A Sarnia home improvement store is celebrating the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.
Disability Employment Awareness Month, an initiative that promotes employment inclusion for people with disabilities, is celebrated each October in Ontario.
Lowe's Sarnia Assistant Store Manager Michael Bartley said they've been employing workers with a disability for about four years now.
"So what we've benefited from is just getting that diversity into our store. The three gentlemen that we do have on staff, they've been a fantastic asset for us, of helping us out with labour around the store, just bringing forth a very positive work environment. Any time we're working with them it's always a very positive experience in helping bring forth our day."
Bartley said he can also see the benefits of employment for someone with a disability.
"It definitely gives them a chance for independence and learning that way through interactions with the general public. For us, it just brings that positivity into the store on a daily basis when they're working here. Their positivity outweighs even the work that they bring forth."
Community Living Sarnia-Lambton's Summer Employment Transition Program has been connecting students with a disability to businesses in Lambton County for over 25 years now.
Coordinator Laura Stokley said over that time, the initiative has provided a number of benefits for both employer and employee.
In 2017, Statistics Canada showed the employment rate of adults who have a disability was 59 per cent, compared to 80 per cent of those without disabilities.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a federal initiative celebrated in the U.S. every October since 1945, a movement that is gaining traction across Canada.
The goal is to increase awareness of the positive outcomes of hiring persons with disabilities in Canada.