AAFES increases number of employees with disabilities

DALLAS The Army & Air Force Exchange last week announced it has increased its representation of people with “targeted disabilities” by more than 2%, beating a goal set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that all federal agencies increase this workforce population to 2% by a full year.

EEOC in 2007 set the goal for the end of 2010, AAFES stated.

“We’ve come a long way since that initial target was identified,” stated SVP human resources Jim Moore. “In fact, just this year AAFES was recognized by the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services as Employer of the Year and AAFES Worldwide Disability Employment Program Manager, Candace Owens, received the Distinguished Service Award from Easter Seals of North Texas.”

Today, AAFES employs more than 800 people with “targeted disabilities,” accounting for 2.3% of the overall workforce at the military retailer. Add “non-targeted disabilities” to the equation and the number of disabled associates working at AAFES spikes to nearly 8%.

“Being a person with a disability, I have been involved with disability awareness for over 25 years,” stated Candace Owens, ABLE Manager for AAFES Worldwide Disability Employment Program. “It has been very rewarding to see AAFES enhance the recruitment and retention of individuals with disabilities.”

Despite AAFES’ success in recruiting and retaining individuals who are “differently-abled,” the Command continues to focus on outreach initiatives that offer opportunities in the communities they serve.