National Disability Employment Awareness Month

David Lukacher has been working at MSC Industrial Supply, Inc., a leading North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations products and services, in the Harrisburg Customer Fulfillment Center for over a year. As part of the maintenance department, he helps to maintain the entire warehouse floor and mezzanine floors.

“I love my job,” said David. “I look forward to going to work.”

David plays an essential role in the productivity of the company.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the important role people with disability play in a diverse and inclusive workforce.

“When we began our partnership with Keystone Human Services,” said Pam Cruey, Senior Manager, HR Business Partner at MSC, “we were unaware of the positive impact that including people with disability would have on our entire workforce. Not only have we seen our employees with disability grow with us, but we have seen the rest of our workforce grow in their level of patience and understanding of what it means to have a disability.”

MSC is committed to Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, and building a workforce that includes people with disability is an essential part of that equation. In 2017, the Harrisburg Customer Fulfillment Center began exploring how people with disability could make a positive impact within the company, help them meet their business needs, and enrich the company culture. They reached out to Keystone Autism Services and began an ongoing partnership.

One of the pieces of Keystone Autism Services’ Community Autism Program (ACAP) is connecting people with autism with employment opportunities that match their interests and goals and fill the business needs of employers.

The process is designed to build a successful working relationship between [potential] employees and employers. With MSC, when someone expresses an interest in the type of opportunities they offers, MSC invites that person and any support team members to spend some time in the department where they would be working to get some hands-on experience and determine if the job is a good fit for everyone. Once hired, MSC and the Keystone support team maintain a relationship to support the person to be successful in their job.

“MSC has always had a strong culture of acceptance and respect,” said Pam. “Two of our core values that we live every day include “do the right thing” and “embrace differences,” and these values are evident in the workforce by how we treat each other.”

Since MSC began their partnership with Keystone Autism Services, they have worked to become an employer of choice for people with disability. They replicated the success of the Harrisburg Customer Fulfillment Center and are now employing people with disability at each of their other Customer Fulfillment Center locations across the country.

It’s a win for everyone—people achieve their employment goals and MSC builds a strong, inclusive workforce.