 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Disabled workers provide edge
By JENNIFER GOLDBLATT, Times Staff Writer PORT RICHEY -- Some employers look at a disabled worker and see a liability. Steve Jensen turned Optima Technologies into a thriving success by seeing a lot more. Jensen benefits from a law that directs state purchasing to suppliers that employ the disabled. His secret: partner with nonprofit groups, such as Tampa's Lighthouse for the Blind, that already put the disabled to work. Optima provides training and equipment; the nonprofit gets a state contract. Today, those partnerships account for about half of Optima's sales. "That's been good for us," said Jensen, who is not disabled. "Part of it is profits and part of it is mission." Profits have grown steadily since Jensen started the company in his garage in 1987. Optima makes, recycles and services toner cartridges and other devices. Now, it has $8-million in annual revenues, a roster of customers that includes Coca-Cola, Nabisco and the state of Florida and triple-digit sales increases that have consistently earned the company rankings among the fastest-growing technology companies in the United States. About 15 percent of Optima's own work force is disabled in some way. The disabled employees work on the assembly line, make sure Optima's bills get paid and rescue customers who need printer repairs. "It's a win-win," Jensen said. "Our organization is made up of many individuals; it just so happens that some of them are disabled. The fact that they're disabled is really transparent. It's a blessing to have them as part of our organization. I've never considered it a liability or focused on that." More than 54-million Americans are disabled. Of those who say they can work, only half do, according to the National Organization of Disability. Experts say that's because too many employers still hold widespread stereotypes about disabled workers: Some are afraid it might cost too much to accommodate them, that they might take more sick time than other workers or that they might have more accidents on the job. "We're not at the point where all companies recognize that it's a very positive contribution to society and their own work to hire folks with disabilities," said Brewster Thackary, a spokesman for the National Organization of Disability. Studies have shown that disabled workers tend to have a better attendance record, plus average or better productivity and retention rates. A study by DuPont found that 97 percent of the workers ranked average or above in terms of workplace safety. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, about 15 percent of the accommodations cost nothing; 51 percent of the accommodations cost no more than $500. "Most of the times, the accommodations are very minimal," said Rhonda Abbott, vice president of Clearwater-based Abilities of Florida, which provides vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Jensen started reaching out to the disabled about five years ago. At the time, Optima had a contract to supply toner cartridges to the state. He learned that at any time, his contract could be replaced by one from another supplier where 75 percent of the work is done by disabled people. In government parlance, such a supplier is called "RESPECT-certified." RESPECT, a nonprofit group overseen by the state, matches the purchasing needs of government agencies with agencies that employ the disabled and can fill those needs. Florida statutes require government purchasing departments to buy products from RESPECT suppliers if the suppliers meet the quality and service guidelines. If an agency goes through RESPECT, it does not have to put that contract out to bid. Thirty-four other states have similar laws. In 1998, Jensen found a way to take the risk out of his contract with the state. He approached the Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind, a RESPECT-certified agency. Optima trained its visually impaired workers to disassemble toner cartridges. Parts of the disassembled cartridges were taken back to Optima headquarters to make remanufactured cartridges. Jensen then established a division to partner with other nonprofits throughout the United States to do the same thing Optima did with Tampa's Lighthouse. Now, Optima works with nonprofit agencies in the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia and California. In Georgia, Optima trained a worker who now is the computer and networking problem-solver for the state's Department of Labor. Two years ago, Optima acquired a division of Abilities, which custom-makes computers and provides service to the state through RESPECT contracts. That division is now called Axon Technologies. It has eight employees, all of them disabled. Now, Axon has a contract with Hillsborough County's information technology department to upgrade the memory on its personal computers. Jobs have a special meaning for the disabled people Jensen employs. To Enzo DiCaro, the job is a source of pride. "It's my first job in 25 years," said DiCaro, who disassembles toner cartridges to prepare them for remanufacture. What does he like about it? "Everything. There's always something new to me." For Kathy Millican who manages Optima's accounts payable, it means working in a place where she feels appreciated. Cataracts have severely blurred her vision since birth. What most people can see 400 feet away, she must be 20 feet away to see. Millican uses a closed-circuit television, which acts as an overhead projector, to magnify the forms she examines. She also uses special magnification software, which blows up images by 800 percent. She's contemplating getting her accounting degree. What means the most to Millican? "To function in the world as everybody else."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times Letters Jan Glidewell |
