RESPECT of Florida is the central non-profit agency for the State of Florida that helps employ about 1,200 Floridians with disabilities through the production of commodities and contractual services that are sold to government entities. If you would like to learn more about us or browse our catalog, visit us at:
respectofflorida.org.
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A Message from RESPECT of Florida
"The right talent, right now." That's the theme of the 2019 Disability Employment Awareness Month. Every October, advocates around the nation highlight the importance people with disabilities play in the workforce. The goal of the awareness month is to educate businesses and communities on the importance of inclusion and diversity in the workplace that allow individuals with disabilities to fully participate and become as independent as possible.
Having a job is empowering. Breaking down barriers and stereotypes employers may have is vital to a more proactive approach to hiring people with disabilities.
Last month, RESPECT honored several Outstanding Employees who work on RESPECT commodity and service contracts. Their stories truly demonstrate the satisfaction of achieving your goals and having a job.
RESPECT staff also attended the Exceptional Employers event on October 11 in which 12 businesses were recognized for their contributions to a more inclusive workforce.
October is one of our favorite months here at RESPECT, for the simple fact that it is focused on employment for people with disabilities. RESPECT's sole mission is to provide employment opportunities for Floridians with disabilities. We are so thankful to our customers who make a commitment to supporting the program and these important jobs.
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Congratulations
Outstanding Employees!
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APD Honors 12 Exceptional Employers
On October 11, 2019 Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), Blind Services, and Vocational Rehabilitation recognized 12 businesses with an Exceptional Employer Award for hiring people with disabilities. These companies from across the state were recognized with plaques made by people with disabilities through RESPECT partner Inspire of Central Florida. The 14th annual celebration was held at Tallahassee City Hall as part of recognizing October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.
The Exceptional Employer Awards are presented to companies that have a strong commitment to employing and retaining people with unique abilities.
The 12 award-winning businesses are:
- Accuform Manufacturing
- Aramark Dining Services at Jacksonville University
- Army and Air Force Exchange Service
- Bob's Space Racers
- Chartwells at the University of Miami
- Cleveland Clinic Martin Health
- The Home Depot
- Florida Department of Revenue
- Golden Corral
- The Chocolate Spectrum
- Wawa, Inc.
- ZVRS of Clearwater
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, "I want to ensure that Florida's educational system, economy, environment, and job market are welcoming to all, including those with unique abilities. We are proud that our state government works with businesses to support efforts to have an inclusive workforce. It is important for the public and private sectors to support citizens with unique abilities so they can achieve their dreams by going to work and remaining a vital part of their communities."
APD Director Barbara Palmer said, "We are so very excited to honor these deserving companies from across Florida for their commitment to employing a diverse workforce. These business leaders know that individuals with unique abilities are some of the most dependable employees within their organization. We are trying to spread the word that hiring a person with a disability makes good business sense."
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Commodity of the Month
Purchase American flags in various sizes in both cotton, suitable for indoor display, or nylon perfect for outdoor use.
All flags sold by RESPECT are 100% American-made including material, dye, and thread used to hand sew the flags.
Buying American flags through RESPECT provides vital jobs for Floridians with disabilities!
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RESPECT Celebrates 2019 Employees of the Year
Each year, RESPECT holds a celebration ceremony to honor the accomplishments of the Outstanding Employees working on RESPECT contracts and commodities. Employees can be nominated in one of four categories: Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, Employee of the Year for Commodities, and Employee of the Year for Services.
RESPECT considers all nominated employees to be Outstanding Employees, but also chooses one or more individuals in each category that stand out. The winners for each category are as follows:
Rookies of the Year: AJ Astacio and Jeffrey Grabelsky
 Abuid "AJ" Astacio works on a RESPECT janitorial rest area contract with partner agency Brevard Achievement Center (BAC). AJ is the first to volunteer and assist with special projects. He is reliable and thorough. AJ has exceptional leadership qualities including helping a co-worker manage his stress at work. AJ was placed on the same shift as the other employee and through AJ's helpful and supportive nature, he helped his co-worker adopt a fresh, positive outlook while at work. The change in his co-worker was so dramatic that everyone on the crew noticed.
