On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. It was the first-ever civil rights law for people with disabilities. As Americans, we take pride in our nation’s commitment to equality. As such, we celebrate this landmark civil rights law, which was a collaborative effort of the U.S. government, federal and state agencies, people with and without disabilities, and many others.
On that day 20 years ago, President Bush said, “Let the shameful walls of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” The ADA guaranteed better access to goods, resources and services, such as employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and prohibited employment discrimination. The legislation aimed to ensure equal opportunity, as well as independence, full participation in society and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
Though individuals with disabilities have made great strides since the ADA was signed into law, Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina believes that more needs to be done to help people with disabilities find jobs and become independent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people with disabilities have a more than 14-percent unemployment rate compared to 9.4 percent of people without disabilities. People with disabilities make up approximately 22 percent of the U.S. workforce, compared to nearly 71 percent of people without disabilities.
Goodwill has served people with disabilities in the Triad since 1963. The organization provides the job training and career support people need to find jobs, earn paychecks and take care of themselves and their families. Goodwill helps individuals build their careers so they can feel the pride and independence that comes from a hard day’s work.
People with disabilities shouldn’t be defined by what they can’t do but instead by the skills and talents they bring to the workplace. Contrary to popular belief, many workers’ disabilities go unnoticed in the workplace because those workers need little or no accommodations to perform their jobs.
On this anniversary of the signing of the ADA, Goodwill reminds people that the law was intended to do much more than requiring wheelchair ramps and assistive technology. People with disabilities are making enormous contributions to the community, and Goodwill urges employers to think about how people with disabilities can be an asset to their organizations.
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Article courtesy of Goodwill Industries International.
Filed under: Career Services | Tags: Community Resource Center, Mission, Services
I’m the kind of girl who gets excited for Mondays. I’m also the kind of girl who loves the first days of a new month. Goal setting is one of my favorite things to do, and the beginning of a new week, a new month or even a new season are perfect times to review past accomplishments and prepare a new set of goals.
This might explain why I also adore New Year’s and new fiscal years. I am always filled with a renewed sense of purpose when I review everything I have accomplished, both personally and professionally, during the past year. I also get giddy about planning the new year’s upcoming objectives. Even though I’m about 5 months away from New Year’s, I’m lucky that Goodwill started a new fiscal year on July 1. This essentially means I get to experience the “new year high” twice each year.
So what am I so excited about this year? Besides the fact that we get to sit down as a department and as a company to plan our strategies for the upcoming year, we also get to revel in the wonderful strides we’ve made in serving our community. Last year Goodwill Industries of Central NC served over 9,500 people in our Community Resource Centers. We also helped place over 1,700 people into competitive employment within the Triad. These numbers not only beat our previous year but also exceeded our planned goal for last year. Now that’s fulfilling our purpose. And nothing makes you feel more empowered than knowing that you’re making a difference. Here’s to a successful upcoming year.
Hi! I’m Deanna, the new girl at Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina. As I meet people within Goodwill, I continue to hear the same words – we’re here to get people back to work. And for me, being back to work is pretty important.
As the economy plunged in 2008, my husband called me at work to give me the news we had been expecting – he was getting laid-off effective December 19. The housing market had slowed and the company he worked for was no longer getting sales of lighting fixtures for new home construction. We tightened our belts and fully expected him to find a new job soon, preferably using his degrees in public health.
I kept plugging away at my job working for a PR and advertising agency, until April 1, 2009, when I was called into a managing partner’s office and was told they had to let me go. WHAT ON EARTH WAS I GOING TO DO? As I cried the entire drive home, I truly did not know what was going to happen to us. I’ve had a job since I was 16, sometimes two jobs at a time, and now I was unemployed. UNEMPLOYED!
Fast forward 454 days, four boxes of resume paper, countless hours of online job searching, and here I sit at my new desk at the central office for Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina. (I actually didn’t bring in a single photo my first week out of fear that they were going to change their mind and ask me to leave.)
So as I learn about the organization, I keep thinking about what Otis Robinson, Director of Workforce Development said to me as we talked in his office, “Goodwill is about helping people reach self-sufficiency.” See a job isn’t just about a paycheck and health benefits, it’s about what that paycheck does – pay bills, save for retirement, buy a car, get groceries, see a movie every once in a while. A job can provide self-worth and pride in your own abilities and talents. When I lost my job at the agency, my identity as a person was bruised and my self-esteem was pretty banged-up. I didn’t know if I could take care of myself, and that’s a scary feeling.
