Employment Services

ICON Employment Services is a program of ICON Community Services, Inc. We are a non-profit organization established in 1985 through a federal, state, and local initiative.

We are dedicated to the development of employment opportunities for people with disabilities who have traditionally been excluded from the workforce.

Funding for our direct employment services comes primarily from federal, state, and local government sources and other non-profit organizations. ICON also receives donations from private individuals as well as from corporations and foundations. These donations enable us to provide additional services to individuals, other organizations, and the community at large.

ICON currently provides employment services to around 300 people each year.

Who Does ICON Serve?

ICON serves individuals who have a wide range of skills and abilities. We have helped people find jobs in many areas, including clerical, janitorial, groundskeeping, food preparation, retailing, trades, and professional fields.

We are committed to the idea that all people, regardless of their disability, can perform work that is valuable to an employer and to the community as a whole.

What Does ICON Do?

Employment Services

• Screening of potential employees
• Identification and analysis of the employer's needs
• Matching of employee skills and abilities with employer requirements
• On-the-job training
• Training and support to supervisors and co-workers to help them work effectively with people who have disabilities and to help them troubleshoot issues that may arise in a diversified workforce
• Ongoing support for both employee and employer to insure continued success

Technical Assistance

• Consultation to help companies comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Technical assistance to other public and private sector organizations on a variety of subjects

Outreach and Education

• Continuing involvement with federal, state, and local agencies and the University of Oregon to explore the issues surrounding the achievement of full employment for all citizens with disabilities
• Speakers available to present programs focusing on the employment of people with disabilities
• Electronic bulletin board and website providing education, resources, and support to members of the general public who are interested in disability issues

What Are The Benefits?

To The Employer ...

• Highly motivated employees reduce turnover (we place only employees who want to work)
• Reduced recruitment and training costs
• Improved employee morale, increased community recognition, and improved customer loyalty (one person in ten has a family member with a disability)
• Ongoing consultation, education, and training for staff
• Services provided at no cost to the employer (or the employee)
• Depending on the employee's situation, tax credits and other financial incentives may be available

To The Employee ...

• Supported employment provides a chance to experience the benefits of employment most of the workforce takes for granted: a regular paycheck, an avenue for developing friendships, and the opportunity to seen by others as a valued, productive member of the community.

To The Community...

• Supported employment enables people who have traditionally relied on public assistance to become wage-earning, tax-paying consumers of goods and services.

What Do Employers Say?

"Not only are we honoring our commitment to our community by employing these individuals, we are benefiting from their stability, conscientiousness, and willingness to undertake jobs that usually have a high turnover rate."
-- Nancy Householder Cook, Fairfax Hospital

"The program has benefited the plant by improving its appearance, reducing overtime, and improving warehouse and administrative organization."
-- Allen Hogge, Lower Potomac Pollution Control Plant

"Supported employment contributes to stability in the workplace, and that leads to stability in the bottom line."
-- Spencer Bartley, Southland Corporation

"Our partnership with ICON has been very successful. We have applied what ICON's staff has taught us about different learning styles and different ways to present information not only in working with supported employees but also in our everyday interactions."
-- Cathy Yates, National Gallery of Art

Corporate Customers

For More Information

For more information about ICON's employment services, please call Christine Heiby at 703-548-4048 ext. 105, or e-mail her at info@iconservices.org.

You may also be interested in the employment services flowchart. (The flowchart is in Acrobat (.pdf) format; if you're not familiar with it, see our Acrobat page.)

Comments? Please let us hear from you.