Able Trust - Look at my Abilities

These talented people are featured in the statewide “Look at My Ability” campaign, and all of them have a disability which they have overcome and they are all overachievers in their positions. People with disabilities are just like the rest of the population: they seek independence, want to be self-supporting, and want to contribute to the well-being of their families, neighborhoods and communities.

"Employees with disabilities are dedicated, dependable, loyal, and hard working. They have a desire to exceed that is unsurpassed. I can assure you, people with disabilities don't want to go to their mailbox to get their pay. They want to contribute to a 401(k)"
Dan Sowell, Bay County Tax Appraiser

“They love having a job and are very dependable. They do not call in sick. They are extremely productive and have pride in their work”
Mickey Gilmore, Wal-Mart

Welcome to The Able Trust’s “Look at My Ability” campaign. This section of our website is established to assist businesses and organizations seeking to tap into the talented workforce that includes people with disabilities and also to help job seekers with disabilities find resources in their communities that may be able to help them locate position openings and job training options.

The Able Trust established the “Look at My Ability” campaign to build public awareness of the skills and talents available to businesses and organizations from within this workforce, to promote the work of the Florida Business Leadership Network and its 14 local organizations, and to encourage everyone with a disability to look at their abilities and where those skills fit in the world of work.

What many people are not aware of, and what has been verified by research, is that workers with disabilities bring unique benefits to the workplace.

• It is established that they have extraordinary loyalty to their employer
• They take less time off
• They have a longer than average job tenure, thereby reducing the turnover costs for their employer

They love their jobs, and because of their great work attitudes, tend to raise the spirits and level of satisfaction of their coworkers.

The case for hiring someone with a disability goes far beyond a social cause, and The Able Trust encourages businesses to consider the business benefits of such diversification. Accommodations on average are of minor cost, and no more than might be required for someone without a disability who has other needs and requirements.

From a business perspective, such diversification allows businesses to include the third largest market in their operations. Second only to the baby boomer and aging markets, the disability network market represents nationally a market of over a trillion dollars. In addition, of people with disabilities:

** 73% are heads of their households

** 43% are principle shoppers in their families

** 58% own their own homes

In a national survey (n=803) of consumer attitudes towards companies that hire people with disabilities, all participants responded positively towards companies that are socially responsible, including 92% of consumers who felt more favorable toward those businesses that hire individuals with disabilities. Eighty-seven percent specifically agreed that they would prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with disabilities. University of Massachusetts study, 2005. (Note that all respondents said such hiring practices put a company in a favorable light, and 87% are great odds for increasing business traffic!)

For more information on these and other studies, contact The Able Trust at info@abletrust.org.