(This post is adapted from the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR) website award announcement here.)
To recognize the valuable role that organizations play in employing people with disabilities, the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR) announces 11 winners for its Fifth Annual Outstanding Disability Employer Awards. They coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, a tradition that dates back to a Congressional proclamation in 1945. This year’s theme is “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” Exceptional employers deserve public appreciation, and MOHR has an important statewide role to play in trumpeting the important impact they have on the individuals with disabilities members serve.
PCs for People, TSE Inc., St Paul
TSE supports nine individuals at PCs for People in St. Paul and communicates regularly with its supervisors. The jobs vary and people have the opportunity to try different tasks to keep them engaged., said TSE Employment Services Director Jim Freeman. Some are testing electronics to determine if they are still usable. Others are working in sorting and some are in shipping. The unofficial “Disciples of Destruction” work in disassembly, breaking down electronics, and sorting components into boxes for recycling. He said it’s all about relationships and being on the same page. PCs stays in touch with TSE job coaches when specific departments have a need and job coaches help line up people who are a good fit. There is no one way to do it, he explains, as each person is supported differently by PCs and TSE because each has different needs. When new positions open up, there are trial runs with tasks so the recycler and TSE can see how it will go before fully committing to the job, said Freeman.
