My job is to find community employment for adults with disabilities. I work for an agency in the Chicagoland suburbs and when talking with others about what I do, I frequently get asked, 'Why would your clients want to work? They receive disability benefits and don’t have to do anything for it.' This comment always troubles me. People with disabilities have hopes, dreams and goals for their future, just like anybody...

The most common question I am asked when I meet with a prospective employer is, “Can you help me to better understand the benefits to my company?” This is a legitimate question because, as we know, one of the primary purposes of a business is to be profitable. If it doesn’t show a profit, everyone is impacted. So how can hiring people with disabilities enhance the business? The first reason to hire th...

When most employers think about accommodations for people with disabilities, they generally think about the period after hiring. Many persons with disabilities may require accommodations for the interview and application process. The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to job applications as well as to the hiring process. The trend for businesses that are hiring non-skilled workers is to have...

Untitled Document Imagine, you’re 12 years old and never been invited to a birthday party or even a play date. In fact, you’ve never been included in any activities with the other kids at school. Why? Because you were born with an intellectual disability and none of the other children or their parents know how to speak to you or how to treat you. Instead of trying, they pretend you don’t exist. F...