Forum: Disability at Work
The Dignity of Work: An International Forum will bring together employers, scholars, and disability employment service providers on March 19 for a global, online event open to anyone that will be hosted by the Institute on Community Integration.
Presenters from Ukraine, Japan, Malaysia, India, the Czech Republic, the United States, and Australia will discuss the current state of employment for people with disabilities, the use of robotics to support employment, and other topics. Presenters will share customized disability hiring initiatives by employers, along with academic analyses of employment opportunities for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
The event follows up on a 2021 event of the same name, which resulted in a book. Presentations run during the morning and evening to accommodate participants' multiple time zones.
“Some of the participants requested that we reconvene to discuss how the world has changed, post-pandemic, in regard to the employment of people with disabilities,” said Renáta Tichá, co-director of ICI’s Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education. “This year, I’m really curious to hear what’s happening from previous presenters, as well as new ones.”
Representatives from Minnesota-based Land O’ Lakes, Inc. and Inclusive Networking will share how they worked together under an innovation grant to provide customized employment internships for people with disabilities.
“We know customized employment works, and we’re looking to businesses to be part of the solution to the high unemployment rates among people with disabilities,” said Nicole Edwards, founder of Inclusive Networking , which provides training in customized employment and job development and related ongoing support services.
Land O’ Lakes partnered with Edwards’ firm about three years ago to create an internship program for people with disabilities. About a dozen interns have been hired thus far in a variety of roles that are customized to each individual.
Sam Broyles of Golden Valley completed an internship at the company last year. His duties included cleaning office computers for the information technology team, fixing workstations, and taking shipments for the IT team to the shipping area. Since then, he has done a second internship in the mailroom and accounts payable department at a real estate company. At both jobs, he said, he’s met friends and learned solid office skills.
“I like being around people,” he said. “We would have lunch sometimes and get to know each other better.”
Gaining independence and learning his way around a large office setting were other bonuses, he said.
“Land O’Lakes said yes to this initiative to see how this can work, and we’re truly partners working to ensure everyone is being supported,” Edwards said. “I’m also looking forward to hearing from others at the conference about what’s working for them. It’s important to share with each other.”
In other presentations, representatives from Petronas in Malaysia will discuss the oil and gas firm’s neurodiversity hiring program.
Academic researchers will present on unemployment trends among people with disabilities and what retirement means for them. The group will also hear about veterans with disabilities from the war in Ukraine and what is needed to support their employment.
“Another issue is that while we are so focused on supporting young adults to gain employment, there is still the issue of many employers not being accepting of this or educated enough to understand how it can work,” Tichá said. “There is so much responsibility on the individual.”