Vermont lawmakers hear from Spirit of ADA award winners on inclusive hiring and job‑coach supports

Montpelier — Two recipients of this year’s Spirit of the ADA Awards told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development on Feb. 11 that inclusive hiring practices and vocational coaching have helped their businesses fill jobs and retain employees.

Julia Burnfields, the fourth‑generation owner of Berne Chocolates of Vermont, said her South Burlington manufacturer employs about 30 people and ships products to all 50 states. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just initiatives for us. They are foundational to how we’ve built our company,” Burnfields said, adding that hiring through refugee resettlement programs and creating roles for people with disabilities broadened the company’s talent pool and strengthened retention.

Nat Piper of HireAbility, who introduced the award segment, said this is the 15th year of the Spirit of the ADA Awards and that the program recognized a record 28 awardees across six regional ceremonies this year. Piper framed the awards as honoring employers that embrace recruitment, training, retention and advancement of workers with disabilities.

Representatives of Eastview, a Middlebury retirement community, described long‑term successes placing employees through partnerships with vocational coaches and local workforce programs. The presenter said one dishwasher first placed through a vocational coach has worked at Eastview for more than 10 years; another summer intern who came with a vocational coach later became a regular employee. Quoting one employee, the presenter said, “I used to talk to my friends who had jobs and think I could never have a job. And now here, I’m holding a job on my own.”

Committee members asked about supports that help placements succeed. Burlington resident Abby Duke highlighted the role of job coaches; Eastview’s human resources director said job coaches and an employability skills course run in partnership with the local career center are central to matching applicants to jobs and phasing supports out as workers gain independence. The Eastview presenter also said the community is exploring internships and school partnerships with CVU to provide vocational experience to students finishing high school.

The session was framed as part of broader workforce efforts: Burnfields said inclusive hiring has been particularly valuable in a tight labor market because it expands the pool of dependable workers, and Eastview emphasized the mutual benefit of testing placements with a job coach before moving to independent employment.

The committee offered congratulations and brief discussion and then recessed to the floor at 3:30 p.m. The committee’s next scheduled return was listed as 9:00 a.m.