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Two programs aimed at helping people with disabilities find state government jobs are getting a fresh emphasis from Gov. Mark Dayton's administration as he strives to reach a previously announce hiring goal.

Dayton, joined by disability advocates, said his administration would relaunch the Connect 700 and the Supported Worker programs, one giving disabled people up to 700 hours to demonstrate their on-the-job abilities as a way to match them with full-time positions and the other providing coaching to help them adjust to new roles.

Two years ago, Dayton signed an executive order to fill at least 7 percent of state jobs by August 2018 with workers who have a disability. It's just more than 6 percent now.

"We need to lead by example. We can't be urging other businesses and nonprofits to be spearheading new efforts if we aren't leading the way by our own renewed efforts," Dayton said.

Dr. Darlene Zangara is helping steer the state in that direction as executive director of Minnesota's Olmstead Implementation Office. She is deaf and spoke at a news conference through a sign-language interpreter.

"This marks a giant leap in progress for our community and for communities throughout Minnesota. Inclusion work is an ongoing goal. Accommodations are not about fixing things but rather about finding what a person with a disability needs," Zangara said. "It's also about we, all of us, taking responsibility to contribute to the success of a given person on a daily basis and to build sustainable, inclusive employment culture."

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Brian Bakst

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Dayton ramps up efforts to get more people with disabilities into state government jobs.

Dayton reboots programs to aid in disability hiring

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