LBAC: (Employers)
Local Business Advisory Council

The Local Business Advisory Council is a MHAST initiative designed to connect jobseekers with employment that is appropriate for their skills, abilities, and ambitions.

Overview of the LBAC
The MHAST’s Local Business Advisory Council (LBAC) is a MHANYS-funded Consumer and Business Outreach Program. Members include employers, diversity and disability experts, and jobseekers interested in improving the mental health and overall wellness of the local workforce. All agree that employee diversity is an asset and that understanding is essential to building strong and respectful workplace relationships. The LBAC gives employers access to motivated jobseekers who are prepared for dedicated service to health-conscious companies.

Mental Illness and Employment
85 percent of individuals with severe mental illness are unemployed but most retain useful skills and valuable knowledge

• Working has social and cognitive benefits that actively promote recovery from mental illness
• Finding or creating meaningful jobs and volunteer opportunities for individuals with mental illness is necessary for the overall wellbeing of the community
  

Diversity Optimizes Productivity

A diverse workforce is able to respond to challenges by drawing on the various strengths of its members. Unique employee viewpoints maximize an organization’s problem solving resources, which can ultimately lead to increased profits. Individuals with disabilities are often praised for their creativity, resourcefulness, and dedication.

Accommodating Diversity

The capacity to accommodate all disabilities requires commitment and training, but the funding needed to provide accommodations is often quite modest. The willingness to make appropriate workplace modifications will greatly improve worker comfort and overall functionality. Similarly, promoting the skills and etiquette necessary for polite interaction with individuals with disabilities will improve employee and customer relations.

LBAC Membership Benefits

Businesses will have access to the following when they join the MHAST’s LBAC:

• Printed and electronic materials for use in workforce diversity competence training
• Seminars, conferences, and training sessions led by regional disability experts
• Consultations on maximizing the “mental health friendliness” of the business environment for both workers and patrons
• Access to pools of qualified jobseekers
• A forum for discussing employment issues with other businesses
  

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