Disability at Work: Creating a Workplace Culture of ACCESS February 16-17, 2012 Brought to you by the following Mission Partners and Sponsors:

Instituting a Culture of Access Presented by: Louis Orslene, Co-Director Job Accommodation Network Julie Ballinger, Disability Rights & Issues Consultant Southwest ADA Center Regional Affiliate StarReach Enterprises

Making the Case Overview Debunking the Myths Making the Case Communicating that the Doors are Open Creating an Inclusive Workplace Knowing Your Resources 3

Debunking the Myths Accommodations are too expensive - – More than half (56%) were made at no cost – Of those employers who experienced a one-time cost to make an accommodation, the typical cost of accommodating an employee was $500 Low Cost, High Impact (2011) JAN Study 4

Debunking the Myths Accommodations arent effective – – Employers were asked to rank the effectiveness of accommodating a worker on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being extremely effective – Of those responding, 76% reported accommodations were either very effective or extremely effective Low Cost, High Impact (2011) JAN Study 5

Debunking the Myths People with disabilities have a higher than average absentee rate A DePaul study of 314 employees across several industries indicates participants with disabilities had fewer scheduled absences than those without disabilities, and that all participants had nearly identical job performance ratings. People with disabilities leave jobs more frequently than workers without disabilities Hire Potential, a hiring and staffing agency found that their placements stayed on the job an average of 50% longer than those without disabilities and Marriott employees hired through their Pathways to Independence Program experienced a 6% turnover rate versus the 52% turnover rate of their overall workforce. Fortune Magazine reported that after Carolina Fine Snacks, a small business in Greensboro, NC, started hiring people with disabilities, employee turnover dropped from 80% every six months to less than 5%; productivity rose from 70% to 95%; absenteeism dropped from 20% to less than 5%; and tardiness dropped from 30% of staff to zero. 6

Making the Case In Ernst & Young's latest survey on globalization, James Turley, E&Y CEO writes: we found that the majority of respondents believe diversity of teams and experience improves both the financial performance and reputation of their organizations. James S. Turley, CEO, Ernst & Young successful/ 7

Making the Case What is the strategic advantage of including disability in the diversity efforts? Aging of the U.S. workforce and accompanying rise of impairment Increase of qualified youth with disabilities entering the workforce Broadening of the ADA and stricter enforcement of Section 508 and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act Recognition that people with disabilities and their families have significant disposable income Workplace Accommodations including Assistive Technologies Enhance Productivity 8

Making the Case What is the strategic advantage of including disability in the diversity efforts? Some 58 million adults - 34 percent - age 18 to 65 have at least one chronic condition, and 19 million adults - 11 percent - have two or more chronic conditions…It is estimated that by the year 2020, half of the U.S. population will have at least one chronic condition and one-quarter will be living with multiple chronic conditions. From Center on an Aging Society, Georgetown University Data from the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, from the National Health Survey. 9

Making the Case What is the strategic advantage of including disability in the diversity efforts? 83% of working-age people with disabilities have high school diplomas or a higher education. National Organization on Disability, Harris Poll (2010) 10

Making the Case What is the strategic advantage of including disability in the diversity efforts? …87% of survey participants specifically agreed that they would prefer to give their business to companies that hire individuals with disabilities. A national survey of consumers attitudes towards companies that hire people with disabilities by Neil Romano and Gary Siperstein (2006) 11

What is the strategic advantage of including disability in the diversity efforts? Employer Reported Benefits of Accommodation 89% - retaining a valued employee 71% - increase in the employees productivity 60% - elimination of costs of training a new employee 53% - increase in the employees attendance 43% - increase in diversity of the company 39% - saving in workers compensation/other insurance costs 10% - promotion of an employee with a disability Low Cost, High Impact (2011) Resulting from the JAN Study of Employer Customers 12

Making the Case What is the strategic advantage of including disability in the diversity efforts? Broadening of the ADA with the 2008 Amendments An stricter enforcement of Section 501, Section 508 and Section 503 (Federal Contractors) of the Rehabilitation Act U.N. Convention on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities 13

Communicating the Doors are Open Four Signs the Doors are Open Accessible Worksite Accessible Ethos - particularly language Inclusive Policies and Practices Accessible Workplace Technologies External Partnerships with disability related services 14

Communicating the Doors are Open Language People First Language No One is a Victim Adults do not have special needs Disabilities have various levels of impairment i.e. hearing, blind, autistic, etc. Mental Illness, correct? Not denigrating descriptions Intellectual disability, correct? Not mental retardation 15

Communicating the Doors are Open Meet and Greet Just like you, right? Write down what you want to say Meeting and talking with a person with blindness Sit down and relax Intellectual disability Cosmetic disfigurement Service animal Speech impairment Ultimately if you are unsure about how to communicate, ask the person 16

Communicating the Doors are Open General Tips Abilities First Adaptive devices and assistive technology Communicate directly – eye contact - with a colleague with a disability Gaining the attention of someone who is deaf Communication preference Ask the person first before providing assistance 17

