Unique Abilities Partner Program benefits state.

We interrupt this caustic campaign season for some good news you might have missed amid the ongoing barrage of political attacks and negative ads. Cissy Proctor, head of the state Department of Economic

Opportunity, came to Orlando this week to launch a new initiative to recognize businesses that hire individuals with disabilities, and encourage other businesses to follow suit. By spotlighting these employers, and helping to share what they’ve learned, the Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program should create more opportunities for individuals with disabilities to lead more independent, productive and fulfilling lives.

That’s good news — for these individuals, their families, their employers and the state’s economy. Some of Florida’s most recognizable employers — including Walgreens, AT&T, SeaWorld and Northrup Grumman — have become the first partners in the program.

Last year the research arm of the Florida Chamber of Commerce reported that more than 700,000 adult Floridians with disabilities weren’t in the work force. The jobless rate for this group in 2014 was nearly triple the overall state average, making individuals with disabilities one of Florida’s greatest untapped assets.

When he became state Senate president two years ago, Orlando Republican Andy Gardiner put a high priority on expanding educational and job opportunities for Floridians with disabilities. Gardiner, the father of a son with Down syndrome, prefers the to use the term “unique abilities.”

During his first year as president, Gardiner clashed with Gov. Rick Scott over a Senate proposal to provide private health insurance to low-income Floridians. Gardiner shepherded the bipartisan plan to passage in the Senate, but Scott and House leaders refused to budge in their opposition. The bitter standoff triggered an unprecedented early end to the 2015 legislative session.

But this year the two leaders, to their credit, closed ranks behind Gardiner’s priority of supporting and empowering Floridians with disabilities. After the bill that included the Unique Abilities Partner Program won unanimous approval in the opening days of this year’s legislative session, Scott wasted no time in signing it into law.

That bill also included other provisions to promote employment and independence for Floridians with disabilities. It changed state hiring policy to create more opportunities for them to land jobs with government agencies, and it established a financial literacy program for individuals with disabilities and their employers.

Gardiner also championed another bill signed into law by Scott that expands educational opportunities, through gradeschool scholarships and greater access to college, for children with disabilities — helping them get an early start on the road to jobs and independence.

The new law increased funding for a state scholarship program for students with disabilities to attend private schools, receive tutoring or get help with home-school expenses. Lawmakers surprised the Senate president by renaming the program the “Gardiner Scholarship.” The law also created the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities at the University of Central Florida. UCF already has taken the initiative by enrolling a group of students with intellectual disabilities.

Because of term limits, Gardiner is in his final days as a senator. He’s burnished his legacy with these initiatives, and benefited many Floridians.