Hello,
I hope you are well! There is a lot happening here so I hope you will take the time to read the items below and to join us at the M-Enabling Summit. Next week we are meeting with the Governor of PA, plus we have a lot of projects in the works. We are thrilled to announce that we got a 100K 1-1 matching grant from the Milbank Foundation for new gifts. Thus every new dollar you donate to us will be DOUBLED! Soon we will hire our first paid staff - let great people know to start sending resumes for that and our fellowship. Please let me know if we can ever be of help.
Best,
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
President, RespectAbilityUSA.org
False Stereotypes of People With Disabilities Hold Employers Back by Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Almost twenty-five years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), physical architecture and some educational opportunities thankfully have changed, but negative attitudes and stigmas about people with disabilities have not. Indeed, a major Princeton study shows that while people with disabilities are seen as warm, they are not seen as competent.
Almost twenty-five years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), physical architecture and some educational opportunities thankfully have changed, but negative attitudes and stigmas about people with disabilities have not. Indeed, a major Princeton study shows that while people with disabilities are seen as warm, they are not seen as competent.
Meanwhile, a study published by Cornell Hospitality Quarterly analyzed results from a survey of employers at 320 hospitality companies in the United States. It found that all of the companies share a concern that those with disabilities could not do the work required of their employees. Another top concern was the potential cost of unspecified accommodations they might need to provide for a person with a disability under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This is despite the fact that the record shows that most such accommodations are not exceptionally costly. Anecdotally, there is also evidence that employers fear legal action should they terminate an employee with a disability. It is far more difficult to prove discrimination for not being hired in the first place. So, given that that the perception is that people with disabilities aren't competent, and could potentially be costly, why would an employer take the risk of hiring them?
One of the employers who took the "risk" was Randy Lewis, former Vice President of Walgreens and Fortune 50 executive, who led Walgreens' logistics division for sixteen years, as the chain grew from 1,500 to 8,000 stores. Randy introduced an inclusive model of hiring people with disabilities in Walgreens distribution centers that resulted in ten percent of its workforce consisting of people with disabilities. All of whom are held to the same standards as their colleagues without disabilities. The outcome? Study after study turned out to be myth-busters. The employees with disabilities were MORE productive and loyal than their non-disabled peers! And most accommodations? Either free or cheap. But even when the relatively few more expensive accommodations were factored in, the overall costs of accommodations were far outweighed by the low turnover rates and better tenures of the employees with disabilities. Grateful for opportunities, and in many cases thriving on repetitive tasks, they are so loyal to Walgreens that important sums of recruitment costs were saved as the employees continued to stay in their jobs and deliver excellent results. You can learn more about this in Randy's new book or on the Walgreen's website.
Other companies such as Ernst and Young (EY), have also found inclusive hiring to be a winning ticket. Starting with its founder, Arthur Young, EY has always embraced differing abilities. Trained as a lawyer, Arthur was deaf with low vision and he wasn't able to comfortably practice. He turned to finance and the new field of accounting to build his career. His "disability" drove him to innovation and entrepreneurship, which played a pivotal role in the development of EY. Finding and engaging diverse talents has been a key part of EY's ongoing success.
Malcolm Gladwell's new book, David and Goliath, extols the strength of people with disabilities. Because traditional ways of doing things don't always work for people with disabilities, Gladwell demonstrates that they compensate for that in ways that benefit the workforce by developing incredible ways to innovate and succeed.
AMC Theaters, Lowe's, many grocery stores and others are also getting outstanding results by hiring employees with disabilities. So what are other employers waiting for? They are still blinded by negative stereotypes. It's time for people with disabilities to be seen for what they CAN do, and not for what they cannot. What can people with disabilities do? Think about it.
Beautiful music from a deaf man? It happened. Ludwig von Beethoven.
World changing words from someone with dyslexia? It happened. Thomas Jefferson.
A Super bowl champion NFL player who is deaf? It happened. Derrick Coleman.
A Nobel Prize for a scientist who failed in school? It happened. Albert Einstein.
Secrets of the universe being revealed by a man who uses a wheelchair and who can no longer speak? It's happening. Stephen Hawking.
It's time to change the narrative of how we see people with disabilities so employers can see the ABILITIES they have and the positive impact that can have on their business's bottom line. It's amazing that such small change can have such a big impact. It can - if it is done in a focused and strategic way. Employing people with disabilities may take a little more forethought and planning. The U.S. government recently changed their expectations of federal contractors who now must become at least partially inclusive of hiring people with disabilities. There are many groups that can help in the process including www.USBLN.org, www.ProjectSearch.org, www.nod.org and others.
