By Rob McInnes, © Diversity World, 2003

There are a lot of unemployed people with disabilities who would like to be working (about 9.6 million according to my best accounting of the numbers). The biggest problem for employers who want to hire people with disabilities is FINDING them. Here are a few of my thoughts on this issue as it pertains to people with disabilities who are pursuing “professional” careers.

Most large companies try to increase the participation rate of groups that are underrepresented in their workforces – women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, etc. These efforts are often referred to as “diversity recruiting”. Over and over, I hear employers say that they just can’t find people with disabilities for their professional jobs.

About a year ago my colleague Shayn Anderson and I attended a meeting on College and Diversity Recruiting. This one-day event was attended by about 100 recruiters from major corporations. The focus of the day was on how to recruit more effectively from diversity Groups –particularly from college campuses. That day was ripe with learning opportunities for us. One of the things we learned was that when corporate recruiters seek to hire from a particular “target group”, they have two main strategies. 1) They focus their efforts on professional groups (i.e. The National Society of Black Engineers) 2) They focus their efforts on student associations on local campuses (i.e. California’s Latino Medical Student Association). We surmised that as much as 75% of their diversity recruiting efforts are concentrated in these two areas.

For those of us who are interested in increasing employment for people with disabilities, this presents two main problems: 1) there are almost no professional groups of people with disabilities (I know of only three) and, 2) there are relatively few student organizations of students with disabilities. This means that, by default, people with disabilities are likely going to be missed by about 75% of corporate America’s diversity recruiting efforts.

There are two possible responses to this: 1) try to increase the opportunity for diversity recruiters to encounter job seekers with disabilities in the other 25% of their work time or, 2) organize professional and student organizations of people with disabilities that can become part of the normal course of diversity recruiting efforts.

While these are not mutually exclusive paths to follow, I would personally like to see a lot more effort going into the development of student and professional organizations for people with disabilities.

In addition to providing a more ready source of candidates for diversity recruiters, such groups would be such an added benefit to each and every person with a disability as they follow their professional career paths. Professionals groups would give members the camaraderie of others who struggle with similar discrimination and accommodation issues, a source of advice on career development, job search and interviewing strategies, a network for job opportunities, and the opportunity to guide and mentor others in their career field. Student groups would provide similar benefits to their members as well as opportunities to be mentored by members of the Professional groups.

Why is it that virtually every other group in our society that has suffered workforce inequality has organized professional and student affiliations – and people with disabilities have not? Here is a statement drawn from the Association for Women in Science: “As part of its efforts to promote the entrance and advancement of women in science, AWIS has a long-standing commitment to fostering the careers of women science professionals. Events at the 76 local chapters across the country facilitate networking between women scientists at all levels and in all career paths. AWIS chapters also encourage the participation of girls and women in science by sponsoring educational activities in schools and communities.” It is so exhilarating to imagine a well-resourced disability-focused organization with this kind of mission! (To learn more about how such professional organizations work, I encourage you to look through the Workforce Diversity section of Diversity World’s website and browse the Affiliation listings for each diversity group.)

For national professional organizations of people with disabilities in the United States, my research has turned up only the Blind Lawyering Association, the Association of Blind Lawyers, the Exceptional Nurse, and the Foundation for Science and Disability. In Canada, there is the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities. In Great Britain, there is the Association of Disabled Professionals. On a more local level, the EXCEL! Networking Group is a professional networking group run by and for people with disabilities in the Washington, D.C. area and a group in California’s Silicon Valley, the Silicon Valley Partnership, that has recently committed to supporting the development a professional organization of people with disabilities in that area.

For national student organizations in the US, I have found the National Disabled Students Union (which does have connections to student organizations on some individual campuses) and the National Alliance of Blind Students. In Canada, there is the National Educational Association of Disabled Students.

Collectively, these organizations are a hopeful sign that professionals with disabilities, like their counterparts from other diversity groups, will find more ways to organize, to support each other in their chosen fields and to encourage and support students who aspire to similar careers. They are, however, very few in number and generally poorly-resourced. This is a major challenge to those who develop policy and fund programs in the arena of disability and employment. In forming affiliation groups, where are the policies and programs that professionals and students with disabilities can tap into?

Until this need for professional and student networks is adequately addressed, employers here in North America will likely continue to have great difficulty in targeting people with disabilities for professional jobs within their workforces.

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by Alan D. Muir, Executive Director of Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD)

Five years ago, when I began my second career at the University of Tennessee (UT), I never thought that I would find such an important subject that resonated throughout the country. My first career was as a commercial lending officer at Chase Manhattan Bank. When it came time to move on to do something more meaningful to me, I felt that it needed to be something I could leverage my corporate experience with my own personal experience as a person with a disability. During that search, I was offered a position at UT to begin to work with college students with disabilities. As that work evolved, we needed to find a way to bring more students with disabilities into the Career Services office.

