| County top in jobs for those with disabilities |
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| Written by JORDAN CRAVENS Sentinel Staff Writer | ||
| Friday, 17 August 2012 09:35 | ||
The state average for employing adults with developmental disabilities is 15 percent. That compares to a 40 percent rate in Wood County, which is the highest percentage in the state, said Ben Hollinger, director of the Employment First initiative for the state. The Employment First initiative, which was started in March, works to improve collaboration between agencies to increase meaningful employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. In Wood County, there are 225 jobs being completed by people with developmental disabilities, said Vic Gable, Employment Service coordinator for Wood Lane. "I think we need to shine a spotlight on where employment is successful in the state," Hollinger said. "And we also need to figure out what we can emulate in other areas of the state," he said. Hollinger, along with other Wood Lane staff members, visited the Sentinel-Tribune on Thursday. He toured the circulation area of the newspaper where two women with developmental disabilities work. He spoke with the women, learned about their jobs, how they get to work, where they live, and how many hours they work each week. Hollinger planned to visit several other county employment locations including the Way Library, Barry's Bagels, Calphalon, Wood Lane farm, and others, to visit with adults in their work environment. Wood County's high employment percentage mark can be attributed to several factors, Gable said. First, he said, Wood County was one of the first, if not the first, Board of Developmental Disabilities to have an employment program. Secondly, he said, "The business community here has been very supportive of the citizens with developmental disabilities." Transportation is also a key. The board, knowing residents live in a rural county, has made getting to and from work easier for them. A Wood Lane shuttle takes many workers to their jobs. "Without the shuttle, we would not be able to have as many people employed because they could not get to work," Gable said. "Transportation is always the biggest obstacle," Hollinger agreed. While numbers have not shown a dramatic increase since the Employment First initiative was launched, Hollinger expects to see long-term impacts. "I am hopeful in the next year to two years, we will start to see the impact of our efforts," Hollinger said. Next month, Hollinger will deliver a report to the governor outlining bench marks for employing more people and the plan for doing so. "Even a 5 percent difference in the state would have a big impact not only in the lives of those people, but also as a system," Hollinger said. |
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| Last Updated on Friday, 17 August 2012 10:46 |
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