Georgia GOP To Push Job Tax Cuts

The Associated Press
Athens Banner-Herald
January 27, 2010

ATLANTA — Georgia Republicans will push a forward a tax cut package aimed at creating jobs in the state, where unemployment is at 10.3 percent.

State Rep. Tom Graves will unveil new legislation at a state Capitol news conference on Wednesday.

The Republican from Ranger pushed a plan last year that would have given companies a $500 credit toward the unemployment insurance tax and a $2,400 income tax credit for each new employee they hire.

But Gov. Sonny Perdue vetoed the measure after the state Senate tacked on a provision to slash the capital gains tax in half over two years. The governor argued the move would have gutted recession-wracked state coffers.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://ap.onlineathens.com/pstories/state/ga/20100127/555383851.shtml

© 2008 OnlineAthens • Athens Banner-Herald • Morris Digital Works

Job Bias Claims Based On Disability, Religion Rise

By SAM HANANEL - Associated Press Writer
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Ledger-Enquirer.com
Wednesday, Jan. 06, 2010

WASHINGTON -- The number of workers claiming job discrimination based on disability, religion or national origin surged to new highs last year, as federal job bias complaints overall stayed at near-record levels.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday that charges of disability discrimination rose by about 10 percent to 21,451 claims, the largest increase of any category.

The increase coincided with changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act last year that made it easier for people with epilepsy, diabetes and other treatable conditions to claim they are disabled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Overall, the EEOC received more than 93,000 discrimination claims during the 2009 fiscal year, a 2 percent decrease from the record set in 2008, but still the second-highest level in the commission's history.

As in previous years, claims based on race, sex and retaliation were the most frequent.

The commission's acting chairman, Stuart Ishimaru, said equal employment opportunity "remains elusive for far too many workers." He urged employers to step up efforts to end discrimination at work.

Since the ADA was enacted in 1990, a series of Supreme Court rulings have generally exempted from its protections those with partial physical disabilities or impairments that can be treated with medication or devices such as hearing aids.

Legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush before he left office directs courts to apply the definition of disability more generously.

"After this law passed, I think people were more encouraged that if they had a disability that they were able to manage and still experienced discrimination on the job, that they might actually get some relief," said Andrew Imparato, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Charges of discrimination based on national origin rose by about 5 percent to 11,134 claims, while religious discrimination claims rose less than 1 percent, to 3,386 claims.

EEOC spokesman David Grinberg said the rise in those categories may be attributed to a more diverse workplace with a growing number of immigrants. He said national origin complaints are filed most often by Hispanics and Asians.

Allegations of race discrimination remained the most frequently filed complaint, accounting for about 36 percent of all filings last year.

The EEOC said the near-historic level of complaints overall may be due to a number of factors, including economic conditions, increased diversity and demographic shifts in the work force.

Employees also may be more aware of their rights and could be taking advantage of changes at the EEOC to make it easier to file a discrimination charge.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/262/story/965576.html

Copyright © 2010The McClatchy Company

State Bar Association Presents Important Continuing Legal Education Programs on Compliance Issues and Disability Discrimination in Employment

"Finding the Bottom Line: Rights of People with Disabilities in NYS"

by New York State Bar Association News Release

ALBANY, NY (11/18/2009)(readMedia)-- The New York State Bar Association will host an important series of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs next month that will provide a road map for attorneys as they advise clients on a host of disability, discrimination and compliance issues. The program, titled "Finding the Bottom Line: Rights of People with Disabilities in New York State," will review and analyze current federal, state and local disability laws and will examine how they relate to potential discrimination actions in the areas of employment, public and private sector public accommodations and housing. The programs will be presented in Rochester on December 1st; New York City on December 4th; and Albany on December 9th.

Presented by the State Bar's Committee on Continuing Legal Education and co-sponsored by the Committee on Issues Affecting People with Disabilities, the Labor and Employment Law Section, and that section's Equal Employment Opportunity Law Committee and its Individual Rights and Responsibilities Committee, the CLE program will offer 6.5 credit hours of professional practice and/or practice management.

Among the topics to be covered are "Who Is Protected," "What Is a Covered Entity and What Are Its Obligations" and "Housing Requirements" as related to the federal Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Housing Act, as well as New York State and local laws. Program attendees also will learn about remediation options, including mediation, administrative and court litigation and differences in the availability of compensatory and punitive damages, among other remedies and strategies.

"The significant changes in the law made by last year's amendments to the ADA, as well as the newly proposed regulations and evolving case law, make it critical for attorneys representing employees, employers and others to keep up to date on the ADA, FMLA, New York State Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law," said Nancy Halleck, chair of the Committee on Issues Affecting People with Disabilities. "This CLE provides an excellent opportunity for attorneys to catch up on all of these changes and get a refresher course on existing laws. The faculty we have assembled comprises experts in disability, employment and housing law with experience in litigation and compliance. Participants will leave this workshop with a clear understanding of the changes in the law, and how it all fits together around the state. I urge all attorneys practicing disability and employment law to attend."

In a related event, as part of the United Nation's celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, New York City regional program co-chair Mark H. Leeds, Esq. has been invited to present copies of this CLE course program book to United Nations officials on December 3rd.

Ms. Akiko Ito, Chief of the United Nations Secretariat for the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said, "As we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations appreciates the contribution of the New York State Bar Association's continuing legal education program, 'Finding the Bottom Line - Rights of People with Disabilities in New York State,' to efforts that recognize and promote the rights of persons with disabilities. We look forward to working further with the New York State Bar Association in this cause."

A complete listing of participants for each of the three local area panels is provided below.

