Distribution center eager to hire disabled workers
As equipment whirs, orders are barked out and packages are sealed, Steven Pierce works in audible isolation.
Born deaf, he works at the Advance Auto Parts distribution center in Delaware, where he's oblivious to physical sound, but hyper-aware of his surroundings.
Pierce is one of 31 disabled employees, most hired in the past year, who sort, select and package auto parts in the center. All told, the facility employs about 400 from its operation in the city's south end industrial district.
The company says that recruiting and hiring the disabled is not only the right thing to do, but also good for business due to worker retention, commitment and quality of work they offer.
Nationally, Advance Auto Parks has hired about 125 disabled workers in the past year. Turnover for those workers has been 13%, roughly half that for able-bodied workers, said David Silverman, the company's national field manager for inclusion and diversity.
Silverman, whose son has special needs due to a genetic disorder, said the company is committed to hiring 5,000 disabled workers in the next five years. "It's not a charitable program. It's not a sheltered workshop. It's not an enclave. We do it because it's right for the business and for our community partners," Silverman said.
Through partnerships with state and local disability services agencies, the company identifies, trains and hires motivated and qualified job seekers, he said.
And it has been noticed in Ohio. "They have a real concentration on working with different organizations so that they can recruit the disabled community," said Kristen Ballinger, deputy director of Employer and Innovation Services for the Ohio Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities. "They realize that if they have a workforce that is inclusive, of different groups, it is dynamic and brings wider perspective. It's a hallmark of their business. It falls in line with their values and principles."
Of Ohio's 11.7 million residents, roughly 1.6 million have a disability, be it a physical impairment such as vision, hearing or mobility or a mental illness such as autism or post-traumatic stress disorder, Ballinger said.
Workers such as Pierce "learn to compensate in all walks of life," said Ballinger. "They've been doing so all their lives. They are very good problem solvers." Silverman said "their awareness may be at an exponential level compared to the rest of the population." Pierce relies on sensory cues to know when people are near. Blue lights shine from forklifts or moving vehicles to announce their arrival "before you can see the equipment," said Brandi
Jackson, human resources manager for the company and its other Ohio locations. "He's paying much closer attention and he's very concentrated on his task."
Jackson said her mother devoted her 30-year career to helping the disabled. And, like many, she knows many people with disabilities.
"It's something that my family has been close to, wanting to support the disabled community," she said.
Adding disabled workers can inspire all employees: "If they feel like folks who have barriers can come to work, then I can too," Jackson said.
The state Opportunities agency has this year assisted more than 3,000 Ohioans with disabilities, helping them with resumes, transportation, vocational training in job skills and job placement.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the national unemployment rate for people with disabilities is about twice that of people without disabilities, making such programs essential. Silverman said that Advance Auto Parts modeled its efforts at employing those with disabilities after other successful programs at Walgreens, Office Max, UPS and Best Buy.
"We kind of went to school and wanted to listen and learn and build a program," he said.
The program is currently in eight of the company's 46 distribution centers, with plans to roll it out in others and expand it to its retail operations, which includes Carquest stores. dnarciso@gannett.com @Deannarciso