The best business decision...
"People with disabilities that I have hired are motivational, dependable, and an inspiration to the rest of my staff. It is the best business decision I've ever made." -Jim Click
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Jim Click, his son, Chris, and some of his first employees with disabilities in the 1980s.
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Jim Click with approximately 45 employees who identify with having a disability in 2017.
It all started when...
Tucson Business leader, Jim Click, had a unique idea. His vision was to gather the often-overlooked resources of the city's workers with disabilities into a central location, then make their wealth of skills and initiative readily available to the business community.
He shared his dream with Dr. Ruth Mondschein, a pioneer in employment, training, and arts for people with disabilities. Together they began the process of unifying the efforts of Tucson's employers and agencies.
Linkages continues to advocate to employers on the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities, as they have done for over 20 years, only now they are part of a bigger team. On January 1, 2019 Linkages officially joined forces with DIRECT Center for Independence and is now a program there. This allowed the two non-profits to consolidate administrative costs, and together have more resources to see people with disabilities live as independently as possible.
the issue
- 8% Unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities
- 3.8% Unemployment rate for individuals without disabilities
Individuals with disabilities have more than double the unemployment rate of those without disabilities. According to the Department of Labor- https://www.dol.gov/odep/
Our Mission & Vision: Contribute to the economy by linking employers with qualified candidates to ensure every person with a disability and veteran has an opportunity for employment.
Job Seekers
If you identify as an individual with a disability or as a wounded warrior and you are looking for work, let us be an extension of your network. Make a free profile to search current openings with our partner employers and allow them to view your resume. We want to be part of your job search success!