Every October, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) recognizes National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) to promote the many benefits that Iowa receives by supporting successful careers for individuals with disabilities. IWD’s Vocational Rehabilitation division works with these individuals to help them overcome barriers – while also working with employers to help them realize the value of tapping into a whole new realm of potential employees.
This year, IWD is taking that recognition further by celebrating four Iowa employers who have shown a steadfast commitment to hiring Iowan with disabilities.
Champion for Disability Employment Award
Athene, a leading retirement services company West Des Moines, is being presented with the Champion for Disability Employment Award, given to employers who have gone above and beyond to work with the disability community and incorporate Iowans with disabilities in the workplace.
In 2023, Athene partnered with Easterseals Iowa to launch Athene@Work, a program focused on hiring, training, and retaining neurodiverse employees. The program has employed 16 people with plans to hire more in 2026.
After being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Jonathon James wasn’t sure what the future held. Following his treatment, James says Athene@Work has helped him return to a sense of normalcy.
“For the longest time, it was easy to forget that you didn’t always have to feel so weak and tired and beat down. You kind of forgot what it felt like to be a normal person again, so, this was exciting to have dreams for the future again.” said James.
New Business Partnership Award
AMC Theaters is being recognized for a new collaboration with Vocational Rehabilitation that has shown early success in hiring. In 2023, VR reached out to AMC to support a job candidate that was struggling with traditional job interviews. AMC then adopted a meet-and-greet approach for interviews, hiring at least four individuals with disabilities in Iowa. AMC tailors work schedules and duties to fit its employees’ physical and emotional needs.
“I’ve been hiring people for over a decade, and I tell any employer today to think outside the box,” said Michael Vitela, General Manager for AMC Dubuque 14. “You might have a position in front of somebody that has to stand there all day and do four or five things. There’s always another position or a way that can work with everybody involved.”
Innovative Award
The Iowa Veterans Home is receiving the Innovative Award because of the example they’ve set for other employers in taking a unique, forward-thinking step beyond traditional means to recruit and hire individuals with disabilities.
The Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown has worked with VR and local schools in encouraging Iowans with disabilities to start with job shadowing, complete assessments, then join externships to find roles that would be best suited to their skills. This approach has paid dividends in the food service department of the home, where employees start out washing dishes and helping residents carry their food trays before moving to more challenging roles.
“I’m very thankful for this opportunity. I never would have guessed we would have received an award for this because I just feel like it’s something we should be doing every single day, and everyone needs an opportunity to work,” said Melissa Sienknecht, Director of Food Service for the Iowa Veterans Home.
Vocational Rehabilitation Recognition Award
MercyOne is being recognized as an employer that is becoming an emerging leader and innovator in disability employment.
MercyOne has partnered with Des Moines Public Schools to get involved with Project SEARCH, a program that takes special needs students and educates them with a combination of classroom soft-skills training and on-the-job-training. The students then are matched with roles they are interested in within the hospital.
One of those former students is Mario Washington, who now works as a patient transporter in the endoscopy department.
“It taught me a lot,” he said. “It taught me that despite my own disabilities I have and have grown to struggle with, it’s not used to chain me down but used to push me forward in life.
“I see myself working here for a good, long time.”
While October marks the end of NDEAM, it does not mark the end of IWD’s support for programs that empower our state’s employers to invest in some of the most vulnerable Iowans and help guide them in rewarding employment that can evolve into life-long careers.
For more information on how Vocational Rehabilitation can help you hire from this diverse talent pool, or to find a career yourself, you can go to VR: For Businesses.