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Friday, December 5, 2003
A moment with ... Candace O'Neill and Teri Johnson, advocates for the disabled
Candace O'Neill and Teri Johnson are two of the luckier professionals in Seattle. Two decades after they began forcing open doors to the work force for disabled residents, they remain as passionate as ever about their jobs.
At Seattle-based O'Neill & Associates, O'Neill and Johnson help employers identify where and how they can hire those with autism, mental retardation, Down syndrome or multiple disabilities.
It's a daunting task. Only 26 percent of severely disabled adults hold jobs, according to Census Bureau data in the Chartbook on Work and Disability.
But from an office above Pike Place Market, the two women boast of an 89 percent retention rate.
What is the biggest challenge in helping a disabled worker land a job?
O'Neill: The biggest is access to employers willing to hire. When they are aware (of the option of hiring someone with a disability), they frequently block access. But they also block access to even being aware (of the option).
How does Seattle stack up compared with other cities as a place to work with a disability?
O'Neill: No. 1. No. 1 in terms of the number of people that have jobs ... but also well-paying living-wage jobs, benefits and that sort of thing. It's No. 1 in the country, but it ain't good enough.
What is lacking in Seattle as far as working with a disability?
Johnson: The private sector, it is not anything that's particular about Seattle. ... It's again because of a lack of willingness to listen. ...
And some people will point to: "Well, we have got the recession and unemployment is high and so on. ..." People are hiring, and that is a great time to restructure (as they begin to rebuild their work forces).
How did you get started?
Johnson: I kind of had this awakening. ... I still want to work with people (who are disabled), but I want to work against segregation and in support of people's civil and human rights, because that is what is still being damaged today is civil, human rights... ."
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