By: MIKE DENNEHY
New Hampshire employers spend considerable time and resources trying to find dependable employees who want to work. Yet there is a segment of our population that is too often overlooked: adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
These individuals want what most of us want: a job, a paycheck, a sense of purpose and the satisfaction of contributing to their communities. Unfortunately, too many never get the opportunity to demonstrate what they can bring to a workplace.
It’s time for New Hampshire’s business community to change that.
As the founder of Next Step Living, an independent living community in Concord serving 11 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, I see firsthand how important meaningful employment is to building independence.
Our residents are learning to manage their daily lives, develop new skills, take responsibility for themselves and become more active members of their community. Unfortunately, one of the most important pieces of that independence — finding and keeping a job — is also one of the hardest to achieve.
The problem is not a lack of desire to work. More often, it’s a lack of opportunity.
Employers may be overlooking capable, motivated individuals simply because they haven’t considered how someone with a disability might fit into their business.
There are understandable questions. Can the individual perform the required tasks? Will additional supervision be necessary? What accommodations might be needed? How will the employee fit into the existing workplace?
These are reasonable considerations, but they shouldn’t become automatic barriers to employment.
Not every individual with IDD is suited for every job, just as not every applicant without a disability is suited for every position. The key is identifying an individual’s strengths, matching those strengths with appropriate responsibilities and providing the support necessary for success.
That support is often more accessible than employers realize.
New Hampshire has organizations like Project SEARCH and the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services that have employment specialists who can assist businesses with identifying candidates, developing appropriate job responsibilities and providing job coaching when necessary.
Employers don’t have to figure everything out on their own.
And the opportunities extend well beyond traditional entry-level positions. Depending on their abilities and interests, individuals with IDD can contribute in hospitality, retail, food service, manufacturing, administrative support, maintenance and many other industries.
Some may work only a few hours each week. Others may be capable of substantially more.
What matters is creating an opportunity that benefits both the employee and the employer.
For businesses, the benefits can be meaningful. A successful hire can provide a dependable employee, strengthen workplace culture and demonstrate a commitment to the community. Inclusive employment also gives existing employees an opportunity to work alongside people whose abilities and experiences may be different from their own.
More importantly, there is a fundamental point worth emphasizing.
Hiring someone with an intellectual or developmental disability should not be viewed as an act of charity. It should be viewed as a business decision based on an individual’s ability to contribute.
That distinction matters. People with disabilities don’t need employers to lower their expectations. They need employers willing to recognize their potential, establish reasonable expectations and provide the same opportunity to succeed that other employees receive.
Mike Dennehy is the founder of Next Step Living, a Concord-based independent living community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
New Hampshire employers spend considerable time and resources trying to find dependable employees who want to work. Yet there is a segment of our population that is too often overlooked: adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
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