{"id":125000,"date":"2023-11-14T21:11:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T02:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=125000"},"modified":"2023-11-14T21:11:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T02:11:46","slug":"employees-with-disabilities-bring-creativity-know-how-to-navigate-adversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=125000","title":{"rendered":"Employees with Disabilities Bring Creativity, Know How to Navigate Adversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Theo Braddy, a nationally renowned advocate for people with disabilities, discusses the benefits those with disabilities bring to the workplace during a recent conversation at Capital Blue Cross.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

By Capital Blue Cross \u2013 \u00a0<\/strong>THINK<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(Trusted Health Information, News, and Knowledge) is a community publication of Capital Blue Cross. Our mission is to provide education, resources, and news on the latest health and insurance issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More people with disabilities are getting hired, and that benefits everyone in the workplace. But most of all, says a nationally known advocate, employees with disabilities bring unique skill sets and perspectives that benefit productivity \u2013 and the bottom line.<\/p>\n

An untapped resource.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Theo Braddy describes the undersized role people with disabilities play in the United States workplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo navigate through a world that was not built for you calls for a lot of creativity, a lot of resources, and a lot of spontaneity and ingenuity,\u201d Braddy said after a recent discussion with Capital Blue Cross employees. \u201cAnd aren\u2019t those things that any employer wants?\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddy would know. Disabled since suffering an injury playing football at age 15, he\u2019s spent his adult life navigating that \u201cworld that was not built for\u201d him and has become one of the country\u2019s most celebrated champions for the disabled.<\/p>\n

Braddy\u2019s visit to Capital Blue Cross \u2013 hosted by Capital\u2019s Ability Beyond Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG) \u2013 focused on the varied benefits those with disabilities bring to employers.<\/p>\n

His impassioned points made perfect sense to Patti Karper, Capital Blue Cross vice president of Health Plan Operations and the executive sponsor of the Ability Beyond Disability ERG.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndividuals with disabilities make great employees, and we focus on hiring talented people based on their capabilities,\u201d Karper said. \u201cWe see beyond the disability, which is also why we named our ERG \u2018Ability Beyond Disability.\u2019 ”<\/p>\n

Progress Steady, If Slow<\/b><\/p>\n

Braddy and other advocates have made headway when it comes to hiring people with disabilities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21% of people in the U.S. with a disability were employed in 2022 \u2013 the highest rate since tracking began in 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you hire people with disabilities, you are hiring reliable, dependable people,\u201d Braddy said. \u201cEmployees with disabilities come in earlier and stay longer. That\u2019s been proved over and over again. There have been studies on it, and the reveal is that people with disabilities just make great employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddy has made similar points for decades in various high-ranking advocacy posts in Pennsylvania, where he was CEO of the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania, commissioner for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and a member of the Statewide Independent Living Council and State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Recently, Braddy\u2019s expertise elevated him to national roles. In September 2022, President Biden appointed him to the National Council on Disability, and in early 2023 he became executive director of the National Council on Independent Living.<\/p>\n

Steps toward Inclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

Braddy advises employers to actively include those with disabilities by:<\/p>\n