The cleaning crew of the control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Grocery baggers at Publix and Kroger. Switchboard operators at the V.A. These jobs have two things in common. They are performed by people with disabilities. And they are filled by people trained at Bobby Dodd Institute. The institute was founded in 1960 by a group then known as Atlanta Retarded Citizens to provide job training. Last year, the now standalone nonprofit served 858 people, placing 137 in jobs and employing more than 200 in the institute’s social enterprises, including grounds maintenance services, mailrooms, call centers and other services that create jobs and support Bobby Dodd Institute’s mission and operations. “There has been change for people with disabilities in the workplace but not the amount of change we would like to see,” said Wayne McMillan, who has served as the institute’s CEO for 13 years. In April, McMillan was honored by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits for melding entrepreneurial spirit with a commitment to individual dignity. “When people with disabilities work,” he said, “the community is a better place for everyone.”
Q: Why is the institute named after Georgia Tech’s legendary football coach?
A: Coach Dodd was a volunteer with us and had a real passion for children with disabilities. His whole life was dedicated to developing the person. That is our passion — developing people to realize their potential.
Q: Who are your clients?
A: Anybody who has a disability and could benefit from our services, from people with mental disabilities to acquired disabilities to mobility issues to blindness and deafness.
Q: What does a job mean to someone with a disability?
A: This country is all about having a job. A very big aspect of having a job is self-esteem. The other part is the economic empowerment. Even if a job doesn’t have a high salary, having an income allows you to make decisions for yourself and fosters independence.
Q: Who employs your clients?
A: We are very aggressive in creating employment opportunities. We work with employers, other nonprofits, state and federal governments, even commercial entities to create jobs. We employ veterans with disabilities at a call center we operate that services AT&T customers. We have a commercial cleaning center.
Q: What does the training entail?
A: Training varies based on the individual. A lot of folks may never have had a job. Our clients go into two types of training — either work readiness training where we pay them to work in our facility and get them used to clocking in, accepting supervision, learning all the aspects of work life. Then we have skills-based training.
Q: Has the workplace climate changed for people with disabilities?
A: There is still a perception among many employers that people with disabilities are less likely to do as good a job as able-bodied people. Our own findings show that our clients tend to have higher retention rates and do as well or better.
Q: What does putting your clients to work mean for the community at large?
A: We have an estimated 200,000 people in the metro area with disabilities and a 60 percent unemployment rate for them. Giving them a job gives them a purpose. They become taxpayers and spend money and participate. We believe that 95 percent of the social ills in this country are addressed when you give someone a job.
The Sunday Conversation is edited for length and clarity. Writer Ann Hardie can be reached by email at ann.hardie@ymail.com.
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