Congress Declares October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Alton, IL, October 6, 2009 � Congress has declared October as National Disability Employee Awareness Month. Currently 60 percent of American�s with disabilities remain unemployed, many of whom want the opportunity to have a job and decrease reliance on government assistance. Individuals with disabilities remain a vast and nearly untapped workforce of willing and able workers who can help businesses succeed in the competitive marketplace.
Locally headquartered in Alton, IL, Challenge Unlimited, Inc. is a proud member of the NISH AbilityOne Program, which is a federal initiative that helps people who are blind or have severe disabilities find employment and gain independence. Challenge is one of 600 nonprofit agencies across the United States that train and employ over 40,000 individuals with disabilities.
�Integrating people with disabilities into mainstream society is an important approach to helping the American workforce meet the challenges of the 21st century economy,� said Challenge Unlimited President and CEO, Tom Moehn. �This helps the American economy by reducing the number of people on government assistance and helps more people become taxpaying members of society. Individually, this helps give someone a chance to work and change their life. Everyday we see individuals with disabilities prove to themselves and others that they are able to fulfill their potential and work toward independence.�
The AbilityOne Program develops and delivers employment opportunities that provide individual choice, equitable wages and benefits, upward mobility, and personal satisfaction to individuals with disabilities. These individuals provide a wide array of quality products and services at a fair market price to federal customers. There are AbilityOne projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Currently, Challenge Unlimited, Inc. has seven federal government sites where they provide services through the AbilityOne Program, ranging in locations from: Alton, IL, Shiloh, IL, Springfield, IL., Rantoul, IL., St. Louis, MO and Tomah, WI. Obtained in 1992, Scott Air Force Base in Shiloh, Illinois is the largest contract site, employing nearly 100 individuals with disabilities. Though custodial work is the primary contract at many sites, Challenge also handles the award winning food service contract, grounds maintenance contract and recycling contract at Scott Air Force Base.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sara Morrissey Communications Specialist
618.465.0044 ext. 1016
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Alton, IL, October 6, 2009 � Congress has declared October as National Disability Employee Awareness Month. Currently 60 percent of American�s with disabilities remain unemployed, many of whom want the opportunity to have a job and decrease reliance on government assistance. Individuals with disabilities remain a vast and nearly untapped workforce of willing and able workers who can help businesses succeed in the competitive marketplace.
