Virginia businesses honored for hiring workers with disabilities

From The Free Lance Star in Fredericksburg, Va. In the picture, James Morrett (right) weighs salads as Famous Dave's kitchen manager Robert Kelly watches.

This year, Americans faced unemployment in record numbers. Those with disabilities were hardest hit, a new study shows.

Allsup, an Illinois-based group that handles disability claims, found that nationally the jobless rate during the last three months for people with disabilities was almost double what it was for those without.

At the Fredericksburg office of the state's Department of Rehabilitative Services, employment spe-cialists often approach 30 employers just to find a job for a client with a disability.

Today, about 260 such area residents need employment, said job counselor Helga Letourneau.

The local DRS office recognized businesses last week that use creativity and flexibility to hire disabled workers in a recession.

At a time when more people than ever are applying for jobs, employers may be reluctant to make the extra accommodations disabilities require.

When Wegmans opened its Fredericksburg supermarket this summer, people applied for jobs in record numbers. But even with intense competition, managers hired a woman with severe disabilities.

The store management also allowed a job coach to come in and help the woman learn her job.

The local DRS awarded Wegmans and several other businesses for giving opportunities to people with disabilities in a tough job market.

The department's job specialists help employers make a person with a disability a productive worker.

It just takes a little bit of creativity and flexibility, said Jim Rothrock, the state DRS commissioner.

Some workers may need a wheelchair ramp. Or a talking computer. Others need a trained job coach.

Some needs are a little less concrete. Carly Medosch, for example, doesn't need physical aids.

The graphic designer has Crohn's disease, which means her immune system attacks her intestines. The disorder leaves her exhausted and often sick. Crohn's was recently added to the American with Disabilities Act's list.

That affords Medosch some accommodations at work, but specialists at DRS help her work out the details. They give her suggestions on asking to work from home, for flex time and for help managing sick time.

Medosch's case manager also gives her an official letter explaining the disorder, which many haven't even heard of.

And the office helped pay for a laptop so Medosch could work from home on days when she's feeling particularly sick.

"Sometimes, it's such a little thing that you need, that isn't hard for an employer to do, but it's a competitive job market," Medosch said. "And the awareness isn't there, so DRS helps. I don't have crutches or a wheelchair, so people can't see that I need accommodations."

It's also sometimes hard to figure out how to find jobs for people with severe mental illnesses. But DRS and a local restaurant last year created a program to train and employ those workers.

The partnership is working well, said Rob Kelly, manager of Famous Dave's in Massaponax.

"It's been an honor to help these individuals and give them an opportunity," Kelly said. "That's all they really needed was just a chance to learn and to grow."