By Guest Blogger Barbara Otto, CEO of Health & Disability Advocates and Executive Director of Think Beyond the Label
Each time a new year begins, I ask myself, will this be a better year for people with disabilities? To answer that question, I look at the many economic, social and cultural facets that are shaping our current society.
We have a U.S. president who has put the disabilities agenda on the map, calling for the federal government to be a role model in hiring people with disabilities. We’re also in a time of increased awareness of disability, made possible by more than 3,000 wounded warriors who are returning home and re-visualizing how they see their lives, despite their physical or mental disability. Even television shows (like Glee and The Amazing Race) are portraying people with disabilities as capable and as normal as anyone else. When the 2012 Paralympic Games take place in London, it’s another opportunity for the world to see ability – not disability.
But we also have to look at the economic landscape, and there’s no denying we are in a period of high unemployment, which hurts job prospects for people with disabilities, who are less likely to be hired because of deep-seated yet unfounded myths. In fact, hiring a person with a disability is more likely to positively impact a business. Not just financially through tax incentives and lowered costs, but also by improving the way the business thinks, operates, innovates and grows.
At Think Beyond the Label, we created an interactive ‘wizard’ to help businesses realize the real benefits of hiring a person with a disability. Hire Gauge is the only online resource of its kind that depicts the tangible monetary incentives that can accumulate each time a company hires a person with a disability, which, for a typical large business, can reach $31,800 per hire.
Hire Gauge takes the message one step farther, summing up all of the cultural benefits that businesses reap when they recruit, hire and retain a qualified job seeker with a disability, including veterans. These benefits range from workplace diversity and access to new customers, to attracting new entrants to the workforce who are increasingly seeking out companies with a strong social conscience – such as places which hire people with disabilities. It’s a win-win for businesses and job seekers alike.
Another way we’re spreading the message that businesses should hire people with disabilities is our new jobs portal, which gives candidates with disabilities free access to nearly one million job listings from more than 90,000 vetted employers – many who are actively seeking to hire from this group.
We know this is timely: The Department of Labor has just proposed a rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors – around 200,000 U.S. businesses – to set a hiring goal of seven percent for the employment of people with disabilities. So there’s really no better way than for these companies to make sure their job openings are listed on our jobs portal, and to align themselves with our message: Think Beyond the Label when you’re looking to hire.
All of these initiatives speak volumes about our evolution from a print, television and digital campaign to becoming a connector for businesses, job seekers with disabilities and the public workforce system. We’re working to facilitate more collaboration amongst these groups to help build the pipeline of qualified candidates with disabilities and meet businesses’ overall hiring needs.
Whether you’re a business connecting directly with candidates with disabilities through our jobs portal, or working with our state and local employment agency partners to find qualified candidates, we can help you succeed. And when you partner with Think Beyond the Label, you’re making your business more attractive to your employees, customers and other stakeholders.
So I think the answer is yes, 2012 is going to be a better year for people with disabilities. As we and other organizations continue to raise awareness about hiring people with disabilities; as more businesses see – and capitalize on – the advantages of hiring people with disabilities; as the government pursues real employment goals; and as job seekers get the resources they need to support their aspirations. Indeed, we will move “beyond the label” and make real progress.
Happy New Year to everyone!
To watch Think Beyond the Label’s television commercials, visit our YouTube channel.
Barbara A. Otto is the executive director of Think Beyond the Label, a private-public partnership that helps businesses and the public workforce system more effectively recruit, hire and retain job seekers with disabilities. As CEO of Chicago-based Health & Disability Advocates (HDA), she and HDA manage Think Beyond the Label on behalf of more than 40 states and various national and regional organizations. Barbara is an adjunct faculty member at Cornell University’s Program on Employment and Disability and a consultant to Virginia Commonwealth University, providing technical assistance to states working to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. In 2000, the Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois awarded Barbara the Justin Dart Award for Advocacy, and in 2003 she received a national commendation from the Social Security Administration. In 2011 President Obama appointed her to the national Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative and Public Health.
