TAYLORSVILLE — For the better part of three decades, Park City resident Guillermo Avila Paz, 56, made his living in the ski industry. First as a two-time Olympian, then as a ski instructor at Deer Valley.
Then in 2014, his life changed forever after a speeding downhill skier struck him from behind while he was standing on the mountain giving lessons.
The impact resulted in traumatic brain injury, the effects of which he is still dealing with today.
"I still have problems with balance," Avila Paz explained. "I get vertigo, double vision, light sensitivity and noise sensitivity."
Since he isn't able to ski anymore, he has enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation training program in an effort to learn new employable skills. The process has been a struggle in the wake of his brain injury, but he is hopeful that he can one day find work in a new career field.
"Going back to school has been really good cognitive therapy," he said.
Avila Paz was among the scores of candidates on hand Tuesday trying to meet with potential employers as the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation hosted its annual Work Ability Career Exploration and Job Fair at the Sanderson Center in Taylorsville.
The event provides job-ready individuals with disabilities the opportunity to connect with businesses searching for qualified candidates to fill open positions, explained Leah Lobato, director of the Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and Business Relations.
“Individuals with disabilities have equal or higher job performance rates, higher than average retention rates, and lower absenteeism,” she said. “These are just a few strengths of our job seekers that we highlight to employers during the job fair.”
People with disabilities have a higher rate of poverty and unemployment than those without disabilities, Lobato said, adding that the state is actively working to address those issues.
"Utah actually does a really good job of providing resources and support for helping individuals with disabilities become employed," Lobato said, adding that last year, Utah ranked No. 7 nationwide at a 46 percent employment rate for people with disabilities.
Despite its relative success in helping people with disabilities find jobs, they still have an elevated jobless rate compared to the general population, she said, and that is a challenge.
"Really, it's about dispelling myths and fears," she said. "For most businesses, when you present a candidate with a disability, if you can take away some of the fears or issues they might have or questions they might have, it's more about how can (the employer) make this work."
There are many ways to ensure employees with disabilities can excel in their job performance, Lobato said. Among the things to keep in mind when hiring and trying to retain employees with disabilities are to be open and discuss workplace accommodations, she said. It is important to make sure that there aren’t any obstacles preventing them from giving their best effort on the job. For example, an employee in a wheelchair may need to have their work desk raised in order to sit using their wheelchair, she noted.
Additionally, focus on what the individual can do instead of their disability, Lobato said. Individuals seeking employment will have disabilities that impact some abilities, but it doesn’t limit them from everything, she said. For example, a person who is deaf who wants to work in customer service may not be able to talk to customers over the phone, but could easily communicate through online chat support to successfully perform the customer service function.
When Juan Martinez, 70, was a child, he was the only person in his immediate family who is deaf. He was also the only person who learned American Sign Language, which meant it was a struggle at times communicating with his relatives, who could only use gestures to convey their ideas.
Despite the hardship, he was able to carve out a life for himself and had a good career as an electronics technician for 25 years before retiring about seven years ago, he said through an interpreter. Today, he would like to find a part-time job to earn a little extra money to supplement his retirement income — which is what brought him to the job fair, he noted.
"I could go to Walmart and apply or go to a hotel to apply, but at the job fair it's all right here in one place," Martinez said. "It's very helpful."
He added that finding work for him has been much better in the Beehive State than his home state in California, because of the greater availability of employment resources.
For Michael Taylor, 43, relocating from Texas to Utah in June has been awkward, trying to acclimate to new surroundings. In Texas, he said he worked at a resort hotel but is looking for a job where he can use his educational training in horticulture, if possible. Because of events like the job fair, he is optimistic about the possibilities of landing gainful employment.
"The reason I moved to Utah is there are so many wonderful opportunities for me here," he said through an interpreter. "I really wanted to have a new life, especially a new job."