Employer for disabled sought

Sharon Rossiter knows countless young adults who are responsible, loyal and hardworking but just can't seem to get full-time employment.

That's because, in Rossiter's experience as a special education administrator, many employers are unwilling to reach out to people with developmental and physical disabilities.

But Rossiter, executive director of the Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative in St. Charles, believes there are not simply decent jobs but fulfilling careers in Kane County for special education students nearing the end of their years in the education system. That's why she and other advocates for the disabled are seeking a local business with which to partner for a new career program.

The perfect business partner would have at least 200 employees, offer a variety of jobs at different skill levels, and be able to designate one employee to serve as a part-time liaison to the program.

Modeled after a program called Project Search that launched 11 years ago at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the proposed program in Kane County is backed by the Mid-Valley Co-op and the Aurora-based Association for Individual Development.

"There will be a business partner out there," Janet McAlpin, a former Batavia school district administrator and a consultant on the project, said at a Monday news conference announcing the program. "We're very hopeful."

Typical jobs for people with disabilities include housekeeping and janitorial work, and grocery store bagging and cart collecting, McAlpin said. But through Project Search in Cincinnati, disabled workers compile mailings, stock drawers in hospital emergency rooms, and sort, sterilize and bag instruments in dental offices. Employees work full time and earn benefits.

Project Search earned the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award in 2004 and has since been replicated in 10 hospitals in six states. The program also has expanded into the retail, insurance, small manufacturing and government sectors.

Officials with the Mid-Valley Co-op and AID hope to start small, placing about 12 students a year into nine-week internships at a local business. If the internship is successful, the business would have the opportunity to hire the employee full-time. The agencies would provide training and support.

Interested businesses should call McAlpin at (630) 207-8553.