Chicagoans turn out for job fair for people with disabilities
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some Chicagoans with disabilities got a unique chance Tuesday to find their dream job.
The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, Ada S. McKinley Community Center, and the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services co-hosted a job fair with a big turnout at the Central West Community center, 2102 W. Ogden Ave.
The special networking event brought together people with disabilities and dozens of employers – among them the Museum of Science and Industry, Marriott International Residence Inn Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, FedEx Ground, The Chicago Lighthouse, Pace Bus, Essendant, S&C Electric Company, University of Chicago Medicine, Shedd Aquarium, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Aramark, Eli's Cheesecake, Farmer's Fridge, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, and the Greater West Town Development Project
"We really just want employers to get the opportunity to meet our job seekers and see the full picture of what an individual with a disability is capable of," said Christina McGleam of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. "Sometimes that's not always clear on a résumé."
Census data show in Chicago, only 25 percent of working-age people with a disability are employed – compared to 67 percent of those without a disability.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate for working-age people with a disability is nearly 7 percent – compared to just 3.7 percent of people in the same age group without a disability.