Marking a half-century of advocacy and impact,
SourceAmerica reflects on milestones achieved and future goals in
advancing workforce inclusion for people with disabilities
VIENNA,
Va., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
SourceAmerica®, an AbilityOne® authorized enterprise that creates
employment opportunities for people with disabilities, today marks
its 50th anniversary of empowering individuals with disabilities
through employment opportunities and the collective policy
advancements and partnerships forged in that shared effort.
"SourceAmerica has played a vital role over the past five
decades in helping employ America's most underutilized workforce,
people with disabilities, and we are committed to continuing our
work to create meaningful, well-paying jobs through our national
network of AbilityOne providers," said Richard Belden, president and CEO of
SourceAmerica. "We celebrate this milestone while looking forward
to the day when there is a level playing field where anyone with a
disability who wants to work has the opportunity to do so."
Turning the vision of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act into reality,
which ensures individuals with disabilities and people who are
blind have access to employment through federal contracting
opportunities, SourceAmerica continues to facilitate the delivery
of a wide range of products and services to federal customers.
Since 1974, SourceAmerica has connected nearly 400,000
individuals with disabilities to meaningful employment, including
thousands of veterans with disabilities in every branch of the U.S.
military. Now, more than 575 nonprofits employing nearly 59,000
people with disabilities are part of the SourceAmerica network.
Nearly 350 of those nonprofits annually employ over 33,000 people
with disabilities including 2,400 veterans with disabilities on
AbilityOne contracts, earning over $1
billion in wages and benefits.
"My brother was born in 1959 with a significant disability and
his opportunities for employment were extremely limited," said
Mark Lezotte, SourceAmerica's board
chair. "We have come a long way in the last 50 years to expand
those horizons, but we still have much more work to do to raise
awareness of the incredible talents and capabilities people with
disabilities bring to the workforce and the positive impact a more
inclusive labor force has on our economy."
Despite the benefits of employment, nearly 63% of working-age
people with disabilities in the U.S. do not have jobs. Gainful
employment provides adults with disabilities the chance to support
themselves and their families financially, build connections with
workplace colleagues and contribute to their communities while
generating federal tax revenue and lessening the strain on
government assistance programs.
To learn more about SourceAmerica, its 50 years of making a
difference and its commitment to a disability-inclusive workforce,
visit SourceAmerica.org/50stories.
About SourceAmerica
SourceAmerica connects government
customers and other organizations to a national network of
AbilityOne authorized providers that hire a talented segment of the
workforce—people with disabilities. Established in 1974,
SourceAmerica is committed to increasing economic and social
inclusion and advocating for a more accessible future of work for
people with disabilities. SourceAmerica, an AbilityOne authorized
enterprise, harnesses the momentum and boosts the capability of its
network and customers as a leading job connector for the disability
community. To learn more, visit SourceAmerica.org and follow
@SourceAmerica on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
LinkedIn.
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