11 WI employers with life-changing job opportunities for workers with IDDs

For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), the working world is fraught with barriers to employment. Fortunately, these Wisconsin businesses are here to help.

Wisconsin’s working world is working towards diversity. And we love to see it.

Wisconsin’s economy has experienced frequent labor shortages as far back as 2017. However, disability and labor advocates have suggested targeted outreach to disabled employees as a possible solution to Wisconsin’s economic woes. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are underutilized parts of the economy who often experience stigma and negative social perceptions. IDD is a catch-all term that includes disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

According to the Special Olympics, the unemployment rate of working-age adults with intellectual disabilities (21%) is more than twice that of adults without disabilities (8%). In fact, 28% of working-age adults with intellectual disabilities have never held a job. Even for those workers with intellectual disabilities, underemployment is common. However, according to the National Organization on Disability, disabled workers tend to have a higher retention rate than workers without disabilities, meaning they are less likely to leave the workplace.

Wisconsin is one of several states working hard to challenge rates of unemployment and underemployment for disabled individuals. For example, Wisconsin has the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA) which prohibits employers of any size from refusing to hire, promote, or equitably pay employees with disabilities. Additionally, programs such as the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), an initiative from the California-based Uniquely Abled Project, provide equitable education and employment opportunities for those with IDDs.

1. Festival Foods (Multiple Locations)

41 Locations Across Wisconsin

Festival Foods is a home-grown family- and employee-owned grocery store chain known for high-quality products and giving back to the community. In 2023, Festival Foods was named the Top Disability-Friendly Employer in Wisconsin by Disability:IN Wisconsin. They are known for their diverse and inclusive hiring practices that help create an inclusive workplace. Multiple individual stores have received Exemplary Employer awards from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Additionally, Festival Foods partners with local initiatives such as Curative Connections in Green Bay to help disabled individuals find jobs.

2. Sweet Abilities (Multiple Locations)

Check the Facebook page for location updates.

After 12 years of serving as a special education teacher, Kristen Corrie made an interesting life choice—opening an ice cream truck. The ice cream was a means to a pretty beneficial end, to provide work to those with disabilities in the Waukesha area and beyond. One GoFundMe and a grant from REACH later, and Sweet Abilities offers pretty sweet treats for Wisconsin’s best summer festivals while also addressing the lack of employment opportunities for disabled adults. Many of the Sweet Abilities employees were even Corrie’s students at one point!

Sweet Abilities sells local favorites like Purple Door Ice Cream, Carries Crispies, and Pete’s Pops. Both offerings and locations rotate, so make sure to check their Facebook page for updates!

3. Grounded Café (Green Bay)

300 South Adams Street, Green Bay, WI 54301

Grounded Café is a labor of love from the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Brown County. Located within the Aging & Disability Resource Building, Grounded Café was founded in 2017 on the belief that all people have value. It specifically employs people with disabilities and senior citizens. It includes a job skills training program for workers with disabilities, which promotes job skills to this underserved population.

Recently, Grounded Café expanded into Wisconsin’s first-ever accessible food truck, the Grounded on the Go food truck. The food truck includes a wheelchair lift for employees and volunteers, as well as adjusted-height counters. Inclusive on-the-job training is offered.

4. Inclusion Coffee Company (Hartland)

3152 Village Square Dr, Hartland, WI 53029

When University of Wisconsin graduate Mackenzie Edinger opened the Inclusion Coffee Company, she envisioned having more than 50% of staff positions filled by people with disabilities. With an undergraduate degree teaching special education and plenty of experience with programs like Best Buddies, Edinger was just the right person for such a task. And to the delight of the Hartland community, her initiative was such a success that she’s looking to expand to a second location.

Most of the employees at Inclusion Coffee Company have special needs. Employees get training in customer service, including eye contact and smiling, and learn how to create the cafe’s many types of coffee, sandwiches, flatbreads, and more.

5. Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network (Multiple Locations)

10 Hospital Locations in Eastern Wisconsin

Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) health network is a nationally-ranked academic medical center. Froedtert was the first hospital in Wisconsin and the second academic hospital in the U.S. Froedtert Health was named a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion for multiple years using the Disability Equality Index. Froedtert Health specifically works with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation’s Project SEARCH. This initiative places disabled high school seniors in an internship as a supplement to their high school curriculum.

