Op/Ed: Bill shatters myths about workers with disabilities, gives tax credit to employers

Robert Vane
·3 min read

It’s not the easiest thing in the world to defend the profession of politics. It can be exhilarating or exasperating depending on the day, how much coffee you’ve had, and the prevailing news cycle.

Without a doubt, however, the greatest benefit to working in politics is the people. There is no political party monopoly on the presence of wonderful Hoosiers in politics and government.

One of my favorites is freshman Republican state Rep. Robb Greene. Elected in 2022 by the voters in District 47, Greene has paid his political dues in a way few people have. I have known Greene for years and can say without hesitation we are fortunate he made the leap into elected office.

(And I can also say the same thing about my friend of 20 years, Democratic Rep. Cherrish Pryor. There must be something about toiling together in the cold, depressing City-County Building that bonds people.)

Jessica Klatte works with employee Owen Carr to roll out dough Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, inside the kitchen at Mama Bird Bakery. This is Carr's first real job. "I was so pumped because I love baking," Carr said. "Then I got a call that I'm hired and it's just the best thing that people with disabilities can work." Carr, who is autistic and was born medically fragile and nearly died three times, loves to bake. He created more than 50 baking videos during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Owen wants to bake and he's great with other people," Kevin Carr, Owen's father, said. "So those are the opportunities he's going to get. It's really cool that they see him for who he is and will take the time to help him develop even greater skills."

More:Everyone is welcome at Mama Bird Bakery in Plainfield

Nationally, it is estimated 80% of individuals with a disability are not in the workforce. These figures don’t improve when you look at specific communities, like those on the autism spectrum, where unemployment is around 85%.

Greene’s bill leverages a tax credit model to incentivize Indiana businesses to change the workforce conversation for a community eager to enter the workforce. The legislation is scaled for Hoosier employers of various sizes, with small businesses that may be looking for ways to diversify their ranks receiving greater incentives than larger enterprises.

Obviously, our economy will improve if these numbers improve, but it’s not all about numbers for Greene.

Rep. Greene is using his new position in the Statehouse to pass landmark legislation to focus workforce development aid to members of the autistic and intellectual and developmentally disabled (IDD) community. He drafted and filed House Bill 1559 as a first step on this issue.

It’s deeply personal for him as his son, RG, is on the spectrum.

“When you learn your child is autistic,” said Greene, “all the basic coordinates of your life are reoriented in an instant. As a parent you have no control over the situation, but it also brings a family closer.”

Part of why Greene sees the need for such a bill is to break through certain myths of hiring within the disabled community that persist even today.

Myths that range from perceived higher turnover and increased risks to the assumed high cost of accommodating a worker with special needs. Workplace studies have repeatedly dispelled these myths, while a growing body of evidence shows the positive impact hiring individuals with disabilities will have on company culture.

More:Indiana agrees to lift barriers for blind voters after 'historic' lawsuit

Since being authored, HB 1559 quickly gained bipartisan support from leaders like Democratic legislator Rep. Greg Porter, who is a stalwart advocate for the IDD community.

Business and special needs groups including the Autism Society of Indiana and the National Federation of Independent Business, are encouraging the bill’s passage.

For many special needs parents, they live with the question of what becomes of their child once they're gone. Randy Lewis, a former executive at Walgreens and national disability advocate, puts it best when he shares that the secret hope of all special needs parents is to live just one day longer than their child.

While Greene agrees with the prevalence of this hope, he also is fighting to chip away at its foundation of despair.

Or, as RG’s father puts it, “I quietly fantasize for the day when a Harvard MBA with all the right internships, fraternities and fellowships gets told, ‘Sorry. We went with the autistic kid.’” The Indiana General Assembly will indulge in some tough fights during its current session, but here’s hoping it will put the bickering in the backseat long enough to pass Greene’s bill and buttress our faith in politics and government.

Robert Vane is the principal at public relations firm Veteran Strategies Inc. He was deputy chief of staff and communications director in the Mayor Greg Ballard administration and served in the United States Army.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bill gives tax credit to employers who hire Hoosiers with disabilities