Join | Member Login
Arlington (VA) Chamber of Commerce | Arlington, VA 22201
  • Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • Join Now!
    • Chamber Assisted Grand Openings
    • Chamber Member Retirement Program
    • ShopChamber
    • Advertising >
      • Website Ads
      • E-Newsletter Ads
      • Print Ads
    • Committees
    • LeadShare
    • Annual Corporate Sponsors
    • Member Login
  • Business Directory
  • Events
    • Chamber Calendar
    • Community Calendar >
      • Submit a Community Event
    • Networking Events >
      • Chamber 101
      • Breakfast Connection
      • Business After Business
    • Signature Events >
      • Arlington Business Gala
      • Hospitality Awards
      • Legislative Breakfast
      • Arlington Chamber Volunteer Day
      • AWE Women in Business Summit
      • Best Business Awards
      • State of the County & Public Safety Awards
      • Annual Meeting
    • Educational Events
    • Women in Business
    • Travel
    • Online Learning Center
    • COVID-19 Event Policy
  • Community
    • Arlington Restaurant Week
    • Small Business Accelerator
    • Early Childhood Financial Resiliency Accelerator
    • Coronavirus Resources
    • Coupons
    • Job Board
    • Scholarship Fund
    • About Arlington >
      • Business Resources
      • Map of the Area
      • Visiting Arlington
  • Business Advocacy
    • Public Policy Positions
    • Arlington Advocacy >
      • Budget & Taxes
      • Planning
      • Project Support
      • Economic Development
      • Processes
      • Retail & Signage
      • Transportation
    • Virginia Advocacy >
      • Budget & Taxes
      • Transportation
      • Economic Development
      • Other Topics
    • Recent Advocacy
  • About the Chamber
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff Directory
    • Chamber in the News
    • Strategic Plan
    • FAQs
    • Blog
    • Publications >
      • Arlingtonian Archives
      • Arlingtonian Archives
    • Press Releases
    • Contact Us
  • Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • Join Now!
    • Chamber Assisted Grand Openings
    • Chamber Member Retirement Program
    • ShopChamber
    • Advertising >
      • Website Ads
      • E-Newsletter Ads
      • Print Ads
    • Committees
    • LeadShare
    • Annual Corporate Sponsors
    • Member Login
  • Business Directory
  • Events
    • Chamber Calendar
    • Community Calendar >
      • Submit a Community Event
    • Networking Events >
      • Chamber 101
      • Breakfast Connection
      • Business After Business
    • Signature Events >
      • Arlington Business Gala
      • Hospitality Awards
      • Legislative Breakfast
      • Arlington Chamber Volunteer Day
      • AWE Women in Business Summit
      • Best Business Awards
      • State of the County & Public Safety Awards
      • Annual Meeting
    • Educational Events
    • Women in Business
    • Travel
    • Online Learning Center
    • COVID-19 Event Policy
  • Community
    • Arlington Restaurant Week
    • Small Business Accelerator
    • Early Childhood Financial Resiliency Accelerator
    • Coronavirus Resources
    • Coupons
    • Job Board
    • Scholarship Fund
    • About Arlington >
      • Business Resources
      • Map of the Area
      • Visiting Arlington
  • Business Advocacy
    • Public Policy Positions
    • Arlington Advocacy >
      • Budget & Taxes
      • Planning
      • Project Support
      • Economic Development
      • Processes
      • Retail & Signage
      • Transportation
    • Virginia Advocacy >
      • Budget & Taxes
      • Transportation
      • Economic Development
      • Other Topics
    • Recent Advocacy
  • About the Chamber
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff Directory
    • Chamber in the News
    • Strategic Plan
    • FAQs
    • Blog
    • Publications >
      • Arlingtonian Archives
      • Arlingtonian Archives
    • Press Releases
    • Contact Us

ChAmber Blog

Disability Inclusion in the Workplace Benefits the Bottom Line

3/3/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Larysa Kautz, President & CEO, Melwood

​With more than 55 years of disability employment experience, one of the most common questions we at Melwood get asked is, “Is there really a business case for embracing neurodiversity and hiring people with disabilities?” and the answer is an unequivocal YES! 

Picture
A 2018 report by Accenture looked at 45 companies that created new specialized disability policies and practices. The data revealed that those 45 companies achieved, on average, 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins over the four-year period analyzed, compared to other companies in the sample. According to that study, companies should participate in “cutting-edge disability recruitment, hiring, and on-boarding strategies – not as charity or marketing, but because it serves their bottom line.” Additionally, the Department of Labor found that employers who embraced disability saw a 90% increase in employee retention while the Harvard Business Review made the case for Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage, by saying that neurodivergent people “bring new perspectives to a company’s efforts to create or recognize value.”
​
So, what is “neurodiversity”? Neurodiversity is a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation. These differences can include those labeled with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD, Dyscalculia, Autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, and others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability, and 1 in 54 children is diagnosed with autism each year. In the next 10 years, 500,000 young people on the autism spectrum will enter the job market and, according to the Autism Institute, two-thirds of young people with autism are unemployed. 

We are talking about a large population full of talent and unique strengths that unfortunately remains largely untapped. In fact, it’s only a handful of companies that are taking the lead in harnessing the power of this workforce. As part of the Autism at Work Roundtable, tech companies have created a playbook to help other companies expand their neurodiverse workforce where those business lines are a good fit for neurodiverse talent. As a result, these companies are finding benefits from these programs, including higher productivity, improved corporate communication, higher employee engagement, lower turnover, and higher employee morale.

According to the Harvard review, historically, companies have held the view that “it’s easier to fit people together if they are all perfect rectangles… But that requires employees to leave their differences at home – differences firms need in order to innovate.” That’s where Melwood comes in. 

When unemployment was low, the war for talent was fierce. There were many IT and cyber jobs that companies could not fill. Norther Virginia has the second highest concentration of open entry-level tech jobs in the county. Melwood created an innovative program called abilIT which provides talented neurodiverse workers with IT training and personalized soft skills instruction. abilIT equips our graduates with the skills they need to build lifelong careers as competitive technology professionals and then connects them with employers in the area. The abilIT program harnesses the potential of people with disabilities and disabled veterans while helping companies find new ways to address the critical shortage of capable IT and office technology professionals. 

We are excited to apply what we have learned developing abilIT to the region’s other in-demand careers such as construction trades and healthcare. We will continue to show the business community what we have known for over 55 years – that embracing neurodiversity isn’t just a good thing​ to do – it is a business imperative. We created the “Melwood Challenge” campaign to challenge businesses to think outside the box and see our workers as a workforce solution. At Melwood, we employ nearly 1,000 people with disabilities, and we can show you the way to improving your bottom line while helping to make the world a more inclusive place.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The mission of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is to strengthen businesses and the economic environment for those who work, live and do business in Arlington.
    Picture
    Contribute to the blog!
    Educate the Chamber membership and Arlington business community by writing a post for our blog! To get started download the blog guidelines and blog template. For questions and more information, contact the Communications Manager.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    RSS Feed

© Copyright 2023 Arlington Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
2009 14th Street, North  | Suite 100 | Arlington, VA 22201 | Directions
Tel (703) 525-2400 | chamber@arlingtonchamber.org
MemberClicks
Subscribe to This Week At Your Chamber
For Email Marketing you can trust.
Home | ​Join Now | Site Map