This guest post is by Bill Morris, founder of Blue Star Recyclers. Bill is applying for our Supporting Small Businesses That Hire People With Disabilities Grant Opportunity ran by my nonprofit KFM Making A Difference. You can learn more about the grant opportunity here.
I hope you can support my nonprofit like I’m trying to support our community. I also produce educational videos to celebrate neurodiversity by spotlighting individuals impacted by a diagnosis. Learn more on how you can help our cause with a small donation (just asking for $3 today, equal to your daily cup of coffee) here.
In 2008 I came across four young men with autism who were taking apart old electronics in an unpaid day program setting. Bill noticed all four men possessed innate skills and aptitudes for work involving the sorting and disassembly of electronic components and partnered with two organizations to launch a paid employment program to assess whether the skills were marketable in a competitive work setting. The team came through with flying colors, and with that Blue Star Recyclers was born in November of 2009.
Today Blue Star Recyclers employs 46 adults with autism and all other disabilities, who make up 80% of our workforce, at our five locations in Colorado and Illinois. We have also replicated our model and mission with 15 other recyclers and organizations in the US and abroad who now employ over 50 people with disAbilities. We employ our workforce for one reason and one reason only… because of their Assets and Abilities, not because of their diagnosis or deficits. Between 2009 and 2019 our workforce posted industry-leading attendance, reliability, productivity/on-task-engagement on the clock, and safety records, providing they are not only as good as traditional/neurotypical workers – but represent a superior workforce.
While virtually every one of our employees has a remarkable success story to tell, I think Tom would be the most compelling. Tom was a high school graduate and received his college degree yet could only acquire part-time work in the area for which he possessed strong skillsets and expertise. He then went without work for a prolonged period and suffered severe depression. His therapist assessed and diagnosed his autism at age 31, and later Tom was referred to us for employment. When he came in for his working interview we could see his potential, but the only opening we had was a job waiting on and working with the public. Along with autism, Tom had a severe speech impediment, so I had assumed he would not choose that position. Tom accepted that position and gutted it out, learning his lines and faking it until he made it, and little by little became highly competent to work with the public. We then learned he knew how to fix, build, and repair computers. When we asked why he didn’t mention that skill on his resume, he said he was just a “nerd.” We had a need for someone to manage our computer refurbishment program, and to manage our social media programs. Tom learned and excelled at both. Going into 2020 we asked if he would accept a position to lead a team to build our new component testing and resale program, and once again he accepted to take on something he had no experience with. As the first member of our Senior Leadership Team with a disability, Tom and his team produced a half-million dollars in new income for our nonprofit social enterprise. Tom not only succeeded in his positions with Blue Star but has also served as an ambassador for our mission on several occasions. Most notably, in 2018 Tom represented Blue Star at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh, Scotland, and at the Stanford University Summit for Neurodiversity.
As for National Disability Awareness Month, it is like every month at Blue Star. We shine the light on one of our team members every week on our social media channels, we train other employers how to successfully include and develop workers with ‘disAbilities,’ and we share what we’ve learned with organizations all over the world to knock down all barriers to employment.
Follow my journey on Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, & Instagram!
Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education.
Have Kerry, one of the only professionally accredited speakers on the spectrum in the country, speak at your next event by sending him an inquiry here. If you have a referral for someone who many want him to speak please reach out as well! Kerry speaks with schools, businesses, government agencies, colleges, nonprofit organizations, parent groups and other special events on topics ranging from employment, how to succeed in college with a learning disability, internal communication, living with autism, bullying prevention, social media best practices, innovation, presentation best practices and much more!
