By ANGIE TYLER
President and CEO, Tangram, Inc.
Earlier this month, Governor Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 390 into law. This bill, focused on the employment of individuals with disabilities, promotes competitive, integrated employment as the “first and preferred option when providing services to individuals with disabilities who are of working age.”
As the President and CEO of a United Way agency that has been providing services to individuals with disabilities for more than 30 years, I view this as a positive step for our state.
Traditionally, sheltered workshops have been the first place individuals with disabilities have been placed for employment. Sheltered workshops provide many individuals with opportunities they would not otherwise have; i.e. paid work, establishing friendships, and building transferable skills. While these options can certainly be a good fit, not all individuals prefer this type of work over competitive community employment, and they may not be aware any other type of employment is an option.
Senate Bill 390 focuses on providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities who want to work in competitive, integrated employment by promoting this as the first option.
What I find appealing about the new legislation in Senate Bill 390 is that it, a.) advances Indiana by allowing us to join the ranks of 34 other states with Employment First legislation, b.) emphasizes the right for individuals with disabilities to make an informed decision about what type of employment they would like for themselves, and c.) establishes a study group to identify and resolve barriers to employment that individuals with disabilities face, in addition to other functions.
Now is the perfect time for this legislation to have passed. As of March 2017, the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities (10.6 percent) was more than double that of their non-disabled peers (4.3 percent), according to the Bureau of LaborStatistics. There are almost 1 million individuals with disabilities living in Indiana and statistics show that their labor force participation is significantly lower than the labor force participation for individuals without disabilities.
What Tangram has found with clients utilizing our Employment Services, either through Vocational Rehabilitation or Ticket to Work, is that achieving community employment results in an increase in confidence, a sense of community with their coworkers, and more self-dependency as they realize an increase in income. This bill will transform the lives of individuals with disabilities and give Indiana an economic boost. As more individuals secure competitive, sustainable employment, these individuals with have less reliance on government benefits—in fact, they will become taxpaying citizens, contributing to these benefits and using less of them.
Not only will individuals with disabilities benefit from this bill, but so will employers. With more individuals with disabilities looking for competitive community employment, more employers will have the opportunity to witness first-hand the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.
Numerous studies have shown that businesses that successfully recruit, hire, advance, and retain individuals with disabilities realize bottom line benefits like lower turnover, decreased absenteeism, increased productivity, and improved employee morale. It’s a fact that many businesses today grapple with those challenges, which is why Tangram recently launched consulting services to help companies develop and implement robust disability inclusion initiatives.
Senate Bill 390 will empower these businesses to take advantage of the untapped pool of qualified job seekers with disabilities, providing a boost to their bottom line while also increasing labor force participation for a large segment of the population.
I applaud Governor Holcomb and the Indiana legislature for taking steps to ensure all Hoosiers have the opportunity to pursue competitive employment and actively participate in building a brighter future for our state.
Angie Tyler is the President and CEO of Tangram, a United Way non-profit serving individuals with disabilities and their families in Central Indiana. Since 1985, Tangram has been a leader in creative solutions for individuals with disabilities. Tangram Business Resourcing, the consulting arm of Tangram, provides consultation and training to businesses on disability inclusion and is working with companies in nine states across the U.S.