Content area
Full Text
Disabled employees to comprise one-third of work force in chain's new DCs
Randy Lewis stands as proof positive that one person can make a difference. As senior VP of distribution and logistics for the 5.251-store Walgreen Co., he is the driving force behind an ambitious initiative to make the workplace more accessible to people with cognitive and physical disabilities.
Under his guidance, Walgreens is building two specially designed warehouses, in Anderson, S.C., and Windsor, Conn. One-third of the work force in each one will he made up of individuals with autism and other significant disabilities-the type of disabilities that usually serve as a hindrance to employment. Lewis has a special interest in the project, both on a professional and personal level. His 18-year-old son, Austin, is autistic.
"If there is one thing that unites the parents of children with disabilities, it is the wish that we could live one day longer than our child," Lewis said. "You're always worried about what's going to happen to your child when you are no longer there, how he or she will get by."
Austin was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. Since that time, Lewis has met regularly with his son's teachers and school officials and talked with other parents of disabled children.
"It always conies back to the same question: What will the future bring?" Lewis said. "They get kicked out of the school system at 21 and have to fend for themselves, competing against others who are much better prepared."
Job-wise, the scenario is grim. Seventy percent of adults with disabilities-and 95% of people with autism-will never be offered a job, according to Lewis.
"The disabled die the death of a thousand cuts," he added. "They are at such a disadvantage in the job market in that they have so many things going against them from day one. They don't always interview well, for instance, or they might not look so good."
Walgreens has provided job training and employment opportunities to people with disabilities for some time now. Indeed, so do many other retailers. But what sets this project apart from most other efforts is the chain's willingness to go the extra mile in partnering with outside groups and invest in technology and...