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Oct 27, 2009 5:37 pm US/Central
High Unemployment Doubly Hard On Disabled
By Sana Syed
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Rashad Ingraham (L-R) William Haselberger, Dietrick Purvis and Carlos Estevez, all unemployed, look for a job at the Diversity Job Fair on Sept. 24, 2009, in Davie, Fla.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
High unemployment has taken its toll on many Americans, but it seems to be hitting those with disabilities even more.
A North Texas company devoted to helping the disabled says this has been one of the toughest years for the disabled to find work.
Tahria Reggens is among them.
"My disability is not being able to not being able to comprehend what I read," she said. "My reading's not that good -- it's like a third grade level."
Goodwill offered the 31-year-old a place to gain job experience and confidence.
"It teaches me there's nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it," she said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the unemployment rate for adults with disabilities rose from 11.1 percent in October 2008 to 16.9 percent in August of this year -- more than seven percent above the national unemployment rate.
Goodwill Industries has stores all over the world. Nationally, Goodwill is known to hire more people with disabilities than anyone else in the country.
Seventy-five percent of Goodwill's workforce is made up of the disabled. But Elizabeth Butler, Goodwill's Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Career Services, says it hasn't been easy convincing other employers to do the same.
"They would take somebody without a disability because there's such a pool of unemployed that they have more of a choice to pick," said Butler.
Butler says the other issue is not enough employers are hiring right now.
Sharon Terrell is a single mother with a nerve disability. She's also had a tough time finding work.
"I've been told, 'Are you crazy? Are you going to come at me?' I've heard that," she said.
Terrell and Reggens say through Goodwill they have realized they love doing janitorial work.
Goodwill is now trying to find jobs for both women so they can find a sense of belonging and fulfillment.
This year in Tarrant County alone, the company has offered employment services to more than 20,000 people with disabilities. Goodwill takes 92 cents off every dollar it makes to put back into programs that help the disabled.
Locally, companies like Six Flags, FedEx and Albertsons hire Goodwill graduates.
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