Page 18 - LRCC FOCUS October 2021

ON THE C O V ER

Lansing-based Peckham has six business units
including; manufacturing, call centers, supply
chain solutions, environmental services, contract
packaging and Peckham Farms.

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Celebrating the Contributions of Workers with Disabilities

ince the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act realize in the job market. Disabled workers, particularly
(ADA) was passed in 1990, workers with disabilities disabled women, were hit harder by the pandemic
have made inroads in society and specifically than nondisabled workers. During the pandemic,
Sin the jobs market. In the past 31 years, job unemployment for disabled workers hit 18.9 percent
opportunities have gradually increased for workers with compared to 14.3 percent for non-disabled workers.
disabilities. Society has increasingly begun to recognize Disabled workers are also more likely to be part-time. The
the contributions those with disabilities bring to the pandemic has forced more disabled people to involuntarily
workforce and the value they make within organizations. move to part-time, which in many cases results in a loss of
employee benefits and unstable schedules.
“We all learn from each other and if we are only surrounded
by people who have the same skills as we do, we don’t learn TURNING THE PANDEMIC INTO
as much,” said Jo Sinha, CEO, Peckham. “We purposely NEW OPPORTUNITIES
seek to build a workforce that is diverse and inclusive and
includes persons with disabilities which impacts the work Lansing-based Peckham is a nonprofit vocational
environment and helps make it more productive.” rehabilitation organization that provides job
opportunities for persons with significant disabilities
October is National Disability Employment Awareness and other barriers to employment. Peckham has six
Month. While there is much progress to celebrate, the business units, including manufacturing, call centers,
national recovery from the pandemic threatens to supply chain solutions, environmental services, contract
stall some of the gains disabled workers have come to packaging, and Peckham Farms. Peckham CEO Jo

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