Frequently Asked Questions
“A Network of Rhode Island Employers who champion best practices to promote employment and retention of persons with disabilities”- What is the Business Leadership Network? (BLN)
- What will the Rhode Island Business Leadership Network Do?
- How will businesses benefit from hiring people with disabilities and providing greater public access?
- The BLN is an employer-led venture of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy that promotes best practices to enhance employment opportunities for candidates with disabilities.
- All BLNs are committed to a diverse marketplace that includes people with disabilities as both customers and employees.
- There are currently 38 State BLN chapters and all are business-led initiatives.
- All BLNs serve as a clearinghouse for busy employers who are interested in hiring qualified employees with disabilities or retaining employees who recently may have acquired a disability.
- Share best practices.
- Serve as an employer-to-employer network of small, medium and large employers.
- Keep current on useful resources, developments and information.
- Effectively utilize community-based resources.
- Work collaboratively on common issues.
- Focus on Return on Investment for businesses and concern for the bottom line.
- Provide a trusting environment for businesses to turn to.
- Ensure all BLN products and services are business focused.
- Provide business-to-business networking, outreach and education.
- Encourage personnel policies that include people with disabilities and hiring practices that target candidates with disabilities.
- Provide data and evidence to address and refute commonly expressed myths and concerns associated with employing people with disabilities.
- Gain valuable employees, diversify workforce, and increase state revenue.
- Gain customers through enhancing accessibility to goods and services for people with disabilities / gain access to an untapped market for goods and services.
- Increase aggregate consumer spending.
- Can receive tax credits for businesses providing reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and those hiring targeted low-income groups (e.g. Supplemental Social Security recipient and individuals referred by vocational rehabilitation agencies) and eligible youths.
- Part of solution to the problem of workforce shortfall – official national forecasts indicate that by 2006 there will be 10 million more jobs to fill than qualified workers.
- Have access to various state and private rehabilitation and training organizations.
All Rhode Island businesses are welcome to join the RI BLN.
“Once an overlooked talent pool, people with disabilities are contributing to the American economy in ways never imagined…” – Thomas J. Donahue, President & CEO of US Chamber of Commerce