Tuesday, December 1st Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside; 120 Main Street East; Rochester
Melinda R. Saran, Esq., (Local Chair), University at Buffalo Law School, Buffalo * Mairead E. Connor, Esq., Law Offices of Mairead E. Connor, PLLC, Syracuse * Matthew J. Fusco, Esq., Chamberlain D'Amanda, Rochester * Michael Hanley, Esq., Empire Justice Center, Rochester * Amy L. Hemenway, Esq., Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP, Buffalo * Michael Mul, Esq., Empire Justice Center, Rochester * Sharon P. Stiller, Boylan, Brown, Code, Vigdor and Wilson, Rochester.

Friday, December 4th New York Hilton and Towers; 1335 Ave of the Americas; NYC
Mark H. Leeds, Esq., (Local Chair), Riverdale * Dennis R. Boyd, Esq., Dennis R. Boyd Legal Advocacy and Consulting Services, New York City * Patricia A. Cody, Esq., Wormser Kiely Galef & Jacobs LLP, New York City * John P. Herrion, Esq., New York State Division of Human Rights, Bronx * Alan M. Koral, Esq., Vedder Price, P.C., New York City * Rachel J. Minter, Esq., Law Office of Rachel J. Minter, New York City* Jason R. Mischel, Esq., New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities * Donald L. Sapir, Esq., Sapir & Frumkin, White Plains * Jo Anne Simon, Esq., Jo Anne Simon, PC, Brooklyn.

Wednesday, December 9th Crowne Plaza Albany; State & Lodge Streets; Albany
Simeon Goldman, Esq., (Local Chair), Disability Advocates Inc, Albany * Beth A. Bourassa, Esq., Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna LLP, Albany * Ronald G. Dunn, Esq., Gleason Dunn Walsh & O'Shea, Albany * John P. Herrion, Esq., New York State Division of Human Rights, Bronx * Gregory K. Jones, Esq., New York State Commission on Quality of Care and Office of Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, Albany * Alan M. Koral, Esq., Vedder Price, P.C., New York City * Tara L. Moffett, Esq., Girvin & Ferlazzo, Albany * Cliff Zucker, Esq., Disability Advocates Inc., Albany.

For further information on this CLE program series or to register to attend, please visit the following Web sites:

Rochester Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside
www.nysba.org/disabilityroc

New York City Friday, December 4, 2009

The New York Hilton
www.nysba.org/disabilitynyc
Albany, December 9, 2009
Crowne Plaza Albany Hotel

www.nysba.org/disabilityalb

Founded in 1876, the 76,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.

Contact Information
Nick Parrella, 518-487-5532

http://readme.readmedia.com/Finding-the-Bottom-Line-Rights-of-People-with-Disabilities/983321

Don't Let a Disability Affect Employability

By Leslie Battiste, Public Relations
Goodwill Industries-Big Bend, Inc.
Tallahassee, FL
November 16,2009
http://www.tallahassee.com/

When you think of Goodwill Industries, what comes to mind? A place that needs donations? A store with low prices? Goodwill does sell donated items, but only to fund our programs to help people with disabilities and other barriers to employment reach their fullest potential in the work force.

Through Goodwill Industries-Big Bend Inc.'s mission services, those individuals receive job counseling, computer and office training, GED preparation, job-search skills and assistance in finding jobs. We also work with high school students with disabilities, giving them work experience in our workshop and stores.

Not only does Goodwill help people with disabilities find jobs in the community, but also many of our nearly 500 employees have disabilities or other barriers to employment. I was hired in 1976, one year after graduating from Florida State with a degree in mass communications. William Graham, CEO at that time, and Denise Horne, then human resources director, had the confidence to put me in charge of writing and designing publications as well as other tasks, when other employers were afraid to hire me. Now I'm a wage earner and taxpayer. I own my home and am financially independent because Goodwill gave me a chance.

Ira Jones has also worked for Goodwill for about 30 years, supporting his wife and two daughters. He has a hearing as well as a learning disability. He has attended adult basic education classes through Goodwill's "Earn and Learn" program for employees.

Many, like Ira and me, have been hired by Goodwill, but hundreds of men and women find jobs in the community through Goodwill's career training centers each year. Goodwill Industries-Big Bend has CTCs in Tallahassee, Panama City and Valparaiso as well as in Thomasville and Cairo, Ga. Counselors and instructors work with each participant to determine employment interests and abilities and then work with them and their employers to ensure their success on the job.

Why should you hire a person with a disability? Here are six of many reasons given by Goodwill Industries International:

· Your assumptions may be wrong. Just because someone has a disability doesn't mean he or she is defined by that disability. People with disabilities have a variety of skills and talents — the same as is true of the entire work population. You may be under the impression that just because someone has a disability, he or she is unable to perform a certain task. Often, that's an incorrect assumption.

· It's all about performance. A 30-year study by DuPont found that employees with disabilities have above-average records in job performance, attendance, dependability and safety. Many employers mistakenly believe that workers with disabilities have higher absentee rates or cannot be trained to perform certain tasks.

· It won't affect your insurance premium. Some employers worry that, if they hire a worker with a disability, their insurance premium will rise. In fact, insurance rates are based on the relative hazards of the job and the accident history of the workplace, and not on whether workers have disabilities.

· Accommodations? Not so much. You might be surprised how many worker disabilities simply go unnoticed in the workplace. That's because most workers with disabilities need little or no accommodations to perform their jobs. The bottom line, according to the Job Accommodation Network, is that nearly half of all job accommodations cost nothing to implement. And for those that do require a cost, almost three out of four have a price tag under $500.

· Technology is helping. Technological advances are leading to increases in productivity for all kinds of workers, including those with disabilities. Dictating software, screen readers and special keyboards are just a few of the many advancements in the modern workplace. And nearly half of the adults with disabilities say that the Internet has helped improve the quality of their lives.

· What you don't know can help you. It's true that we all bring our own life experiences to our jobs. A life lesson learned along the way can prove invaluable to a worker down the road. Workers with disabilities often have distinctive perspectives on life based on their own unique experiences, adding to the diversity and vitality of the workplace.

