When the fellow shows up, he seems to have trouble finding your table. It's when he arrives and sits down that you realize he's blind.

"I know what you're thinking - shame on you. That's discrimination," states one of several radio spots for Utah's new "Don't Dis the Disability" campaign. "A disability isn't a reason not to hire the most qualified candidate."

Leslee Hintze, executive director of the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, admits the approach is rather "in-your-face." But the campaign also is needed to "help employers overcome the fears they have of employing people with disabilities," she said Thursday.

"Later in the campaign we hope to have some employer testimonies about their experiences with workers with disabilities," she added. "The purpose is to educate, to make people discuss the issues, and maybe change their perspectives."

The advertising blitz, which begins Sunday, will initially focus on parable-type radio spots and then incorporate talk show interviews, billboard and newspaper ads. While $20,000 in taxpayer dollars will go toward advertising, another $250,000 has come as in-kind services, Hintze said.

For example, Reagan Outdoor Advertising has donated use of 83 billboards statewide, while Millcreek Broadcasting recorded the campaign's public service announcements for free.

Co-sponsor CHG Healthcare lent its Salt Lake City headquarters for a news conference kicking off the campaign. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., Hintze and other officials joined in the formal launch of the effort Thursday.

CHG was represented by Ken Duke, its manager and software engineer. Duke has retinitis pigmentosa, a disease leading to progressive vision loss. The father of five uses an oversized computer monitor, voice recognition applications and magnification software to do his job.

Duke is a perfect example of the point the campaign is trying to make: that people with disabilities can compete successfully in the workplace if given the tools to do so, Hintz said.

"We have programs to educate, we have assistive technology to help many people with disabilities do their jobs more effectively, and we have resources to assist employers in integrating these workers into their businesses," she said.

bmims@sltrib.com