There is No Shortage of Talent.
What NDEAM is
National Disability Employment Awareness Month runs every October. It is led by the US Department of Labor. The point is simple: people with disabilities work, want to work, and are good at it, and the country still has not built enough doors.
More than one in four adults in the United States has a disability. Their employment rate is roughly half that of adults without one. That gap is not a talent problem. It is a hiring problem, and hiring problems can be fixed.
Value and talent are not the same as good intentions
MDI has employed people with disabilities for more than 60 years. Not in a side program. On the line, meeting customer deadlines, passing audits.
Here is what six decades taught us. Inclusive hiring does not work because it feels good. It works because it is built. Someone writes the job description differently. Someone rethinks the interview. Someone trains a supervisor. That is the work, and any employer can do it.
Do not just celebrate disability employment. Create some.
No one builds a path to work alone.
The partners behind the work
These four organizations helped shape Unified Work. Each one is changing what disability employment looks like where they are: in a hospital, in a community, in a research lab. We asked them what they have seen.
School-to-work program · Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Project SEARCH at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center
Seven graduates now work at the hospital that trained them.
Interns spend a full year inside a working hospital, rotating through three 10-week internships. Unified Work’s courses and VR career exploration now open that year, and the elevator pitch lesson feeds straight into their reverse job fair.
Every intern from last year’s class is now employed.
Employment services · Duluth, Minnesota
Udac
In Duluth, every intern was offered the job.
Udac has helped people with disabilities in Duluth find and keep work since 1969, through career coaching and customized employment.
Research partner · Minneapolis, Minnesota
University of Minnesota, CAREI
Mapping what stands between people and a job.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota worked with Unified Work to build an interactive map of the barriers people with disabilities face on the way to work.
Community employment · Wabasha, Minnesota
Wabasha County DAC
Jobs built around the person, not the opening.
Asher Kujawa spends 12 weeks getting to know each job seeker, then finds a local business with a need that person can fill. Unified Work’s Boundaries at Work class gave the group language they still use weeks later.
One thing, this month to build momentum
Interview one candidate with a disability.
That is the whole ask. One interview, on your normal process, for a role you are already trying to fill. If they are not right for it, tell them why, the same as you would tell anyone.
- Send you candidates who are prepared and want the work
- Tell you honestly what someone is strong at and what they are still building
- Walk your team through anything you are unsure about, before the interview
- Stay reachable after the hire
Get to Know Our Amazing Employees
Featured Employee
Andrea Krueth
Assembler II – Hibbing
- Andrea began her career at MDI as a contract employee in November 2025 after her dad encouraged her to apply because of the opportunities for growth and development. Andrea took that opportunity—and got the job!
- Today, Andrea is a dedicated team player who enjoys Handle Welding and is always willing to support production wherever she is needed. Her flexibility and commitment help keep production on track and contribute to the success of the entire Hibbing team.
- Andrea describes MDI as an inclusive and fun place to work, where coworkers are kind, supportive, and feel like family. She says her coworkers inspire her to come to work each day and have helped create a strong sense of belonging.
- While Andrea has many accomplishments she is proud of, she considers her family her greatest achievement. Outside of work, she is a proud mother of three and grandmother of two.
- Andrea’s story is a wonderful example of how opportunity, inclusion, and a supportive workplace can help people grow, contribute, and thrive.
Featured Employee
Chali Xiong
Assember III – Minneapolis
- Chali began working at MDI in September 2025 and officially joined the MDI team in July 2026. Following a tour of the Minneapolis facility, Chali knew MDI was a place where he wanted to work.
- Since joining MDI, Chali has embraced every opportunity to learn and grow. He has learned every job on the postal line and is always willing to take on something new. His hard work and continued development were recognized in July when he was promoted from Hand Assembler I to Hand Assembler III. Chali especially enjoys palletizing, a job where his coworkers have recognized his strong skills and abilities.
- Chali is proud of the work he does and appreciates having opportunities to strengthen his skills each day. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his friends.
