Published: October 06, 2008 01:12 am            

Q&A: There's room in the job market for developmentally disabled labor.

Disability employment is not an oxymoron.

Connie Brown, executive director of Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara, is marking National Disabilities Employment Awareness month by reiterating to local businesses, and the community at large, the benefits of putting developmentally disabled people to work.

Opportunities Unlimited trains registered “consumers” for a variety of work: food service/catering, janitorial service and a range of finishing tasks such as assembly, packaging and polishing. Some consumers work for Opportunities, which makes deals with businesses to subcontract their low-end tasks — and which Brown touts as being cost-competitive and guaranteed to satisfy customers. Others fan out into the wider work force, part- or full-time, and receive on-the-job coaching from professional advisers to make the hiring a good fit for both employee and employer.

Opportunities Unlimited arranges clinical services, day programming, recreation, residential amenities and job training for hundreds of physically or intellectually disabled Niagara County residents.

On the topic of employing the disabled, here's this week’s Q&A with Connie Brown.

•••

Question: So a whole month is devoted to disability employment awareness. What’s the message you’re trying to convey?

Answer: That people with disabilities are capable of working in our communities; they’re capable of holding down jobs.

•••

Q: Is that a surprise to people?

A: I think so. Despite all the education ... they’re still surprised to see people with developmental disabilities working at Wegman’s or whatever. When I say we’ve got 150 people working out there in the community, they’re like ‘what??’ Unless you have a person in your family who makes you aware it’s possible, you don’t know about all the opportunities that exist. ... Once businesses take a chance on us, they’re very satisfied.

•••

Q: Who’s accepting developmentally disabled in the work force?

A: At Opportunities Unlimited sites we run several businesses ourselves. We do subcontracting work — packaging, labeling, light assembly, inspection, shrink wrapping. For DiCamillo’s Bakery we package the baked goods. Milward Alloys is another one of our big customers.

Outside, our consumers work at places like Tops, Wegman’s, Burger King, local hotels, Niagara University, the air base. They’re in the kitchen, doing maintenance, doing some clerical work.

Between the two, we have over 300 people working on a daily basis.

•••

Q: What are the benefits to employers in these arrangements?

A: They get dedicated, trained workers. We have job coaches available and we help train employees. The employers can take advantage of a tax break.

•••

Q: Does the deal make more work for employers?

A: I don’t think so. If it did, we wouldn’t have so many people working out there. I think it’s a benefit. It makes people feel good.

•••

Q: What’s the benefit to consumers?

A: Pride in accomplishment. And they get a nice little salary to spend in our community. It makes them feel great.

•••

Q: Are there more work-ready consumers than jobs available?

A: Yes, there’s not enough jobs, especially in the last year. It’s not reluctance on the employers’ part, it’s a reflection on the economy; the jobs just aren’t there. ... We see a bit of a dip in in-house (subcontracting) demand too, but that’s normal. It’ll pick up before Christmas again. Summer is a slow time; people aren’t producing as much, for whatever reason.

        

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