Hiring Workers with Disabilities

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by Fox Charlotte

Story Created: Oct 12, 2011 at 9:17 PM EDT

Story Updated: Oct 12, 2011 at 11:14 PM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - 30-year-old David Foret has been working in UNC-Charlotte's Crown Common dining hall since August.  He says, "I'm dependable, I can do the job."

David's boss, Danita Dorsey, oversees 75 employees in the dining hall, including several with disabilities.  She says, "They come to work every day, they have a great attitude, they're positive, that positive energy translates to all of our other employees."

FOX Charlotte's Morgan Fogarty asked David, "I hear that you have a nickname. What do they call you?" David grinned and replied, "Super Dave.  That means a lot, that means I'm an important person and people here do like me."

"When he found employment, he felt like he was part of society, which is great," says Clarence Wallace is a Vocational Coaching Specialist at Goodwill.

His role is to find jobs for people like David.  "We develop a relationship with them to find out what their job strengths, weaknesses and what their interests are," says Wallace.
 
Wallace also makes sure his job candidates are trained up, which can take anywhere from a week to two months.  Wallace helps transition the employees into their new jobs, which means working alongside them for as long as necessary.  "We can guarantee 100% productivity," says Wallace.

It was an easy decision for Dorsey, who says hires like David get a greater sense of self and employers like her get a great worker.  "They really take that responsibility seriously, more than a lot of other people," she says.

David says he hopes to work at the dining hall forever.  He says his job has given him new found confidence and independence.  "To me, it means a lot," he says.

Chartwells is the name of the company that staffs dining halls like UNC-Charlotte's.  Since 2008, they've hired more than 35 people with disabilities.  October is National Disability Employment Awareness month.
 

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