By Rob McInnes

Hello there and welcome to the first Disability Network Newsletter of 2005!

As you probably noticed, we took a little time off over the holidays and didn’t send out an issue in December. As a result, this issue has more than the usual number of interesting Resources.

We also received a number of thoughtful responses to November’s lead article on “Workforce Diversity: Disability Excluded”. We have chosen to publish five of them in this follow-up issue and, given that, I will forgo my usual ramblings (Lead Article) for this month.

I hope that you enjoy this issue and that you this newsletter will bring you useful ideas and helpful resources throughout 2005.

Are you interested in learning more about disability and employment issues? Are you an employer? An educator? A service provider? A job seeker with a disability? In our store, DiversityShop, we carry over 20 of the best books and videos that we have found on issues of disability and employment. Check them out now!

DISABILITY ISSUE IS NOT "SEXY"...

I work for an organization that is required by law to have a "representative" workforce, and professes to be "industry leaders in equity issues". The truth of that is that they boil down the four equity groups into a number and then target our staff to match that same percentage. (i. e. if the average population is 20% persons with disabilities, then our staff should be 20% persons with disabilities). When I asked why we never target open job competitions specifically to folks with disabilities, (as they commonly do for visible minorities), they so cleverly pointed out to me our workforce is aging, and with age, comes disability. They have no need to recruit folks with disabilities, because our own aging workforce is allowing them to meet the target numbers without any effort.

Our staffing policies aside, our organization’s primary clients are: youth at risk, homeless, urban aboriginals, seniors, and persons with disabilities. The budget for youth at risk is roughly 8 times the budget for persons with disabilities - homelessness is 14 times - and urban aboriginal 15 times! It appears that the whole 'disability' issue is not "sexy" like the others, and the people with disabilities have not got enough voice to make themselves heard over the clamor of others. I don't advocate one group over another, but dream of a day when things are equitable.

PART AND PARCEL OF THE COMMUNITY...

I enjoyed your recent article on the need for representing folks with disabilities in the world of diversity. I agree it is very odd that people committed to employment for diverse individuals would ignore the ones with disabilities!

I was reminded of scenes in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This is a fictional tale set in the Congo in the 1950's. The natives don't receive top medical treatment for the disasters life sends them, so they have to make do. People with one limb, or none, or some other disfigurement are thus quite visible. There is no setting aside of these folks--they are part and parcel of the community and readily accepted. The author describes an old woman hobbling around on her knees who goes about her day with perfect aplomb.

I wonder sometimes if our thrust to put ourselves back together after an illness or injury and be completely normal again doesn't go a bit far. Perhaps this drive to be normal contributes to the notion that life cannot go on if one is disabled. I feel that a huge part of medical treatment for major injuries needs to focus on acceptance of changing abilities, for the patient, the family, and the employer.

Keep up the good work!

- Sandy Johnson

SEEN AS "DAMAGED GOODS"...

Mr. McInnes, the article you wrote this month hits on many points which I have also observed as a person with a disability and a practitioner of diversity. It is very unfortunate that some feel this way as we have much to learn from each other and only more strength to gain in adding our numbers and perspective to the diversity movement.

I would also like to add one more reason for potential exclusion from the diversity arena which I have long held to be true, superiority. It has been my observation that in many people's views, people with disabilities have long been seen as "damaged goods". This feeling of "less than" is interwoven into many people's conscious and unconscious feelings around people with disabilities. In my personal opinion, in many instances, I have seen some diversity practitioners see people with disabilities as "unworthy" to take more that a "token" place if any place at all in diversity. I have conjecture as to why this is, perception of not having "struggled" long enough, not having "been through what we have been through" etc. I have truly found this view to be so ironic in that to be included in this group celebrating differences, one must first show similarity. Keep up the good fight! Thank you for your insightful newsletters.

- Shayn Anderson

EMBRACE COMMONALITY...

This is the second time in 2 months I've felt moved to write you after reading your newsletter. Again, I've found the depth of your awareness hit home with important issues I'd encountered but not dealt with directly, and I've come away with new insight.

This time you wrote about diversity-related organizations not attending to disabilities as a diversity issue. I attended grad school at a pluralistic seminary, where diversity was embraced, encouraged, researched, analyzed. We had lots of different backgrounds represented. Yet my feeling in many of the classes was the deep woundedness of each group; they were all insisting that they were the "most oppressed of all". It seemed, at times, as though it would be impossible to get the groups to embrace commonality instead of demanding their right to be heard as distinct voices.

As a former trainer, I have done what I could to learn about diversity issues and incorporate those truths into my work. I was often reminded (not always politely!) that I wasn't aware enough or sensitive enough, despite those efforts. I can try to understand, to empathize, but experiencing it as an outsider can never be complete --- there's always more to learn.

