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Ola Payne - Pizza Hut

"I try to give people a chance to better themselves," said Ola Payne, General Manager at a Pizza Hut in Richmond, Virginia. Over the past 10 years, she has hired several individuals with disabilities. "Initially, I was concerned about how they would relate to the job tasks and other employees," she said. Ms. Payne has let each employee set his or her individual production rate. Once they have reached their potential, she expects them to maintain that production level. "I don't expect their production to fall back." If there is a problem, she discusses it with the employee and if needed, calls their employment specialist for further assistance. As far as coworker acceptance is concerned, all of the employees have really connected with each individual that Ms. Payne has hired. "They have a hoot together! They are always joking around with each other. We all look forward to James coming in to work."

Ms. Payne understands the assets of hiring an individual with a disability. She tries to utilize this untapped labor pool as often as possible. When asked what advice she would give to other managers that were considering hiring an individual with a disability, Ms. Payne suggested "Be positive. Give them a chance. And make sure they understand your expectations up front."