TechWorks
A Partnership of Students with Disabilities and Employers
Benefits to Hiring Persons with Disabilities
• Build an Inclusive Workplace: Working side by side with a person with disabilities breaks down the barriers of misperception.
• Decreased Hiring Expenses: Searching for the right person for a job can be a costly business expense. Advertising expenses, staff time spent screening job applicants and productivity lost while the job remains vacant combine to eat away at your bottom line. The TechWorks team will screen and interview candidates ensuring that only those that can meet your job requirements are presented.
• Tax Incentives: There are tax incentives available to help employers cover the cost of accommodations as well as incentives to employers who hire their intern permanently.
Here's How It Works:
• TechWorks will begin presenting qualifed candidates to employers in January, 2009.
• Employers will compare candidate's qualifications with their current job openings to determine what opportunities for students with disabilities are available. Any known accommodations necessary for the student to succeed will also be listed.
• Once it's determined there is a match, TechWorks will contact candidates to determine if there is interest on the candidate's part to go for an interview.
• TechWorks will work with hiring managers and corporate Human Resources to set up interviews with student interns.
• Once an intern is selected for the TechWorks program, he or she will be given a "Plan of Work" which will outline job requirements and expectations. Interns with disabilities might require accommodations ranging from schedule flexibility to allow for medication regimens, assistive equipment, like computers, or services such as sign language interpreters. We will make every effort to assist with providing a workplace accommodation to enable an individual with a disability to participate in or benefit from internship opportunities resulting from TechWorks, barring undue hardship.
• Employers should create a job description listing the qualifications necessary to succeed in the job.
• TechWorks will maintain regular contact throughout the internship with both the intern and the employers.
For more information contact: Catherine Marsden, TechWorks Project Coordinator,
(312) 730-2271, TTY (312) 744-4964 email: info@chicagotechworks.org
Note: The paid and unpaid internships are supported by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, (DCEO), which is made possible through the leadership of Director Jack Lavin and is part of Governor Pat Quinn's Workforce Development Initiative. The TechWorks Initiative is administered through disabilityworks at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, (MOPD) which provides technical assistance.