APRIL/MAY 2009
Hello.
Welcome to this issue of
inclusionRX
our medicinal concoction of
insights, information,
tools, and resources designed
to cure ailing and impoverished workplaces by
increasing the opportunities
for people with
disabilities to participate equitably in
the workforce.
(We do our best to provide accurate and current
information; but please check with the sources for
validation of the information we have provided.)
PLEASE FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO
INTERESTED FRIENDS & ASSOCIATES.
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Welcome
to our April/May 2009 Issue...
Welcome to the April/May 2009 issue of
inclusionRX.
I do my best to publish this newsletter
monthly, but I wasn't able to do so last month. I hope that
you will find the content of this issue worth the wait!
My friend and associate Shayn
Anderson's article on "Disability Pride" dovetails nicely
with Gary Karp's article on "True Inclusion" from our
March issue. These two articles give voice to what I
perceive to be a new tone emerging from within the
disability community - a forthright and unapologetic
assertion of their intent to assume contributing roles that
are integral to the health of our broader communities and
economies. I suspect that, in 2009, we are on the cusp of an
emerging disability identity that will shake loose all the
historical fetters and notions of disability, stride
purposefully into the mainstream, and stake participatory
claims on what is truly our common ground.
I believe that, boosted by the power of
a generation that has been freed from segregated programs
and lifestyles, that has been welcomed into our schools, and
that has been empowered by new technology, we are about to
experience the age of the "kick-ass" disability movement. Shayn
Anderson calls it "fully realized
disability pride". Gary Karp refers to it as the
"modern disability" paradigm and speaks of a "disability
renaissance". Whatever we choose to call it... something new
is stirring out there.
Back in 2006, I wrote an article
entitled
Needing a Revolutionary Breakthrough: Revisioning Disability.
I proposed that, in order to have more inclusive workplaces,
our society needed a revisioning of disability as a natural
(not atypical) part of the normative human experience. At
that time, however, I had a hard time imagining just how
that revisioning would occur. I now have a growing
conviction that it will be achieved through through a
widespread and friendly infiltration of our workplaces - an
infiltration by competent and increasingly confident people
with disabilities who simply no longer accept the denial of
their birthright to the opportunities and responsibilities
of equal citizenship. I believe it will be there in our
workplaces, through shoulder-to-shoulder, office-to-office,
and around-the-water-cooler contact that the great lesson
will be learned by everyone... there is no "them", there is
only "us".
~ Rob McInnes
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GUEST
ARTICLE: Fully
Realized Disability Pride with a Side of Kindness and a Dose
of Reality
By Shayn Anderson
 The image of “Angry
Scooter Lady”, from last month’s guest article by Gary Karp,
really hitched a ride in my psyche. I know Gary and I share
many of the same values and tenets in and around the
disability community. I have met many such “angry scooter
ladies”, and for that matter, angry scooter men as well! The
question I couldn’t shake from the last month’s article was,
“How do we minimize the damage done and the stereotype
perpetuated by the Scooter Ladies in order to continue
raising disability awareness and bring community inclusion
to a higher level within our society?”
I can say with certainty
that each and every one of us with a disability has been
frustrated, angry, and just plain fed up with the ignorance,
prejudice, and inaccessibility that we regularly encounter
simply because we have a disability. However, being bitter,
angry, or uninformed, while carrying a chip of entitlement
on our shoulders, only serves to further fuel the fire of
society’s stereotypes and distorted images of who we are,
what we are about, and what we have to offer the larger
community.
In pondering the future
of people with disabilities, I find myself facing an
onslaught of questions:
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What do those of us
who have disabilities truly believe about ourselves?
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Do we buy into the
commonly held belief that we are second class citizens?
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Is there a part of us
wants to manipulate or capitalize on the pity that the
larger community projects our way?
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Do we feel we deserve
special consideration and should be subject to different
standards than our non-disabled counterparts as a result of
the history of discrimination and oppression we have
suffered?
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Are we asserting
bogus rights like Scooter Lady, knowing that most people
aren’t informed enough to call our bluff?
