DALLAS, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To seek out the best
employees to serve its worldwide clients, Affiliated Computer Services,
Inc. (ACS) today announced it has successfully recruited more than 135
people with disabilities in a pilot project designed to attract more
Americans with disabilities.
Since March, ACS has worked with approximately 300 different agencies
that support people with disabilities who refer appropriate candidates to
ACS for possible hiring.
"This program enables ACS to extend our corporate philosophy of giving
people a solid foundation to build on and the ability to improve their
lives, whether it's developing life skills or providing access to services
that lead to a safe and healthy lifestyle," said Lora Villarreal, chief
people officer for ACS.
Kyle Woodruff, 28, is blind and works for ACS. He is a customer care
representative working 40 hours a week and when working with callers, he
uses a text recognition system that reads words on his computer screen out
loud. The system also translates text into Braille displayed on a special
monitor for Kyle. Kyle's professionalism and skills have allowed him to
expand his responsibilities to help train new employees.
"It's great to work at a company where they look beyond my disability,"
said Kyle. "To ACS I am a person with skills, not a person with a
disability. I have just as much opportunity at ACS as anybody else."
ACS has a dedicated recruiting team helping more than 28 ACS locations
in the United States to recruit, hire, and promote people with
disabilities. In six months, the team of diversity recruiters has
established partnerships with state and local vocational rehabilitation
agencies and organizations such as community and local government groups,
college disability services offices, self-advocacy, independent-living
organizations, as well as veterans' organizations and others that provide
services to people with disabilities.
"ACS' program to recruit, hire and accommodate people with disabilities
is a tremendous success," said Sharrieffa Blair, employment specialist with
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, an agency that among other things refers
individuals with disabilities to companies for potential hiring. "Goodwill
Industries now has a solid partner in our efforts to employ people with
disabilities. We know ACS will make every effort to grow the program and
continue giving hope and opportunities to a group of people who have not
always had them."
ACS' hiring practices were recently honored with the 2008 Golden Key
Employer of the Year award from the office of the governor of Utah. The
Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities presents the
award to recognize companies for outstanding contributions and practices
that improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
"As a service company, ACS knows that our people make all the
difference and that our commitment to service goes hand-in-hand with our
dedication to our communities," said Tom Blodgett, group president for ACS'
BPS division. "Our clients reflect their world and our employees are a
reflection of their community."
ACS is tracking the progress of its recruiting efforts and is
continually seeking innovative ways to continue to knock down barriers to
employment. The company works with local Business Leadership Networks (BLN)
to advance its alternative recruiting efforts and allows ACS to network
with other employers whose best practices have helped influence its
success.
"ACS provides ongoing training to employees and managers regarding
hiring, managing, and promoting people with disabilities," said Villarreal.
"We participate in National Disability Awareness Month and Disability
Mentoring Day. We have a dedicated effort to attract people with
disabilities across the broad spectrum of occupations within ACS. Overall,
we are committed to becoming an employer of choice for people with
disabilities and hope that other employers will learn best practices from
us one day."
About ACS
ACS, a global FORTUNE 500 company with 65,000 people supporting client
operations reaching more than 100 countries, provides business process
outsourcing and information technology solutions to world-class commercial
and government clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ACS." Learn more about ACS at
http://www.acs-inc.com.
SOURCE Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.acs-inc.com
CONTACT:
Chris Gilligan, Corporate Communications
Manager of Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., +1-859-389-2412,
chris.gilligan@acs-inc.com
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