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20091116/OPINION05/911160307/1006/opinion

Copyright ©2009


Leslie Battiste works with public relations at Goodwill Industries-Big Bend, Inc. Contact her at lbattiste@comcast.net.

People With Disabilities In UK Twice As Likely To Live In Poverty

By Michelle Diament
For Disabilityscoop
November 4, 2009

Discrimination and poverty are increasing problems for people with disabilities in the United Kingdom, an annual survey finds.

In a survey of over 1,250 adults with disabilities, the advocacy group Leonard Cheshire Disability found that 42 percent of British people with disabilities are struggling to live on their current income. That’s a 9 percent rise since the group did a similar study in 2007.

“Disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as non-disabled people,” says John Knight, director of policy and campaigns at Leonard Cheshire Disability. “With disabled people entering the recession on a profoundly unequal footing to non-disabled people, the need for a government strategy to tackle disability poverty is now more urgent than ever.”

Meanwhile, discrimination also appears to be increasing. Nearly 1 in 10 survey respondents said they had been a victim of a crime committed based on their disability. And, 43 percent reported that they lost out on job opportunities because of an employer’s attitude about their disability.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/11/04/uk-survey/6050/

Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions click here.

The Mike Ching Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Job: IBM Research

Mike Ching is blind. But for the better part of his life, he didn't consider himself disabled. Born with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease in which the eyes' photoreceptor cells gradually die, Mike's parents always made a point of differentiating people who had poor vision from those who were "handicapped." Initially, this distinction didn't make much difference.

During his early years in school, Mike was able to read with a hand-held magnifier. By high school, he needed the aid of CCTV, but he was still able to adapt and make the grade. In fact, it was self-accommodation that first prompted Mike to use his creativity and innate problem-solving skills to take his love of computers to a new level. Of course if you ask Mike, his efforts were less a stroke of creative genius than pure teenage laziness.

"As a young kid, I loved video games. At that point, it was all about how far you could get within the game, so I figured out how to modify the character code so that I could advance to higher levels. When I got to high school, my vision had deteriorated enough that it became hard to write on paper. I was a typical teenager... too lazy to really work at writing. So for example, in physics, I just wrote programs to solve the problems for me. In my mind, using the computer was fun and it saved me time. It wasn't something I realized I was really good at until later, in college," he says.

It was during college that Mike first came face-to-face with his disability. Having emigrated from a tight-knit community in Taiwan to a small town in New Jersey at the age of 10, Mike had never even met another person with a disability until he got to Stanford University in 1992.

Initially, being around other people with disabilities made Mike extremely uncomfortable. "My vision was getting progressively worse and I think that distinction my parents had always made between having vision problems and being 'handicapped' prejudiced me. On some level, I was beginning to realize that I had more than a 'little problem' and it was terrifying. Meeting other blind people was like looking into a mirror and seeing something I wasn't ready to see. I didn't want to acknowledge my disability," remembers Mike.

By his junior year in college, Mike could no longer read with any kind of magnifying technology. He was in effect, completely blind. Even though he knew the staff at Stanford's Disability Resource Center quite well, he never really looked into the full range of services offered by the university until he was close to graduating. As a result many basic tasks, like navigating campus streets and hallways, became an overwhelming challenge, despite the fact that he'd memorized the vast majority of the school's landscape. Although Mike says his friends may have noticed only minor changes in his personality at the time, for him, it was a major turning point.

"People who knew me best probably just thought I was more quiet than usual. But I was devastated. When I first got to Stanford, I was ambitious—a gung-ho computer science major with big plans for my career. But I was unprepared for my disability catching up with me. I wasn't scared of being blind as much as losing my quality of life. I wanted to get married, have a family, and a career. For a while, I just gave up," he says.

Feeling the limitations of his disability prompted Mike to change his major from computer science to something he felt was more manageable, economics. It was a decision he would regret for several years. After graduating with his undergraduate degree in economics and watching classmates with similar grades and backgrounds head off to Wall Street and other exciting opportunities, Mike found himself faced with more hurdles. Getting interviews wasn't a problem. But prospective employers who were so enthusiastic during phone interviews often found that the position "wasn't a good fit" after meeting Mike in person and realizing that he was blind. Finally, family connections helped him secure a job with an Internet start-up.

Eventually, Mike regained his focus and realized that he needed to go back to school to finish the computer science degree he started. Equipped with only his natural technological aptitude and without any significant educational background in computer science, he elected to take a phased approach to earning his master's degree. In 2000, he began taking community college classes, ultimately moving on to continuing education extension classes at the University of California, Irvine. Even though he wasn't an official full-time student, Mike couldn't resist a chance to see what kind of internships the best companies in the industry had to offer the university's computer science students, so he snuck into a recruiting fair on campus, found the IBM booth, and scheduled an interview.

When he arrived for the interview, administrators in the college recruiting office realized he wasn't a full-time student, but lucky for Mike, they let him stay for the interview anyway. Mike credits the first person he met at IBM with helping him make a major shift in attitude about work and his disability. "Susan Hom made a huge difference for me," he says. "There was a hiring freeze at the time and although she said she couldn't hire me as an intern unless I was formally accepted to a graduate program, her primary focus was on my abilities, not my blindness. As soon as I got accepted to Stanford's masters program in computer science, she immediately offered me a co-op working with the IBM DB2® team, and ultimately became a mentor."

After obtaining his master's degree and completing his internship at IBM, Mike had a number of excellent career prospects with Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, and Deloitte & Touche. Ultimately though, he chose to join IBM Research, which he says is the perfect place for him since it's an environment that gives him the freedom to work in the areas in which he can make the most difference. Since his first auspicious interview with IBM, Mike has regained the ambition, creativity, and drive that were so much a part of his personality as a college freshman at Stanford. He was promoted into IBM management after just two years with the company, an impressive accomplishment by any standards. He gives IBM a lot of credit for helping him realize his career goals.

