Thanks to Employers Who Take the Leap
By: Ashleigh Heimbach
Less than 30% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are employed. With the right coaching, simple accommodations and employers who can see talent, that number could rise dramatically.
How do we know? We’ve got far reaching arms and have made some irreplaceable partnerships with local area businesses. We have seen how incredible our clients do with community work and integrating with people without disabilities.
They are in retail (like Sean, who works at West Mont Flower and Trading Co.), food services (like Tanner, who works at Mackenzie River Pizza) and technology (like Nick, who works at 406 Recycling).
By providing meaningful employment opportunities, local business’s empower people. The results are often a win-win for employers: businesses who hire people with disabilities are often seen more favorably in their communities, plus employees with disabilities have lower turnover rates and are often considered model employees. Not to mention our amazing staff are there to help job coach, answer questions, provide constructive feedback for both the employee and employer.
There are many reasons the people West Mont supports struggle to find work, but the biggest barriers are:
- a lack of opportunities
- a lack of training
- stigma from potential employers
We hope employers will continue to educate themselves on employing someone with a disability. We know they won’t regret the decision.
