eBizDocs Celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), Emphasizes the Importance of an Inclusive Working Environment
Menands, NY. – October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a month to celebrate the value and talent workers with disabilities add to America’s workplaces and economy while bringing awareness to disability employment issues. eBizDocs, a premier electronic content solutions provider, is at the forefront of providing an accessible and accommodating workplace for any individual who wants to work.
Navree Woods-Turner, a mother of four and a grandmother of two, has worked with eBizDocs for nearly eight years. She started as Auditor and in just one year was asked to be the Team Lead and Quality Assurance for the Document Preparation Team. Navree oversees a team of more than 20 people and ensures all projects are completed to the exact specifications, ensuring customer satisfaction.
Prior to her job with eBizDocs, Navree wasn’t sure who would want to employ a mother who had been out of the workforce for six years. In addition, Navree lives with a heart condition and chronic back pain that causes daily activities to be more difficult for her than most. Through her interview process and then starting the job, Navree realized she had far more strengths and qualifications than she thought. Her strong work ethic, maturity, and ability to learn new things is exactly what eBizDocs was looking for, and Navree excelled at all of them.
“Being home for six years raising children, you tend to put yourself in a box as your children become your primary focus,” said Navree Woods-Turner. “Working at eBizDocs made me realize I honed many valuable skills while managing my household and taking care of our children and finances. I’m forever thankful that eBizDocs recognized that, and I am treated as a valued individual for what I bring to the table.”
While many individuals with disabilities would like to work, the employment rate in New York State fluctuates between 60-70 percent, compared to 4.4% of the non-disabled workforce. When Howard Gross, CEO and founder of eBizDocs, opened the company doors in 1999, he made it a priority to try to change this. Currently, more than 60% of his staff can be classified as individuals with disabilities.
eBizDocs has 2 managers on staff with American sign language skills who are able to communicate with the 4 individuals who use American sign language allowing for inclusivity for these employees in all aspects of their work life. At lunch time, brown bag sign language lessons are offered to employees who want to learn how to sign and fully interact with fellow co-workers. The company also employs a full-time employment specialist, who helps disabled workers transition into their new role, address any concerns that might arise and ensure workers stay on task and are able to maintain employment.
“Good jobs change lives, and all workers—including disabled workers—deserve the opportunity to prepare for, obtain and succeed in them,” said Howard Gross, CEO and founder of eBizDocs. “We focus on the abilities a person can bring to the table and if they seem to embody our company core values. If you were to walk into our office, you would not have any idea who was classified as disabled and who was not classified as disabled. It’s just a group of individuals who work together, a team who work together, to get the job done.”
To learn more, or to interview Howard Gross, please contact Susan Bardack at [email protected] or 518.867.7940.
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About eBizDocs
eBizDocs is a premier digital transformation provider focused on helping you put INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. Offerings include paper and microfilm conversion, content capture and document management solutions, scanner sales and service, and process consultation. eBizDocs is SOC2 Type II certified and serves private and public-sector organizations. The company has been in business for over 20 years and is a preferred source contractor for NYS entities. To learn how eBizDocs can help transform your operation, visit eBizDocs.com.