WORKPLACE : Accommodating Disabled Employee Was No Big Deal

Calvary Chapel in Anaheim didn’t have to do major remodeling when it decided to employ a woman who is a paraplegic with cerebral palsy. All the church needed to do was make small accommodations, like raising a desk so a wheelchair could fit underneath, providing telephone headsets and allowing the new office worker to have a flexible work schedule so she can visit her doctor regularly.

Calvary’s experience shows that employers can hire people with disabilities without always having to make costly adjustments, said Rick Travis, chairman of the Orange County Employment Advocacy Network, an organization of 24 county agencies that help people with disabilities land jobs. “There’s a lot of low-tech things employers can do that they probably do for regular employees,” Travis said.

Calvary was one of more than 30 employers recognized by the network recently for its commitment to hiring people with special needs. Travis said an increasing number of people with disabilities are finding jobs locally. Twelve network member agencies reported placing 592 people with developmental disabilities in 1993--more than double the number in 1990.

Still, Travis said, unemployment for people with severe disabilities remains well over 50%. And in keeping with the general labor trend of the ‘90s, he said, more people with disabilities are finding that much of the work they can get is just temporary.