A Foothills organization wants to hear what businesses have to say about hiring people with disabilities.
Foothills Special Needs Association for Parents and Siblings (SNAPS) launched a survey at the beginning of May, asking business owners throughout the region about inclusive hiring practices.
“The survey is to look at the opinions and the hiring practices of businesses in the Foothills area regarding recruiting and employing individuals who have disabilities,” said Josh Bold, Foothills SNAPS promotions relations representative.
Some questions are simple, asking whether employers are aware of employees with disabilities. Others get more in-depth on the topic, dealing with what the employer feels could be a challenge when hiring someone with a disability.
“Things could be like whether safety is an issue for hiring people with disabilities, or whether attitudes of co-workers or customers would be seen as an issue,” said Bold. “It could even be knowledge, if somebody feels they wouldn’t hire someone with disabilities because they have a lack of knowledge.”
Foothills SNAPS executive director Orvella Small said the survey is intended to help the organization get a better look at businesses in the Foothills in order to support its programs helping people with disabilities find work.
It’s part of the Foothills First initiative. It was designed to assist individuals with disabilities looking for meaningful and rewarding work in their own communities, she said.
The same survey was issued by the Calgary and Area Labour Market in 2014, but it received very few rural responses, she said. SNAPS decided to take it on and gather more data to help with its hiring programs.
“For sure there are inclusive practices happening, and we’ve had good success with most of the individuals we’ve helped,” said Small. “There are also those who want to know more, so that’s part of the learning piece for us.”
She said inclusive hiring is beneficial not only for the employees, but for those who bring them on-board.
The opportunities of a diverse workforce are huge, she said, from employees being more innovative and accepting to even working harder and having fewer absences.
“We’ve found that when you hire someone who has had a barrier, they’re pretty dedicated to that job and they’re going to stay there,” said Small. “They’re going to be a lifelong employee, because it’s an opportunity they didn’t have before.”
She said businesses need to be made aware that there are programs to help them accommodate people with disabilities and include them in their workforce.
Another part of the Foothills First project is getting municipalities in the region to declare themselves as inclusive communities and inclusive employment communities. So far, the Towns of High River and Black Diamond have made the declaration, and SNAPS will meet with other councils in the MD of Foothills, Okotoks and Turnery Valley to make the same request.
“We’re working closely with the chambers of commerce as well, because the chambers are about business,” said Small. “They’re supporting the distribution of the surveys and participating in it.”
She said survey responses are coming in slow, but they’re hoping to get more during the final week.
The survey closes on May 30. It can be found on the Foothills SNAPS website or Facebook page, or on the High River or Okotoks chamber of commerce websites.
