Celebrating Value and Talent: National Disability Employment Awareness Month

As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we recognize the skills and contributions that people with diverse disabilities bring to our workplaces, communities, and economy.

We asked Todd Weber, Outreach & Linkages Advocate, how Direct’s Linkages program works with both employers and job seekers to build connections that result in competitive, integrated, employment for people with disabilities.

What makes the Linkages program different from other employment services available in our community?

What makes Linkages unique is that we focus on building awareness and relationships with employers. Our goal is to create meaningful employment opportunities that help to close the gap between disabled and nondisabled unemployment. That gap remains about double with unemployment for disabled people at 8.9% while the rate for nondisabled people is 4.1%.

Creating meaningful employment opportunities requires more than simply connecting a job seeker with an open position.

Employers and hiring managers who have limited experience in working with disabled people may have questions or concerns about accommodations, accessibility, or how to effectively support an employee with a disability. Often, concerns arise from not knowing or not having had the opportunity to work closely with people with disabilities.

Linkages offers training, consultant, and resources. For example, two great resources are the Job Accommodation Network, AskJAN.org and AskEARN.org. AskJAN.org can help employers create a supportive workplace where everyone can succeed and AskEARN.org can help in their efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and advance people with disabilities. Direct’s Linkages program also offers tailored training and consultation to employers on a variety of employment issues because our goal is make hiring people with disabilities a win-win for everyone.

Through outreach, education, and relationship-building, Linkages helps replace uncertainty with understanding. We help employers recognize that accommodations are often simple and low-cost and, more importantly, encourage them to focus on what truly matters – the skills, experience, abilities, and potential an individual brings to the workplace. Our goal is not simply to help someone find a job. We want to help create a community that recognizes how people with disabilities can contribute and build meaningful careers.

Rather than providing direct one-on-one job coaching, Linkages focuses on bringing together employers, employment specialists, and job seekers. How does that approach help create employment opportunities?

We create an environment where employers, employment professionals, and job seekers can share information, resources, experiences, and opportunities.

Our weekly job lead email blast is one of the ways we accomplish this. It highlights employment opportunities, including positions with employer partners that value a diverse workforce and are interested in finding qualified candidates. The email reaches more than 1,500 job seekers, employment specialists, and community partners, allowing a single employment opportunity to reach a large network.

Our monthly Employment Specialist meetings give professionals an opportunity to discuss hiring trends, available positions, successes, challenges, resources, and ways we can work together to better serve job seekers.

We also host a weekly virtual Job Club, which gives job seekers with disabilities a place to connect with their peers. They share experiences, celebrate successes, talk openly about challenges, exchange ideas, and encourage one another throughout the employment process.

Each of these pieces creates a network of communication and support. When people who might otherwise work independently begin sharing information and working together, more doors can open for job seekers.

How does this strong network of employer partners discover qualified talent?

Our network helps create an environment where employers connect with job seekers and focus on their qualifications and what they can contribute. People with disabilities want what everyone does – the opportunity to work, earn a steady paycheck, contribute to something meaningful, and live fulfilling, independent lives. Our employer partners understand that disability is only one part of an individual’s identity and that hiring decisions should focus on qualifications, skills, abilities, and potential.

For businesses, that means gaining access to a largely untapped talent pool. There are qualified, motivated individuals in our community who may be overlooked simply because an employer has never considered disability-inclusive hiring or does not know where to begin.

Linkages helps bridge that gap. We introduce employers to talented job seekers while helping create the understanding and confidence that can turn an introduction into an opportunity. When that happens, everyone benefits. Businesses gain access to talent, and job seekers gain the opportunity to work and show what they are capable of achieving.

Can you share a success story of a job seeker whose employment journey reflects the impact of Linkages?

Mark’s connection with Linkages began as a recipient of our weekly job lead email blast and grew when he attended one of our hiring events. There, he connected with the Linkages team and shared his employment goals as well as some of the barriers he had encountered along the way.

Mark later joined our weekly Job Club, a peer-to-peer support group for job seekers with disabilities. Through his participation, Mark not only gained confidence and direction but also became a source of encouragement and motivation for others.

Today, Mark is building his own business as a freelance Spanish interpreter. He has a Ph.D. in Medieval Spanish Literature, a Certificate in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from Pima College, and is certified through the Certification Commission of Healthcare Interpretation (CCHI). Linkages is proud to hire Mark for events requiring Spanish interpretation, allowing us to support his growing business while benefiting from his talents.

Mark’s confidence continues to grow as his business expands. His journey is a great example of what can happen when opportunity, determination, and connection come together.

What is the most rewarding part of your role, and what motivates you to continue helping create employment opportunities for people with disabilities?

For me, this work is personal. I am the father of identical twins with a disabilities, so I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the resilience, determination, and potential of people with disabilities. That life experience has shaped who I am and how I approach the work I do today.

The most rewarding part of my role is connecting with people – whether it is a business owner who begins to see disability and employment from a different perspective or a job seeker who starts to recognize their own abilities and value.

I especially enjoy helping job seekers discover something that may have been there all along: their resilience. Sometimes a person simply needs someone to recognize their potential, encourage them, and give them an opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.

There is something incredibly rewarding about watching someone begin to believe in themselves, find their voice, earn a paycheck, and move toward greater independence.

My personal experiences brought me to this work, but the people I meet and the lives I have the privilege of being part of are what continue to inspire me. Every connection has the potential to open a door – and sometimes opening one door can change the direction of someone’s life.

Connect with Linkages and Outreach Advocate, Todd Weber, at 520-337-2478 or email ToddW@directaz.org.