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Paralympics raises public awareness
By Maria Saporta
The Atlanta Journal/Constitution
~ What will be the legacy of
Atlanta’s Paralympic Games?
“Ten years from now, when I
lpok back and am able to point to
frograms spawned by our
Paralympic Games, it will be the
#creased employment of people
with disabilities through the
Randstad program,”said Andrew
Fleming, president of the Atlanta
Paralympic Organizing Commit
-Ipe.
1o Randstad Staffing Services,
Which opened its North American
theadquarters in Atlanta in 1993,
.has launched an initiative to help
Qplace people with disabilities in
khe workplace.
; As both an Olympics and a
Paralympics sponsor, Randstad
-Jopes to become nationally recog
nized as a leader in that area.
11 “We wanted todraw a parallel,”
,said Erik Vonk, president and
CEO of Randstad. “We wanted to
itell people in the corporate world
that here is an achievement of
-sport. Take that as an example,
because the same holds true for
sthe workplace.”
i Randstad said studies show
there are 6.3 million unemployed
Americans with disabilities who
are qualified and want a job.
yßandstad hopes to identify those
sbeople and match them with com
spanies in need of employees.
trr “Unemployment is at a 23-year
.record low in Georgia, at 3.1 per
“¢ent, which really means there
yd@re more jobs than people,” Vonk
isaid. “On the other hand, there
sare millions of people out there
swho can and want to work. We
shope with this initiative to show
the average workplace out there
jthat we are missing out on a very
stalented and accomplished pool of
;feople.”
1 Since Randstad started the ini
stiative this year, it has placed
{nearly 50 people with disabilities
;in jobs. Not all of it has gone
ssmoothly, though. Vonk said an
«early experience turned ugly as
ran employer was surprised when
leuworkerassigned to his computer
ieompany showed up 'in a' wheel
«ghair. The worker was turned
yaway, even though he was more
than qualified to do the job.
Now, Vonk said, Randstad edu
“cates employers and their work
erson how to overcome their awk
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wardness or prejudices toward
people with disabilities. The com
pany has produced a video to show
employers how to work with
people whomay not be able to see,
hear or walk. It also advises com
panies on how tomake their work
places comply with the Ameri
cans With Disabilities Act, and it
offers information on office equip
ment and software that can make
a disabled person 4 fully produc
tive employee.
“When you get to know people
with disabilities, you realize that
it'samazing what the human spirit
can achieve to overcome some
thing like this,” Vonk said.
Severallocal executives became
swept up .in the
Paralympic spirit
during |, the
Games.
Kent C. “Oz”
Nelson, chairman
and ,CEO of
United , Parcel
Servige, said that
attendingthebas
ketball = finals
made him not
want to take his
own abilities for
granted.
H. Allen
Franklin, presi
dent; of Georgia
Power, .said at
tending some
Paralympic
events with
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people who had severe disabili
ties touched him deeply. “It made
me a little ashamed of complain
ing about some of the things I
have,” he said.
George Puskar, chairman and
CEOofEquitable Real Estate Co.,
had several friends competing.
His company’s parent is involved
with World Team Sports, which
organized an around-the-world
bicycle ride that had several rid
ers who had disabilities.
“I have a higher emotional at
tachment to the Paralympicsthan
I do the Olympics,” Puskar con
fided. “There’snomoney involved.
It's more true sports. Yousee that
in all the records that were bro-
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Legacy Playground
The Hands on Atlanta Ameri-
Corps Team began construction
this week ofa “Legacy Playground”
in the Summerhill neighborhood
as a lasting tribute for both the
Olympics and Paralympics.
“Phoenix Park is going to be
disabled-accessible,” said team co
director Jose Wilson.. Coming on
the heels of the Paralympics, he
said, made it “a legacy any child,
any person, can come and enjoy.”
Article first printed in The At
lanta Journal/The Atlanta Cor
stitutionon August 30, 1996, page
F 3.
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