Is your company hiring? Are you searching for an employee who shows up on time every day? Do you want to improve your company culture and expand your customer base? Your next great hire may come from a talent pool you might not have considered, people with disabilities.
Aiken’s South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation office serves Aiken, Barnwell, and Edgefield counties, matching about 200 employees with employers annually. Sara Wilson has almost 20 years of experience in workforce development, including the past 8 years as the Business Development Specialist for the SCVR office in Aiken.
“The potential employees we work with might have a disability, they may be a disabled veteran or recovered from substance abuse and need a second chance. They all have something in common: being great team players and very loyal to employers. They may have to work harder than everyone else to prove themselves and they do,” said Wilson.
She believes there is a job out there for everyone. Her job is to make the right connection. Sometimes, that means helping with ergonomic resources or assigning a VR counselor to help an employee get up to speed.
“We know the employers in the CSRA and the employees, which results in the best fit for both.”
Bobby and Grady Livingston are 24-year-old twins. Both are on the Autism Spectrum and have a mild intellectual disability. The brothers began working with SCVR during their junior year in high school when they practiced hands-on manufacturing technology applications such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and hydraulics in high tech. Those classes through the VR Summer Institute program sparked their interest in manufacturing and their desire to pursue training after high school to increase their chances of a successful career.
The Livingston’s were eventually hired by the same manufacturer and both credit SCVR and Wilson for where they are today.
“When we first started, the work was hard, but it has gotten much easier. While in the training center, we gained the work skills and confidence to go to work.”
Recently, Bobby and Grady have been training new employees and have encouraged their sister and cousin to join them on staff.
Tri-Development Center of Aiken County is another organization with a commitment to providing services to people with autism, head and spinal cord injuries, and developmental disabilities. TDC also provides resources to maximize independence and educate the public to better understand their needs.
For more than 60 years, TDC has been devoted to supporting people with disabilities through daycare services and career preparation by teaching concepts such as compliance, attendance, task completion, problem-solving, safety, self-determination, and self-advocacy.
TDC also provides employment opportunities including for their bakery.
As if finding great team players for your business isn’t enough, there is another benefit to employers in hiring people with disabilities, tax credits. Human Resource and payroll company, ConceptHR based in Warrenville, SC, provided ABD with the following information regarding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. WOTC is a federal tax credit available to employers that hire individuals from certain “targeted groups” that have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. Targeted groups include the following:
- Qualified IV-A recipient
- Qualified veteran
- Qualified ex-felon
- Designated community resident (DCR)
- Vocational rehabilitation referral
- Qualified summer youth employee
- Qualified Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits recipient
- Qualified Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient
An employer may claim the WOTC for wages paid to these individuals during their first year of employment:
- 25% of the wages paid to an employee who worked between 120 and 400 hours; or
- 40% for an employee who worked more than 400 hours.
Here are the links and resources for employers:
- Internal Revenue Service webpage on the WOTC
- S. Department of Labor (DOL) webpage on the WOTC
- DOL Fact Sheet on the WOTC
- Form 8850 instructions (Pre-Screening Notice and Certification Request)
- Form 5884 instructions (Work Opportunity Credit)
- Form 3800 instructions (General Business Credit)
For more information about SCVR, click here or call 803-896-6500.
For more information about the Tri-Development Center of Aiken County, click here or call 803-642-8800.
Editor’s Note:
Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
