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Haslam touts disabled workforce efforts in Chattanooga

Gov. Bill Haslam speaks with Orange Grove Center Director of Adult Services Tera Roberts, left, during a visit to the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Gov. Haslam released the fifth annual report by the Employment First Task Force during the visit, which shows the task force's efforts to increase employment for people with disabilities.
Gov. Bill Haslam speaks with Orange Grove Center Director of Adult Services Tera Roberts, left, during a visit to the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Gov. Haslam released the fifth annual report by the Employment First Task Force during the visit, which shows the task force's efforts to increase employment for people with disabilities. Gov. Bill Haslam speaks with Orange Grove Center Director of Adult Services Tera Roberts, left, during a visit to the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Gov. Haslam released the fifth annual report by the Employment First Task Force during the visit, which shows the task force's efforts to increase employment for people with disabilities.

By Mike Pare 3 min read

When we talk about workforce development and workforce training, all means all there as well.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Thursday touted state and local efforts to hire people with disabilities, saying the initiatives are trying to change the thinking of some employers.

“I challenge you if you’re an employer out there to say ‘How can this work in my environment?'” said Haslam during a stop at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he met disabled workers in the food service area employed by vendor Aramark.

He cited a partnership between UTC, the state and Chattanooga’s Orange Grove Center that supports and helps find jobs for the disabled.

“That’s kind of how it should work,” said Haslam, who accepted a progress report dubbed “Expect Employment” by the state’s Employment First Task Force, which is aimed at bolstering opportunities for people with disabilities.