October 2012 has been designated as a month to promote the hiring of veterans and others with disabilities.

October 2012 has been designated as a month to promote the hiring of veterans and others with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has announced the theme for October’sNational Disability Employment Awareness Month: “A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?”

It has scheduled activities around the country to boost hiring of Americans with disabilities.

“Employers who ensure that inclusive workplace policies and practices are woven into the fabric and culture of the organization create an environment that encourages all workers—including those of us with disabilities—to work to their full capacity and contribute fully to the organization’s success,” said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy, in a prepared statement.

But for Paralyzed Veterans of America, every month is a disability awareness month.

A major Paralyzed Veterans' initiative making a difference in the lives of military veterans with disabilities is Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Veterans Employment). The program provides one-on-one vocational assistance and support to all veterans and their families, not just those with spinal cord injuries.

Funded through private donations and provided free to veterans, PAVE employs certified rehabilitation counselors to coordinate veterans’ vocational rehabilitation needs with their medical care and VA benefits. The counselors, working out of seven regional offices, find training opportunities, internships and employment for their clients.

But the assistance does not stop with an initial placement, noted Sherman Gillums, Jr., a paralyzed veteran who is Paralyzed Veterans' associate executive director for veterans benefits. “We are partners for life.”

Often, said Gillums, PAVE works with veterans “who are hard to place.” Some are new to the hiring process or have issues that make it difficult to secure or keep a job. And some “fall out of the workforce” several times. PAVE keeps working with these clients as long as necessary to get them into meaningful jobs.

Sometimes, translating a veteran’s experience into the language of human resources is a significant challenge, said Gillums. “Employers have been part of the learning process,” he added.

More than 400 veterans placed in jobs through the PAVE program with an 80% post-placement retention rate and average annual starting salary of $43,200. Over 150 Employer Partners have hired a PAVE client while over 700 companies and organizations in the PAVE Employer Network have committed to hiring a PAVE client.

Jim Arndt is a PAVE vocational rehabilitation counselor based in Minneapolis. He has found that “there’s a huge interest in hiring veterans. But a lot of organizations don’t know how to make this happen.”

By reaching out to employers, he said, “we let them know we can save them time and money” while they welcome a special breed of employee.

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