To the editor:

Hiring people with disabilities is a good business move, and area businesses are successfully tapping into our local pool of skilled employees. As part of National Disability Employment Awareness month, three companies in the Monadnock Region are being cited for their efforts to create opportunities to help people with disabilities develop skills, and find and keep meaningful, competitive employment. The Keene Family YMCA, the Town of Peterborough Fire & Rescue, and United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) of Chesterfield have been nominated for New Hampshire Employment Leadership Awards. Each organization is being presented with a special citation from Governor Sununu.

The Keene Family YMCA embraces inclusion as an essential part of their workplace culture. In the past few years, they have employed individuals with disabilities. Leadership at the Keene Y is committed to leading by example, treating everyone with respect and dignity, and creating a culture of safety, acceptance, and opportunity.

Peterborough Fire & Rescue has a long-time commitment to hiring and including people with disabilities. Employees work as a team, bringing everyone on staff into that community whose mission is to protect the lives and property of the town’s citizens while creating a work environment that values cultural diversity.

United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) in Chesterfield employs more than 500 people, including three with developmental disabilities who have worked there for more than three years. Everyone is held to the same standard, following company rules and policies. Supervisors work closely with employees to guide and ensure their success.

MDS is pleased to recognize these three organizations for their stellar work in disability employment. We want to spread the important message being played out in these companies that businesses in our region value all perspectives, including those of individuals with disabilities.

Are you interested in finding out more? Local employers and employees in all industries can learn more about how MDS and its partners can tap into a market of skilled employees who are ready and willing to work. Give us a call and we’ll show you how to make it work.

Alan Greene

Executive Director of Monadnock Developmental Services in Keene