"I don't need a lot of physical accommodations, although IBM has always done a good job of providing me with continuous upgrades to my screen reader software. To me, the biggest accommodation that IBM offers is accommodation of attitude. When I came to interview here, many of the managers I spoke with had previously interacted with blind IBM employees in some capacity. People here are focused on my abilities and what I have to offer because personal experience tells them my disability is not an issue. It's helped me define what I want and pursue it," Mike says.

Today as a manager, Mike gives his employees the kind of advice he probably wishes someone had given him years ago, "I tell my employees, 'You have to tell me what you want. Tell the world what you want, so people can help you find the opportunities you need.' Almost everything I've learned about being a manager, I've learned by doing. If you wait until you're 100 percent ready, you'll never make the move." Now that's vision.

http://www-03.ibm.com/able/news/ching.html

Human Ability and Accessibility Center

Profiles of human ability

The Joe Sacco Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!!!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!

Job: Project Manager for IBM Information Management Systems tools (IMS) Group

Joe Sacco wakes up every morning, five days a week, and drives to work. He sits at his desk, logs into his computer, and begins another busy day as a project manager for the IBM Information Management System tools (IMS) group. Like most successful professionals, he believes in quality work and productivity. His accomplishments and positive attitude precede him. But Joe admits that he has faced his share of challenges in his career. Joe has cerebral palsy.

After earning a bachelors degree from Boston University's computer science program, Joe moved across the country to attend graduate school at Stanford. As a Rhode Island native, living in California was a big change for Joe. With his entire family located on the east coast Joe was truly out on his own for the first time and was faced with the task of establishing himself in a new community. Despite all of the challenges of moving away from his primary support network, Joe still made the grade. In 2001, he received a Masters in Computer Science with a focus in computer interaction and interface design.

During graduate school, Joe participated in an internship with IBM that led to a full-time position with IBM User Centered Design (UCD). Joe's transition from school to career was seamless. Over the next four years, he worked to improve the design and usability of IBM's information management software. The focus revolved around the user experience, a subject Joe studied extensively in school. Joe was in his element. In 2005, his hard work was recognized and he transitioned into a project management role with the team.

As a project manager, he now oversees six different products and with his intensive background in usability, he brings the interests of the customers into focus.

Working at IBM has been a truly positive experience for Joe. He feels that IBM should get a lot of credit for the efforts it makes to integrate and accommodate employees with disabilities.

Today, Joe travels on the IBM San Jose campus by battery-powered scooter. He navigates through the hallways with a walker and uses a lift to get into the car he drives to and from work.

"Every accommodation I need is here and if it's not, I know I can talk to a manager." From elevators to accessible doors, ramps to wheelchair-accessible desks, Joe recognizes IBM's effort to create an accessible workplace for everyone, including people with disabilities.

When asked if he thinks society is making progress in considering people in light of their capabilities rather than their disabilities, Joe quickly responded, "Yes, society has [to make progress]. These days, if you've got the skills and the background, that's all that really matters—that, and a positive attitude."

There is no doubt that Joe's positive attitude has helped to pave his path to success. To Joe, his life has no roadblocks. His general outlook on his disability is straightforward and inspirational,

"A disability is not something that takes away from you. As a matter of fact, if you have a disability, you are probably a natural problem solver. A disability will only hinder you or keep you from success if you let it."

http://www-03.ibm.com/able/news/sacco.html

Human Ability and Accessibility Center
Profiles of human ability

The Phil Conway Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Job: IBM Faculty Loan Program in the UK

Sometimes the assignment can be temporary, but the impact can be lasting. Just ask Phil Conway, an IBM UK employee whose year at Oxford under the IBM Faculty Loan Program led to a new social enterprise initiative to help the families of disabled children.

Conway, a business transformation and IT consultant whose 10-year-old son Shaun is one of 770,000 disabled children in the United Kingdom, decided to combine his business skills with a desire to help families with disabled children find affordable, high-quality, at-home childcare. His search led him to the Skoll Center at Oxford University, Conway's alma mater.

The center focuses on the value of social entrepreneurship in bringing about enduring change for communities in need — a mission that fit perfectly with Conway's goal. "I thought it offered the right combination of innovation, market-based business models and social entrepreneurship to help disabled children and the parents or guardians who care for them."

A family matterAccording to the Contact A Family organization and the University of Leeds, 80 percent of families with disabled children experience high levels of stress. Three out of five of those families live in or close to poverty, and parents of disabled children are 33 percent more likely to divorce or separate than parents of children who are not disabled.

Conway's answer was a secondment, or temporary assignment, as a teacher at Oxford, an opportunity afforded him through IBM's Faculty Loan Program. "I taught sales and marketing modules, adapting the material for social enterprise," he said. "In return, I learned a lot about the emerging world of social enterprise, which mixes the best of business and charity into a unified business model that delivers quality solutions to the disadvantaged."

Building on what he learned, Conway established a new social enterprise called Cool2Care (link resides outside of ibm.com), whose objective is to recruit, train and place affordable skilled care workers to help look after disabled children and young adults. It's a for-profit matchmaker agency that links families of disabled kids with affordable care workers drawn from students, nursery teaching assistants and mainstream childcare staff. They're all carefully screened and adhere to standards consistent with the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Cool2Care launched as a pilot program in Surrey and Birmingham at the beginning of the year, and if it proves successful, the model will be replicated in other parts of England. Among those likely betting on the success of the venture: The London Business School, which cited Conway's Cool2Care business plan at last year's Global Social Venture Competition.

