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Local businesses encouraged to hire disabled

Disabled employees are less likely to get hurt on the job, less likely to be late, and just as productive, if not more so, than their able-bodied and able-minded counterparts, dozens of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows’ business leaders were told Wednesday at meeting put on by a group of local service providers.

Sherri Thomas is a job developer for Triumph Vocational Services, and she wants local business owners to know about the benefits of hiring a physically or mentally handicapped person.

She’s part of the Life After School Transition (LAST) committee, and says one of the biggest benefits to hiring a disabled person is stability.

“Once they find employment that works, they tend to stay there for the rest of their working lives,” she said.

Government support for disabled workers also means lucrative incentives for employers, including a $2,000 hiring incentive through Youth Skills B.C., which can be used to subsidize a worker’s salary, as well as an additional $1,000 for training.

Chris Yeo is a human resources advisor for Safeway Canada, and says while hiring an employee who is physically or mentally handicapped can have challenges, the payback is definitely worth the effort.

Safeway currently employs more than 100 people with disabilities in B.C., accounting for one per cent of their workforce.

Yeo stated that disabled employees are  more punctual than non-disabled employees, and are one sixth as likely to be hurt on the job.

“The key is that everyone has talents, you just need to find the right person for the right job,” Yeo said. “Not everyone with a disability can work at Safeway, but then not everyone without one can work at Safeway, either.”

Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin and Pitt Meadows Mayor Don MacLean both encouraged local businesses to hire disabled workers.

“Hopefully we can take a chance and see what a person with a disability can do,” said MacLean.

Daykin said hiring a disabled employee at his now-defunct lumber yard was a positive experience.

“We got more support from the system with that employee than any of our others,” he said.

LAST is holding a transition resource fair at Thomas Haney Secondary from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on March 29 to help connect disabled students with various agencies and groups that service them.

“We would like to have everyone in Maple Ridge with a disability placed with a job,” said Thomas.