ABLEnews Extra

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                        CALLING ON AMERICA
                                       
It's Abilities That Count Not Disabilities

   By Jim Brady For News USA
   
   (NU) - I am one of 49 million Americans with disabilities. That's a
   lot of Americans. Some of our disabilities came on gradually. Some,
   like mine, came on in a microsecond.
   
   Yet, for the most part, we're just like everyone else. We value family
   and friends and cheer for the home team in my case the ever-hopeful
   Chicago Cubs. We volunteer, run for office, run companies and want to
   contribute to America.
   
   We are good for business, as customers and as employees. We buy
   millions of dollars of services and products each month. Eighty
   percent of us want to work, and be able to buy even more, according to
   a recent survey.
   
   The vast majority of adults with disabilities have at least a high
   school education and about 45 percent have taken college courses.
   
   So it's curious that less than a third of working-age Americans with
   disabilities have jobs. The need for educated, dedicated, serious
   workers has gone up, but the percentage of people with disabilities
   who have jobs is as low as it was ten years ago.
   
   A few years ago I launched a "Calling on America" campaign to let
   people know it's our abilities that count, not the disabilities. Many
   got the message. But we still have a way to go.
   
   So, if you are a boss seeking productive employees, hire us. We'll
   surprise you, especially those of us with serious disabilities. We
   have to be more innovative to get to work than most people. Some of us
   have to be cagey as hell! Take advantage of our creativity. And if
   you're not the boss, talk us up!
   
   Don't get hung up on costs. Usually it's not expensive to hire someone
   with a disability. According to several studies, it's often less than
   $50. Even for someone in a wheelchair, the only outlay may be a few
   cents for bricks to lift up a desk.
   
   Adapting workplaces isn't such a big deal anymore. Responses to a
   Louis Harris & Associates survey done for the National Organization on
   Disability showed that only 22 percent of those with disabilities said
   they encountered barriers in the workplace.
   
   Jim Brady is vice chairman of the National Organization on Disability
   and former White House press secretary. For more about his "Calling on
   America" campaign, write N.O.D., 910 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC
   20006.

     _________________________________________________________________
   
   Republish ALL NewsUSA articles cost-free.
   Please retain the (NU) attribution.
   Need more info? Call (800)355-9500.
     _________________________________________________________________

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