![\"\"](\"https:\/\/carefarmingnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Nona-Yehia.jpg\")
Nona Yehia, co-founder and CEO of Vertical Harvest Farms, knows first-hand the importance of providing meaningful work opportunities to people of all abilities. \u201cI have a brother with disabilities. I did not set out to be a vertical farmer, I am an architect by trade, and from a very early age, I understood that community wasn\u2019t set up to support my brother like it was set up to support me. I think I was an advocate before I even understood what the word meant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vertical Harvest Farms use hydroponic techniques to create farms in urban spaces. The company\u2019s latest branch in Westbrook leverages technology to provide job opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Zoom and Google Chat enhance communication, while multimodal approaches are utilized in employee training to accommodate the diverse learning styles of individuals. The team at Vertical Harvest is striving to find a balance between automated farming with robots and hiring skilled workers to oversee the tech. Advancing technology is increasing job accessibility for diverse employee populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by the work of scientist and autism advocate, Temple Grandin, Yehia believes that old-fashioned, rigid job roles limit growth for the individual and the company. Instead, Vertical Harvest designs their job description around people\u2019s strengths and makes an accessible application process that removes barriers to entry. Additionally, the company connects with local disability organizations, workforce development agencies, and vocational programs to let job seekers with disabilities know that there are job opportunities available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst and foremost, this is about smart business. We know that companies that embrace inclusive hiring gain access to a highly motivated, untapped talent pool made of the right people who bring problem solving skills, dedication, and fresh perspectives. We\u2019re addressing this critical national labor issue. Right now, there are industries across the country who are struggling to fill positions, but at the same time, there are millions of capable individuals, especially people with disabilities, who are left out of the workforce due to outdated hiring models. This is a population who wants to work and deserves to work,\u201d Yehia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Sloane M. Perron In a world of workforce shortages and competitive job markets, companies are developing creative hiring strategies and looking at untapped talent pools. Through technology and companies actively seeking to diversify their workforces, more work opportunities are being crafted for individuals with disabilities. According to Maine\u2019s Department of Labor, 16% of working-age […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[29,207],"class_list":["post-7999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-care-farms-in-the-news","tag-employment","tag-vertical-harvest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n