Welcome to the May 2007 edition of this newsletter. This month, we are pleased to feature a Guest Article by John M. Williams. I have personally gleaned a lot from John’s writings over the past decade or so. His articles have helped many of us to keep abreast of the ways in which the evolution of information technology and assistive technology have been revolutionizing workplaces and expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities. In this article, John explains how he responds to employers who have trouble envisioning how people with disabilities can be productive in the workplace.

In the “Readers Respond” section, three readers make some great points as follow-up to last month’s article “Rocky Balboa delivers a One-Two Punch”.

For those of you who enjoyed reading Denise Bissonnette’s Article last month on “How to Keep On Keepin’ On”, be sure to check out Part II in the May 2007 issue of her True Livelihood Newsletter.

~ Rob McInnes

Guest Article: What Can They Do?

- By John M. Williams

Ralph Waldo Emerson was noted for telling his students, "Don’t tell me what I know, tell me what I don’t know."

I urge employers to be guided by this rule when considering hiring an individual with a disability.

The infinite question employers asked me is, "What can an employee with a disability do?"

This is an easy, three-part question to answer.

The first step I say is read the biographies of John Milton (blind), Aristotle (speech-impaired), Ludwig von Beethoven (deaf), Greg Louganis (learning disabled), FDR (wheelchair user), Carly Simon, James Earl Jones, Annie Glenn, and James Stewart (stuttering), artist Frida Kahla (polio), Richard Branson, John Cambers, Charles Schwab (all learning disabled), Abraham Lincoln (manic depressive), singer Cher (learning disability), Dr. Frank G. Bowe (deaf), Joan of Arc (epilepsy), Vinton Cerf (hearing-impaired), Stephen Hawking (ALS) and Helen Keller (deaf-blind). This finite list can easily become infinite.

I tell employers that every century and every generation produces people with disabilities who excel. They acquit themselves because they have the ability, determination and discipline. Imagine how poorer the world would be without the successes of Aristotle, Milton, Lincoln, James Earl Jones, John Chambers, Helen Keller and others. History, I say, spends more time discussing the accomplishments of people with disabilities than their disabilities. And so, it is the person you must see, not the disability, when considering hiring a person with a disability.

Secondly, I say, imagine a world in which you are interviewing for a job you know you can do. And the person interviewing you has a disability. What is your response to being told, "Even though you have the ability, I won’t hire you because you don’t have a disability."

What are your reactions? Anger! Pain! Bitterness! You don’t want to experience that situation, so why put others through it?

The third part is discover the benefits of Information Technology to people with disabilities. Section 508 of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act is a driving force in hardware and software accessible to people with disabilities. Microsoft’s VISTA has accessible features that allow individuals with disabilities to use it. Hewlett Packard, Canon USA, Adobe, IBM, Nokia, Verizon, and other manufacturers are building accessible features into their products. These products make employees with disabilities more productive and more efficient. These products tear down information walls that historically have prevented people with disabilities from being employed.

IT and Assistive Technologies equalize employment opportunities for employees with disabilities. Such technologies allow people with disabilities to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, writers, teachers, entrepreneurs, hardware and software developers, nurses, telephone operators, accountants, engineers.

There are multiple resources available to employers to learn more about people with disabilities. They are the National Organization on Disability (www.nod.org), the American Association of People with Disabilities (www.aapd-dc.org), Job Accommodation Network (www.jan.wvu.edu) and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (www.dol.gov). 

To learn more about Assistive technology products visit the Assistive Technology Industry Association’s web site (www.atia.org).

John M. Williams has been writing about disability issues for 29 years. He coined the phrase Assistive Technology. He has written more then 1,500 articles on disability issues and is the author of "Assistive Technologies: Expanding a Universe of Opportunities for People with Disabilities." Visit John's Website: Assistive Technology News

Read "Rocky Balboa Delivers a One-Two Punch"
 

Dare to be yourself, not that person that others tell you to be.

I wholeheartedly agree with Rob’s very well done editorial in the last edition.  We all have to be responsible for ourselves.  Unfortunately, as is so often the case, members of the community with disabilities have too many “others” making decisions for them or at the least filling their heads with what they can’t do, that the ability to make a decision becomes a bigger impairment then the original disability.  I have had too many well-meaning individuals or professional care givers in my life telling me what I could or couldn’t do.  Fortunately I was too hard headed to ever listen to them (some tell me rebellious) but that’s semantics for you.

I have dealt with to many younger folks with disabilities tell me that this person or that person had told them they couldn’t do something and accepted it.  When you don’t know better how do you know?  A simple adage my folks raised me with “If it feels right, it probably is”.  You live your life and live with your decisions.  If you live your life based on other peoples decision then you are not living, you are simply getting by.  And if you are simply getting by, then ultimately that becomes your choice.  It’s a paradox and we let it happen.

Rob used a quote by Sylvester Stallone.  I would like to use a much older quote to finish off my little tirade.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory or defeat.”  Theodore Roosevelt

People go out there and dare to be yourself, not that person that others tell you to be.

Just one man’s opinion.

~ Terry Wiens, British Columbia, Canada

Encourage self-responsibility while working for social change.

