Wanted: An adventurous, caring employer who's willing to accept the challenges and rewards of hiring an "enclave" of workers with substantial disabilities to share a job. Benefits include the knowledge you're providing self-esteem and opportunity to individuals who lack and need both. We guarantee 100 percent job satisfaction. For information, call ...
For jaime Staples, the hard part is finding a company that is willing to take a chance. An employment and training consultant for the South Valley Training Co., she's putting together a project that will provide supported-employment opportunities to five severly handicapped adults--but first she has to find an employer.She's assessing potential members of the employment "enclave"--the five people who with assistance and adaptations will be employable. The next step is finding one or two job slots that the fice people can share.
"I'll go in and task analyze the job, actually doing it and breaking it down for a week," she said. "From that, I'll come up with an analysis. We also provide two enclave supervisors who will help with self-care, and I can guarantee that the job will get done to the employer's satisfaction."
Employers who choose to participate in the program don't have to pay five wages; the wages are shared based on the percentage of work done. And there are real incentives for the businesses, according to Staples. For one thing, employers can get reimbursement for up to 40 percent of the first year's wage as a tax credit.
Best of all, studies show that disabled workers have a lower turnover rate, low absenteeism, equal or better safety records and they do not affect insurance or workers' compensation rates. And the supervisors and coaches don't cost an employer anything.
The South Valley Training Company is a nonprofit day treatment program that serves 136 adults. For this project, the first of its kind and the result of a Utah Supported Employment Project grant, Staples will select a pool of 10 enclave members and then narrow it down to match the job.
"These are people who have special challenges," she said. "I might be considering one who has speech difficulties and gets around in a wheelchair with contractured legs. He might have minimal use of his left hand and full use of his right, in addition to severe mental retardation.
"But through Rehabilitation dollars, we have some money for adaptions on the job. I think this is going to work and I know it's important. We're looking to provide long-term employment."
Staples said that finding the perfect employer will, of course, be the most difficult task. "For one thing, there'll have to be handicap facilities like restrooms. And five people do take up a little bit of space. But I know the job is out there and we can do it."
For more information, call Jaime Wilson at 561-1661.