As the Baby Boomers continue to age, a powerful answer to labor and talent shortages already exists in our own back yards - our own family members and neighbors with disabilities who want to work.
Recognize the disability. Imagine the possibility. Respect the ability.
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Follow Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Respect_Ability
The middle class rut: New conservative policy solutions
American Enterprise Institute
Watch at 43:50 where Rep. Eric Cantor and Sen. Tim Scott answer about employment for PwDs! See also a related question at 2:22
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Success Story: Man With A Disability To Give Thousands To Charity by Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Jonah Selber, who was born with a developmental disability, is a longtime, successful employee of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia where he serves as an office assistant in the Information Systems Department. He loves his job and never takes it for granted.
Editor's Note: Jonah Selber's experience is an inspiring story -- he has received the vocational and housing support that he needed to succeed. This feature is the start of a monthly series in which "The New Normal" will share about a person living successfully in a different kind of housing model for people with disabilities.
Jonah Selber, who was born with a developmental disability, is a longtime, successful employee of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia where he serves as an office assistant in the Information Systems Department. He loves his job and never takes it for granted. Unlike 70 percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are out of the workforce, Jonah has been working for 17 years delivering important business documents and greeting customers in the Information Systems service center at one of the nation’s top hospitals.
Dwight Pedro Lewis, director of information systems at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, hired Selber in 1997. That hire has proven to be mutually beneficial.
“Jonah has grown since 1997. He works independently and navigates the campus better than I. Jonah has also made us better. We really think about what we’re asking, which has enhanced our communication skills. We’re proud that our staff is more diverse and more inclusive,” said Lewis. “Jonah brings so many talents and skills to the workplace: attention to detail, focus, and meticulousness. If it needs to be done by 10 a.m., it will be done by 10 a.m., not 10:05.”
More than 9 million Americans ages 18-64 with disabilities are outside the workforce and live on disability benefits. In Pennsylvania, there are 237,526 people ages 18-64 with disabilities who live on government benefits. But Selber is a taxpayer. He is a responsible worker with many friends.
Jonah is on the Board of The Schwartz Foundation which gives away about $2 million dollars a year. Jonah attends all the Schwartz Foundation Board meetings. Presently, each of the young Board members are allowed to give $15,000 a year to the charity (ies) of their choice.Thus, when he had a chance to direct giving from a local foundation, he decided to give $7,500 to his employer, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals’ Jefferson Foundation, and an additional $7,500 to Adults with Disabilities (ADDPA.org), which offers social opportunities to people with disabilities. Adults with Disabilities will use the funds to start the Jonah Selber Scholarship Fund and will honor Selber and others at an upcoming event on May 5.
Selber was born in 1973. His first few decades of life were marked with enormous struggle and chaos. When he aged out of his school programs, his parents searched the country for a program that would teach him independent living skills while giving him a sense of home and belonging.
In 1991, his mother, Judith Creed, a dynamo community organizer, helped create JCHAI, Judith Creed Homes for Adult Independence. It was her goal not only to help her son, but others like him who deserved the dignity and sense of community that other people often take for granted. When JCHAI opened their first group home, Selber became one of their first residents. Since then, dozens of Pennsylvania residents have been able to achieve a better life because of JCHAI. Indeed, as word spread of the success of the program that Jonah inspired, others from around the country have moved to Pennsylvania to be a part of JCHAI.
With the help of JCHAI, Selber got his first job at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. Back when he was first hired, few organizations and employers enabled people with disabilities. Even today, a recent Princeton study shows that most Americans do not see people with disabilities as being capable of working. However, a number of companies, including Walgreens, AMC Theaters, Ernst & Young, Office Max, and Toys R Us, have now proven that hiring people with disabilities can be great for business as they can make extremely loyal and talented workers.
JCHAI trained Selber to use public transportation so he could get to his job independently and taught him about dressing appropriately for work. He learned to navigate his community and make plans himself to go out with his new friends. Eventually, Selber learned enough that he felt ready to move out of the group home and into a supported apartment, also run by JCHAI. He has advanced in his work at Jefferson and has become a role model for dozens of other adults with disabilities who are involved with JCHAI and also now have jobs.
Selber now lives with a roommate in a two-bedroom apartment. They have several friends in the building. He gets himself to work every day, takes care of his apartment, cooks and cleans and makes his own social plans. He is a valued employee who gets paid a good salary, with benefits that include vacation and personal days and a retirement plan.
Mr. Lewis said, “Jonah has become part of our family. We all support and coach Jonah. And he supports all of us.”
