Poughkeepsie Journal (New York), October 25, 2007, Thursday
Copyright 2007 Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie, NY)
All Rights Reserved
Poughkeepsie Journal (New York)
October 25, 2007 Thursday
SECTION: MID-HUDSON; Pg. 1B
BYLINE: Sarah Bradshaw
BODY:
A comic strip creator, a former Miss America, a TV news anchor and a physicist were all misjudged because of a disability.
People said they were substandard, third-rate, a distraction and incapable of independence.
Those people couldn't have been more wrong about Scott Adams, Heather Whitestone McCallum, Bree Walker and Stephen Hawking, said Hannah Rudstam of Cornell University.
The university's Employment and Disability Institute extension agent was the guest speaker of the annual National Disability Employment Awareness awards ceremony Wednesday. At the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in the City of Poughkeepsie, 20 regional businesses were honored for hiring individuals with special needs by the Office of Vocational and Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities and the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce.
"We are here to celebrate employers who get it," Rudstam said. "That means understanding that individuals contribute talents not despite of a disability, but because of their disability." This shift in perception about the "untapped labor pool" represents good business sense, she said.
"Employers who are able to engage all current and potential talent have a clear competitive advantage," she said, citing increased customer loyalty to companies that are inclusive and decreased employee turnover when an employer accommodates a special need.
Those who do not hire people with disabilities are overlooking 20 percent of the available talent, she added.
Robin Carey accepted an award for Taco Bell in Poughkeepsie. The assistant manager said during the past four years, Taco Bell has em-ployed 15 people with a disability - herself included.
Due to tracheal stenosis two years ago, Carey underwent a procedure to open her airway. She breathes through a small hole in her windpipe.
"I still work. I still do everything I used to do. The only thing I can't do is go swimming," the Poughkeepsie resident said. "I think we bring a stronger work ethic. Our disability gives us a new outlook on life."
ShopRite employs hundreds of people with disabilities, said Angela Herring-Short, a human resources specialist in the Poughkeepsie branch.
"They have such a passion and loyalty," she said. "It's contagious, and I love it."
Another grocery chain, Hannaford, was nominated by REHAB Programs Inc. for a regional award for its flexible work hours, onsite access to job coaches, modifying competency test and employment of three people with disabilities during the past year.
Cheryl Lynn, winner of the entrepreneur with a disability award, displayed her hand-knitted clothing at the event and thanked all the agencies that helped her develop a business plan when her eyesight was failing.
The owner of Cheryl Lynn Designs - who uses touch to create sweaters, scarves and teddy bears - turned to Vocational and Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities, the New York state Commission for the Blind and the Small Business Development Center to help her transition from the real estate industry to business owner.
"I have certain gifts that, being sighted, I may not have brought to the table," the Wallkill resident said. "A person with a disability will enhance a job. But there is still ignorance out there."
Lynn believes being legally blind adds to her creativity.
"I feel like God gives me the ideas for designs," she said. "I'm always coming up with them and now I just have to figure out how to go the next step."
Reach Sarah Bradshaw at sbradshaw@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4811.
{}Winners of the National Disability Employment Awareness award are:
* Cheryl Lynn Designs, Wallkill.
* Poughkeepsie Galleria, Poughkeepsie.
* Adams Fairacre Farms, Poughkeepsie.
* ShopRite, Poughkeepsie.
* Edible Arrangements, Poughkeepsie.
* Taco Bell, Poughkeepsie.
* Scenic Hudson, Poughkeepsie.
* Hannaford, Wappingers Falls.
* Southern Dutchess News, Wappingers Falls.
* Wits Automotive, Fishkill.
* Bank of America, Kingston.
* Resource Center for Accessible Living, Kingston.
* Value Lot, Kingston.
* Golden Hill Health Care Center, Kingston.
* Home Goods, Kingston.
* Northeast Center for Special Care, Lake Katrine.
* Ten Broeck Commons, Lake Katrine.
* Northern Heart Specialists PC, Brewster.
* Putnam Hospital Center, Carmel.
* A&P, Carmel.
{}Where to call
For more information, call Teresa Toussaint of Vocational and Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities at 845-452-5632.
LOAD-DATE: October 26, 2007
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