The Rock County business community is coming together for a presentation and conversation about hiring individuals with disabilities thanks to a partnership between the school districts of Beloit and Janesville.
The two districts applied for and received funding through the Wisconsin Department of Instruction’s Transition Readiness Grant, which is paying for the event Wednesday morning at Blackhawk Technical College.
School District of Beloit Transition Coordinator Stacy Duffy was already working closely with Shana Ratzburg in the Janesville School District, so when the grant funding came through, they thought it was a natural partnership.
Duffy said their respective district administrators were supportive of the collaboration and will be involved in the community conversation, which hosts business leaders and stakeholder to find out what job opportunities are becoming available and what skills they need from students with disabilities.
The keynote speaker will be Dru Laws, the senior vice president of Seljan Company in Lake Mills who is passionate about hiring those he calls “individuals with diverse abilities.”
Duffy said the Transition Readiness Grant also helps fund their transportation for students with disability and tuition for students to participate in the Project SEARCH employment program through Mercyhealth in Janesville.
