Post by mikekerstetter on Dec 14, 2012 4:05:34 GMT -5
Not that I'm against helping the disabled, because I think more should be done to help them, but why are we giving health care dollars to find them employment?
Business owner gets Medicaid grant
By Matt Farrand | Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2012 8:34 am
LEWISBURG — Human resources professional and business owner Victoria Mavis was awarded a Medicaid grant at the end of September to help employers hire individuals with disabilities. The grant’s goal dovetails with what Mavis offers professionally.
“What I do is help business understand how they can increase productivity through their people,” said Mavis.
The work supported by the grant is meant to get employers to consider hiring people with disabilities. Indirect support such as helping disabled persons talk to prospective employers through mock interviews and job shadowing is also encouraged.
Her company, Hrknowledgebase.com, offers handbooks, forms, OSHA training, payroll services and other services to companies in many business sectors.
Mavis, whose mobility is limited, wants employers to look beyond disability, and focus on what a person truly can bring to their business.
“I am an individual who’s had a disability since I was 4 years old,” she said. “That was way before the (Americans with Disabilities Act) was even thought of.
“There are still a lot of fears,” noted Mavis, who said disabled persons are employed at a fraction of the rate of employment in the population overall.
“The number-one reason is that managers are unaware of the misconceptions (they carry) when hiring someone with a disability.”
Among them, she cited the belief that the ADA will force them to hire someone they don’t want to, the person they hire will be not dependable and have more accidents, or not be motivated and reliable.
“It’s not that everyone has to go out and put an elevator in their business,” Mavis noted. “Sometimes, it is as simple as offering a customer curbside service or delivery.”
Mavis hopes to change people’s view of the disabled, and thus their action.
“If you see me walking with my…crutch,you might have one perception of me,” said Mavis.
“If I was behind a desk or in a boardroom, you wouldn’t think I had a disability,” noted Mavis.
“Whenever I talk to people and tell them what I am doing with the (Medicaid) grant, almost everyone wants to help,” Mavis added, and said many employers ask how they can find an employee among the disabled population.
Education about disabilities is important all levels, Mavis said, as is the idea that each person can become an advocate for the disabled, and offered an example.
When someone without a handicapped parking permit parks a vehicle in a handicapped parking spot is a discourtesy which annoys many people, but few say anything about it, Mavis observed.
“We could gently say, ‘Maybe you forgot your sticker today;’ (illegal parkers) send a message that if (they) can do this, anyone can do this,” Mavis suggested.
Mavis recounted that she went into a gas station a few weeks ago, and a local police officer parked in a handicapped spot. She decided to go to the chief of that department, who was appalled when he was informed of what his officer did. Mavis said she took the action to help educate the department rather than seek punishment for the officer.
The police chief thanked her and said though his officers can park anywhere, parking in a spot designated for handicapped motorists was not their intent.
More information about Victoria Mavis and advocating for the disabled is online at www.HRKnowledgebase.com.
Business owner gets Medicaid grant
By Matt Farrand | Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2012 8:34 am
LEWISBURG — Human resources professional and business owner Victoria Mavis was awarded a Medicaid grant at the end of September to help employers hire individuals with disabilities. The grant’s goal dovetails with what Mavis offers professionally.
“What I do is help business understand how they can increase productivity through their people,” said Mavis.
The work supported by the grant is meant to get employers to consider hiring people with disabilities. Indirect support such as helping disabled persons talk to prospective employers through mock interviews and job shadowing is also encouraged.
Her company, Hrknowledgebase.com, offers handbooks, forms, OSHA training, payroll services and other services to companies in many business sectors.
Mavis, whose mobility is limited, wants employers to look beyond disability, and focus on what a person truly can bring to their business.
“I am an individual who’s had a disability since I was 4 years old,” she said. “That was way before the (Americans with Disabilities Act) was even thought of.
“There are still a lot of fears,” noted Mavis, who said disabled persons are employed at a fraction of the rate of employment in the population overall.
“The number-one reason is that managers are unaware of the misconceptions (they carry) when hiring someone with a disability.”
Among them, she cited the belief that the ADA will force them to hire someone they don’t want to, the person they hire will be not dependable and have more accidents, or not be motivated and reliable.
“It’s not that everyone has to go out and put an elevator in their business,” Mavis noted. “Sometimes, it is as simple as offering a customer curbside service or delivery.”
Mavis hopes to change people’s view of the disabled, and thus their action.
“If you see me walking with my…crutch,you might have one perception of me,” said Mavis.
“If I was behind a desk or in a boardroom, you wouldn’t think I had a disability,” noted Mavis.
“Whenever I talk to people and tell them what I am doing with the (Medicaid) grant, almost everyone wants to help,” Mavis added, and said many employers ask how they can find an employee among the disabled population.
Education about disabilities is important all levels, Mavis said, as is the idea that each person can become an advocate for the disabled, and offered an example.
When someone without a handicapped parking permit parks a vehicle in a handicapped parking spot is a discourtesy which annoys many people, but few say anything about it, Mavis observed.
“We could gently say, ‘Maybe you forgot your sticker today;’ (illegal parkers) send a message that if (they) can do this, anyone can do this,” Mavis suggested.
Mavis recounted that she went into a gas station a few weeks ago, and a local police officer parked in a handicapped spot. She decided to go to the chief of that department, who was appalled when he was informed of what his officer did. Mavis said she took the action to help educate the department rather than seek punishment for the officer.
The police chief thanked her and said though his officers can park anywhere, parking in a spot designated for handicapped motorists was not their intent.
More information about Victoria Mavis and advocating for the disabled is online at www.HRKnowledgebase.com.