Douglas Gasperak of BAC stated, "There is no other employee that could surpass AJ's willingness and ability to step up to the plate." Working on this contract has given AJ the work he desires and also gives him the work-life balance he had been seeking.
Jeffrey Grabelsky had been unemployed for awhile due to vision loss. He interviewed at RESPECT partner Lighthouse Central Florida and staff could tell he would be a good fit for their culture. He was hired as a Customer Care Professional. Jeffrey finished the challenging five-week training and began taking calls. He had to work very hard at first to navigate his duties, but he is now one of the best agents, receiving many accolades and some of the highest scores on his calls. Jeffrey is good at motivating others and giving team mates much needed words of encouragement.
Most Improved Employees: Cynthia Griffin and Michael E.
White
 When Cynthia Griffin first started working at RESPECT partner Palm Beach Habilitation Center, she was quiet and reserved. She was a great team-player, but still needed extra help to complete her tasks. After she received some additional training, she relies less and less on her supervisor's assistance. Her communication skills have begun to flourish, as well, which has enabled her to approach her supervisors when she is ready for new tasks. Cynthia is eager to learn and takes constructive criticism as learning opportunities. She is a cheerful, friendly, and dependable employee.
When Michael White was first referred to RESPECT partner Challenge Enterprises, he had no work experience in the janitorial field. Because of his work ethic, fortitude, and motivation he has become a stand out employee and team member on the Cecil Field janitorial crew. He continues to seek additional responsibilities when presented with the opportunity. Not only is he willing to work hard to ensure successful contract fulfillment, he is also an outgoing, cheerful, and humorous team member.
Employee of the Year for Commodities: Joseph Nuñez
Joseph Nuñez has been working with RESPECT partner Goodwill Industries of South Florida for more than eight years. When he first came to Goodwill, he had limited work experience and needed additional supervision to assist him in completing his tasks. He worked with the Goodwill Work Adjustment program and received daily training and counseling. He started working in the Flag Department in 2011 and was promoted to Material Handler in 2017.
Employee of the Year for Services: Barbara Stone
When Barbara Stone first visited RESPECT partner CARC in 2016, she was only interested in working at a fast food restaurant. She had previous work experience in that industry and felt comfortable in that environment. Eventually, the CARC Operations Director convinced her to try a position at the Baker Rest Area in janitorial services.
Working on this RESPECT contract helped Barbara achieve her goals. She wanted to be able to manage her own affairs, and she was able to make that happen, in part, by her job through CARC. Since joining, the Baker Rest Area crew she has been able to do things on her own, including driving on the interstate, which she was scared to do before her job. She recently purchased her own car and even drove her mom and boyfriend to Daytona Beach for her first beach trip! She has found success in her position and the ability to keep growing both professionally and personally.
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RESPECT Recognizes Outstanding Partners and Customers
At the annual awards, RESPECT also recognizes its Outstanding Partners, or Employment Centers, and Customers. RESPECT partners are responsible for hiring individuals with disabilities, training them, and managing their assigned commodity or service that is ultimately delivered to the customer.
This year, RESPECT's Employment Center of the Year for commodities was presented to Inspire of Central Florida. Inspire makes the beautiful plaques for our customers and this award ceremony! They took over the assignment last year and have done a wonderful job understanding our customers' needs and producing a high quality item.
RESPECT's Employment Center of the Year for services was awarded to Goodwill Industries Big Bend Services. After hurricane Michael hit last year, they were quick to mobilize their crews and provide emergency janitorial services at the shelters in Panama City. Even though some of the employees were personally impacted by the disaster, they were still able to provide a quality service for the community.
RESPECT enjoys honoring its customers, as well. Any time we can show appreciation for an agency's commitment and support we like to do so. This year, the Customer of the Year for Commodities was the Department of Juvenile Justice. The agency was selected because staff are a pleasure to work with and we have many loyal purchasing staff we know by name. Accepting the award on behalf of the agency was Melissa Fuller, Chief Probation Officer of Circuit 6. We are so glad she could attend!
RESPECT also honored Department of Health/Children's Medical Services (CMS) as Customer of the Year for Services. This year, RESPECT services staff worked with CMS Gainesville and Jacksonville on two new contracts. We are so thankful for their commitment to working with RESPECT and ensuring expanding job opportunities for Floridians with disabilities. Accepting the award on behalf of DOH was Samantha Turk, the agency's Purchasing Director. Congratulations!
