By Carter Hammett
Special to The Toronto Sun

For some employers, the first thing that's thought of when meeting a job seeker with a disability is what the person cannot do, rather than what they can.

Jesse Jhita, who lives with cerebral palsy, is an employment consultant with Link Up.

People like Jesse Jhita and Mary Daniel, who know first-hand the challenges of pursuing careers in an able-bodied world, are working to take the "diss" out of disability.

Jhita, 26, is an employment consultant living with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder affecting motor skills. He recalls his first job at MacDonald's. "They were afraid of hiring me because they thought I'd fall.

I said, 'I'll work for two weeks without pay, then you decide if you want to hire me.'"

He stayed three years.

Training Consultant Mary Daniel, 43, lives with the condition achondroplasia, more commonly known as dwarfism, and, like Jhita, has experienced her share of resistance when job seeking.

A graduate of Concordia University's therapeutic recreation program, she remembers being taken aback by an interviewer at a nursing home, who took one look at her and said, "we'll only need five minutes with you."

Those days are now behind them. Both Jhita and Daniel now assist other job seekers with disabilities through their positions with Link Up Employment Services, a non-profit agency.

For more than a decade, Link Up has been assisting clients (more than 720 each year) with a wide range of disabilities. The agency performs assessments, referrals and job placement assistance.

In addition, Link Up also brokers Targeted Wage Subsidies, a federal initiative that reimburses employers a salary percentage of employees who qualify for the program.

The subsidy can also be applied toward funding for necessary accommodations the employee may require.

Link Up focuses on marketing a candidate's skills to a prospective employer by emphasizing abilities and contributions to the workplace.

Jhita says the agency only sends candidates whose skills match the employer's requirements, as any other placement agency would. Once an employer expresses interest in hiring a candidate, necessary accommodations are discussed.

"Accommodations" are modifications, either to the work environment or job description, that allows the disabled employee to perform the essential tasks of the job.

The good news is that, according to the Job Accommodation Network of Canada, the majority of accommodations are inexpensive, most costing less than $650, depending on the individual's needs.

Someone with fibromyalgia, for example, may require little more than extra time to rest between tasks.

Jhita tells of one employer who resisted hiring a candidate with back problems who required a special chair, automatically dismissing the possibility as "too expensive."

Once the employer realized special chairs actually existed, he quickly agreed to hire the candidate and provide the chair.

Daniel points out that there are a host of myths surrounding the hiring of disabled job seekers. Some employers believe insurance rates will skyrocket, or that more sick leave will be taken.

In fact, long term studies indicate these costs are actually lower than those associated with hiring able-bodied counterparts. Productivity levels are similarly high as well.

Jhita claims that up to 30% of employees already have some kind of disability that employers may be unaware of, including invisible disabilities such as HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, diabetes, depression or learning difficulties. "Age can also be a barrier," Daniel says.

Both Jhita and Daniel agree that attitudes are the biggest barrier of all. It is crucial that disabled job seekers implement the three Ps: patience, persistence and professionalism in their job search.

"Go after what you want in life. There will be stumbling blocks, but you will eventually reach your goals," Jhita says.

Daniel suggests disabled job seekers hone their skills by getting involved in activities like volunteering to help boost confidence.

Hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense. It can tap into non-traditional markets, including a rapidly-aging clientele.

Perhaps most importantly, an inclusive workplace reflects and celebrates the achievements of our diverse population, and helps enable a community long denied the ability to fully participate, finally, that opportunity.



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