Manpower Project Ability Finds Jobs for People with Disability
Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2010/06/16 - Updated: 2025/12/18
Publication Type: Announcement
Category Topic: US - Related Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This report describes Manpower's launch of Project Ability, a national employment initiative designed to match individuals with disabilities to jobs with leading employers. The program addresses a significant employment gap - according to the U.S. Department of Labor data cited in the article, people with disabilities experienced a 14.7 percent unemployment rate, with only 22.3 percent participating in the labor force compared to 70.1 percent for people without disabilities. The program achieves its results through partnerships with local community organizations, employers, and state agencies, creating a coordinated approach to identify qualified candidates and match them with appropriate positions. This information is useful for job seekers with disabilities seeking employment pathways, employers looking to diversify their workforce and access untapped talent pools, and disability advocates working to improve economic participation among people with disabilities - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
Manpower has launched a national program called Project Ability to transition people with disabilities into sustainable employment with leading employers nationwide. Initially launched in San Jose, Calif., the program works together in partnership with community organizations TransAccess, Project HIRED and the California State Department of Rehabilitation.
Main Content
Manpower's Project Ability program has already enlisted several companies to commit to hiring individuals with disabilities, including Abbott and SVTC Technologies.
"Bringing people into the workplace and connecting them to careers is Manpower's core mission. We focus on people's capabilities, not disabilities. It's about talent, and matching the right person with the right position," said Priscilla Azcueta, Manpower regional director. "Project Ability is a great example of the contribution and impact our company and our partners have in the communities we serve."
Project Ability is a national program that was created to find a solution to the impending talent shortage that will cause employers to look at talent pools that have traditionally gone untapped. People with disabilities represent the largest minority in the U.S., and have recently experienced an unemployment rate of 14.7 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
In addition, U.S. disability employment statistics for May 2010 revealed that the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 22.3 percent, compared with 70.1 percent for persons with no disability.
"Project Ability presents a wonderful opportunity for Abbott to hire people with disabilities through collaboration with Manpower and local community-based organizations," said Sandra McNeal, human resource director for Abbott Diagnostics. "Through Project Ability we can match our employment needs with valuable job skills of those who happen to have a disability."
A key component of Project Ability is the partnership with local community-based organizations that have the access to candidates with required skill sets.
Through local recruitment strategies, Manpower can work with local employers to identify and place candidates with disabilities. The San Jose-area community-based organizations aligned with Project Ability are the California State Department of Rehabilitation, Project HIRED and TransAccess.
Manpower looks to expand the reach of Project Ability by continually adding participating employers to the team.
Manpower Inc
Manpower Inc. is a world leader in innovative workforce solutions; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. In the United States, Manpower offers a range of services including temporary and contract recruitment, employee assessment and selection, and training.
Under the Manpower Professional brand, the company creates ideal employment matches between job seekers and employers in information technology, engineering, finance, healthcare and other business professional arenas.
Manpower leverages its expertise in staffing and consulting for the U.S. federal government through Manpower Public Sector, and provides clients with managed service programs, business and recruitment process outsourcing offerings, and other integrated workforce management solutions through Manpower Business Solutions.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: Project Ability represents a pragmatic response to both the employment challenges facing people with disabilities and the demographic shifts pressuring employers to broaden their recruitment strategies. By framing disability as a talent issue rather than a limitation, the initiative acknowledges a fundamental business reality: talent shortages require looking beyond traditional candidate pools. While the article focuses on a single program's launch, it underscores a broader shift in how workforce development can be approached - not as charity or accommodation, but as solving a mutual problem where employers need workers and workers need opportunities. Whether such programs succeed long-term depends heavily on whether the partnerships maintain their commitment beyond the initial phase and whether employers genuinely integrate disability hiring into core workforce strategies rather than treating it as a separate initiative - Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.