PORT TOWNSEND — Hiring disabled workers can improve business, create teamwork and provide tax breaks — and also provide benefits that extend beyond the bottom line.
“I’ve learned better communication,” said Sirens owner Kris Nelson, Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce president, about hiring a 40-year-old disabled worker.
“You might take a lot of what you say for granted, that people understand what you want, but when you hire a disabled person, you need to be clear about what you want them to do.”
Nelson said she has told many of her workers to “sweep the floor,” and they do the best they can, but she had to show the disabled worker exactly what she wanted with a demonstration.
This new clarity of communication benefited everyone, Nelson said.
Nelson was addressing Monday’s chamber of commerce meeting but not as the president of the board of directors.
She was one of three local employers invited by Skookum employment specialist Lisa Falcone to share her experiences about hiring the disabled.
Skookum, which is supported by state and county social service agencies, places disabled workers in compatible jobs.
“We don’t just put someone in a job and say goodbye,” Falcone said. “We make sure that it is a match that fits.”
Falcone said hiring disabled people encourages others to patronize that particular business and draws in the disabled person’s friends and family — who have considerable purchasing power.
She said disabled people often want to work more than their able-bodied counterparts, and their presence can increase workplace morale.
“If you hire a disabled person, you do not have to lower your standards,” she said.
Subway owner Mickey Davis has employed a disabled worker, who is now 43, for five years.
It changed his business, he said.
“Having [him] working for us has made us better at managing people and managing expectations,” Davis said.
“It has helped us cement relationships with each other and has made us better people, which is the real blessing here.”
Skookum helps 20 people at a time, Falcone said, and has an annual budget of about $220,000.
“If you hire someone with a disability, you are more likely to get someone who becomes a long-term employee,” Falcone said.
“Disabled workers have a higher retention rate, and they are in it for the long term.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