Proof positive that it really is Cool2Care.

http://www-03.ibm.com/able/news/conway.html

Federal Organizations-Resources Related to Employment for People With Disabilities

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!


OPM.gov Home

Federal Organizations-Resources
DisabilityInfo.gov DisabilityInfo.gov provides quick and easy access to comprehensive information about disability programs, services, laws and benefits.
Section508.gov Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.
National Council on Disability (NCD) NCD provides advice to the President, Congress, and Executive Branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities.

Federal Agencies
Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), a program of the Department of Defense, provides assistive technology and services to people with disabilities, Federal managers, supervisors, IT professionals, and Wounded Services Members. CAP provides necessary accommodations FREE OF CHARGE to federal agencies.
U.S. Access Board The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.
TARGET Center Provides assistive technology and ergonomic solutions to assist U.S. Department of Agriculture employees with disabilities.
Employment Laws Equal Employment Opportunity listing of laws which prohibit job discrimination.
WomensHealth.gov The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides information for women with disabilities, caretakers, health professionals, and researchers.
Workforce Recruitment Program The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a resource for Federal agencies and private businesses nationwide to identify qualified temporary and permanent employees from a variety of fields.
Disability Employment Policy The Office of Disability Employment Policy, at the U.S. Department of Labor, provides national leadership by developing and influencing disability-related employment policy and practice affecting the employment of people with disabilities.
Ticket to Work Program The Ticket to Work Program provides most people receiving Social Security benefits (beneficiaries) more choices for receiving employment services. Under this program the Social Security Administration (SSA) issues ticket to eligible beneficiaries who, in turn, may choose to assign those tickets to an Employment Network (EN) of their choice to obtain employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services necessary to achieve a vocational (work) goal.
Disability Resource Center The Disability Resource Center supports the U.S. Department of Transportation in the employment, advancement, and retention of people with disabilities through the use of state-of-the-art technology and proactive customer services.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment The Department of Veterans Affair's Veterans Benefits Administration's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) service is vested with delivering timely, effective vocational rehabilitation services to veterans with service-connected disabilities.

www.opm.gov/disability/Resources.asp

U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415 (202) 606-1800 TTY (202) 606-2532

The Randy Horwitz Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!!


Job: Technical staff member of the IBM Extreme Blue Program, premier internship program for top-notch college students

Randy Horwitz says that he's "one of those lucky people who knew from about 7th grade what he wanted to be." That was the year that his mother's friend was studying how blind people interacted with technology. So, the 12-year old became the proud owner of an Apple IIe with 180K of memory and an early screen reader called the TextTalker. After getting a taste of using a computer, Randy was hooked and he took as much programming in high school as he could; a pilot test for majoring in computer science in college.

When it was time to choose a college, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) was a logical selection because their computer science program was one of the top 20 in the nation. RIT and the state of New York provided some accommodations such as personal readers, books on tape, a computer, and a Braille display. Randy feels that this was the first time he was truly on his own and is proud to have graduated such a tough course of study—Bachelor of Science degree in computer science with a concentration in software engineering—with minimal help.

During his required year of internships, Randy was able to experience the work environment, and its challenges, first-hand. As a junior-level programmer for a lawyer's publishing co-operative, Randy did some database management and worked on data manipulation programs. This assignment was disappointing in both the work the company gave him and in their treatment of him. The office gave him less challenging duties and seemed content to shunt him off in a corner.

His other placement was more promising. Randy scored a coup by landing a coveted internship with Hewlett-Packard in Boise, Idaho. In his work there, he developed a Web-based project-tracking application and used PERL and CGI scripting.

The quality of his work led to an offer of full-time employment with HP, but Randy chose to stay a little closer to home and accepted a job with IBM in Poughkeepsie, New York. He immediately began working on IBM WebSphere® on the mainframe. One of his early successes was programming parts of the Systems Management End User Interface - SMEUI - a Swing-based Java application. Randy was originally asked to conduct accessibility testing on the project, but when the team lost a developer, he was assigned to do accessibility coding.

"I got the most opportunities to use my technical skills in that job. I stayed on that project for a longer time than might have been normal. We worked an insane amount of hours — but you don't mind working those kinds of hours if you're happy with what you're doing."

Randy believes that the accessibility of programming tools is one of the biggest challenges to people with disabilities who decide to pursue a career in the IT industry. For example, at the time he was using it, the WebSphere Application Developer program was not accessible. Randy explained to his manager that because the tool was inaccessible, it was almost impossible to do about half of the work that he needed to do.

Over time, those tools have been made more accessible and ongoing efforts are underway to continue the focus on IBM product accessibility. "Certainly, things are better than they were. When I came to IBM in 1999, you never heard of people doing usability tests with people who are disabled. But, now it's more commonplace. We're on the way, but not there yet."

Randy hopes that more businesses and people think about incorporating accessibility as early in the development process as possible, especially as the industry moves to new technologies and the tools to develop them like 3-D virtual worlds, Linux GUI, and AJAX applications. "It's especially important to have accessibility built into the development tools because then it becomes as automatic as possible."

Societal attitudes are changing, too, but Randy says he's still asked at an alarming rate how he is able to live alone and sometimes his guide dog gets more attention and conversation then he does. And, he feels that in pretty much all jobs he's had, there has been a need to "prove himself" as a person who happens to be blind instead of a blind person. "Part of the problem is that you don't see that many blind people doing 'normal' things — doing a job — and that's part of the cycle. As more people with disabilities enter the 'mainstream,' then we'll see these attitudes changing."

Randy's current job as a technical staff member of the IBM Extreme Blue program, IBM's premier internship for top-notch students pursuing software development and MBA degrees, affords him the opportunity to interface with college students. In this job, Randy believes he can provide "education, education, education" to help ensure that the next generation gets comfortable with people who happen to be blind.

