Observer-Dispatch (Utica, New York), July 26, 2006, Wednesday

Copyright 2006 Observer-Dispatch (Utica, NY)
All Rights Reserved
Observer-Dispatch (Utica, New York)

July 26, 2006 Wednesday
1 Edition

SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 1B

HEADLINE: Woman with cerebral palsy 'always ready to work'

BYLINE: Cassaundra Baber cbaber@utica.gannett.com

BODY:
Hirring mirrors intention of 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act
Observer-Dispatch
CLINTON - For some employers, finding the perfect employee takes years. But sometimes that perfect employee finds them.
That happened eight years ago for Clinton lawyer Thomas O'Brien when Christine Winfield, 26 at the time, walked through his door.
Winfield, who was born with cerebral palsy, walked with an uneven gait and spoke through a specialized communications device. O'Brien immediately was impressed by her.
"The biggest thing about Chris is she's very energetic and very personable," O'Brien said. "She's just the ideal person to work in a law office, because she likes everybody, and that's important because in a law office you're dealing with all types of people."
O'Brien's hiring decision mirrors the intention of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Today marks 16 years since the act was signed.
The act made it a requirement that employers provide equal-opportunity employment to people with disabilities. But advocates for the disabled say many hurdles still exist to meeting the act's goals.
"A lot of work needs to be done to provide better employment for people with disabilities," said Andrea Haenlin-Mott, project director for the Employment and Disabilities Institute at Cornell University.
For Winfield, the road to employment wasn't particularly bare - just a lot of twists and turns. It took about 2 1/2 years of "not-quite-right jobs," after graduating from Herkimer County Community College with a degree in data processing, before Winfield found her law office job that she said turned out to be a perfect fit.
"Some are willing to give you a chance, where some aren't I guess," said Winfield through means of a Lightwriter, a communication device similar to a small computerized typewriter.
When companies choose not to do that, it's only hurting their bottom line, Haenlin-Mott said.
"How many businesses can afford not to open their business to as many kinds of people as possible?" she said. "It's not just a person with a disability that you're accommodating, it's the families who go to the same stores or use the same businesses as their family member with a disability."
The biggest misconception employers have when hiring people with disabilities is that they'll have to spend more time with the employee with the disability than they would with an employee without a disability, advocates for the disabled say.
Haenlin-Mott said eliminating those stereotypes comes down to changing people's expectations.
"I think what happens in a lot of areas is some employers are really proactive and understand the value of good solid workers that happen to have disabilities," she said. "But then a lot of times employers may be skeptical that a person with a disability is able to do the job as well as anyone else."
Winfield said there's one thing that people with disabilities can do to eliminate those misgivings.
"I'd say attitude," Winfield said. "Always trying to do your best."
Haenlin-Mott said it's important for people with disabilities to create their own destiny.
"ADA is not going to enforce itself. It's not going to facilitate better employment and accessibility in communities. It's not going to govern itself. It's a civil rights legislation, and it's going to need people to take action," she said.
The Resource Center for Independent Living is committed to that action.
The agency secures jobs for clients at more than 50 sites within Oneida and Herkimer counties, said Beth Piekielniak, director of employment services at the Resource Center for Independent Living in Utica.
The jobs range from entry-level work to office professional and health-care positions.
Peter Barone, owner of Mohawk Janitorial Service, is one employer who has been able to see beyond the stereotypes. Fifty percent of his staff is comprised of people with disabilities.
He said there is extra time involved in training his employees with disabilities, but the rewards of their employment outweigh the added effort.
"I think once anyone had the opportunity to work with somebody who actually wants to work would really see the benefits of hiring someone with a disability," Barone said. "Our turnover rates are huge and finding someone who really wants to work is hard to find."
"There are misconceptions and pre-conceived notions about what a person with a disability is like," Piekielniak said. "Employers need to look at their potential and not make a judgment based on the disability."
As for O'Brien, he said he's found Winfield's work to be exceptional.
"She's not limited in any way and certainly not challenged in a mental way," O'Brien said. "You're talking about someone who shows up to work every day, doesn't take time off, and she's always ready to work. Why wouldn't I hire her? Why wouldn't anyone hire her?"
A HARD WORKER
Name: Christine Winfield
Age: 34
Hometown: Clinton
Education: Associate's degree in data processing from Herkimer County Community College
Occupation: Billing clerk at law office
Favorite pastime: Attending the United States National Figure Skating Competition with her aunt.