Program promotes hiring of disabled employees

By Jennifer Clampet (USAG Wiesbaden)September 2, 2010

Program promotes hiring of disabled employees
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN - As Elizabeth Deitch stepped out of the terminal at the Frankfurt International Airport, reality hit. She was 3,000 miles away from her home in Texas.

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She was in a foreign country. And as a new college graduate, she was entering the workforce for the first time.

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The myths and stereotypes that employers carry about people with disabilities tugged at her nerves.

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"I had some concerns," said Deitch, an intern at the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden's Trandsformation Stationing Management Office.

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And as she lowered her shaking hands into her lap, Deitch added, "but I haven't let my disability stop me yet."

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Deitch was hired through the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities - a program sponsored by the Department of Labor and Department of Defense designed to connect federal sector employers with highly motivated postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities.

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According to the U.S. Department of Labor, misconceptions about people with disabilities often stand in the way when people with disabilities look for jobs, resulting in a high rate of unemployment.

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WRP aims to eliminate this workplace discrimination - one student, one employer and one job at a time.

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"We always expected her to succeed," said Michael Sly, chief engineer with USAG Wiesbaden's Directorate of Public Works and Deitch's supervisor.

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"She has great skills. She jumped right in with the local national employees and design team. She has been able to accomplish her tasks and accomplish her tasks quickly."

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Deitch's first day at USAG Wiesbaden's TSMO office was intimidating as local national employees rattled off updates on projects using an occasional unfamiliar German word or phrase.

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But the excitement of multiple construction projects combined with the experience of working in a European setting has opened a new door for Deitch.

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"I had never dreamed that I would work anywhere overseas," said Deitch.

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Deitch, a recent graduate from Texas State University in San Marcos with a Bachelor of Science degree in technology, was looking for a job when she heard about WRP.

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"I decided to do the interview just for the experience," said Deitch.

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Before learning that she would fill a position on a military base in Europe, Deitch's biggest dream was to work for a construction company in San Antonio as a middle management or superintendent position on construction projects. Now she's considering a career with the federal government.

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"Part of the WRP program is about the federal government's constant focus on bringing those with disabilities into the workforce," said Ron Vitiello, USAG Wiesbaden Equal Employment Opportunity specialist.

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Currently the federal government is seeing diminishing numbers of employees with targeted disabilities.

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According to a 2009 report issued by the government's National Council on Disability, the federal workforce's percentage of employees with targeted disabilities dropped from .96 percent in fiscal year 1998 to .92 percent in fiscal year 2007.

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"Individuals with disabilities have to be able to seek and obtain employment," said Vitiello.

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Vitiello's presentation on WRP during the October 2009 National Disability Employment Awareness Month sparked the initial interest of TSMO officials into the program.

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"Ultimately it's great for the WRP candidate, but it needs to be something both (the employee and the employer) would benefit from," said Vitiello.

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"I highly encourage other directorates to take part in the program," said Sly. "With those that may be skeptical of WRP, give it a chance."

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WRP has provided employment opportunities for more than 5,000 students since 1995. In 2003 WRP was started in the U.S. Army Europe footprint.

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Deitch is USAG Wiesbaden's first WRP intern and she hopes that she has "paved the way for another WRP intern to come to Wiesbaden."

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"We definitely succeeded this year," said Vitiello. "We got someone who is happily employed and is an asset to the garrison."

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