By Dennis Myers, Contributing Writer
The year 2023 marks the 33rd anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. This was a landmark piece of legislation that was directed at establishing and preserving the rights of and advocating for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every aspect of society, not just in employment.
October is designated as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the awards that are being presented this evening are an early recognition of this special time.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Advancing Access and Equity.” This theme recognizes and advocates for the role that people with disabilities play in making the nation’s workforce diverse and inclusive.
This also marks the 32nd year of the Disability Employment Awareness Awards being presented as a part of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner. These awards recognize people who refuse to be defined by a disability and also business who recognize that having a disability does not diminish the value or contribution these people can provide for their organizations. In a business environment, where there is a premium on getting and keeping good employees, now more than ever, this attitude becomes an even more important consideration for employers.
The Personal Achievement Award goes to David Robinson who, with the assistance of Vocational Rehabilitation, came to Industrial Opportunities Inc. soon after high school. After a time in the VR program, he was hired by IOI on the janitorial staff, where he is still employed today. That was in about 1982.
He has been a mainstay of the janitorial staff for these many years. At one point, he mowed yards in the Andrews area in addition to a 40-hour week at IOI.
He was always a great fan of Andrews athletics. He served as a student manager for the football team while in school. After getting out of school, he became a member of the football “chain gang.” He has continued this activity over 40 years.
David has been inducted into the Andrews High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his many years of service. He is better known in Andrews as “Happy Jack.”
During the time of his employment, he married a co-worker, with some transportation assistance from other co-workers. David has always had a strong support system, both with family and friends.
The Employer Award goes to United Grocery Outlet of Murphy, which has been supportive of the disabled population down through the years. They have been open to providing work experience activities
to evaluate both soft and hard skills, and they also help determine if they were or should be good candidates for employment at their business.
The manager, Brenda Cook, attitude has always been that everyone deserves a chance to at least show what they are capable of doing and to show that they are able to perform a job. Several different people have performed work experience activities at their store, which offers a number of different work options.
This willingness on the business’s part is even more of a help now that the Pre-Employment Transition Services program is in operation and steadily growing, with an increasing need for sites for employment experience.
The writer is Vocational Rehabilitation services coordinator with Industrial Opportunities Inc. in Andrews.