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Want A Good Hire? Then Stop Limiting Your Candidates
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Program Director, Dayna Lenk, SHRM-SCP |
Hiring is not easy. The objective is to hire the best and brightest while building a healthy inclusive team. Hiring the right person means hiring the correct skill set, but it also means locating people who have essential attributes and qualities that will positively impact the culture, and ultimately the growth of the organization in the right direction. The task of hiring is often dreaded because we fear we will get it wrong, so it is time to stop limiting ourselves to looking at only a portion of the population.
An entire segment of the workforce is regularly overlooked or rejected as a viable option for consideration. This segment who is often
excluded from or underrepresented in the workforce is the disability community. Individuals with disabilities are often rejected based on preconceived notions about their capabilities. According to the 2017 Disability Statistics Annual Report from the Institute on Disability, nearly one in eight people in the United States have a disability, and that number is rising annually. To overlook such a large segment of the population does not make good sense.
Many times, rejection of people with disabilities is not intentional or even a thought-out decision, but rather it is a part of an internal bias held because of a lack of understanding of the abilities of people with disabilities. The first step in removing internal bias is to
accept that people have an unconscious bias. Unconscious bias can be described as situations where our background, life experiences, societal stereotypes, and culture can impact our decisions and actions without intending impact.
To move past bias and begin building a more inclusive culture, the hiring manager must do their homework before they place a job ad. The homework entails defining a comprehensive picture of what you want from any employee who would be successful in that position. Outline what you want and expect from the role, not in terms of demographics, but rather a list of qualities that review the ideal candidate's skill set, experience, values, decision-making ability and personality. This is a check list of items that if any candidate possesses, then they would be a great fit for the job. These qualifications will keep the hiring manager from focusing on a potential employee's demographics or physical image. Defining these characteristics in advance may seem like a big ask, but it will help you hire people who are a true fit for the company culture and for the position itself.
People with disabilities are not available in a one size fits all model. Many people with disabilities are able, talented, intelligent, and have charisma. They have learned to look at life and problems differently and often they bring a unique problem-solving ability to any job. Although they may have barriers that require some accommodations, by hiring individuals with disabilities, employers are hiring committed, focused, and loyal individuals while at the same time creating a positive corporate image. Hiring people with disabilities should never be viewed as charity; bringing them into your company is modeling corporate responsibility, while hiring a talented individual.
Companies should always hire based on their job qualifications, employees who are disabled, who are provided with reasonable accommodations for their disability, should be able to complete their job tasks the same as anyone else in the same position, regardless of the disabling condition. The reasonable accommodation enables the disabled employee to be on equal footing with the able-bodied employee. Each employee with a disability is unique, so the accommodations needed are not going to be the same for every employee with a disability. Most accommodations cost less than $500, and it is important to note that there are many grants and government incentives that help cover the cost of providing the needed accommodations for the employee.
Besides worrying about expensive or complicated accommodations, companies also fear they might hire an individual that they have to hand hold or tip toe around. That is not the case. When companies focus on hiring for the correct skill set, they usually find that most employees with disabilities will meet and often exceed expectations. Employees with disabilities do not need to be protected from failure. In fact, they do not want to be treated any differently from any other employee in the organization.
Everyone is entitled to experience both success and failure, and the worker with a disability is no different. Employers should expect an employee with a disability to meet the same job standards as their co-workers as long as reasonable accommodations have been made so that they can meet those standards.
Hiring a great employee is a big task. Doing it the right way, so that you land the right person in a sea of applicants is a task made even more difficult when companies ignore a valuable,
underutilized resource of engaged, committed employees that can be found in the disability community. Organizations should aim their focus where it is needed; on finding the very best person for the job who can fulfill the essential job tasks, and less about if the candidate has a disability.
When hiring managers focus on the individual's abilities and not about the individual's disabilities, they are making a decision that
is not just good for business. It is good for everyone.
Resources for companies seeking to accommodate people with disabilities in the United States can be found at
The ADA National Network
The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion.
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