Hiring Employees With Disabilities

Driving along a fairly well-traveled road in Nashville, Tenn., I used to regularly see a middle-aged man dressed in a Target employee shirt walking on the shoulder. Every so often, he'd turn around and wave enthusiastically at passing cars, and then continue on, obviously on his way to work at the major retailer's store a few miles away. I always enjoyed seeing The Target Man (as I called him) and was impressed with him for his cheery outlook on life and with the store for employing someone who appeared to have a developmental disability.

This story in the Wall Street Journal's online CareerJournal.com proves Target isn't alone. Lots of businesses (big and small) are finding the benefits of employing people with mental or physical disabilities. "One thing we found is they can all do the job," says Randy Lewis, a senior vice president of distribution and logistics at Walgreen, who is quoted in the article. "What surprised us is the environment that it's created. It's a building where everybody helps each other out."