Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | July 28, 2025 | wbjournal.com growing by 4.9% between 2019 and 2023, according to the Massachu- setts Department of Economic Research using data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. At the same time, the percentage of unemployed disabled workers in Worcester County and the commonwealth as a whole is disproportionately high compared to their non-disabled peers. In the county, those with cognitive disabilities have an unemployment rate of 13.7% compared to the non-disabled unemployment rate of 3.3%. Worcester is the city with the sec- ond-largest percentage of disabled indi- viduals in the state, at 17.7%. e city is surpassed only by Boston, whose popu- lation is comprised of 18.7% disabled. To help combat the systemic disparity facing neurodivergent individuals and provide empowering work, a handful of Central Massachusetts companies are utilizing workforce programs to recog- nize and support their true capabilities: Timothy Johnson, vice president of ASPiRE! Overcoming BARRIERS Workers with disabilities are battling preconceived notions, as their labor force participation steadily rises and company programs expand PHOTO | COURTESY OF RIVERDALE MILLS BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer B illy Smith said applying to jobs was horrible before he landed his position at Riverdale Mills, a welded- mesh-wire manufacturer out of Northbridge. "Because it's just like, nobody wants to include us. So, it was hard," said Smith. "A lot of them don't want to include special needs people." Workers like Smith who have cogni- tive or developmental disabilities oen face a stigma and a false perception they will be incapable of doing most jobs, which are the main barriers keeping companies from hiring them, said Tim- othy Johnson, vice president of ASPiRE!, an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation in Worcester providing services for people with developmental disabilities, includ- ing employment support. ese neurodivergent individuals are oen systematically deprived of mean- ingful employment promoting personal fulfillment and independence. e labor force participation rate of individuals with disabilities in Mas- sachusetts has been steadily rising, rejecting the idealization or infantiliza- tion of a diverse workforce to embrace inclusivity as a net positive. Growing demand "Sometimes there's this sense that em- ploying people that we serve … is more akin to a charity act," Johnson said. But that is not the reality, he said. at is shown through what ASPiRE! participants bring to the companies they work for. As part of its service offerings, ASPiRE! provides group-supported em- ployment where individuals work under the supervision of an ASPiRE! job coach. A misconception of people with disabilities is they may prove an inconve- nience or even a safety hazard: common concerns that disappear once employees begin to engage in the work, Johnson said. "What we've found consistently is once participants that we serve are able to get into these employment settings and demonstrate their skills and abilities and prove themselves, it really is a value-add to these companies," said Johnson. Program participants are regularly asking about more opportunities to en- gage in competitive employment, he said, with a number of ASPiRE!'s participants working at AIS, a Leominster-based office furniture manufacturer. e quality of the work ASPiRE! participants produced at AIS prompted the manufacturer to create its Radiance Program, which sees AIS employ indi- viduals with intellectual and develop- mental challenges through 14 regional partnerships. e company provides a staffer who offers on-the-job training to participants and their job coaches. ey complete manufacturing tasks includ- ing making storage drawers, providing quality control, sorting raw materials, and deep cleaning. Just as demand has increased for ASPiRE!, the Radiance Program has seen a stark increase in participation (Upper corner, from left) Bonnie Cook, Riverdale Mills' human resources manager; Ron Ellis, production supervisor and Cardoza's and Smith's supervisor; and Marc Cardoza and Billy Smith, Riverdale employees supported by Open Sky Community Services (Above) Employees working through AIS' Radiance Program assemble drawers at the company's warehouse.

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