FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 31 2023

Contact: Jon Ebelt, Communications Director, DPHHS, (406) 444-0936, (406) 461-3757
                 jebelt@mt.gov

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DPHHS Hosts Disability Employment Conference

BUTTE - The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) is hosting the inaugural Disability Employment Conference this week (May 30 – June 1) in Butte at the Hotel Finlen.  

“The conference is providing employers in Montana with valuable information related to recruitment, hiring, training, advancing, and retaining individuals with disabilities in the workplace,” said Chanda Hermanson of the DPHHS Disability Employment and Transitions Division (DETD).

Lt. Governor Kristen Juras was on hand today to provide opening remarks, followed by a presentation from Mentra, a company that works with employers to help them understand how to hire neurodiverse individuals, such as individuals with autism or dyslexia.  

Additional agenda topics were neurodiversity recruitment, mental health in the workplace, service animals in the workplace, available tax credits for hiring individuals with disabilities, wrongful discharge and more.

Hermanson oversees the Vocational Rehabilitation and Blind Services (VRBS) program that helps connect individuals with disabilities to employment and provides them with the tools they need to be successful.

She said there’s about 72,000 Montanans with disabilities ages 18-64 in Montana. This population is split among 36,000 Montanans with disabilities not in the labor force, and 32,000 in the labor force and working. The remaining 4,000 are in the labor force, but unemployed.

VRBS has counselors available who work with businesses to meet their needs in finding and retaining qualified candidates, solving issues related to accessibility and technology, provide consultation on issues such as transportation, and deliver training on disability inclusion that empowers businesses to become more inclusive.

Hermanson said VRBS helps businesses who employ or want to employ individuals with disabilities. “We can help Montana’s businesses with their staffing and recruitment needs, provide consultation on tax credits, design customized training, and provide assessments to help identify equipment or other accommodations that might be needed to help someone who has a disability be successful at work,” Hermanson said.

The conference wraps up on Thursday, June 1.