Lewisburg, PA – Recently, Core People Resources, LLC secured an agreement with the administrator of funds from The PA Department of Public Welfare to promote employment for persons with disabilities under a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (CFDA# 93.768). This funding will assist the company with developing a video training series and internet resources (free to employers) to achieve greater disability awareness within the North East and North Central Pennsylvania business community; thus reaching outcomes that put companies closer to hiring and/or increasing employment of people with disabilities.
According to Victoria Mavis, President of Core People Resources, “We are honored to be able to assist in this capacity. The employment of qualified job applicants with disabilities is an issue that is clouded by misconceptions at every level in our business economy, starting with the front-line managers and business owners. Our work in this area is designed to dispel the misconceptions, help employers realize there are solid business and financial reasons to hire job candidates with disabilities, and to connect them with the resources to help them find and hire qualified individuals with disabilities in a cost effective manner.”
“There are more than 20% of Americans with disabilities, which translates to 30% of the marketplace having either a family member or a friend with a disability,” Mavis, a human resource and business professional who has a lifetime physical disability says, “In sectors, such as public services, transportation, or telecommunication, there has been great strides made; however, in various business cultures, there’s still more work to be done. The technology to do various jobs is no longer a barrier as it was in the early 90’s when the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) first came into existence; rather, it is the perception of what is entailed with hiring an individual with a disability that often gets in the way.”
“The fears that managers have are real to them. While recently visiting a local campus, my counterpart stated that she lost two nights of sleep because she was worried I wouldn’t find convenient parking to the classes I was scheduled to speak at, or be able to carry my lunch tray in the cafeteria. Once we started talking is when I knew that something has to be done at a cultural level if it’s going to change in my lifetime.”
Mavis indicates the video series and internet resources will be completed by the end of October 2012 and posted on the company’s online HR Store, www.hrknowledgebase.com/HireBeyondtheDisability. “I believe if managers and business owners review the facts and shift their thinking to accommodate customers and employees with disabilities, that employment barriers in this area will be easily overcome and the result will be increased opportunities for all—those with and those without a disability.”
Core People Resources provides companies and organizations with virtual human resource support for legal compliance, safety, workers’ compensation and general human resource employer and employee issues as well as general business information and resources through its online store, www.HRKnowledgeBase.com. Through available programs, Core People Resources helps clients reduce their risk of employer liability and ensure compliance with employment laws while saving time and money by obtaining the policies, forms, and programs needed to manage all human resource matters cost effectively.
