Honored for employing disabled workers

Four Mt. Pleasant companies were honored Tuesday at an informal breakfast reception for their policies and practice of hiring employees with disabilities.

Jerry's Restaurant, Pleasant Manor Care Center, Whaley's Waste System and Hy-Vee Food Store all received certificates of appreciation from the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS), based in Burlington, and from Van Buren Job Opportunities (VBJO), based in Fairfield.

The IVRS awards the certificates annually, rotating each year to a different county within its service area, which includes Henry, Lee, Van Buren and Wapello counties. This is Henry County's year and the four companies were honored for their work with the groups to train and employ workers with disabilities, or workers who are being rehabilitated into new jobs.

Christian Gapen, a counselor for IVRS, said the four honored organizations "have an open mind to different ideas and to try different things. They help our candidates to secure employment. They do make a difference." He concluded calling companies like these "trend-setters."

Sue Frice, IVRS supervisor explained that many people have the wrong impression about disabled people, in that many of them show no physical sign of a problem, that some disabled workers have health issues that require them to find new jobs from what they've been doing.

In some cases, Frice added, the employers participate in programs where IVRS clients will try a number of different positions to find where they fit in the working world.

VBJO enters the picture when the workers are more severely disabled. Job Opportunities is under contract with IVRS, which in turn is a federal- and state-funded organization.

Lea Bradley accepted the honor for Jerry's Restaurant, which is one of the companies that let workers try a variety of jobs.

"We've found that these employees are very dependable and they take great pride in their work." She said she and husband Jerry would work with the programs again.

Becky Ogles, director of nursing for Pleasant Manor Care Center, recalled one employee from the program who became well-liked by staff and residents alike, who worked in a environmental support role at the center. "It really helped," Ogles said, "because today she is a resident and she knows the system."

That employee had difficulty in working a regular job as an adult, so her position at the center provided for her first-ever paycheck, which gave her a sense of self-worth and high esteem, Ogles said.

Willy Amos, Hy-Vee store director, said his experience with hiring disabled employees "worked out flawlessly, because we get to use them where we need them to better serve our customers.

" It [also] gives them a chance to be exposed to retail and to have direct contact with customers."

The 2000 Census defines people with disabilities as a larger group than any single minority. In addition the Census reports that only 56 percent of people with disabilities that are of working age are employed, as compared to 74 percent of the general population.

Information provided by the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services says that, "The Rehabilitation Services Bureau provided services that assisted 2,126 people secure competitive employment in FY2006.

"In their first year of employment, these individuals will earn a total of approximately $ 36.3 million."