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the President of RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream.
Governors Working to Enable People with Disabilities to Get Jobs
Governors around the country are expanding their efforts to enable people with disabilities to achieve the American dream. More than one in five Americans have a disability.
Bethesda, MD. Governors around the country are expanding their efforts to enable people with disabilities to achieve the American dream. More than one in five Americans have a disability. Currently 70% of working age (18-64) Americans with disabilities are outside of the work force and more than nine million working of them are living on government benefits. Polls show that the majority want to work. Millions nationally have been trapped in poverty and isolation for decades. Now, thanks to Governors, things are starting to get better.
The wave of progress was initiated by Gov. Jack Markell when he recently served as chair of the National Governor’s Association (NGA). During his NGA term he created “A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities,” a blueprint that identified best practices and outlined steps that can be put in place by businesses and states to increase employment of people with disabilities. Gov. Markell is continuing this powerful work in his own state and around the country to enable people with disabilities to get jobs and achieve the American dream. This bipartisan initiative demonstrates coordination and collaboration across party lines. Indeed, important work is also being done by other Governors, including:
•In Utah Governor Herbert recently convened Utah’s 2014 annual Economic Summit. In furthering Governor Markell’s “A Better Bottom line,” Utah’s theme for the summit: “Executing the Fundamentals of Economic Development for a Better Bottom Line.” The Economic Summit allowed businesses and decision-makers the opportunity to learn the added value of employing people with disabilities. Governors Herbert is enlightening businesses on how to create a better bottom line by utilizing the talents of people with disabilities. Indeed, Herbert’s own State Budget Director, Kristen Cox, is blind. Richard Marriott, a major philanthropist and business leader who is also enabling people with disabilities to get jobs and succeed, joined Gov. Herbert.
•Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) quickly improved policies and practices and made it a key point in his State of the State address. He has expanded to 20 Project SEARCH sites in his state, which will help young people with disabilities go straight into jobs instead of a life of dependency. PROJECT SEARCH is already in 43 states and is getting outstanding results for employers, people with disabilities and taxpayers alike.
His specific plan has become a role model for expansion of opportunities for people with disabilities.
•Gov. Dennis Daugaard (SD) did the same in his State of the State address and has created a very specific plan to move ahead. Both of Gov. Daugaard’s parents are deaf; he has a special understanding of these issues.
•Iowa’s Governor Terry Brandstad has been working with Sen. Tom Harkin on solutions. He hosted a statewide summit on jobs for people with disabilities and is working systematically to make progress possible.
•Governor Rick Scott (FL) recommended and the Florida Legislature approved $500,000 this year to fund job internships and Supported Employment for people with developmental disabilities. This is in addition to programs that provide job coaches to more than 3,000 people with developmental disabilities.
•Governor Jerry Brown’s California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) is sharing best practices that were initiated through membership on the CSAVR National Employment Team (NET) — which works with employers to meet their business needs in the hiring and retention of individuals with disabilities. The DOR is engaged in many promising practices that have positively impacted the employment of people with disabilities, including new partnerships with Lowe’s and Safeway.
•Governor Pat Quinn (IL) started “employment first policies.”
•Governor Nathan Deal (GA) committed to focus on employment for PwDs at a rally with the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities
Much can be learned from the approach to these issues in Delaware where Governor Markell and Delaware’s Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services Rita Landgraf have focused like laser beams on finding win-win solutions for employers and potential employees with disabilities. They started with a major summit, where they brought together top business leaders, advocates from the disability community, foundations and other leaders to brainstorm and implement solutions. They understood from day one that real change will take strong public-private partnerships driven by meeting the needs of employers for successful and reliable talent.
Delaware is also utilizing options available through the Medicaid program to expand community resources and services to create Pathways to Employment. The focus is on supporting individuals age 14 to 25 to assist individuals to explore and plan career paths. Pathways will include services such as on the job supports, transportation, personal care, orientation and mobility, assistive technology and other services are all important to enhance employment for both the individual and employer.
The Health Care Association made up of Delaware’s hospitals has signed on to the Governor’s initiative and is developing internships, expanding PROJECT SEARCH and building recruitment from these efforts into employment.
The University of Delaware, in collaboration with the State of Delaware, conducted a comprehensive survey of state employees to determine the needs of the State, as an employer, with respect to evaluating the attitudes of and hiring practices toward state employees with disabilities. The two key areas that were identified as a need in response to this survey were: a. HR training initiatives related to disability awareness and, b. refinement of state hiring practices/systems for recruiting qualified applicants with disabilities. Both of these areas are discussed in further detail below as the State of Delaware continues to make progress in the employment of persons with disabilities.
