Program seeks to help the disabled fill jobs

A new program has been launched to help one-thousand disabled Iowans in theCedar Rapids and Mason City areas land a job. The “Bridge to Employment”pilot project is underway in Iowa and 11 other states. Lieutenant GovernorSally Pederson says helping disabled Iowans land a job is the “right thingto do.”Businesses can obtain tax credits for employing disabled workers. Hy-Veevice president June Knaack-Esbeck says about 75 of the chain’s stores employdisabled workers.Cristine Mathis of Iowa Creative Employment Options based at the Universityof Iowa is a disabled worker who says there are thousands like her who arewaiting to share their talents.The federal government is providing two-and-a-half million dollars for thefive-year program, which will be offered through the Kirkwood and North IowaArea Community Colleges. Residents in the following counties will becovered: Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Washington, Butler,Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Mitchell, Winnebago, Worth andWright.