- For Chali, employment is also about discovering what you are capable of achieving. He shares that having a job gives people with disabilities the opportunity to identify their strengths, build confidence, develop new skills, and see what they can accomplish.
- Chali’s story demonstrates how opportunity, encouragement, and a willingness to learn can open the door to growth, confidence, and success.
Featured Employee
Breanna Terway
Assembler I –Cohasset
- Bre was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where she attended Grand Rapids Schools. She started her working years early, beginning in middle school as a dishwasher in the school cafeteria. During high school, Bre worked at The Salvation Army and with preschool children through the Early Childhood program.
- After high school, Bre worked for Deer River Hired Hands and later joined MDI, where she has proudly worked for 13 years. Her favorite job at MDI is palletizing postal totes.
- Bre believes it is important for people with disabilities to have opportunities to work because it gives them a chance to get out of the house, visit with others, earn extra money, and learn valuable skills.
- Outside of work, Bre stays busy and involved in her community. She participates in Special Olympics, where she has enjoyed bowling, poly hockey, and track and field. She is also a member of the Friendship Club.
- One of Bre’s biggest life accomplishments is making healthy changes, including losing weight and eating healthier. Recently, she celebrated another milestone by walking two miles for the first time!
- We are proud to celebrate Bre—not only for her 13 years of dedication at MDI, but for the determination, friendships, accomplishments, and joy she brings to those around her.
- Thank you, Bre, for showing us the many ways meaningful employment can enrich a life and strengthen a community!
Featured Employee
Sierra Borgman-Koch
Process Tech – Grand Rapids
- Sierra began working at MDI in February 2024 and officially joined the MDI team in August of that year after a good friend encouraged her to give MDI a try. Today, she works as a BW Process Tech/Flexo Press Operator and recently added another accomplishment to her list by becoming certified to operate a forklift.
- Sierra describes her work at MDI as incredibly fulfilling and appreciates the amazing people she works with, both on the production floor and throughout the organization. In the past, Sierra struggled to find a job she enjoyed or wanted to stay with beyond six months. At MDI, she found something different—a job she genuinely loves. More than two years later, she is proud to still be learning, growing, and going strong.
- Sierra’s experience has also shaped what employment means to her: “Everyone deserves the chance to work. Everyone deserves the chance to feel accomplished. Everyone deserves the chance to provide for themselves.”
- Sierra’s story is a powerful reminder that meaningful employment is about more than a job—it’s about opportunity, accomplishment, independence, and finding a place where you can thrive.
Free webinar · Thursday, October 29
The Big Shift
Celebrate the value that people of all abilities bring to work.
One hour to rethink what is possible for inclusive employment. Meet special guests, celebrate what you bring, and leave with a clear next step toward work.
Everyone is welcome, especially people with disabilities and the people who champion them: families, teachers, job coaches, support staff and employers.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
11:00 am to 12:00 pm Central
Live on Zoom · Free
Open to individuals and groups: schools, organizations, DSPs
Can’t make it live? Register anyway and you will get the recording.
Hosted by Unified Work.
Meet Unified Work
Unified Work builds free training for people with disabilities who want a job. Live courses, career exploration in virtual reality, a video series about what actually happens in the first weeks of work, and a career coach available any time.
It is free to every learner. It always has been.
If you are an employer wondering where prepared candidates come from, this is where. If you are a person looking for work, or a parent, or a teacher, start here.
Live Courses
Small virtual classes on communication, self-advocacy, and what employers expect. Free.
HIRED
A video series following three people through the real ups and downs of a new job.
Career Exploration in VR
More than 60 job simulations. You cannot be what you cannot see.
From “I want a job” to “I have one”
Every step here is a real thing a person can do this week, free.
Most programs stop at Prepare. The last three steps are the ones that matter.
Bring This to a Group
If you work with young adults with disabilities, you can bring all of it to your group at no cost. Teachers, agencies, job coaches, Special Olympics programs. You do not need a budget or a curriculum. You need an hour to look at it.