Since we did not know the best way of increasing the number of students with disabilities using Career Services, we sought funding from Vocational Rehabilitation in Tennessee to begin research. Upon receiving the funds, we met with more than 20 universities and 25 employers around the country in an attempt to find a "model program" on a campus and to determine the level of success employers had in recruiting this population. We also wanted to determine if UT was unique in not having any connection between Disability Services and Career Services. The results of the research were that there was no "model program", just remnants of more complete programs from the past. Employers were very interested in recruiting students with disabilities, but expressed frustration in finding qualified ones. Additionally, except for a handful of universities, there was a glaring gap between Disability Services and Career Services. The most fascinating aspect of the research was that there was no substantive research done before this time on this particular segment of disability. There were many papers on the transition process for students in High School going to work or through Vocational Programs and then to work. There was also an abundance of research on young people with more significant disabilities or severe cognitive disabilities more suited to supported employment. However, there was no discussion on transitioning college students into entry-level professional or technical positions. An apparent reason for this lack of research may be a theory that college graduates, with or without a disability, should have no problem finding a career they desire. Contrary to this apparent belief, there is an approximate 40% unemployment rate among these graduates with disabilities.

The reasons for this large unemployment and even greater underemployment are numerous. Most commonly, college students with disabilities are not visible to corporate recruiters when they come to campus. Recruiters visit only the Career Center to interview students. Since students with disabilities generally do not use Career Services, it is impossible to recruit these students. Other offices, with access to this population such as Disability Services, are not equipped to serve employers. A connection between the two offices helps students to be aware of the need for career planning and to feel more comfortable to use Career Services. Another common reason for students with disabilities not being considered for career employment is that along with the lack of participation in Career Services, these students do not pursue the types of opportunities that would give them work experience such as internships and cooperative education. In general, students with disabilities do not have sufficient training in career planning, but more importantly, they lack self-advocacy skills.

Researching all of this important information and piecing together the remnants of programs, which we had discovered in our visits, resulted in the development of a comprehensive program at UT. We did not recreate Career Services for students with disabilities nor did we assign a specific person in Career Services to be the designated disability expert. We were fortunate to receive funding, again from Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation, to hire a full time individual to act as the "preparation stage" for students with disabilities and provide the training necessary to effectively use Career Services and to give these student sufficient tools to seek the desired type of career employment. Some of this training involves a significant discussion of self-advocacy and other "disability specific" information, such as disclosure and properly requesting accommodations. The Disability Careers Office is now in its fifth full successful year of serving students with disabilities.

An outgrowth of the research and the success of the Disability Careers Office was the realization that universities and employers need to talk to one another and share knowledge. Universities have the experience, exposure and expertise in working with college students with disabilities and employers are looking to learn about how to more effectively recruit and retain employees with disabilities out of the university. A loose consortium was formed in 1999 and was formalized in 2000 and was officially named Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD). The mission of the organization is increasing the career employment opportunities for college graduates with disabilities. The consortium grew from a small number to now totaling over 330 member entities, including large and small universities / colleges, major employers and several US Government and state agencies, as well as several not for profit agencies. Some of the universities include UC Berkeley, University of Washington, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, San Jose State, University of Arkansas, New Mexico State and Columbia. Some of the prominent employers and agencies include Microsoft, Motorola, HP, Merck, Nordstrom, JP Morgan Chase, Procter & Gamble, Exxon Mobil, NASA and National Institutes of Health. COSD is primarily funded through a grant from the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). As Executive Director, I travel to universities and employers to conduct training workshops on the issues facing students with disabilities in their career searches. For more information on these issues or to find out more about COSD, please contact me at amuir@tennessee.edu.

Find out more about Alan's work at COSD... www.cosdonline.org
 

EEOC announced a conciliation agreement reached with Gilroy Foods and its owner, ConAgra Foods, Inc., a Nebraska-based foods company with $27 billion in annual sales. This resolves complaints filed with the EEOC alleging disability discrimination at an onion and garlic dehydration plant in King City, near Salinas. The federal investigation found that workers were denied hire, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Providing compensation of $993,500 and job offers (estimated value of $500,000) for thirty-nine workers, this agreement is the largest disability settlement ever for the EEOC in the agricultural industry.

EEOC San Francisco District Director Susan McDuffie commended ConAgra for moving quickly and decisively to reach conciliation. "By working with EEOC to resolve this matter, ConAgra has clearly shown its commitment to making needed changes to policies and practices that ensure equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities." She noted that in addition to the monetary benefits and job offers, ConAgra has committed to ADA training for all its management staff and posting notices about the agreement for a year.

For more information... www.eeoc.gov/press/5-20-03.html
 

The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Program (ODEP) is making available $3 million to award up to 6 competitive grants in the amount of approximately $500,000,with several main goals: 1) assisting states in assessing youth services; 2) connecting schools and other youth-serving institutions with workplaces and other resources; and, 3) creating a forum for building a system that better meets the transition needs of youth with disabilities and all stakeholders.

