Hire Me SC hosts annual Employer Summit on Oct. 13
September 13, 2021
Registration is now open for the 2021 Hire Me SC Employer Summit — an annual event led by Hire Me SC and Able SC for business managers, executives and human resource professionals looking to hire and retain a workforce inclusive of people with disabilities. The virtual event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13 through Zoom.
This year’s theme, “South Carolina’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion,” is focused on inclusive hiring in the workplace as South Carolina continues to recover from employment and economic challenges spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees will hear from a keynote speaker, participate in breakout sessions, network with other employers and leave the event with a better understanding of how to include individuals with disabilities in their workplace as the economy rebuilds.
“Data shows that individuals with disabilities had a higher percentage of jobs lost due to COVID-19 compared to individuals without disabilities, as well as a lower rebound rate to pre-pandemic employment levels than those without disabilities,” said Sandy Jordan, director of employment programs at Able SC. “As South Carolina rebuilds its economy, it’s extremely important that this untapped workforce isn’t overlooked.”
The keynote speaker will be Ashley Oolman, founder and inclusion consultant of Allied Folk — an organization centered around consulting and coaching individuals and businesses to build equitable and inclusive spaces. Other session topics include supporting your employees’ mental health, best practices to recruit people with disabilities and working with your legal team to promote disability employment.
“According to the Department of Labor, about 20% of people with disabilities are employed and 3% of them are paid subminimum wage,” said Christine Gantt-Sorenson, attorney at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd and a speaker at this year’s event. “This event will help employers identify areas where growth is needed and provide solutions to increase the number of people with disabilities in the workplace.”
To accommodate a larger audience in a COVID-safe way, this will be a fully virtual event. Event information will be sent to registered attendees in advance of the conference.
Tickets are now available for $50 and can be purchased at https://hiremesc.org/employer-summit/. A special discount is available for employers that register five or more employees for the event — interested employers can email [email protected] for details. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and HR Certification Institute (HRCI) credit hours are pending.
Thank you to our sponsors, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare Systems, Milliken, the South Carolina Society for Human Resource Management, SC Manufacturing Extension Partnership, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the Greenville Society for Human Resource Management, SC State Credit Union, DHL Global Forwarding, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, the Babcock Center, Able Access and Thrive Upstate, for supporting the 2021 Employer Summit.
Visit https://www.hiremesc.org/employer-summit to purchase tickets, view the agenda and to learn more about the 2021 Employer Summit.
About Hire Me SC
People with disabilities can work, want to work, and should be afforded every opportunity to work. Powered by Able South Carolina and the South Carolina Disability Employment Coalition (SCDEC, a coalition formed to eliminate employment barriers for individuals with disabilities), Hire Me SC is a campaign that promotes a culture of inclusion across the state of South Carolina, one in which employment for every individual, disability or not, is the norm rather than the exception. Learn more at http://www.hiremesc.org.
About Able South Carolina
As a Center for Independent Living that is grounded in the disability rights movement and run and operated by a majority of individuals with disabilities, we are united in the belief that community-based, integrated employment for individuals with all types of disabilities should be the only option when it comes to employment. Individuals with disabilities CAN work and should have the freedom, support, and opportunity to achieve competitive, integrated employment.
We advocate for systems where funding for employment programs shifts away from sheltered workshops and other non-competitive employment and moves toward a system that promotes equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, regardless of the significance of the disability. Learn more at http://www.able-sc.org.
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