As I learn about all the services Goodwill Industries offers, from resume review to career coaching to interview skills, I wish I had known back on April 1, because I would have taken advantage of the free services. I would have met with a Career Counselor to get feedback on what was working and what wasn’t. I would have asked for suggestions on my resume. I would have looked into Excel classes to sharpen my computer skills more. I would have (fill in the blank), so that I would have had fewer sleepless nights worried about my job search.
Job searching is a scary and daunting task, but I would tell anyone to not be afraid to ask for help. On the back of my new business card it states the mission – “Goodwill Industries of Central North Carolina, Inc. promotes the value of work through the provision of work opportunities for people with special employment needs.” For me, the mission of Goodwill is simply to get people in jobs that use their skills and abilities. And as the new marketing specialist, I’m happy to be one of those people!
Many of the interns who come to Goodwill Industries leave with a better grasp of how to relate and assist those who face barriers to becoming self-sufficient. However one of our recent interns has first hand knowledge of how difficult the road to independence can be for some people.
Mary C. Norris recently completed a six-week internship with Goodwill as part of a practicum class at North Carolina A&T State University. Though she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, Norris remembers a time when she thought she would not even complete her undergraduate degree.
In 2002 Norris suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed on her right side and unable to speak. She began extensive speech and physical therapy but was unable to continue taking college classes. After the stroke Norris was diagnosed with aphasia, an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language. This further devastated Norris, who loves to sing and spent many weekends performing in the church choir.
Over a year after the stroke Norris regained motion on her right side. Regaining her speech proved to be a more difficult task but Norris preserved in hopes of one day being able to sing again. As a first generation college student she was also determined to go back to school despite being discouraged by friends and family. “I knew there were going to be challenges but I knew I could do it,” said Norris. “I am an over comer. I can overcome anything.”
Norris did eventually graduate and went on to enroll in her current master’s program where she was assigned to intern at Goodwill under the supervision of Vocational Specialist Pat Tweedy. While interning with Tweedy, Norris worked the consumers who attend the vocational rehabilitation program at Goodwill. She assisted with the intake process and met with the consumers on an individual basis. She also began training on how to administer certain tests in the Evaluation Center.
“We were very glad to have her at Goodwill,” said Tweedy. “It was a pleasure and an inspiration to work with her.” Tweedy was also impressed with Norris’ work ethic. Most interns spend a whole semester at Goodwill, but since Norris was only interning for six weeks, the learning process was very fast paced. “There were some long hours and long days but Mary never complained and never missed a day,” said Tweedy.
In the fall, Norris will intern with Asheboro Vocational Rehabilitation. She is expected to graduate with honors in December. Though her internship at Goodwill was brief Norris is determined to share the mission wherever she goes. “When you are struggling to regain your independence it can be hard and I can relate to that,” said Norris. “But when you have people who are there to support you, you realize that you can do anything.”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Facebook, Flickr, Mission, Services, Twitter, YouTube
Over the years, Goodwill has come to be known as many things to many people: a donation center to drop off clothes that were too small or too big, a thrift store that provides great merchandise for a reasonable price, or a job training facility for people who need to get back on their feet. And the truth is that Goodwill is all of those things. In fact, Goodwill prides itself on being able to serve the community in many different ways, whether that is by providing a place to give your clothes a second life or by teaching someone how to become self-sufficient through our job training classes.
Riley, age 6, shows her love for Goodwill
It is a constant process to educate the public about all of the different services Goodwill provides to the Triad community. In addition to this blog, Goodwill has also launched sites on other social media networks in order to continue spreading the mission. By creating a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, Goodwill can reach new audiences and continue to spread mission awareness.
You can show your love for Goodwill by following us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TriadGoodwill) or by becoming our fan on Facebook(http://bit.ly/103Uvs). You can also keep up with what’s been going on at Goodwill by browsing our pictures (www.flickr.com/triadgoodwill) and watching our videos (www.youtube.com/triadgoodwill). We will also be posting useful information and updates on this blog so be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back.