State of Delaware Hiring Practices – Selective Placement:
The State Office of Management and Budget in collaboration with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Division for the Visually Impaired in Delaware has diligently worked to ensure that the Selective Placement program is one practical hiring option for individuals with disabilities who seek employment in state government. Selective Placement is a mechanism by which a qualified individual with a disability can apply, be screened, and matched for a state job with an expedited hiring process in place for the hiring managers within the State of Delaware. Though the Selective Placement program has been in place for many years, it was Governor Markell’s initiative of employing people with disabilities that heightened awareness in our state government workforce to the aptitude and abilities that people with disabilities bring to the workplace. Beginning in 2013 the State of Delaware began to re-examine the selective placement process to determine if it was designed to maximize employment outcomes for persons with disabilities as it had been determined to be underutilized in the past. In addition, the State Non Profit organizations, who work closely with DVR and DVI received training on the Selective Placement Program in order to assist in qualifying eligible applicants.
• For better understanding and to support the Selective Placement Program, OMB developed a training video on their website entitled “Untapped Talent Ready to Work”. The training is for viewing for anyone who has access to a computer and a web browser. The video gives an overview of how misrepresented people with disabilities are in today’s workforce and the accomplishments gained from utilizing this untapped and underutilized resource.
•OMB has also developed a user friendly webpage which provides information about Selective Placement for Job Seekers including how to become certified, meeting the requirements, the applications process and who to contact for questions. The site also provides the user with links that navigate directly to the online application including instructions.
HR Training Initiatives:
The State of Delaware is in the process of developing and piloting an online class that will be available to all State employees, which will also be required for all hiring managers as a prerequisite for additional classroom training. The class topics shall include:
1. Message from the Governor.
2. Statistics and studies about people with disabilities in the workplace.
3. A snapshot of the ADA with a multiple-choice activity and interactive timeline.
4. Information about hidden disabilities.
5. Information about interacting respectfully with employees who have disabilities.
6.Resources that participants can print out or link to online.
7.The State of Delaware plans to pilot the online training in next month and then the classroom training in late July or August, 2014.
Gov. Markell launched a partnership in Delaware that illustrates the potential for putting more people with disabilities to work. The state helped bring together the IT firm CAI and an international organization called Specialisterne, which is dedicated to employment of individuals with autism. CAI, a company that employs thousands of people across the country, is committed to hiring people who have Autism for more than 3% of its workforce by 2015, recognizing that these individuals are especially qualified for technology roles like software testing, data quality assurance, programming, data mining and data entry. Markell has advanced the Specialisterne model within his administration and several departments have hired or are actively recruiting through Specialisterne.
Governor Markell’s initiative created a major spark in Delaware’s Department of Labor with an increase of 8.6 % of individuals with disabilities becoming actively employed from 2011 to 2013. Delaware has seen an increase in the number of employers engaged and in the number of individuals with disabilities actively seeking employment.
There is an important place for government benefits as a safety net for those who cannot work. But, employment achieves what benefits never can: self-respect, dignity and a real chance to achieve the American dream. Governors around the country are starting to understand that we cannot afford to have talented Americans sit at home when they want to help make America stronger. As a nation we need people with disabilities in the competitive workforce at fair, competitive wages. Every American who can work should be encouraged to do so.
Where the Federal Government may lack consensus, many Governors throughout the country are working to implement policy that will benefit the economy and persons with disabilities. Their efforts should be lauded throughout the country, and the success that follows should provide example to businesses and policy-makers that “A Better Bottom Line” is attainable through fiscal and social responsibility.
RespectAbilityUSA Releases Toolkit for Job Seekers with Disabilities
RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, is proud to release a toolkit for job seekers with disabilities. Unlike employment outcomes for women, African Americans and Hispanics, which have been improving over time, the gap between employment rates of those with and without disabilities has expanded significantly.
Washington, DC. RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, is proud to release a toolkit for job seekers with disabilities.
Unlike employment outcomes for women, African Americans and Hispanics, which have been improving over time, the gap between employment rates of those with and without disabilities has expanded significantly.
Today 70% of working age Americans (ages 18-64) with disabilities is out of the workforce (compared to 28% of Americans without disabilities). While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has done many outstanding things to expand access for people with disabilities, the percentage of people with disabilities who are in jobs has not improved at all since the passage of the ADA in 1990. One of the top supporters of the ADA, Sen. Tom Harkin, has done a report on the lack of progress in job outcomes:
The government accounting office (GOA) sighted a problem with lack of coordination and performance metrics in programs to expand employment to people with disabilities Thus, RespectAbility is proud to offer links to places that can enable people with disabilities to get jobs and have a better future.
