“We want you guys to be examples for other businesses,” Miller said. Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities works with approximately 40,000 people with disabilities, and 1.7 million Ohioans have a disability, Miller said.
The award, which was established in one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s first executive orders when he took office, is scored on a rubric of 20 questions, he said, which cover hiring practices, training standards, and workplace accommodations.
CareSource received the highest number of points, Miller said. CareSource’s efforts toward inclusivity include its Alliance for Disability Empowerment Employee Resource Group where members offer education and volunteering. They also train staff on reasonable accommodations.
“Creating an inclusive environment within CareSource, it makes us a better organization. It makes us stronger,” said Erhardt Preitauer, president and CEO of CareSource. “It’s not about inclusivity. It’s about a rich organization that is able to sort of embrace and serve broad different populations.”
Crown Equipment also demonstrated inclusivity by recruiting workers with disabilities, providing training for supervisors on the reasonable accommodation process, educating employees on disability inclusion, and working to improve digital accessibility, said Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.
The recognition serves as a testament to those efforts to create an inclusive workplace, said Jim Dicke III, president, Crown Equipment. Crown Equipment is a manufacturer of industrial forklift trucks headquartered in New Bremen.
“We remain steadfast in our mission to create a supportive environment where people of all abilities can advance and contribute to the success of our customers,” Dicke said.
CareSource covers 2.3 million people in multiple states, including in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. It is also part of a team offering services in Arkansas for people with developmental disabilities. CareSource also serves Marketplace clients in North Carolina. They started adding members from Michigan in October.
CareSource, which administers one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans, is one of the largest employers in the Dayton area, with about 3,000 employees here and about 4,500 total.
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