Another $450,000 will be available to fund three competitive grants up to $150,000, to organizations that will facilitate delivery of mentoring activities through faith-based and community organizations to promote positive employment and transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. These latter grants are made by ODEP in collaboration with the Departments Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Application deadline for both Grants is July 28, 2003.

For more Information... www.dol.gov/odep/programs/program.htm#grants

The Rural Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Expansion Design (RESEED) initiative is operated by the Rural Institute Adult Community Services and Supports/Training Department, and funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration. Grants of $15,000 are available to support small business development for people with disabilities in rural areas. (Click on Logo for more information.) Deadline August 15, 2003. For more info, contact: Nancy Maxson 1-877-243-2476

Email Nancy... maxson@selway.umt.edu
 

According to the Canadian Council on Social Development, statistics prove that employees with disabilities are less likely to receive formal training on the job. Similarly they are less likely to be promoted than their non-disabled coworkers are.

For more Information... www.ccsd.ca/drip/research/dis10/index.htm
 

Six online videos from Microsoft, available for high speed Internet connections, feature professionals with disabilities pursuing successful and satisfying careers in business and government using a wide range of accessible technology. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates introduces this video series, stating "Creating technology that can work for everyone—including people with disabilities—helps businesses attract and retain the best employees from the widest possible pool of talent and keeps productivity high."

More Information... www.microsoft.com/enable/casestudy/videos.aspx
 

Available online, this common sense guide, "Disabilities and the Right Words", was written for anyone who speaks and interacts with people who have physical or cognitive disabilities. Produced by the BC Rehab Foundation.

For more Information... www.bcrehab.com/therightwords.html
 

“Disability and Labour Market Attachment” is the name of a new study from the Saskatchewan (Canada) government. Included in the findings of this survey of social assistance recipients were that lack of prerequisite training was cited as the major barrier to employment, that the need for flexible working hours was the most needed accommodation, and that employment is least likely for people with disabilities relating to mobility, flexibility or chronic pain.

For more information... www.dcre.gov.sk.ca/publications/research%20disability%20labour%20market.html
 

I recently met an engineer with Northrop Grumman in southern California. He and I were both attending a meeting of the California Business Leadership Network. A wheelchair user, he told me that he had been working for this company (formerly TRW) for over 15 years. He told me that he had secured his job through Lift, Inc.

For over 25 years, this New jersey-based organization has been training and placing people with disabilities in high-tech jobs across the United States. Lift has an enviable list of clients (employers) many of whom are repeat customers for the talented people that Lift trains and places.

For more information... www.lift-inc.org
 

Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) has launched a new project, with funding from The Ford Foundation, to examine programs that help low-income people build informal employment networks. By informal networks we mean the informal connections that people have with relatives, friends, and acquaintances-including people they meet by participating in job clubs, sports teams, professional associations, etc. -that they can use to get information about job opportunities. Research has shown that the most people find their jobs through informal networks rather than through traditional job-search techniques. Informal networks are a critical aspect of all labor markets, but low-income people are often not part of networks that offer connections to good jobs, or they have networks that are very small. We are seeking to identify organizations of all types that help low-income people build their informal networks. Selected programs will be included in a report to The Ford Foundation. If you know of a program that you think may be appropriate for this study, please contact Shayne Spaulding by phone at 212-822-2405

Email Shayne... sspaulding@ppv.org
 

The 6th Annual Summit of the Business Leadership Network is scheduled for San Francisco in November 2003. Program content will focus on improving the ability of employers to effectively employ people with disabilities.

For more information... www.cabln.org
 

Through until July 15 several of our most popular products are on sale at up to 30% off. Included in this sale are Denise Bissonnette's popular books "Beyond Traditional Job Development" and "30 Ways to Shine as a New Employee".

Go to DiversityShop... www.diversityshop.com/store/
 

VHS Video Cassette (Running time: 22 Minutes, Close Captioned) and Facilitator's Guide (soft cover, 70 pages). Produced by Advocating Change Together. Includes the Disability Culture Rap video. This documentary-style video is a wild and exhilarating trip into the poignant issues and raw energy of contemporary "disability culture".

For more information...
 

Diversity World has developed a program that allows Associate organizations/businesses to refer customers to our store, via links from their websites/emails, in return for commissions on actual purchases that result. If you your company/organization is interested in becoming a DiversityShop Associate, please contact us.

Details on Associate Program...
 

Diversity World's True Livelihood Newsletter, by Denise Bissonnette, is a free electronic (delivered by email) monthly newsletter. It supports the work of people who are engaged in developing the careers, vocations, livelihoods, jobs and/or work of other individuals. it is our belief that everyone's work life can, and should be, molded and crafted to be the expression of our finest gifts. We also believe that work can, and should be, a source of joy and fulfillment for everyone. Towards these ends, Denise's newsletter offers its readers a refreshing combination of practical tools and inspirational ideas.

For more information...