Pathways of Wisconsin, Inc.
Is a non-profit dedicated to helping adults with physical and developmental disabilities since 1978. We believe everyone has employable strengths, and the ability to work in competitive jobs with the support and careful consideration of their interests and abilities.
Partnered with the Department of Workforce Development and Vocational Rehabilitation, we work to facilitate positive collaborations between our clients and community organizations and employers through: Supported Employment (SE), Customized Employment (CE), Systematic Instruction (SI), Temporary Work Internships (OJT), and others.
“In order to address poverty, it’s essential to first address the issue of income….
…which means at least getting people into and keeping them in, the labor market.”
Benefits of Hiring People with Disabilities:
Return on Investment: Employers see, on average, a $28.69 return for every dollar invested in accommodations.
Marketing Opportunities: Customers with disabilities, their families, friends, and associates represent a $3 TRILLION market segment. Additionally, 87% of customers say they would prefer to patronize businesses that hire employees with disabilities.
Reduced employee turnover: The turnover rate for employees with disabilities is 8% compared to 45% for all other workers (aged 21-64.).
Qualified Applicants: Unfortunately, there’s still a misconception regarding cognitive abilities for an individual with a disability. For example, approximately 31% of adults with a disability (aged 21-64) had a college or associates’ degree compared to 33% of the same population without a disability.
Everybody Wins: Our clients win by gaining access to meaningful, income producing employment. Employers win by gaining productive, qualified employees. Communities win by gaining more contributing, tax paying citizens.
Free Employer Services:
The following services are provided, at NO COST, by Pathways for your business.
Identifying Job Tasks- Completing a Task Analysis can be helpful in more ways than assisting our clients learn the new job; breaking down the steps involved for each job helps identify systematic inefficiencies, and is a great reference for future staff orientations.
Employee Recruitment- We look to match qualified applicants with employers who have hard to fill positions, with low pay and/or hours, and in need of reliable part-time staff.
Matching Skills to Job Tasks- Identifying how an employee works the best, and with what tasks, can make a huge difference in work productivity and cost/profit margins.
New Employee Training- Our staff of trained Supported Employment Specialists help break down and guide clients through orientations.
Ongoing assistance- Supervision, training, and/or any other support needs.
Tax Incentives:
In addition to everything THEY bring to the job, there are a few tax incentives available to help employers hire employees with disabilities:
Small Business Tax Credit – 50% credit for expenditures between $250 and $10,250.
Architectural/Transportation Tax Deduction – up to $15,000 per year.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit – federal tax credit reducing employers’ federal income tax liability by as much as $2,400 per qualified worker.
Learn about Supported Employment:
Sources:
1. Siperstein, Romano, Mohler, Parker; “A national survey of consumer attitudes towards companies that hire people with disabilities”; University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA; Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation; 2005.
2. 2003 Crain’s Chicago Business Survey; Washington Mutual, Inc. Study.
3. Erickson, W., Lee, C., and von Schrader, S. (2014). Disability Statistics from the 2012 American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute (EDI). Retrieved October 15, 2014 from http://www.disabilitystatistics.org/