DAVENPORT, Iowa — Quad Cities employers have an opportunity to learn how to create a more disability-inclusive workplace.
IowaWORKS is inviting local employers to the "Leap into Inclusion" - Employer Disability Awareness Training on Thursday, February 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The training will be held at its center at 1801A East Kimberly Road, Davenport, Iowa.
Managers at the event will learn about workplace accommodations and participate in a Windmills training module. Windmills is a nationwide, highly interactive training program that empowers and equips professionals to become more inclusive individuals with disabilities in their work environment.
"People with disabilities have more barriers to getting employment," said Mandy Tripp, Compliance Officer with the Mississippi Valley Workforce Development Board." And this is a way to dispel some myths about hiring people with disabilities."
In a press release to News 8, Chad Pratz, Area Office Supervisor for Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, said this training allows employers to learn the latest trends in workplace inclusion.
“Providing resources for our area employers can also help create innovative ideas to take back to their workplaces," Pratz said.
A business panel will be on hand to share workplace experiences. A question and answer session will also allow for healthy discussion on creating an inclusive work environment.
Tripp said employers should focus less on one's disability and more on them as a person and what they can bring to a team.
"So if you think about a question like, Can you lift a 25-pound box? Is that a standard question? Or do you ask, how would you move a 25-pound box? And maybe other people have ways to do that," Tripp said. "That doesn't necessarily mean they can't move it. It's just that maybe they don't lift it in the same way"
It is a free event and sign-up runs through Tuesday, February, 27. Click/tap here to sign up.
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