Content navigation Human Ability and Accessibility Center Newsroom Accessibility Services
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Employing People With Disabilities Makes Good Business Sense!

Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!!!

HR Advantages

Strong human capital strategies -- including recruiting, hiring and retaining employees with disabilities -- are critical to maintaining economic competitiveness.

Inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the workforce is proven to lead to innovation; innovation creates greater competitive advantage.

Open positions can be filled faster when you expand your search to include people with disabilities, thereby reducing productivity losses.

Statistically, individuals with disabilities stay with an employer longer, reducing business turnover costs.

Accommodations for workers with disabilities can lead to improvements that benefit all workers, and therefore create an overall increase in productivity.

Leveraging tax incentives can provide businesses with credits ranging from $2,400 - $15,000.

87% of the public would prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with disabilities.

http://www.workforall.biz/workforall/outline.html

2009 Thurston County Chamber Work For All Program. All Rights Reserved.

The Pamela Siebert Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!!

Job: IBM Software Engineer

A casual acquaintance might describe Pamela Siebert as a successful, attractive, and deaf professional. But her mother—who clearly knows best—more accurately sums up Pamela with an altogether different adjective: 'self–motivated'. Not only is she a successful IBM software engineer, but she is also an accomplished theatre lighting specialist, having participated in over 15 productions, including Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Pamela also held the title of Miss Deaf Kansas 2005-2007 and placed in the top six at the Miss Deaf America pageant last year. She is focused, driven and believes in success. Her positive mentality, outstanding work ethic, and talent would be an asset to any company, but she found a home with IBM, a company that she says, 'Understands employees with needs and is very good with providing accommodations upon request.'

Pamela always knew she wanted a career focused in technology. From an early age, she demonstrated an aptitude for programming and Web-site development. When it came time for her to enroll in college, her top two schools were the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Gallaudet University. Both schools had a significant number of deaf students to help make learning and socialization easier for Pamela, but she ultimately chose to attend RIT where the classroom was fashioned after a mainstream environment (hearing and deaf students attended class together). RIT provided a wealth of accommodations to Pamela, including American Sign Language interpreters and note-takers for class. She also attended some classes where the teacher taught in American Sign Language. After graduating from RIT in 2003 with a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology, Pamela started her first full-time job with IBM as a quality assurance tester.

Early on in her quality assurance assignment, Pamela's manager asked her to be a beta advocate for a customer. She recalls being hesitant and wondering, 'How will this customer feel working with a deaf person?' Her main concern was that there would be communication issues, leaving the customer feeling uncomfortable. Luckily, Pamela's manager continued to encourage her to take advantage of this new opportunity. Pamela planned her meetings with the customer carefully. After informing the customer that she was deaf, she arranged for a sign language interpreter and remote captioning for their weekly calls. The remote captioning professional would dial in to the call and type online, providing real-time notes for Pamela to read. At the same time, Pamela would sign to the interpreter and the interpreter would speak aloud on the conference call. Once the customer understood the process and why there would be delays in conversation, they proved quite patient. The project was completed successfully and both Pamela and the customer were pleased with the experience.

That experience, among others, makes Pamela feel that society is becoming more accepting of people with disabilities. Not too long ago, people had very different attitudes and perceptions. Pamela relates, 'My mom, who is deaf too, endured high school without a sign language interpreter because her school did not want to pay for one or did not think there was a need.' In those days, her mother was considered 'low functional' compared to her hearing peers because she could not hear to participate the same way as the other students in class. Pamela hopes that accessibility will become a higher priority so schools, companies, and organizations will provide more accommodations and easier access to information and education. More than anything, Pamela feels this is important because people with disabilities need to 'contribute to the same society as their peers.'

Pamela has a theory about how to accomplish these goals, 'Accessibility needs to be cost-effective, reusable, and beneficial to people with disabilities and people without disabilities.' Assistive technologies, tools, and services shouldn't be viewed as an investment for one specific group of people, but as accommodations that can create a more productive and enjoyable experience for everyone. For example, having a captioning professional attend conference calls is valuable for all participants because Pamela can post the transcript of the call in a team room for everyone to access. This allows people who missed the call to read the details of the discussion and gives everyone an opportunity to revisit the information at their convenience.

Today, Pamela works with various IBM Informix® and IBM DB2® server products. She explains, 'Basically, I try to 'break' the products and catch any problems before the customers do. "She enjoys her job, her coworkers, and her company. Only one wish remains, 'I wish that everyone understood that accessibility is not a burden. If equal access was given to everyone, imagine the advancements we could make as a society."

IBM Informix® and IBM DB2® are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

http://www-03.ibm.com/able/news/siebert.html

Program Helps Autistic Adults Find Jobs

Agency: Enable America, Inc.

Every other Tuesday, you'll find this group at St. Michael's Harbour in Hermitage. What brings them together is autism. They all have it and say their disability has prevented them from finding employment.

"I need help because I've been trying to find a job for a year, and I've had no such luck," Daniel Shuler said. Shuler just joined the group TAP, or Transition to Adulthood Program. It helps him and others find success after high school.

"There was really no support system there to help with employment and help people understand at a college level the difficulties he faces on a daily basis," TAP parent Kathy Modak said.

"Because of the social difficulties, they have a hard time navigating the world and the social world. So we developed the program to help them navigate and understand the social world and then how to look for a job," Christina Long, Director of Autistic Services at St. Michael's Harbor, said.

And the program's working. John Dutcher's been in it for a year now, and has gotten a job at Walmart. "It's changed me for the better. I'm more respectful of people because I have something to look forward to. I have a lot of friends in the program, and I wouldn't want it any other way," Dutcher said.

And it's giving hope to those just starting. "I'm hoping I inspire people, to show them there is help out there and to go for their goals, reach for the stars," Shuler said.

