing director, said when people think about disabilities, they often imagine physical or intellectual disabilities, but 70 percent of people with a disability live with one that’s hidden, like dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, or psychiatric illness.
She encouraged human resources professionals to educate their staff about the spectrum of disabilities, and to provide a more welcoming culture to people with disabilities by making job descriptions more inclusive. For example, job descriptions should include the amount of social interaction required, whether workers will be exposed to hot or cold temperatures and lights, she said.
People with disabilities comprise a large, untapped labor market, she said.
Bernhardt cited a CDC report released in August, which stated one in every four Americans lives with a disability.
“There are now 57 million people with disabilities in the United States, making it the largest minority group,” she said.
Some of the key challenges businesses face today, including finding a skilled workforce, employee recruitment and retention, and finding dedicated employees, can be improved by hiring people with disabilities, she said.
According to an independent study by Walgreens, which was named the best place to work by the Disability Equality Index last year, employees with disabilities have a higher retention rate than those who don’t, Bernhardt said. The DEI is a national survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to disability inclusion and workplace equality, administered by the U.S. Business Leadership Network and American Association of People with Disabilities, according to a Walgreens news release.
Colin Murphy of Heartland Payment Systems, who attended the seminar, said he thought the information was extremely valuable.
“We need to get this to more of our hiring managers, not just HR generalists,” he said, adding that it redefined diversity and inclusiveness for him.
Retta Livengood, executive director of the Greenfield Chamber of Commerce, also attended.
She often hears from employers who are having a hard time finding skilled workers, so she hoped to learn more ways to help fill those gaps, she said. The chamber already provides a work ethic certificate and career exploration for local high school students, she said.
Livengood said the seminar was eye-opening for her.
“It shows that we need to approach interviews a little differently and be a little more open-minded and flexible.
Tangram was founded in Greenfield in 1985 by family members of six people with disabilities in Hancock County. Tangram Business Resourcing, a facet of the organization, works with businesses throughout the state of Indiana to help them become more inclusive of people with disabilities, officials said.
