Wisconsin Disability Employment Website

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People with disabilities in Wisconsin have a new way to find employment through the www.Work-ABLE.net website. The site is specifically designed for people with disabilities seeking employment as well as interested employers and targets ten counties in Northwest Wisconsin. It offers opportunity for businesses in the area to connect with employees who are often untapped and provide a wide-range of skills and abilities.

A, 'Disability,' is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act as, "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities." The new site is operated by Northwest Wisconsin CEP, Incorporated and is funded by a grant through Pathways to Independence, a program of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Tom Kovach, employment specialist with Northwest Wisconsin CEP, Inc., who works in the Ashland Job Center stated, "This site will be very useful for my clients, especially those who are comfortable searching websites, and if people don't have home computers they can come to the Job Center and we'll be happy to help them explore Work-ABLE.net."

Employees with disabilities are extremely reliable; study after study has proven this fact to be true. Steve Terry, Executive Director of Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program (CEP) Inc. says, "Employees with disabilities have lower turnover rates, lower absentee rates and higher morale than their non-disabled counterparts. And, the job performance ratings are virtually identical." Not only are the studies powerful indicators of the reliability of employees with disabilities, the actual performance of real-life examples support these studies. Jill Engelman, a Business Banking Representative at M&I Bank in Ashland, continues to work with employees who experience disabilities, as she has for sixteen years. Jill is quoted as saying, "We want to hire honest, reliable people who take pride in their jobs. I've seen these positive traits in each of the employees we've hired who happen to have disabilities. I have been so impressed by their attitudes and their work ethic."

Jill Engelman isn't the only employer in Wisconsin who has had positive experiences over the years with employees who have disabilities. Tim Bauer, Vice President of Ashland Deer Creek Seed has as well. Tim says, "Over the past 10 years, the company has employed four or five people with disabilities. They have consistently shown positive attitudes, listened well to their supervisors, and fit right in with the work group. Really, they are just good employees, and we've been very happy with their work."

The form of disability a person has does not matter when it comes to the advantages of hiring them. Work-ABLE.net outlines the benefits of hiring people with disabilities in an effort to educate potential employers. Mari Kay-Nabozny, in regards to employers, is quoted as saying, "They can look for new employees by searching resumes and posting openings. But also, businesses can gain a lot of information about the employment advantages, tax credits, necessary accommodations and general resources available for hiring people with disabilities. We want employers to use this website to learn about an underutilized, but very qualified, workforce. This is a convenient way for employers to do a number of things."

People with disabilities will find equal amounts of resources and information on the site. Access to job listings, online job fairs, and the ability to post resumes are all available on the Work-ABLE.net website. Also available are links for exploration of current trends in the job market, training opportunities, as well as a questionnaire to assist in determining the person's career interests and aptitudes.

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