The non-profit group runs mainly on donations. To find out how you can help, visit www.stmichaelsharbour.com.

http://www.enableamerica.org/disability-news-2009-09-30-autismreport.html

Source: WYTV.com

© 2002 - 2009 Enable America, Inc.

The Catherine Taillez Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!!!
Celebrating the Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!

Employed by: Société Générale
Job: Cashier

“I applied to Société Générale on the advice of a friend of mine. It is true that the company has a particular policy for people who, like me, have a health problem. In my case, I am classed as a disabled worker because of my back. Having worked as a hairdresser for 35 years, a career change was vital. I retrained as a legal secretary and, after working for a lawyers’ firm for a while, joined Société Générale in March 2008. What I particularly enjoy about working as a cashier is the customer contact. Best of all, on the recommendation of the company doctor, I can alternate between standing up and sitting down. At the branch, nobody pays any attention to my disability – I never have to complain about it. I’m treated just like any one of my colleagues and that’s something I really appreciate!”

http://csr.socgen.com/content/view/full/280

http://www.societegenerale.com/

© Societe Generale • 2009

The Emillie Vaillant Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!!!
Celebrating the Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!

Employed by: Société Générale
Job: Multimédia Customer Advisor

It was at a careers trade fair that I was first impressed by Société Générale’s open-minded policy in recruiting disabled staff. And because the general ambiance within the Group looked very good too, I applied, despite my visual disorder – nystagmus. Nystagmus causes uncontrolled, saccadic movements of the eyes (usually from side to side, but sometimes the eyes swing up and down or even in a circular movement) but does not in any way affect my ability to work. All I need is a big screen, good lighting and my own electronic magnifying lens! I have never had any great reticence from my colleagues, mostly questions. The simplest thing to do is to remove any taboos by talking to your team. Today, I’m employed on an open-ended, full-time contract and hope to become a branch advisor”.

http://csr.socgen.com/content/view/full/280

http://www.societegenerale.com/

© Societe Generale • 2009

WHERE TO WORK – The Best Places!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!!!!!
Celebrating the Disability Employment Awareness Month!!!


From: CAREERS & the disABLED magazine


Top 50 Employers Of 2009
1. General Electric
2. John Deere
3. Caterpillar
4. 3M
5.Raytheon
6. Lockheed Martin
7. Boeing
8. DuPont
9. Procter & Gamble
10. BAE Systems
11. AT&T
12. Microsoft
13. Northrop Grumman
14. Darden Restaurants
15. General Motors
16. IBM
17. Ernst & Young
18. Kaiser Permanente
20. CVS/Pharmacy
22. Wells Fargo Bank
23. WellPoint
24. Hewlett-Packard
25. Wal-Mart Stores
26. Pitney-Bowes
27. 7-Eleven, Inc.
28. SunLife Financial
29. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
30. Xerox
32. Sears Holdings
33. Novell
34. Boehringer Ingelheim
35. Nissan
36. Cisco Systems
37. Sprint
38. Arrow Electronics
39. AIG
40. Amgen
41.State Street Corporation
42. Affiliated Computer Services
43. Honeywell
44. The Aerospace Corporation
45. American Honda
46. Time Warner
47. T-Mobile
48. Medtronic
49. InterContinental Hotel Group
50. Sun Microsystems

Top 20 Government Agencies Of 2009
1. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
2. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
3. U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
4. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)
5. General Services Administration (GSA)
6. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
7. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
8. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEOC)
9. National Aeronautics & Space Administraion (NASA)
10.U.S. Department of Labor (DoL)
11. Social Security Administration (SSA)
12. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
13. National Science Foundation (NSF)
14. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
15. National Security Agency (NSA)
16. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
17. U.S. Department of State
18. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
19.U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
20. U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT)

http://www.eop.com/cdtop50.html
Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc.
445 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 425
Melville, NY 11747

The Thomas Boudrow Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Thomas Boudrow, advocate for people with disabilities, particularly those who are deaf or hard of hearing, has been named an employee of the year by Careers & the disAbled magazine.

An outreach manager at the Verizon Center for Customers with Disabilities, in Marlboro, Mass., Boudrow was selected for his outstanding accomplishments, including his advocacy efforts to identify and develop the talents of people with disabilities, and for his outreach within the community.

"Tom has long been an advocate for the disabled community, but what makes him stand out is how he uses Verizon's technology to enable customers while creating employment opportunities," said Pedro Correa, vice president of multilingual consumer and business sales.

"We're honored to have Tom on our team and fortunate to have his support in improving the quality of life for so many of our customers."

Boudrow played a key role in establishing a special Verizon customer service for deaf or hard-of-hearing customers who use American Sign Language (ASL), enabling them to communicate directly -- via a videophone and a high-speed Internet connection -- with Verizon customer service representatives who are proficient in ASL. The service, which began in 2007, has proved to be popular with customers for whom ASL is their primary language.

Prior to joining Verizon in 2004, Boudrow served as executive director of the Massachusetts State Association of the Deaf. He serves on the board of a Verizon employee resource group, Disabilities Issues Awareness Leaders (DIAL), which influences product design, work environment, employment opportunities and other issues at Verizon.

Boudrow also serves as chairman of the board for the New England Homes for the Deaf, and is a member of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Advisory Committee.

Boudrow, a resident of Peabody, Mass., graduated with honors from Northern Essex Community College. He is one of 10 individuals who was honored as employees of the year at the Careers & the disAbled magazine's 17th annual awards dinner on April 2, 2009 at the Boston Marriott.

Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc.
445 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 425
Melville, NY 11747
Tel: 631-421-9421 • Fax: 631-421-1352
E-Mail: info@eop.com

http://www.eop.com/cd.html

Thousands Of UK Adults With Autism ‘Consigned To Poverty,’ Report Says

By Michelle Diament
For Disabilityscoop
October 13, 2009

Most of the 300,000 adults with autism in the United Kingdom want to work, but only 15 percent have full-time employment, a new report indicates.