I have held a longtime
vision for the disability community, one that would help to
eradicate, or at least, mitigate the damage done by the
angry Scooter Ladies. What I envision is a different spin on
the important concept of disability pride which I refer to
as “fully realized disability pride - with a side of
kindness and a dose of reality.”
Fully realized
disability pride begins with the premise that we refuse to
view ourselves as second class citizens who are broken,
damaged, or need some kind of fixing, as society may have us
believe. Rather than apologize for what makes us different,
I am suggesting that we take genuine pride in the skills,
abilities and assets that the experience of having a
disability affords us. I am asserting that we proudly
embrace our ties and allegiance to the rich history and
culture of disability that many of us have either been
unaware of or ignored for far too long.
The second part of this
spin – with a side of kindness – has its roots from an adage
espoused by my Nana that “You get more flies with honey than
you do with vinegar.” Angry, bitter people (with or without
disabilities) get less of what they desire from other people
than those who are kind and upbeat. While this is true for
everyone, it is especially true for people with
disabilities. If we really want to change people’s
perceptions of us, we need start by being the change. By
approaching others with kindness, we will engender kindness
back. By exhibiting confidence, we will inspire other’s
confidence in us.
Finally, the last part
of this new spin - a dose of reality – is meant to
dismiss the myth that just because we have a disability
means that we are deserving of gratuitous rights and
advantages. What we have fought to gain and retain is equal
footing, not special favors! As I have written about in
previous articles and publications, we cannot and should not
exude an air of “privilege” just because we have a
disability. However, there are many among us who do exactly
that. The unemployment rate among people with disabilities
that has been too high for too long. Clearly, employers have
their share of responsibility in those sad statistics. It
is time, however, that we acknowledge the part we have
played in the dynamic in which we are viewed as needing
“special treatment” rather than “fair” treatment. Taking a
more resilient, assertive and empowering stance will help
makes us more competitive in the open market, especially in
these difficult, economic times. .
Many people with
disabilities I know who share this vision and practice its
tenets, report that they have often been met with pleasant
surprise from others who have previously held the stereotype
of people with disabilities as being angry, embittered, or
desiring preferential treatment. They report hearing
comments like, “You’re not at all what I have encountered
with people with disabilities. You’re really nice.” We have
to work to make this positive perception the rule rather
than the exception! We need to replace the image of angry
Scooter Lady with an image of people with disabilities who
fully embrace their disability with pride, practice
tolerance and kindness, and exude contentment with being
treated as equal rather than exceptional. I love the way
one parent recently expressed this vision on a list serve:
“We are not really there yet – not really the movement we
could be. The parade of pity, cure, isolation and shame
continues. I do think pride, love, and connection are
stronger and will win in the end. They have won in my life.”
May they win in ours!
Shayn Anderson is an
internationally recognized author, public speaker, trainer,
humorist, father and proud person with a disability. He has
worked in the private and public sectors as a banker,
counselor, trainer, analyst, and marketing specialist. Shayn
takes a down-to-earth and humorous approach to life,
believing strongly in Victor Borge's quote that "Laughter is
the shortest distance between two people."
Visit Shayn's website:
www.diversityinclusion.com
See Shayn's new book Taking Pride in That which Sets Us
Apart
www.diversityshop.com/store/takingPride.html
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RESOURCES on
DISABILITY & EMPLOYMENT
 ARTICLE:
Rebranding Disability
Very much in concert with the articles by Shayn
Anderson and Gary Karp in these recent issues of InclusionRX, is an article
that I came across from the Toronto Star (Sept. 27, 2008). The article is
about Rich Donovan and his crusade to “rebrand disability”. Here is an
excerpt:
Donovan clearly has cerebral palsy. It is also
abundantly clear that he couldn't be more comfortable in his own body.
Striped shirt open casually at the neck, tailored jacket lying easily across
his shoulders, the former Merrill Lynch trader and founder of not-for-profit
employment specialist Lime Connect is out to do nothing less than rebrand
disability.
