Tim Brown
July 26th marked the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including private employers, state and local government, and public accommodations. The ADA requires reasonable accommodations to be made and prevents discrimination in employment practices.
Since 1954, Northeast Arc has been working to highlight the skills and talents of people with disabilities, which the ADA defines as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
Since its founding, a major focus for Northeast Arc has been to help people with disabilities find employment in the community. One way we have been doing this is by starting our own innovative businesses designed to train people with disabilities for competitive employment. Our first business, The Caning Company of Northeast Arc, opened over 60 years ago in Peabody to provide chair-weaving services to the general public, antique dealers and commercial businesses. The staff and workers are experts in all types of weaving, including hand cane, pressed cane, fiber rush and porch weave. Individuals interested in caning are offered work exploration opportunities to learn a variety of caning skills and potentially move to paid employment.
In recent years, we have opened several new businesses, including:
• Breaking Grounds – Our café in Peabody offers exceptional coffee, fresh sandwiches, and snacks while training to people with disabilities who want to work in the food service, hospitality or customer service. This training program has expanded to include a partnership with Amazing Pizza in Salem.
• Heritage Shredding – Services in our Danvers facility include the free delivery and pick-up of locked bins, Proof-of-Tracking, and Certificate of Destruction. Shredding is done by trained employees in a secure area and is mixed with thousands of pounds before being processed into pulp for recycling.
• Shine Jewelry – A bold line of one-of-a-kind jewelry handcrafted by artists with disabilities. It is available for sale at a number of retailers on the North Shore.
• Parcels – Located in the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, our gift shop exclusively sells curated items made by, or through, businesses owned by people with disabilities or autism. The store celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of people who are launching innovative endeavors to create new employment pathways. Purchases at Parcels support paid employment for people with disabilities around the world.
Our goal for all our businesses is to equip people with disabilities with the necessary skills to be able to find employment at companies struggling to attract and retain entry-level candidates. Studies have shown that employees with disabilities tend to have a higher retention rate than someone without a disability, as they are less likely to change jobs due to uncertainty about how a new company would accommodate their needs.
The ADA has been critical in providing workers with the accommodations and protections they need to participate in the workforce, but employers have an important role to play in creating workplaces that are not just accessible, but inclusive.
Creating workplaces where people with disabilities can thrive requires culture shifts, and I would urge all employers to look at ways they can make their organizations more inclusive for people of all abilities.
Tim Brown is the Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Northeast Arc.