According to RespectAbilityUSA’s President, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, “People with disabilities bring unique characteristics and talents to workplaces that benefit employers and staff. Stephen Hawking is a genius who happens to use a wheelchair. Derrick Coleman happens to be deaf but is also a Super Bowl winning NFL player. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have reported on the “Autism Advantage” in many high tech employees. People with disabilities (PwDs) can bag groceries, tend our parks and schools, and be super talents in developing computer software. Today the majority of working age people with disabilities want to work and they deserve the opportunity to achieve the American dream.”
Poll of People with Disabilities Shows Majority Want to Work
Said Mizrahi, “Companies like Walgreens, Ernst & Young, AMC and others have shown that hiring people with disabilities can help make them more successful companies. Now is the time for people with disabilities to get into the workforce.”
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Disability Rights Group Stands with Couple Accusing Private School of Discrimination
Disability rights activists are standing with a New York couple who filed suit in Manhattan Federal Court alleging that a private school in New York rescinded their son's acceptance after learning that he was recently diagnosed with autism. The couple claims that administrators at the Washington Market School are in violation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Max Samis, Rabinowitz Communications, Max@rabinowitz.com, 202-265-3000
Disability Rights Group Stands with Couple Accusing Private School of Discrimination
Group notes that Washington Market School would not be the first to fail ADA compliance
BETHESDA – Disability rights activists are standing with a New York couple who filed suit in Manhattan Federal Court alleging that a private school in New York rescinded their son’s acceptance after learning that he was recently diagnosed with autism. The couple claims that administrators at the Washington Market School are in violation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The lawsuit names the school, enrollment director Rachael Macchiesi, and head of school Ronnie Moskowitz as defendants. The couple, Jennifer Sample and Eliot Ferguson, is seeking mandatory training for all of Washington Market School’s staff and the appointment of a federal monitor to ensure ADA compliance during the admissions process.
“It is disheartening, only one year out from celebrating the 25th anniversary of passage of the ADA, that our children still face such discrimination,” said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, President of RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities. “The children attending these elite, private institutions are likely tomorrow’s leaders. How do we expect them to learn to embrace those with differences if they are not asked to socialize and learn with their peers with disabilities in the first place? These students may grow to pity those with disabilities, rather than learn to include them and embrace all that they can offer.”
According to Jennifer Sample, when she and her husband first applied for admission, her son was not yet diagnosed. However, once accepted, in the spirit of full disclosure, Sample told the school. Sample and Ferguson agreed to pay for a one-to-one paraprofessional to accompany him at school and the school’s full tuition, even if their son would only have an abbreviated schedule.
“It is offensive to me as a parent that in order to maintain our son’s acceptance, I would have had to hide our son’s diagnosis because of Washington Market’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. No parent should ever be punished for telling the truth,” said Sample in a statement.
Washington Market School is hardly the only school alleged to discriminate against children with disabilities. RespectAbilityUSA recently penned a letter to the heads of the top U.S. Private Schools asking for their commitment in welcoming qualified students with disabilities into their community. In the letter, the organization noted that few private schools throughout the country admit students with disabilities, and encouraged the creation and execution of a strategic plan for inclusion of students and staff members with disabilities. RespectAbility noted that there are a wide number of students with disabilities who meet these school’s high academic benchmarks and that private schools are capable of improving inclusion without lowering their standards.
In January 2011, the Justice Department settled a suit with Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., who operates a nationwide network of more than 180 schools. The suit alleged that NLC was in violation of Title III of the ADA by excluding children with disabilities from its schools. The settlement’s key provisions including the adoption and publicity of a Disability Non-Discrimination Policy, monetary relief for the children, commitment to avoid unnecessary inquiries into existence of disabilities, consideration of reasonable modification requests, the appointment of an ADA compliance officer, and training for staff. In 2008, Miss Porter’s, an elite Connecticut boarding school, faced a lawsuit alleging that a student with attention-deficit disorder was the victim of bullying, and a New Hampshire school was sued by the mother of a daughter who was allegedly expelled due to an eating disorder.
RespectAbilityUSA is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are treated with the fairness they deserve in all walks of life, and the organization has pledged their support and assistance to Sample and Ferguson in any way possible.
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RespectAbilityUSA is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to reshape the attitudes of American society so that people with disabilities can more fully participate in and contribute to society, and empower people with disabilities to achieve as much of the American dream as their abilities and efforts permit.
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