Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Randy Berg may have lost his eye-sight after a 1987 motorcycle accident, but that’s never stopped him from pursuing his goals.
A single parent, he’s raised two children, helped build a house, worked at several jobs and earned a degree in social work from Indiana State University. Berg, 49, who is totally blind, would like to have a job in his chosen field.
He works part-time at Lifeline and also has an internship at Hamilton Center that he hopes could eventually land him a regular job there. The internship is funded through federal stimulus dollars that will run out Sept. 30.
“I want to work,” Berg said.
His internship involves answering and transferring telephone calls in Hamilton Center’s Vigo County Support Services. With adaptive technology, he also could schedule appointments. “He’s an excellent [intern],” said Catherine Reeves, Berg’s supervisor at Hamilton Center.
Staff had some concerns because of his disability — but once he began his internship in July, they immediately realized what a capable worker he is. “After the second day, we realized he’s not the one who’s blind. We are” because of preconceived notions, Reeves said.
If he’s not sure of something, he asks. Before he began his internship, he spent some time at Hamilton Center becoming acquainted with the building, she said.
“I wish I could hire him. If I could, I would in a heartbeat,” Reeves said.
Now, a Wabash Valley organization is working to increase the number of employers that hire people with disabilities.
For about a year, the Business Leadership Network-Wabash Valley has had a Business Leaders group that meets quarterly, and the organization wants to increase the number of employers that attend.
The next meeting is from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Those who attend quarterly meetings will hear about programs and tax incentives available when they hire people with disabilities. They also learn about different disabilities, disability etiquette and other topics that might be of interest, said Mary Ann Clark, director of Hamilton Center’s Spectrum Services.
“We hope that as a result of being involved in the Business Leadership Network, they will be more willing to hire persons with disabilities,” Clark said.
Those who make hiring decisions, including business executives and human resources staff, are encouraged to attend.
Hamilton Center is the lead agency for the Wabash Valley Chapter of the Business Leadership Network, a national organization.
“Statistics show that hiring persons with disabilities makes good business sense, but employers are traditionally leery of doing so because they think there will be problems associated with it or the cost of providing accommodations would be too high,” Clark said.
Statistics show that the average cost to make accommodations for an employee with a disability is $500 or less, Clark said.
There are tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities as well as on-the-job training programs.
On-the-job training is an individualized training program, designed and conducted at the actual work site. The job applicant receives the specific skill training need to secure employment and the employer is reimbursed for a portion of the training cost.
There are other advantages. “So many statistics show that people with disabilities make excellent employees,” Clark said.
A three-year study by DePaul University of employers from the healthcare, retail and hospitality industries showed the following:
n Employees with disabilities from the retail and hospitality sectors stayed on the job longer than participants without disabilities.
n Across all three industries, employees with disabilities had fewer scheduled absences than those without disabilities.
n Retail employees with disabilities had fewer days of unscheduled absences than those without disabilities.
Union Hospital is among the local employers that hires those with disabilities. “They make good workers. They are very dependable and they want to succeed like everyone else,” said Karen Rusk, a Union Hospital human resources generalist.
Rusk attends the Business Leaders meetings to network, and she is able to share examples of some of the resources Union has used when hiring those with disabilities. “We learn from one another,” she said.
Service providers also attend the meetings and employers “learn about new services and grants out there,” Rusk said.
Some businesses might be reluctant to hire those with disabilities because they don’t realize all the resources available in the community to help people with disabilities prepare for jobs, Rusk said. Organizations in the community provide on-the-job training and coaches.
“I don’t think there is a good understanding of the resources available and how easy it can be to hire someone with a disability,” Rusk said.
Also, an accommodation might be as easy as providing countertops appropriate for someone in a wheelchair, she said. For someone with a hearing disability, it might mean making sure a telephone has appropriate volume adjustments.
Some employees might not require any accommodation, she said.
What’s important is to find the right job match for the applicant. “We want them to be successful,” Rusk said.
Baesler’s Market also has hired people with disabilities. “They are very good employees,” said owner Bob Baesler. “They are reliable and dependable. In a lot of respects, they are just like someone without disabilities.”
And the disability isn’t the reason Baesler’s chooses to hire a particular person, he said. Those people are probably hired because of their personality and persistence, and it just so happens they have a disability.
The Wabash Valley chapter of BLN is part of a larger state initiative. Other chapters exist in Bloomington, Indianapolis and other communities.
The Business Leadership Network, established in 1994, is a national association that promotes hiring persons with disabilities. Companies involved at the national level include Walgreen’s and Best Buy.
BLN-Wabash Valley is led by a volunteer committee of large and small business leaders and agencies who provide employment and other services for persons with disabilities.
Employers who participate in BLN activities:
• Gain access to a pool of qualified candidates with disabilities.
• Obtain pertinent disability information.
• Share information with other employers, contribute to human resource training and employment issues and gain access to an untapped market for goods and services.
For information about the national organization, go to usbln.org. Information about the state chapter can be found at inbln.org.
Berg would like to see more employers hire people with disabilities. “If someone can do the job, I think they should have a fair shake,” he said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
