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People with disabilities get boost from Highmark
Thursday, July 20, 2000 By Jim McKay, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Chief Executive Officer John S. Brouse says hiring people with disabilities has been a good business decision for the insurance giant.
So yesterday, he announced that Highmark will help develop a "Business Leadership Network" in Pennsylvania that will assist employers in recruiting qualified workers with disabilities.
"We know from our own experience that there is a large pool of Pennsylvanians with disabilities who can bring a wealth of talent and skill to companies across the state, many of which are clamoring for well-educated, resourceful men and women in the current tight labor market," Brouse said at a kickoff luncheon at its Downtown offices.
Unemployment among people with disabilities is extremely high. According to 1990 census data, the most recent available, more than 60 percent of working-age people with disabilities do not hold either part- or full-time jobs. Although Congress enacted a law a decade ago barring discrimination against people with disabilities, experts say the situation hasn't improved much and cite polling data that shows most want to work and believe they would have the job they desire if not for their disability.
Pennsylvania is the 29th state to start such a network through a national initiative begun by the 50-year-old President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The intent is to give employers a no-obligation way to share information on common disability employment issues and expose them to qualified job applicants while providing work and training opportunities.
Funded by a grant from Pennsylvania's Developmental Disability Council, the network is developing a Web site which is currently under construction. When open later this summer, the site will provide links to participating companies and information on their job openings.
The network is also expected to develop relationships with chambers of commerce, other business associations, Pennsylvania's CareerLink employment system and the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
The project is being coordinated by the Association for Habitation & Employment of the Developmentally Disabled, a private nonprofit agency based in Camp Hill near Harrisburg.
Highmark has agreed to be a "lead company" by contributing unspecified resources to the effort and acting as an example. Brouse said the insurer has 70 employees on its payroll who identify themselves as having disabilities. Overall, the company employs about 4,000 in the Pittsburgh region and another 7,000 in the Camp Hill area.
Brouse and Highmark were praised yesterday by Joyce Bender, owner of a consulting firm that places skilled technology workers with disabilities and an executive board member of the president's committee.
"Don't just talk about it," Bender told a business audience. "Hire someone with a disability. That's what really makes the difference."
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