The current brand, rooted in medical terms and
do-gooder expressions of pity, "is so negative, it's radioactive," he tells
his audience. "Nobody wants to come near it." The result is "a mainstream
view that people with disabilities are unable to produce and must be cared
for."
Lime's approach? "Simple," Donovan says. "Kill the
current brand with quality." Get the message out that "people with
disabilities can, and will, deliver."
Article in Toronto Star “Proving diversity is good business”:
www.thestar.com/living/Disabilities/article/504605
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 GUIDELINES:
Planning Inclusive Meetings
The U. S. Department of Justice has developed some
great guidelines for planning meetings to be fully inclusive of people with
disabilities. “Accessible Information Exchange: Meeting on a Level Playing
Field” is a handy little document for meeting planners which covers
accessibility issues both for meeting environments,
presentation/informational content, and auxiliary aids & services. This
information will be extremely helpful for companies to fully include their
employees with disabilities in internal meetings and company events.
More information:
www.ada.gov/business/accessiblemtg.htm
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 BOOK
ONLINE: The Red Book - A Guide to Work Incentives 2009
Edition
The Red Book serves as a
general reference source about the employment-related
provisions of Social Security Disability Insurance and the
Supplemental Security Income Programs for educators,
advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who
serve people with disabilities.
More information:
www.ssa.gov/redbook/
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 SLIDESHOW:
Exceptional Nurses
National Nurses Week is celebrated
annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the
birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Donna
Maheady, is President of the Exceptional Nurse – a resource network
committed to inclusion of more people with disabilities in the nursing
profession. For National Nurses Week, Donna created a slideshow that
profiles 16 nurses and nursing students with disabilities form across the
United States.
View the Exceptional Nurse Slideshow:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4f5441324d7a6b324e513d3d0d0a&blogview=true
Exceptional Nurse Website:
www.exceptionalnurse.com/
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 NEWS:
North Pole is Proven to be Accessible
The North Pole has now been
proven wheelchair accessible!
On April 11, 2009 a disabled
parking sign was raised at the North Pole. David Shannon became the
first person in world history with quadriplegia and in a wheelchair
to reach the Pole. He along with expedition co-leader and fellow
Canadian, Chris Watkins, developed “Team Independence 09” to promote
breaking barriers to accessibility and greater community inclusion.
In April 2009, these two lawyers from Thunder Bay, Ontario, crossed
the polar ice by sledge to the geographic North Pole. This unique
expedition was an historic first because it is the first time that a
person with quadriplegia due to a spinal cord injury, and a partner
with a significant form of arthritis have reached the North Pole.
More information:
www.teamindependence.ca
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VIDEOS: Disability-focused
Videos for Human Resources Professionals
The Society for Human Resource Management has posted
many short videos for Human Resources Managers on its site. Several of these
are intended to promote a better understanding of people with disabilities
in the workplace. While many of the videos are available only to SHRM
members, several are available for public viewing. These include:
Disability Etiquette – John Kemp, U.S. Business Leadership Network
www2.shrm.org/video/07videos/101107kemp.asp
Affinity Groups - John Kemp, U.S. Business Leadership Network
www2.shrm.org/video/07videos/101007kemp.asp
The Loneliness of Disability – Steve Hanamura, Hanamura Consulting
www.shrm.org/multimedia/video/vid_archive/Pages/090209_hanamura.aspx
Tailored Accommodations – Judy Young, VP Abilities, Inc.
www2.shrm.org/video/08videos/030708young.asp
Accommodating MS – Steve Nissan, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
www2.shrm.org/video/08videos/041008nissen.asp
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 JOB
SEEKING: Free Help with Resume Writing
ResumeSocial is a new “social
resume community” where you can post your resume online and get real
feedback from others just like you. Users can build a better resume
through feedback from others who have similar experience in their
job/company/industry or whatever. That feedback can give job seekers
access to years of collective knowledge and insight about what it
takes to make a great resume.
More information:
http://resumesocial.com
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 WEBSITE:
New Resume/Job Matching Site
Abilicorp is a new “disability-focused employment
company” that seeks to enable qualified job seekers with disabilities to
secure employment in their chosen fields – and to help companies recruit
from talented people in this workforce. Abilicorp, which is currently
focusing on placing its Associates in Call Center and IT positions, has
recently forged a partnership with the
US Business Leadership
Network.
