Letter: Get creative hiring helpers for disabled

I hope that at this point of the year, every single parent of a child or adult with a developmental disability is either out recruiting adults who are looking for work to steer them toward being a direct support professional worker in day programs and or group homes or encourage students at the high school level.

Illinois can't continue to fight the battle to hire new DSP workers by getting into a bidding war with big corporate retailers that can never be won.

The Illinois developmentally disabled community needs to get creative, like giving high school and college students credit toward their diplomas for work experience and training in working with children and adults with developmental disabilities.

For many years, the state disability community has been doing the same thing over and over again, while running into a brick wall in hiring.

Illinois nonprofit organizations need to appeal to young high school and college students' sense of community service and how that can benefit them in providing personal, as well as professional and academic growth in working with people with special needs.

Before people will accept a position, nonprofit organizations need to differentiate themselves from big business or this problem will never be solved and children and adults like my son cannot afford the effects of missing out in being part of communities, because they can't get outside.

That is why Illinois Senate Bill SB3972 was passed in the General Assembly last legislative session in Springfield.

Mike Baker

Schaumburg