(COLUMBIA, SC) – South Carolina businesses and human resource professionals will be gathering online in October to learn how to close the disability employment gap and build a disability-inclusive workforce.
The Employer Summit, an annual event held by Hire Me SC, will be held online this year on Oct. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Human resource professionals who attend will hear from other businesses on their inclusionary practices and from disability rights activists who have helped create and reform employment policies. Attendees will also learn why disability employment is important not just for society but for their companies, and they will learn how to make the case for disability employment to your C-suite.
“This isn’t just an important social issue, it’s an important economic issue,” said Sandy Jordan, director of employment programs at Able South Carolina. “Although people with disabilities make up about 15% of South Carolina’s population, our state has one of the highest unemployment rates for disabled people in the nation. They are twice as likely to be unemployed, and we need to change this for the betterment of our own economy. People with disabilities can work, want to work, and bring valuable skills and talents to the workplace.”
The October summit will align with National Disability Employment Awareness Month: a month centered around the importance of hiring and retaining people with disabilities in the workforce. This year’s keynote speaker is Tim Arnold, President and CEO of Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company—a company that has successfully integrated disability employment practices into the workplace. Other topics on the agenda include mental health inclusion in the workplace, creating accessible workplaces, inclusive models for job instruction, and including disability in their business strategy.
Tickets are $75 and available at https://hiremesc.org/employer-summit/. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and HR Certification Institute (HRCI) credit hours are pending.