Your article and Denise Bissonnette's (Note: See April Issue of Denise Bissonnette’s True Livelihood Newsletter) do go hand and glove. It's a good message. To frame it in political terms, conservatives believe the individual is responsible for her destiny, liberals argue that people are limited by the constraints society places on them. But the real world is seldom black and white. There is truth in both positions. Prejudice and lack of opportunity exist, and individuals who have worked on their development have a better chance of breaking through these barriers. Conversely, a person who has not taken responsibility for those things he can control will not succeed even if the world is laid at his feet.

Ultimately, society is composed of individuals, and individuals are shaped by society. Encourage self-responsibility while working for social change.

Thanks for monthly columns, they're always insightful.

- Kevin Ionno, GA Department of Labor, Vocational Rehabilitation Program

A future of failure...

You and Denise Bissonnette deliver a great one-two punch (to stay with the boxing metaphor).  I have sent your articles to all my friends and colleagues in the Rehab community.

That quote today; "Pointing fingers" is an insidious mindset - a disempowering lie. It is a lie that comes with a high cost - a future of unemployment and underemployment."   I would have said "a future of failure."   I have seen that philosophy take hold in the African American community.  I have seen resignation replace optimism.

Now isn't that a great word, "resignation."  The root word is "resign." "I quit."  Says it all, doesn't it?  And it is at once human and understandable. You take all the hits, all the battering, and still can't seem to get ahead.  Quitting is easy then.

I think at one point Denise said it was like being a mountain climber and quitting at 14,000 feet...with the summit just 100 yards away. After getting that far quitting should not be an option.  We have to empower our clients to believe that the summit is only 100 yards away. Maybe the hardest 100 yards they have ever had to go.  But hey, it's still just 100 yards.

Keep on doing the great and inspiring work you do! 

- Thomas S. Sproger, IAM/Boeing, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Seattle, WA

DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH – OCTOBER 2007

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced that "Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team!" will be the official 2007 theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is observed in October THROUGHOUT THE United States. "The 2007 'Talent for a Winning Team' theme captures the heart of the president's New Freedom Initiative, which is that Americans with disabilities are an underutilized reservoir of ambition, talent and skill ready to make great contributions in the workplace," said Secretary Chao.

More Information: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/odep20070555.htm

ONLINE PUBLICATION: Entering the World of Work (Youth with Mental Health Needs)

A new online guide for youth with mental health needs from the Office of Disability Employment Policy – a fact sheet with guidance on questions regarding disclosure, accommodations and resources.

More Information: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/transitioning.htm

ONLINE PUBLICATION: Tunnels and Cliffs (Youth with Mental Health Needs)

“Tunnels and Cliffs: A Guide for Workforce Development Practitioners and Policymakers serving Youth with Mental Health Needs” has been designed to help workforce development practitioners, administrators, and policymakers increase their understanding of youth with mental health needs and the supports necessary to help them transition into the workforce successfully. 

More Information: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/mental_health.html

Customized Employment: Applying Practical Solutions for Employment Success, Vol. 2 is the second in a series of Customized Employment portfolios. It expands on the topics presented in the first in the series, Practical Solutions for Employment Success with Customized Employment and provides ideas on how to use these strategies with job seekers for their own Customized Employment success.

More Information: http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/CustomizedEmployment/
successful/index.htm

DiversityShop

Resources on Disability and Employment

READER REQUESTS: Do you have a question?

Placement Resources in New York

I am a Senior Employment Counselor at Career Blazers Learning Center. We are an accredited Training institution in mid-town New York NY.

I am interested in providing the best service I can to all of my students and especially to our Graduating students.  One of my responsibilities is to assist our graduates with employment assistance.  I have no problems with providing assistance to our general population, however we have a few students / graduates with disabilities of varying degrees, from Hearing Impairments to Blindness, Wheel Chair bound etc. My problem is, I need help in finding / locating additional resources where I can place my students / graduates. 

So my question is: Can anyone forward to me information that may help me in connecting with organizations that work with, or hire people with disabilities.  Any leads, any information will be greatly appreciated.  No matter how small or minor the information may seem, I will be very grateful if you would send me what ever you may have. (eg. Web sites, news papers, companies, especially any type of employment leads or situations, including internships etc.) Any and all information will be accepted with enthusiasm. 

- Sincerely, Rohn Perdue

Reply to Rohn or (212) 725-7900

EVENT LISTINGS

EVENT: Bridges to Employment

“National Forum on Employment Issues & Latinos with Disabilities”

Miami, FL - June 13-15, 2007

Bridges to Employment is the premiere event on pathways to vocational attainment for Latinos with disabilities in the United States. The conference brings together recruiters, occupational experts and jobseekers from around the country to share best practices and exchange information to increase employment opportunities for disabled Latinos.

For more information: http://www.projectvision.net/

EVENT: 18^th annual APSE National Conference

“Show me the future – it’s bigger than you think!”

Kansas City, MO: July 16 – 18, 2007

The only nationwide supported employment conference for Service Providers, Professionals, People with Disabilities, Educators and Employers.

For more information… http://www.apse.org/documents/confbroFINAL.pdf

EVENT: 8th Annual COSD Conference

"Gateway to Employment: Partnership for Success"

Minneapolis, MN: July 30 - August 1, 2007

At their annual conference, Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) brings together professionals from higher education and national employers to learn and share best practices to assist college students with disabilities to enter the career of their choice.

For more Information...