More information:
www.abilicorp.com
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 JOB
ACCOMMODATION: Side Effects of Medication
In a recent issue of the Job
accommodation Network’s JAN E-News, they deal with the issue of secondary
limitations which may be caused by medications that are subscribed to an
employee with a disability: Excerpt from the article “Clearing the Fog…”:
Must an employer provide a reasonable
accommodation that is needed because of the side effects of medication or
treatment related to the disability, or because of symptoms or other medical
conditions resulting from the underlying disability?
Yes. The side effects caused by the
medication that an employee must take because of the disability are
limitations resulting from the disability. Reasonable accommodation extends
to all limitations resulting from a disability.
This complete article and the complete
newsletter is archived online.
More information:
www.jan.wvu.edu/ENews/2009/Enews-V7-I2.htm
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DiversityShop
Resources on Disability and Employment
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!
 NEW
BOOK:
Taking Pride In That Which
Sets Us Apart
Author:
Shayn Anderson (Paperback, 90 pages)
Subtitled “A Vision Of Hope And Personal
Responsibility For People With Disabilities”, it is
a smart little book that asserts that people with
disabilities need to embrace their disability with
pride, readily acknowledge their affinity to other
people with disabilities and assume a greater sense
of personal responsibility for their destinies.
(Click on title for more detailed information.)
Price:
$14.95 pdf version:
$8.95
 NEW
DVD:
Getting it Right: Etiquette
Tips
DVD
(Running Time: 26 Minutes)
Particularly geared to the workplace, this is a fun
and engaging new tool for teaching basic disability
etiquette and developing greater disability
awareness. (Click on Title for more detailed
information.)
Price:
$179.95
Visit
DiversityShop
for more
Disability and Employment
Resources
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REPORT:
National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
On March 31, 2009 the National
Council on Disability released its annual report to the President
and Congress calling for a new integrated approach to disability
policy within the Federal Government. The report looks at many
issues including access to health care, housing and technology, and
negative public attitudes and stereotypes about people with
disabilities. In addressing employment issues, the report makes
several recommendations, including:
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Funding a series of
antistigma demonstration projects to combat workplace prejudice
and discrimination.
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That the President should
issue an Executive Order requiring all Federal agencies to
educate hiring managers and human resource personnel about the
benefits of hiring people with disabilities.
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Revisions should be made to
Medicare and Medicaid regulations in order to eliminate
practices that discourage and hamper recipients from returning
to the workforce.
More information:
www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2009/Progress_Report.doc
 ARTICLE:
A Positive Strategy for Expanding Market Share
The feature article in the May
issue ODEP’s Business $ense newsletter addresses the importance of
the disability community as a segment of the consumer market –
estimating that it directly influences a purchasing power of $3
Trillion, annually – making it the third largest market segment in
the United States.
More information:
www.dol.gov/odep/bsense/bsense0509.htm
 HANDBOOK:
Disability Law Handbook 2009
The Disability Law Handbook is a
50-page guide to the basics of the Americans with Disabilities Act
and other disability related laws. Written in an FAQ format, The
Disability Law Handbook answers questions about the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the ADA Amendments Act, the Rehabilitation Act,
Social Security, the Air Carrier Access Act, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, the Civil Rights of Institutionalized
Persons Act, and the Fair Housing Act Amendments. The publisher
notes: “This handbook is a broad overview of rights and obligations
under federal disability laws. Individual state laws may impose more
stringent obligations. This handbook is intended to inform rather
than to advise, and the information provided is of a general nature.
You should consult an attorney for advice about your particular
situation.”
More information:
www.dlrp.org/html/publications/dlh/index.html
READER REQUESTS: Do you have a question?