6. Inspired (Lake Geneva)

883 W Main St, Lake Geneva, WI 53147

Located within walking distance of the Lake Geneva Public Beach is a neighborhood coffee shop with prime real estate. But Inspired is more than your average coffee shop. It’s owned by the nonprofit Inspiration Ministries, an organization that provides homes for adults living with disabilities. Between 2017 and 2018, Inspiration Ministries had many conversations with other organizations in the community and learned that disabled individuals experienced job barriers in relation to job training. So, in the summer of 2019, Inspired had its grand opening.

Many employees at Inspired also live in Inspiration Ministries’ assisted living facility. Each employee has gone through a training program with an onsite job coach. However, the ultimate goal is to train and prepare members of this population for jobs in other areas.

But in the meantime, Inspired has a full line of delicious coffee varieties!

7. Allis Manufacturing (West Allis)

647 S 94th Pl, West Allis, WI 53214

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder interested in manufacturing, Allis Manufacturing seeks to be a role model in their hiring practices, especially for neurodiverse individuals. According to their website, they incorporate “non-traditional hiring practices, tailored accommodations, supporting education efforts” and personalized training plans to maximize inclusion in the workplace.

For Allis Manufacturing CEO Peter Rathmann, the passion is personal. Rathmann has a daughter with autism who inspires him to work towards dispelling myths about the productivity or financial costs of employing autistic people. Allis Manufacturing works with organizations such as Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) to help place disabled job-seekers into careers that suit them.

8. Friendship Circle Cafe & Bakery (Fox Point)

8649 N Port Washington Rd, Fox Point, WI 53217

Owned and operated by Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, a non-profit, the Friendship Circle Cafe & Bakery empowers individuals of varying abilities to take charge of their working lives. Within the business are a coffee shop, bakery, and art studio that can be rented for special events. One-hundred percent of sales support the organization’s mission of including children and adults with special needs. They offer a robust Employment Training Program to help participants grow valuable employment skills.

As Friendship Circle of Wisconsin is a division of Lubavitch of Wisconsin, the Friendship Bakery offers kosher pastries, challah, and desserts.

9. Engauge Workforce Solutions (Multiple Locations)

Locations in Menomonee Falls, Milwaukee, and Waukesha

One of the leading advocates in Wisconsin for disabled workers, Engauge Workforce Solutions is a staffing firm that cares. They work with individuals with differing abilities and train them in manufacturing. In close association with the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin (DSAW), Engauge provides classes and training for workers with disabilities.

10. The Inclusive Bean (Racine)

1930 Albert St, Racine, WI 53404

A brand new business as of 2024, the Inclusive Bean is a non-profit cafe employing teens and adults with disabilities, including IDDs. The Inclusive Bean has operated several pop-up events before finally opening as a brick-and-mortar location this year. According to their website, the Inclusive Bean employs individuals with “various cognitive, developmental, and physical disabilities” and trains, coaches, and empowers them into a fully integrated work environment. The menu includes coffee, espresso, frappes, teas, smoothies, and more.

Owner Amelia Fahnrich runs the business with her husband, Max. Amelia has extensive experience in special education and working with disabled individuals, including serving as Principal at a non-profit school specifically for children with disabilities and providing Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy to children with autism.

11. General Electric (GE) (Multiple Locations)

Five Locations Across Wisconsin

A former multinational conglomerate, the General Electric Company broke off into three public companies post-COVID, including GE Aerospace, GE HealthCare, and GE Vernova. However, they’re going strong for disability advocacy. Disability:IN Wisconsin includes GE as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.” Additionally, GE ranked as number 486 on Forbes’ 2024 list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity. 

A big part of this commitment to disability advocacy comes from Guillaume Spillemaecker, the Executive Finance leader for GE Power. Spillemaecker’s eldest son was born with Agenesis, which means the child had no right forearm or hand. Spillemaecker is part of the driving force to hire more disabled workers and create more opportunities for equity. One example of disability advocacy at GE includes Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) which advocate for various causes in the organization.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.