The report from the National Autistic Society found that 79 percent of adults with autism who receive government assistance would like to work. But limited resources and lack of understanding mean that few have jobs and many have trouble even getting government assistance, leaving them “consigned to poverty.”

Currently, half of the country’s adults with autism have spent time without work or government assistance, forcing them to rely on family or friends just to get by.

The National Autistic Society blames Britain’s poor employment record for people with autism on a lack of understanding of the disorder by job specialists. One-third of adults with autism called their disability employment adviser’s understanding of the disorder “very bad” or “bad.”

“People with autism say their experiences of the employment and benefits system are marred by anxiety, confusion, delays and discrimination,” says Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society. “It is absolutely vital they are able to access the right help and services if seeking employment and are supported financially when they cannot work.”

Now the group is calling on the British government to develop a national strategy for boosting employment among adults with autism.

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/10/13/britain-autism-employment/5796/

Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions

The Bobby C. Stewart Story!

Employing the Disabled is a Great Idea!!
Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Job: Traffic Management Specialist
For: General Services Administration (GSA)

Bobby Stewart is a Traffic Management Specialist in the Traffic Operations Staff at the Southwestern Distribution Center in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1974, Mr. Stewart was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a motorcycle accident. He is a wheelchair user. He drives to work every day and makes frequent visits to General Services Administration (GSA) warehouses in the Fort Worth area. He came to work for GSA as a Freight Rate Trainee. Although his starting salary was considerably less than the disability compensation he was receiving under Social Security, he was willing to make this sacrifice in return for the opportunity to work in his chosen field with the potential for advancement. One of the highlights of Mr. Stewart's career occurred during the early 1980s when the Federal government deregulated the common carrier trucking industry. Consequently, the industry produced rates that were difficult to manage and understand. He was a key member of a team that worked on a program called the Standard Tender of Service (STOS), establishing a uniform method through which motor carriers can provide transportation services to civilian government offices. The STOS simplified the entire tender process. Mr. Stewart has received various awards over the years including the Delta Nu Alpha Outstanding Transportation Student in 1978, the Federal Executive Board's Distinguished Service Award in 1983, Outstanding Cost Effectiveness Accomplishments in 1991, and a GSA Customer Service Award in 1999.

http://www.opm.gov/disability/success_1-06.asp#jump-1

U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415 | (202) 606-1800 | TTY (202) 606-2532

Commentary: Hiring People With Disabilities

By REGINALD WELLS
October 12, 2009

There is a clear business case for the federal workforce, charged with the responsibility of public service, to reflect the diverse tapestry of America. People with disabilities are part of that tapestry and arguably constitute one of the most diverse groups in our society.

While society has made significant progress in bringing attention to the value of diversity in the workplace, regrettably, people with disabilities have high rates of unemployment. They often are forced to remain dependent on government disability benefits even though they may be willing and able to work.

People with severe disabilities represent less than 1 percent of the federal workforce.

Achieving a diverse workforce is gradual, requiring deliberate and continual efforts. The Social Security Administration currently has the third-highest percentage of employees with targeted disabilities among large agencies. However, we acknowledge that efforts must extend beyond employee representation and involve leadership’s commitment, a communicated business case for diversity recruitment, and targeted strategies ingrained in the agency’s human resources program.

SSA Commissioner Michael Astrue established in March an initiative to formalize a continual process through which people with disabilities remain an integral part of our diversity mosaic. Branded “SSA AccessAbility: Recruiting Individuals with Disabilities,” this initiative capitalizes on opportunities for hiring as well as agencywide coordination through an established national recruitment structure.

SSA AccessAbility uses the following elements: external marketing, internal education, management and employee support, and oversight. At the foundation is SSA’s business case for a disability-inclusive workforce. As the agency charged with providing a broad spectrum of people with disabilities with social insurance benefits, we have found that our employees with disabilities offer keen insight into the needs of our customers — helping us deliver excellent customer service.

SSA AccessAbility’s marketing plan broadens outreach to the disability community by expanding partnerships with state vocational rehabilitation centers, employment networks and other disability advocacy groups. It makes use of SSA’s Ticket to Work, which helps eligible Social Security beneficiaries with employment services.

The education piece features accessible, easy-to-use materials to train managers on recruiting, hiring and accommodating individuals with disabilities. Examples include an online training video, checklists and manuals. The initiative encourages use of special authorities, such as the noncompetitive Schedule A hiring authority, for hiring from the disabled population.

Additionally, managers receive ongoing support through a shared agencywide résumé database for Schedule A applicants, an intranet site on the reasonable accommodations process, and the assistance of a cadre of selective placement coordinators. Also, SSA has an active National Advisory Council for Employees with Disabilities, which provides mentoring and community support for disabled employees and new hires.

Finally, the agency monitors progress toward results through frequent reports to the senior executive staff.

As a result of increased fiscal 2009 budget appropriations as well as funds received through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, SSA had the opportunity to hire about 7,000 employees through August. Preliminary figures show the agency hired more than 650 people with disabilities, including more than 100 individuals receiving federal disability benefits.

Along with other agencies, SSA is making a concerted effort to tap into the talent pool within the disability community. Even with all these efforts, there has been little progress toward increasing their representation governmentwide. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and offers a prime opportunity for the federal community to revitalize governmentwide recruitment of qualified inividuals with disabilities.

Helen Keller once said, “One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar.” As we commemorate National Disability Employment Awareness Month, I encourage agencies to respond to the impulse by becoming an employer of choice for people with disabilities.

Reginald Wells is deputy commissioner for human resources and chief human capital officer at the Social Security Administration.

http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=4318460
copyright © 2009 Army Times Publishing Co.