October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
By Max Douge
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) honors the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities; this year celebrates 50 years for NDEAM.
Serina Roy, the owner of Dublin Roasters Artisan Coffee in Frederick, has an extensive history of employing, and working with, job seekers of differing abilities. Serina graciously offers insight into how and why she began collaborating with this talent pool.
“How did you become involved with the disability community? And what led you to your first hire of someone with a disability?”
I was first introduced by Community Living. They reached out to me asking if I needed any volunteers when I began renovating Dublin from a motorcycle warehouse to a coffee shop. I let them know about the jobs I needed to accomplish: cleaning, painting, moving bags of beans, etc. They jumped in to help with all skill levels and abilities, and the enthusiasm and commitment won me over. As soon as we started to make money, I was able to turn the intern and volunteer positions into paid positions.
As a business owner, what was your vision for incorporating this talent pool into your business?
“I started to look around my business for jobs that were being overlooked, or not done to the detail that I had wanted. I would urge businesses thinking of hiring amongst the disabled community to do a visual assessment of their facility to point out things that need to be done. Most of the time, you will find these jobs are pretty easy to teach, and just know that these folks come with a job coach or mentor. It’s a win-win situation, because the person with the disability, is so excited to help you, and to be learning something new, their gratitude is infectious for you, your staff, and your customers.”
What accommodation(s), if any, did your business make to integrate their abilities with their day-to-day responsibilities?
“Abby has multiple disabilities but has always wanted to work in a coffee shop and with people. I can’t tell you how many lives she has changed by being at Dublin. She keeps the tables clean, makes friends with customers and staff, and her goal is to be able to do the dishes. Her disability doesn’t give her the best of balance, so a dad of one of our staff built her a stabilizing platform, and now she is able to do a few dishes.
Yesenia was hired for dishes but is now proficient with prep work in the kitchen, saving the cook hours of time. She assists baristas with making gallons of ice coffee cubes on each of her shifts, also saving staff so much time.
Mike and Tommy both keep our dishes amazingly clean and organized, and have become proficient with bagging coffee, labeling bags; and Mike has become our kitchen supervisor in the evenings, closing the back of Dublin without assistance.”
What recommendation(s), if any, would you share with other businesses considering this talent pool for their workforce needs?
“I consider my business to be successful because of our people within the organization. We represent all walks of life, with all skills, education levels, and abilities. The inclusion is felt and seen by our customers and staff. You can’t help but be inspired by these folks, how well they overcome and persevere to get where they are.
I would urge more businesses to adopt this program of hiring from our disabled population. It will change your company for the better.”
For information about employer resources, disability employment initiatives, and more, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.