Who We Are
Untapped Arizona is a nonprofit organization that helps businesses in our state drive performance by leveraging disability inclusion in the workplace, supply chain, and marketplace. We are the one-stop resource for Arizona businesses to obtain information and technical assistance pertaining to the employment of qualified individuals with disabilities – a largely untapped resource. By working with partners including state government, businesses, nonprofits, and other resources across the state, we assist employers in meeting their employment needs in recruiting, hiring, and developing qualified individuals with disabilities.
Today, Untapped Arizona is the Arizona affiliate of Disability:IN, a national organization committed to disability inclusion. Disability:IN serves as the collective voice of the nearly 50 affiliates across the United States, representing more than 5,000 businesses.
Our History
Untapped Arizona has deep roots, originating as a federal grant project in 2007. Our participation in the national “Think Beyond the Label” campaign, aimed at educating businesses about inclusive hiring practices. The statewide media campaign, featuring the tagline “Labels get in the way, disabilities rarely do,” garnered highly positive responses from Arizona businesses seeking information and assistance.
More recently, the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (ADDPC) partnered with Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and Arizona Department of Economic Security–Employment Administration (DES-EA) to support the further development of Untapped Arizona. The original project has evolved to become a nonprofit organization to further serve as a centralized resource for employers.
Today, Untapped Arizona is the primary one-stop resource for Arizona businesses to obtain information and technical assistance pertaining to the employment of qualified individuals with disabilities – a largely untapped resource in our state’s labor pool. Despite their higher-than-average education levels, individuals with a disability have significantly lower employment rates than those without a disability.
- Approximately 30% of working-age Arizonans with a disability are high school graduates (or earned equivalency), as compared with 24% of those without a disability.
- 38% have an associate’s degree or some amount of college, as compared with 35% of those without a disability.
The Untapped Arizona Business Advisory Committee comprises representatives from the major employers in each of Arizona’s key employment sectors. The committee helps guide Untapped Arizona in developing programs, and services aimed at employer organizations in their sector. Committee members also work with other employers in their sector to engage and assist them in disability inclusion strategies and practices.
Employer organizations and employment sectors currently represented on the UAZ Business Advisory Committee include:
Aerospace
Consumer Services
(retail)
Construction
Education
Financial
Government
Health Care Services
Hospitality
Insurance Services
Manufacturing
Technology
Technology
Telecommunications
Utilities
Our Mission
Untapped Arizona believes an inclusive workforce makes good business sense. We exist to serve Arizona businesses in meeting their inclusive workforce needs through a coordinated customer service–oriented, “one-stop shop” strategy. Through our partners we assist employers in identifying and connecting with qualified job candidates with disabilities. We are also the single primary go-to resource for businesses to get their questions answered about hiring and retaining workers with disabilities. It is our desire to provide innovative businesses with comprehensive support and services to help meet their inclusive workforce needs.
