When someone asks you about yourself, what do you say?  In most cases, what you do for a living probably comes up as a topic. Employment is one of the most commonplace ways all of us participate in our community.  A person with a disability is no different. The members Lakeland Care serves offer a wide range of skills and abilities to share with the workforce. At Lakeland Care we focus on individual’s strengths and the skills they can contribute.

We believe that everyone has employable qualities.  Anyone who wants to work can work, and has the right to, in the competitive labor force.  Lakeland Care partners with over 40 different employment service providers who help members gain the necessary skills and experience to find and keep a job that is well matched to their interests and abilities.  So, what does this all mean to you?  Society as a whole and businesses in all sectors of the economy can benefit from a workforce that includes, and actively engages people with disabilities.

To start, if American companies were to actively participate in hiring people with disabilities, they would have access to a talent pool of more than 10.7 million people with diverse strengths, leadership styles and ways of thinking.  The GDP could see a boost of nearly $25 billion if just 1% more people with disabilities joined the workforce.*

Companies that actively pursue hiring people with disabilities report seeing increased morale in the workplace as well as increased productivity and a 90% increase in employee retention!**  Did you know that 92% of consumers surveyed feel more favorable toward companies that hire individuals with disabilities and 87% agree that they would prefer to give their business to organizations that employ people with disabilities?***  That makes business AND community sense!

Is your company actively pursuing opportunities to diversify your workplace?  If so, please connect with a Lakeland Care Employment Specialist to learn more: Brooke Jackson or Jennifer Philipps at employment.specialist@lakelandcareinc.com or call 877-227-3335.

[Sources]:

*Getting to Equal 2018: The Disability Inclusion Advantage, https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-89/Accenture-Disability-Inclusion-Research-Report.pdf

**Kuligowski, Kiely (2019). Why Hiring People with Disabilities Is Good for Business. https://www.business.com/articles/hire-disabled-people/

***Siperstein, Gary & Romano, Neil & Mohler, Amanda & Parker, Robin. (2006). A national survey of consumer attitudes towards companies that hire people with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. 24. 3-9.