Kentucky program links employers, workers with Down syndrome

From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Children's clothing maker Hanna Andersson empties a lot of cardboard boxes at its Jefferson Riverport distribution center -- 2,000 to 3,000 a day, says manager Michael Lamb.

Fortunately, the center has Aaron Fentress on the job. (Pictured at work.)

Fentress, 25, is responsible for moving the boxes from the aisles where they're tossed, to the area where they are crushed and recycled. It's a duty not many employees welcome. It's "not a glamorous job to do all day," Lamb said. "We struggle to keep people doing that."

But Fentress takes on the task with a smile, Lamb said. "He comes in, he gets his stuff, he knows where to go, what to do, and he starts all day. He doesn't get bored with it. He just does his job, and is really happy to be a part of it. It makes it a win for both of us."

Fentress, who works six hours a day, three days a week, found his job through Career Solutions, a 10-month-old employment service operated by Down Syndrome of Louisville. His story is one that Career Solutions hopes to duplicate with a growing number of clients, said Maya Chan, an employment specialist with the program.

Hiring people with disabilities shouldn't be seen as charity but as a sound business decision, Chan said. In fact, she tells prospective employers, "if it's not good for your business, then don't do it."

Career Solutions is one of several "supported employment" operations in the Louisville area serving people who "need a little bit extra help gaining employment," including veterans, those just released from prison and individuals with disabilities. "They all deal with different specialties … and ours is Down syndrome."

Kentucky is significantly behind the national average in employing people with disabilities, according to the group. The commonwealth has the second-lowest employment rate in the nation for people ages 21-64 with disabilities, the group says, citing a 2006 report compiled by Cornell University.

One in every 733 children is born with Down syndrome -- about 5,000 a year in the United States, according to Down Syndrome of Louisville. The organization started Career Solutions as a natural offshoot of its push to provide lifelong services to clients, said Diana Merzweiler, executive director.

Employment "builds their self-esteem" and allows them to become "a vital part of our community," Merzweiler said. Career Solutions currently has 15 clients.

Misconceptions about workers with disabilities can be an obstacle, Chan said. Some companies worry that the individuals won't be productive workers, or that the business will have to spend too much time supervising them.

"A lot of the fears are often dispelled very easily by just meeting a person with a disability," she said.

Career Solutions stresses that hiring its clients can be "really a tool for your business," Chan said.

For example, an employer may find that it has experienced, high-wage workers spending time on duties that could be handled for less money by a part-time employee from the program. That makes better use of the skilled worker and can help the company's bottom line, she said.

In general, clients in the job program have a low turnover rate and "a great work ethic," Chan said. In addition, hiring people with disabilities "fits really well with business-diversity initiatives" mandated in some government contracts.

Financial benefits may also be available to the company through the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit program, she said. The final numbers can vary, but in general the business can receive a tax credit of up to $2,400 for an employee working 400 hours a year or more.

The Mariposa Place, a day program at 2007 Frankfort Ave., didn't bother applying for a tax credit when it hired Career Solutions client Megan Hawk, said executive director Jennifer Jackson.

The artistic Hawk had the talent needed for the program, which offers a variety of art-focused activities to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. And Hawk "has a disability herself, so who would be more perfect to work for us than her?" Jackson said. "The individuals relate to her. They don't see her as any different than themselves. I just thought it was an awesome opportunity."

With minor accommodations -- such as receiving daily assignments in writing -- Hawk "comes in and does her job and does a great job. She has her own caseload of individuals that she's in charge of, and she has a wonderful relationship with them," Jackson said.

Absenteeism is never a problem, Jackson said. Employees like Hawk "are so loyal and you become part of their life and they don't want to lose that. So they hold on and try to do a good job and not miss work."

Career Solutions rejected a traditional model of supported employment that uses a "job coach" to accompany clients "basically every day and watch them work. That's not a very empowering thing, and no one that I'm trying to get a job really needs that," Chan said.

The job program works with companies to provide clients with "natural supports" that allow them to function like any other employee, she said.

Even more important is finding a good match between employer and the worker, she said. "I've had jobs before where I didn't really fit in, and I had some problems with those jobs. And everybody does."

"We really focus on finding the most appropriate environment for someone so that they can thrive and they can be independent … so that people are thinking about their abilities and not their disabilities," Chan said.

"You looked at Megan's job … I couldn't do it. It does take special skills," Chan said. "Aaron's job? There is no way I could ever do that job. And the fact that they are just performing jobs like everyone else, they're thriving in that? That's awesome. They're changing the perception of people with disabilities, and they're doing it themselves."