Twenty-five local companies will recruit new employees this week in Moline. The Quad Cities Corporate Partners and the Disability Employment Network will host the 22nd Annual Career Fair for People with Disabilities.
Tom Lowery is an Employment Resource Specialist with the Illinois Division of Rehab Services. He says the national unemployment rate for adults with disabilities is horrible at 70%.
But Lowery says, quite a few very good employers hire people with disabilities, such as Walgreens.
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Each year, up to 300 people attend the career fair. But Lowery estimates 75,000 to 80,000 people with disabilities are unemployed in the Quad Cities area. He also wishes more parents of high school students would come to learn about all the opportunities available after graduation.
This year, the career fair will be held at the i-wireless Center, beginning with a workshop on job interviews Thursday morning at 9, followed by the two-hour fair from 10 am until noon.