Would you like information or advice on a
particular issue related to disability & employment? Tie
into our network of over 5000 readers! Send us an email and
we will post your question in our next newsletter. Send us your question:
DNET@diversityworld.com
Resources for Self Employment
Hello. I’ve been receiving your
newsletter for about 8 months now. I haven’t seen anything on
self-employment for persons with disabilities. Do you ever write
about this type of employment? I work with a program that helps
individuals develop a solid business plan and launch their own
business. As case manager, I provide various supports that
attendees may require – as a result of their disability. Do you
have any words of wisdom for persons with disabilities who hope to
open their own business and become self-employed?
- Wendy Hood-Morris, Lutherwood,
Kitchener, Ontario
Please email your comments/feedback to:
Dnet@diversityworld.com
(We'll pass them on to Wendy!)
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Diversity World: Hello
Wendy. Actually, we currently have a request in to Urban
Miyares of the Disabled Businesspersons Association to write
a feature article on this topic. You may also be interested
in the following:
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EVENT LISTINGS
Is your organization holding an event that
might be of interest to our 5000+ readers? Would you like to
add your event to our listings?
To have your event listed, please see here...
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 EVENT:
2009 National ADA Symposium
“Revitalizing the ADA”
June 8 - 10, 2009 ~ Kansas City, MO
The theme of the 2009 Symposium
is Revitalizing the ADA. The passage of the ADA Amendments Act
reaffirmed the American commitment to creating an accessible and
inclusive society for people with disabilities and their families.
In response, the 2009 National ADA Symposium will be expanded to
include several new features including a Professional Development
Programs for ADA Coordinators and people in the design industry.
More Information Here:
www.adasymposium.org
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 2nd
ABA National Conference on Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities
June 15 – 16, 2009 ~ Washington,
DC
The Second National Conference
on the Employment of Lawyers with Disabilities will be held in
Washington D.C. on June 15-16, 2009. The Conference will be hosted
by the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law and
2008-2009 ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. It is co-sponsored by
the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Minority Corporate
Counsel Association. The Conference is part of the ABA’s commitment
to open the legal profession to lawyers with disabilities.
More Information Here:
www.abanet.org/disability/conferences/09conference.shtml
 20th
Annual National APSE Conference
"Employment for All: A
Celebration in the City of Festivals!"
June 30 - July 2, 2009 ~ Milwaukee, WI
The APSE conference focuses
exclusively on facilitating integrated employment outcomes for
people with significant disabilities. This year, Milwaukee will be
the place to share their knowledge and expertise on the latest and
best innovations related to employment!
More Information Here:
www.apse.org/conference/rfp.cfm
 Ahead
2009 Global Access
"Opening a World of Opportunity"
July 20 – 25, 2009 ~ Louisville,
KY
The annual international
Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) conference
brings together professionals in the fields of higher education and
disability for a week of information-sharing, networking and
theoretical and practical training.
More Information Here:
www.ahead.org/conferences/2009
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 USBLN
2009 Conference
"Connecting the Dots:
Business Solutions"
September 15 – 19, 2009 ~
Washington, DC
More Information
Here:
www.newworkforceconference.org
 ATIA
2009
"Showcasing Excellence in
Assistive Technology"
October 29 - 31, 2009 ~ Chicago,
IL
The Assistive Technology
Industry Association brings you a powerful new conference. Choose
from 150+ educational sessions spanning the breadth and depth of
assistive technology. Connect with professionals, users, parents and
manufacturers to realize the power of assistive technology.
Experience assistive technology at work. See the future at product
previews.
More Information
Here:
www.atia.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
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 CAREERS
Conference 2010January 25 - 27, 2010 ~ Madison, Wisconsin
The Careers Conference is hosted
by the Center on Education and Work, part of the School of Education
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It is one of the largest and
most comprehensive events of its kind, featuring top quality
professional development.
More Information Here:
www.cew.wisc.edu/careersConf/default.aspx
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This Newsletter is published by Diversity
World, 849 Almar Avenue, Suite C, #206, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Archives of past issues are available on our website. See:
http://www.diversityworld.com/Disability/newsletter.htm We also publish the "True
Livelihood Newsletter" by Denise Bissonnette. See:
http://www.diversityworld.com/Denise_Bissonnette/newsletter.htm
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