CHALLENGE |
Employers often have prejudices about the work skills of people with disabilities and/or believe that hiring people with disabilities will increase costs to the employer. Work Ability was a two year initiative to attempt to help employers to better understand the law regarding workers with disabilities and some of the advantages to employers that are currently contained in the law and to better understand how to recruit and hire people with disabilities. Work Ability grew out of the earlier Vanguard Media project Think Ability which addressed changing attitudes toward people with disabilities.

SOLUTION |
We renamed the project Work Ability because of its focus on the employer and helping them see the value of employing people with disabilities. We created a CD, Opening Doors to Work, that contained all the information employers needed to know to help them make a decision to hire a person with a disability. CDs were mailed free of charge to the 500 largest employers in the state. Radio spots were produced that encouraged employers to call for a free CD and for people with disabilities to request the CD to assist them in successfully seeking employment. Collateral posters, postcard mailers and table top displays were produced to support the campaign.

RESULTS |
It is too early to measure results, but since our radio schedule began a month ago some 200 CDs have been ordered by Utah businesses.