Ohio Business Network Promotes Hiring Disabled

COLUMBUS, Ohio — One hundred businesses are now members of the Ohio Business Leadership Network, a business organization that provides employers with information and resources about how best to recruit, select, train and retain a workforce that includes individuals with disabilities.

“We are proud to achieve this milestone that makes Ohio one of the largest and most active affiliates of the Business Leadership Network in the country,” said Mitch Morgan, president of the Ohio Business Leadership Network and assistant vice president, diversity and inclusion strategy manager for Fifth Third Bank.

More than 1.5 million Ohioans have a disability and 800,000 of these individuals are between the ages of 16 and 64, with 100,000 seeking employment, according to the state’s most recent assessment.

According to a DePaul University study of 314 workplaces, employees with disabilities have the same job performance ratings, do not require more supervisory time, are no more likely to be absent, late or have time off work, do not have more work place accidents and are less likely to quit the job.

Membership in the Ohio Business Leadership Network is free. Ohio is an affiliate of the U.S. Business Leadership Network, which represents 51 chapters and more than 5,000 employers.

Through the Ohio Business Leadership Network, members have access to the following:

• Learning best business practices from Ohio companies that have successfully employed people with disabilities;
• Employer-focused training provided at no charge at employer worksites through webinars;
• Federal contractors can receive assistance with meeting section 503 requirements and connections to qualified candidates with disabilities;
• Connections to the U.S. Business Leadership Network, a national association of experienced employers;
• Quarterly meetings for business contacts;
• Networking opportunities;
• Consultation opportunities with peers;
• Hiring resources such as the newly released Employer Toolkit for Hiring People with Disabilities: http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms/file.asp?id=1690&type=application/pdf

Further studies from the Jobs Accessibility Network show that when hiring workers with a disability, 58% of employers provided no-cost accommodations and often, one-time accommodations cost no more than $500.

SOURCE: Ohio Business Leadership Network

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