News & Events
BLN Calendar
Florida BLN Events
Disability Employment Articles
FBLN Connections Newsletter

FBLN News and Events

Disability Employment Articles

Back to Articles main page

March 3, 2003 – Tallahassee, FL

FREE DISABILITY HIRING GUIDE AVAILABLE ON WEB

Large and small employers now have a free online resource to help them with recruiting and employing people with disabilities. The Florida Business Leadership Network’s “Disability Employment Practices Handbook” contains tips on recruiting, interviewing and hiring people with disabilities, as well as information about appropriate workplace accommodations, tax incentives and workplace laws. The handbook also addresses effective communication with employees with disabilities, a section on dispelling myths about people with disabilities and a glossary of disability terms. A comprehensive listing of local, state and national organizations that provide services and can assist employers with disability-related questions is also included.

“The versatility in the handbook lies in its ability to be an excellent resource for companies of any size and in any stage of the disability employment process,” said Rita Barreto Craig of The Craig Group, Florida BLN Chairperson. “This is just one of the many services the BLN offers free to Florida employers, because we know that once employers understand the benefits of working with people with disabilities, they see the effects it has on their bottom line.”

Studies by the US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy show that hiring people with disabilities can benefit employers:

• Florida has an estimated 2.2 million individuals with disabilities
• 178,000 cannot work due to disabilities
• 870,000 are of working age
• 562,000 are unemployed and able to work
• 38% of Florida businesses reported hiring 1 or more people with disabilities in the last 3 years
• 72% reported this has had a favorable effect on their business
• 45% of H.R. professionals surveyed said hiring people with disabilities resulted in productivity gains for their companies
• For every dollar an employer spends for a disability-related job accommodation, the company saves $34 (e.g. workers’ compensation and other insurance savings, training of new employees or increased productivity).

Florida’s BLN is an employer-led venture by The Able Trust, a nonprofit foundation that provides employment opportunities to Floridians with disabilities. To download a copy of the free Disability Employment Practices Handbook, visit the website at www.abletrust.org or call toll-free 888.838.2253.

The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Governor’s Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities, is a 501c3 public-private partnership foundation established by the Florida Legislature in 1990. Its mission is to be the leader in providing Floridians with disabilities fair employment opportunities through fund-raising, grant programs, public awareness and education. Since its establishment, The Able Trust has awarded over $12 million in grants to individuals with disabilities and nonprofit agencies. Its programs enable more than 2,000 Florida citizens with disabilities to enter the workforce each year.

Sponsored by:

Lead Company:

Affiliated with:

Home | About Us | Employer Resources | Local BLN Chapters | Membership | Get Involved | Business Best Practices | News & Events

© Copyright 2006 The Able Trust, Inc.