Communicating the Doors are Open Interviewing a Person with a Disability Provide training to all the employees who might be in contact with a person with a disability Focus on essential functions of the job Disability does not need to be disclosed Voluntary disclosure – affirmative action only How to reply to a disclosure of disability 18

Communicating the Doors are Open Supervising a Person with a Disability Orient the employee to the evacuation procedures Learning to navigate the office Respect Privacy and do not make small talk about disability Productivity tools - Just do it But, if a person discloses and asks for an accommodation then begin the interactive process – communicate frequently and document 19

Communicating the Doors are Open Policies and Procedures Reasonable Accommodation Policy How to request reasonable Written Confirmation of requests Timeframe for processing requests When medical documentation may be sought Denials in writing including basis for denial Responsible official and contact information. DOL, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program 20

Communicating the Doors are Open Practices How to recognize disclosure an adjustment or change at work is needed for a reason related to a medical condition may use "plain English" need not mention the ADA need not use the phrase reasonable accommodation 21

Communicating the Doors are Open Practices How employees may disclose Verbally or in writing Supervisor HR Representative Disability Coordinator Other person stipulated by policy 22

Communicating the Doors are Open Accessible Technology Websites Applicant Tracking System Online HR Systems Intranets Service Centers Products and Services Promotions – Marketing & Communications Debra Ruh, SSB Bart (2011) 23

Communicating the Doors are Open More Tips Visit organizations with operational accessibility programs and benchmark their processes. Enforce small, easy to make compliant issues first. Build employee/management expectations that accessibility is not difficult nor expensive. Create a Road Map and Plan of Action Offer training for several years. It is the second year that everyone starts to believe you are serious about accessibility Debra Ruh, TecAccess (2011) 24

Creating an Inclusive Workplace Tips from the Leaders Champion in the C Suite Identify existing channels of communication and identify allies in other departments for collaboration Build a diversity and inclusion strategic plan with a diversity recruiting commitment and a diversity performance objective Begin conducting accessibility audits – worksite, technologies, policies and practices Develop training to dispel myths, provide the business case and provide updated or new policies and practices 25

Creating an Inclusive Workplace Internally start by: Developing internal expertise concerning issues of disability single point of contact Develop or adapt accommodation policy and procedures Conduct an anonymous voluntary survey to begin to establish a baseline and understand how you organization is effected by disability Develop your own organizational business case and provide leaders with information to dispel the myths about disability when they arise 26

Creating an Inclusive Workplace Internally start by: Insuring all current training materials are accessible Insuring all company communications are accessible Insuring all hiring sites, meeting spaces are accessible Insuring company events and holiday parties are accessible 27

Creating an Inclusive Workplace As part of your internal communications, make sure everyone needs to know: Who are you top champions Who the point person and internal expert is for disability related questions What to do if someone discloses How are accommodations funded How will they be held accountable 28

Creating an Inclusive Workplace Externally start by: Visiting other companies or joining US BLN to identify a mentor Asking other companies for their benchmarks Identifying external partners for technical assistance Identifying external partners to build your talent pipeline Reviewing articles and books on inclusion 29

Knowing Your Resources ODEP and its Technical Assistance Programs – Effective policies and practices to increase employment of people with disabilities JAN – No cost national technical assistance and training on worksite accommodation solutions, Title I of the ADAAA and other disability-related technical assistance EARN – No cost national resource for employers seeking to recruit, hire, and retain qualified employees with disabilities ADA Network – No cost regional technical assistance and training on disability awareness and the ADAAA State Vocational Rehabilitation - To identify qualified applicants with disabilities Internship Programs - specifically for young people with disabilities i.e. Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), Emerging Leaders, Entry Point, Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD), etc. Disability Related Job Banks - GettingHired.com, One More Way Foundation, Ability Jobs, Disaboom, etc. 30

Select Resources: Recruiting - GettingHired.com One More Wayhttp://onemoreway.org/ Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) EARN Emerging Leaders Program Career Opportunities for Students w/Disabilities (COSD) Hardware/Software/Website Accessibility Issues- TecAccesshttp:// SSB BART Group Inc. WebAimhttp://webaim.org/ Leaders in Inclusive Workplaces - US Business Leadership Network Guidance, Publications, & Research - SHRM Disability Resources ADA National Network (DBTAC) Diversity Inc.(Disability page) 31

Contact (800) (V) & (877) (TTY) AskJAN.org & 32

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JAN Louis Orslene, Co-Director PO Box 6080, Morgantown, WV (Voice) (TTY) NMBLN Leah Rhule, Director (Voice and Text) Tessah Latson Garcia, Director (Voice and Text) NMBLN c/o Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce th Street SW Albuquerque, NM StarReach Enterprises Julie Ballinger, Disability Rights and Issues Consultant 5901-J Wyoming Blvd. NE, PMB 175 Albuquerque, New Mexico (Voice) Use Relay (TTY) DBTAC Southwest ADA Center 2323 S. Shepherd, #1000 Houston, TX ADA 34