In Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield Counties, business and education leaders have found employment and education prospects in a so-called hidden workforce ”“ those with disabilities.
The WorkPlace Inc. last week released a study on the state of employment and education prospects for people with disabilities in Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield counties.
The WorkPlace is a private, not-for-profit organization, which serves as the Workforce Investment Board for southwestern Connecticut and manages the project grant.
“The purpose was to identify the disabilities and abilities and how this workforce relates to the market,” said Joseph Carbone, president and CEO of the Bridgeport-based organization.
The partners in the study included The Business Council of Fairfield County, The Business Council of Westchester, Norwalk Community College and Westchester Community College.
“This is the first time these schools have crossed state lines for a business initiative, but I hope it won”™t be the last,” Carbone said. October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Nationally, one in five people has a disability, according to the study. That number is expected to double in the next 20 years and many employers are predicting worker shortages in the next five years and will need talented employees as the economy recovers.
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“People with disabilities, equipped with the right skills can help fill that need,” Carbone said.
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Carbone said Westchester County Executive Andy Spano and Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone were also supportive in the study.
Christopher P. Bruhl, president and CEO of the Business Council of Fairfield County said that it”™s the easy thing in an economy like this to regress and ignore issues of the needs of minority individuals.
Bruhl said the report shows that not only are these people strong and loyal workers but, “it turns out it can be very powerful internally and externally for the image of a company to their employees and customers.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor”™s Office of Disability Employment Policy, major businesses that employ people with disabilities have reduced recruitment and turnover costs, improved productivity and enhanced their reputation among customers.
Joseph Hankin, president of Westchester Community College, said it is important to remember that people with disabilities often have many talents that can be applied to particular jobs in the work force if only given the opportunity.
“This report confirms what many of us already know; hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense when you match individual skills with employers”™ needs,” Carbone said. “We have an incredible opportunity to tap into this hidden workforce and to develop a pool of potentially valuable workers who are taxpayers rather than tax users.”
The report was funded through the Disability Program Navigator initiative, Employment and Training Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor.
The WorkPlace said the report is the result of an assessment of the disability services available in the Connecitcut and New York Talent for Growth region and federal initiatives developed to address some of the challenges identified.
“It”™s a form of discrimination that has been willingly engaged in or willingly ignored,” said Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy, who has dyslexia. “These people are a tremendous asset in our workplace and we need to encourage that,” he said.
