Want to know what city was named by Departures Magazine as the best place to raise a family? That would be Minot, North Dakota population 40,888. Located smack dab in the middle of ND, Minot would never be mistaken for a sprawling metropolis. This is a small town with small town attitudes and that’s a very good thing. That doesn’t mean that Minot is not without its problems. Like the rest of the nation, the faltering economy has taken its toll. Fortunately, there’s a big Air Force Base just down the road a piece which keeps things humming. And just like every other place in the country, Minot has its share of persons living with disabilities who want to pitch in and do their part. That’s where the Minot Rehab Services steps up to the plate and knocks it out of the ballpark.
Case in point: Randy Haugen. Randy has cerebral palsy but still manages to pull down 35 hours a week at Wal-Mart and at a local Realtor. Randy’s co-workers give him high marks for a positive attitude. Randy recently explained to the Minot Daily News the reason behind this attitude of his, “It makes me feel good to have a job because there’s a lot of people out there, especially in other states, that don’t have jobs,” he said. “I am doing what I can. I am contributing somehow, which is important to me.”
We all know the unemployment numbers are grim around the country but they are even worse for the folks struggling with disabilities. While the nation’s rates hover at 9 percent, people with disabilities have an unemployment rate of 14 percent according to the U.S. Labor Department. Which brings us back to that tiny toddling town of Minot where Jessica Francis is proud to be working as an employment consultant at Rehab Services. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Rehab Services is pulling out all the stops the make sure the local business are aware of the viable workforce.One of the many benefits of hiring these unique employees is their low turnover rate. “A lot of them, once they find a job and it are something they like, they are going to stay there a long time,” Francis told the Minot Daily News.
Rehab Services doesn’t just help find placement but they are also standing by to provide accommodations for the workers to ensure they can perform their duties. This might mean some simple adjustments like using a paper time sheet instead of a computer to clock work hours or providing explicit instructions in the form of a check list of duties. Who couldn’t benefit from that? The goal is to have these workers operating without a coach but it’s always helpful when a fellow employee can step up and act as mentor.
Ralph, 32, ended up at Rehab Services when another vocational program wasn’t a help. Rehab Services set him up in an office job and provided training in the form of shadowing for the first couple of weeks until Ralph got the routine down. Happy with his job but yearning to meet more folks, Ralph applied to Wal-Mart and was hired as a greeter.
Becky Slade works as the assistant manager at the Minot Wal-Mart and is pleased to note that “Wal-Mart is an industry leader in Americans With Disabilities Act compliance and hiring of employees with disabilities.” In fact, Careers and The Disabled Magazine named Wal-Mart one of the top 50 employers for people with disabilities for the past seven years.
Looks like Ralph is in store for a very positive employee review. Becky said, “It’s working out very well. He’s always here on time. He’s always got a smile on his face. Customers are getting to know him by name and by face. That’s when you know you are doing well when a customer recognizes who you are.”
There are plenty of agencies like Rehab Services all across the country. If you’ve had the pleasure of working with one of these agencies let us know. We’d like to share the stories. In the meantime, if you happen to find yourself in Minot, stop by the Wal-Mart and say howdy to Ralph. He’d loved to meet you!
— Meyer
