OCR Text |
Show Handicapped Week Observance set The l'acal office of the State Division of Rehabilitation Services, Utah State Board of Education, will be celebrating National Employ Em-ploy the Handicapped Week October 2 - 8, 1977. According to Gail Duncan, super-visor of rehabilitation services for the Iron County area , the week is being held to emphasize the contributions con-tributions that the handicapped han-dicapped can make to business and industry through meaningful employment, em-ployment, 'One of eleven people is disabled to the extent that it limits his ability to work" said Duncan. "This does not mean, however, that the handicapped, individual cannot find and hold significant employment. With the proper training, the handicapped can meet and often exceed job requirements." "For instance," continued Duncan, "last year in Utah 3,234 handicapped individual were trained and placed into employment through our program. At the beginning of the training, the group earned an annual salary of $3,414,216. After proper vocational training and placement, the total group salary for a year's time came to $20,377,032. This is an increase in earnings of nearly 500 percent." This has more than statistical importance. The improvement in individual worth as seen by those who receive training and encouragement en-couragement cannot be measured in terms of dollars saved. A large percentage of those who are now successful suc-cessful employees were receiving public assistance; now they are productive members of society," said the supervisor. "I encourage those in the community to remember that hiring the handicapped is good business. In virtually every case that I know of, a handicapped person with proper training and a job suited to individual capabilities, has become a successful employee. As one local employer put it: 'We don't hire handicapped people because the law require it. We hire the best worker-ready people we can find. Business depends on it. And many of them happen to have handicaps,' " concluded con-cluded Dundan. Employers seeking qualified individual for exisiting positions may contact Gail Duncan at 154 North Main in Cedar City or call him at 586-9995. |