I have six chronic health conditions, all invisible, the most challenging of which is bipolar disorder. The hardest part isn't the disability, it's the invisibility. I look very high functioning, and I can be, when I'm stable. When I'm not, I hide at home until I get better. Nobody sees a different skin color, or an assistive device, or any other cue. So when I don't meet expectations, it's assumed I've fallen down on the job. I live with chronic embarrassment and guilt for letting people down.

That's a characteristic of diversity that often is overlooked by those who take for granted that they are recognized immediately, and therefore discriminated against due to what's obvious. It's one reason why dealing with disability as a diversity issue is so important.

Finally, I think there's much to be said for the fact that woundedness in all its forms carries a low threshold of emotional and social/cultural pain. When we felt rejected, judged, left out of life's options by conditions beyond our control, it can drain our resources to the point where it can be hard to feel compassion for others with their own issues as well. The intent is good; the emotional energy is limited. All of us, regardless of background, can suffer compassion fatigue, especially when we have too much on our own plates.

Your work and thought are very stimulating, and I am grateful for the arrival of your newsletter each month. I have had to discontinue my work as a Job Developer due to decompensation, but I remain interested in the topic. I have training as a Life Coach, and will continue to work in whatever way I can to contribute to the field. Thank you for helping me think through these issues.

Sincerely, Deb Sponable

CARING FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR...

Thank you. Very good points you made. We as a society take many things for granted and one is people with disabilities. Organizations today don't want to be bothered with disability issues. Companies hesitate from hiring people with disabilities since they are afraid of being sued. It's a problem in our society today and it takes people like us to stand up, ask questions, and challenge these companies. Disabilities are not all the same and the majority of people with disabilities are capable of doing a superb job. Our society today has strayed from the "caring for your neighbor" syndrome.

"In the power to change yourself is the power to change the world around you." - Anwar Sadat

- Judy Tipton

This guide provides program planners and frontline staff at public and private career centers with an introduction to the steps involved in planning, implementing, and improving a system of services that helps job seekers who have limited basic skills to meet workplace skill requirements and get and keep rewarding, financially sustaining jobs. (PDF format)

This free, downloadable 81-page document encourages young adults with international interests to explore careers in the international affairs, exchange and development fields. The publication highlights different types of international occupations, job prospects, tips to prepare for an international career, and insights from role models and emerging leaders with disabilities in these fields. (PDF format)

Chicago-based SPR has been in business for over 30 years – providing its clients with Information Technology services. Recently, it has been proactively recruiting people with disabilities. We like the subtle yet overt way that its website portrays this initiative to its customers. Got to the link below and click on the “nAblement” link in the right-hand column.

There is a high correlation between a good education and achieving success in the workplace. Many children with developmental disabilities do not get the full benefit of educational opportunities available to them. The Partners in Education website offers a self-study course designed to help parents of children with developmental disabilities navigate the special education system and help their children make the most of their potential.

Youth with intellectual disabilities have not had many chances to go to college. This is changing as individuals across the country begin to create opportunities for these youth to reap the benefits of postsecondary education. The ThinkCollege website provides information and links to anyone interested in finding out more about these possibilities. The site is divided into sections for students, family members, and professionals.

Through The Looking Glass has announced a unique scholarship program for U. S. students who have at least one parent with a disability. Current Dealine: May 1, 2005.

Just a reminder that our website has a resource listing of Internships and Scholarships for folks with disabilities.

This new and exciting website from Canada is a great example of how a province/state can encourage its employers to focus on the talent pool represented by people with disabilities. It is a smart and comprehensive site featuring: an online handbook for employers, an online video, a listing of disability-specific employment agencies and an online job-posting service and resume data base.

HIRE.US (Hire Interested and Ready Employees in the U.S.) provides employers with a data base of pre-screened college students with disabilities from Asian American/Pacific Islander backgrounds. Resumes are available in an online data Base of a free CD.

The Association for Enterprise Opportunity in conjunction with The Abilities Fund has developed a training manual designed to give microenterprise development organizations an introduction to the potential of extending services to entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Annual awards for creating technological solutions to barriers that prevent people with severe disabilities from entering or advancing in the workplace. Current deadline February 28, 2005.

"I currently work as a career consultant for adults with developmental disabilities and often mental health concerns. I am in the process of researching what material is available around work place safety in this field (safety away from the traditional form of accidents etc). I would appreciate any feedback on this and look forward to hearing from you."

Richard Breitmeyer, Calgary Alternative Employment Services (403) 283-0611

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