Employer Services
- Learn how Florida Blind Services can assist you, an employer, in finding, hiring, working with, and making accommodations for persons with a visual disability.
- Learn about the federal tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities and how you could benefit.
- Learn basic information about blindness and visual impairments, common misconceptions, and the types of workplace accommodations a blind or visually impaired employee might need.
- Learn about responsibilities regarding the employment of persons with disabilities as outlined by the federal government.
- Learn about reasonable accommodations employees who are blind or visually impaired may need.
- Find answers to questions asked by other employers.
Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program
The Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program recognizes businesses that are committed to providing career and financial opportunities to individuals with unique abilities and to assisting organizations that support them. Participating businesses demonstrate their dedication to strengthening communities and the economy by helping these Floridians with untapped talents become more independent and by partnering with other businesses, organizations and state resources in this endeavor. For more information on this program, visit http://floridajobs.org/unique-abilities-partner-program.
Resources for Employers
Two resources were recently released by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Department of Labor. The full title of these documents, a short description, and links to the documents are noted below.
Roadmaps II for Enhancing Employment of Persons with Disabilities through Accessible Technology
Roadmaps II is a report that looks at the issue of Accessible Technology (AT) and employment from the perspective of AT service providers and disability stakeholders who work directly to assist individuals with disabilities. Roadmaps II is a result of the work of the AT Collaborative - a group of national organizations funded by ODEP and Cherry Engineering Support Services, Inc (CESSI) to address AT issues and provide policy recommendations related to the employment of individuals with disabilities. Roadmaps II follows the January 2008 release of Roadmaps I, which is a report on the consensus Roadmaps developed by participants in the 2007 Business Dialogue on Accessible Technology and Disability Employment for how best to enhance the hiring, retention, and advancement of persons with disabilities and others through accessible technology. Read more about the Roadmaps II (PDF).
New Disability Employment Resource For Employers Released
To meet the need for a comprehensive, portable, and easy to understand guide for employers who are looking to recruit, hire, and retain employees with disabilities, ODEP just released its new Four-Step Reference Guide. The online version of this valuable resource, which covers topics such as incentives and return on investment (ROI), recruiting, interviewing and hiring, and much more, also provides a wealth of links and other resources. The guide is available at Florida Unique Abilities Partner Resources - FloridaJobs.org. The print version of Diversifying Your Workforce, A Four-Step Reference Guide to Recruiting, Hiring & Retaining Employees with Disabilities will be available later this year.
Reference Points is administered by PACER Center https://www.pacer.org/ as a technical assistance activity of the Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act (TATRA) Project. The TATRA Project is funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
