Miami Valley Gaming employee with a disability awarded employee of the quarter

WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which celebrates the contributions workers with disabilities add to a workplace.

Behind the colorful slot machines at Miami Valley Gaming, you will find standout employee, Michael Stacy.

“I smile every day I come in,” Stacy said. “I'm happy. I love the environment.”

Aside from being good at his job, sometimes it is the simple things like cracking a smile, paired with a positive attitude that get people like Stacy honored on the wall at work.

“Every day, I kept looking at it,” Stacy said. “You know, I kept telling my bosses, ‘Hey, you're going to see my photo on that wall. Somewhere on this wall. You're going to see it there.’”

It took him about three years working second shift with the housekeeping department to win associate of the quarter. But anyone who works with Stacy will tell you he brings much more than just his housekeeping skills to the table.

“When he came to join our team, he said, ‘I want to be part of a family, not just a workforce,’ so we're like, that's exactly what we are here,” said Brandon Sumpter, Senior Facilities Manager at Miami Valley Gaming. “So, after he joined our team, he immediately became a part of our second shift team and our housekeeping team and has flourished since. His ability to come to work and provide his uniqueness. He's always, again, got that smile and everything he puts too he always tries the hardest that he can.”

Stacy is one of a handful of people with a disability working in the housekeeping department.

“People think you know, there's something wrong with us,” Stacy said. “We can't work, and we can.”

Not only can he work, but he’s also a shining example of the value hiring someone with a disability can add to a workforce.

“There's actually some studies that demonstrate that companies that hire people with developmental disabilities have better morale among their workers,” Patricia Dawson, with the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities said. “I think, oftentimes there could be some fear behind hiring somebody with a developmental disability. But employers who do hire from this workforce, they learn quickly what a great decision that was. You get skilled, loyal workers who are excited and very passionate about their jobs.”

For Stacy, his motto to being a good employee is simple.

“Always keep positive,” Stacy said.

All he asks in return: “I just want to be treated like treated equal. But here, they treat me like a human being,” Stacy said.

Stacy will be one of 12 employees with an opportunity to win associate of the year.

The winner will be announced in February.