The Knowledge Worker and The Future of Employment for Persons with Disabilities

Management guru Peter Drucker understood years before the proliferation of the digital age that knowledge workers would be an integral part of the global economy. Everyone from private industry, government and the non for profit world are beginning to understand the inherent value of the knowledge worker. Traditional 9 to 5 work enviornments are retooling to meet the demands and creative needs of this 21st century concept.One of the most important aspects of this concept is to find the individuals strentgth and match that to where they would find the most success. For people with disabilities there talents have often been masked by the fact that some have seen there disability first rather than there ability. In the new economy of the knowledge worker I think we will hopefully see a seismic shift in this thinking and open up new opportunties for people with disabilities to be employed and find success in this new enviornment. I am attending a Workforce Town Hall Conference in Washington, DC sponsored by The Special Olympics and Best Buddies International. I believe this is a push in the right direction as we enter the second decade of the American with Disabilities Act and first new decade of the 21st century.