My daughter has down syndrome and just turned 46. She has been with me all these years. I am 73 and have been without a husband for over 30 yrs. (I had 5 other children as well). We have been doing okay, my daughter has been very active in special olympics swimming and bowling, camping, canoeing, whitewater rafting, etc, etc. Five years ago, she started getting really tired and did not want to go swimming, etc. I finally took her to the nurse practioner and her liver was enlarged. Nearly 4 years ago, we found out she has Hep C from a blood transfusion that took place in 1984 with her heart surgery. She has really gone down hill. She was 184 lbs 3 yrs ago, and is now less than 130 lbs. She is in a lot of pain in her bowel area every day, and she has had every test available with O results. She now stays in bed 24/7, since March, but she does go to the washroom herself. I have put her on a minced, regular diet (I was a dietician’s ass’t.) plus Boost supplements. I am able to get her into one nursing home for respite, but as far as permanently, it is impossible unless I have the money for a private room or semi-private (perhaps). I could use some of her compensation monies for a semi-private, but I would only have enough for one and a half years. I see those with alzheimer’s get in almost pronto, and another lady I know, she is quite wealthy, she got in with no problem, but because my daughter has down syndrome and in need of gov’t help, she is pushed aside and so am I. I am finding it very difficult to look after her. She gets very, very stubborn. I have respite workers come in, but it is getting to the point where that is not really helping my nerves and burnt-out, frazzled emotions. I love her very much and I never thought I would be writing this way, but life sure takes some surprising turns. Why can’t the gov’t do more for the mentally disabled? I also need more help with her. We definitely need more nursing homes in Ontario.
“We have a U.S. president who has put the disabilities agenda on the map, calling for the federal government to be a role model in hiring people with disabilities….The Department of Labor has just proposed a rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors – around 200,000 U.S. businesses – to set a hiring goal of seven percent for the employment of people with disabilities…”
The president calling for the federal government to be a role model in employing the disabled and the DOL’s proposed rule about getting a “hiring goal” imposed on fed contractors and subcontractors are only words. Urging both private and public employers to increase employment of disabled persons DOESN’T mean that they actually will! After reading many articles/posts/publications about employment of PWDs – whether on government agency websites, government contractor websites, and mainstream media outlets (which are essentially little more than a couple of sentences and then some links to one or both of the other sources), I’m even more depressed about the REALISTIC job prospects that everyone with psy and/or physical disabilities (including myself) have, despite the ‘special hiring authority’ and proclamations that fed/state government is “doing their part” to increase the private sector/corporation/small business PWD employment through monetary incentives and urging that hiring be stepped up. We keep hearing that the “great recession” has ended and we’re now on the road to recovery (though the pace is as speedy as L.A. freeway gridlock during rush hour with all but one of three lanes closed) – but that Pw/oD are struggling to find work, that they have 4+ applicants for every 1 job, and when politicians talk about getting people back to work – I get the distinct impression that they’re not talking about PWD. The impossibly positive spin on the lackluster and vague ‘help’ that’s in place or proposed for helping PWD find employment is just as disappointing as the fact that with all of the conferences and summits, how to REALLY increase hiring of PWD – the amount of progress made isn’t much.
Judy and Kassie – the job portal is available at http://www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com/Job-Board/Job-Board.aspx
I AM DISABLED AND I WANT TO GET A GROUP TOGETHER TO DEVELOP SERVICES FOR THE DISABLED SUCH AS HOUSING/ASSISTED LIVING, JOB TRAINING AND PLACEMENT AMD TRANSPORTATION. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE ELSE WHO IS INTERESTED?
THANKS.
- BOB
All the friends of Obama either got or are getting handouts from the taxpayers. Of course, having never been in the military, Obama the “Community Organizer” hasn’t a clue what veterans need, nor do I think he cares, except to give lip service through his highly-paid staff in order to curry favor and buy votes. Billions for banks, billions of tax exemptions for G.E. and other donors, while his pals in the Congress are not held accountable even for their overt criminality in amassing personal wealth, engaging in insider stock trading, conflicts of interest and outright theft of government property. Weep for the Republic.
Unfortunately, you have been listening to the wrong people and believing everything that they say without checking it out for yourself. I am disabled and know that President Obama isn’t giving handouts to any of his friends…and has provided more programs, without the support of Republicans, for the underpriviledged and handicapped in America since Roosevelt and Johnson. Please use the “Google” site to locate the truth and find programs that you might be eligible! Our Florida “Republican” Governor just cut out most everything for disabled and elderly in our state!!! That is happening around the country…but NOT at the FEDERAL LEVEL!! Please do not allow yourself to be indoctrinated by those who want to make you think the worst about those who care the most about us who have very little in this world. I will pray for you!!!
I agree with many of the comments and one of the most disgusting attributes that people with disabilities do receive are the run around by not only trained professionals, but professionals who have more knowledge in getting the word out to those in need. It is shameful that many incentives for hiring disabled professionals are overlooked and only members of the family working at these agencies are put first. No one wants to put out the truth, well now is the time to let people know about the big cover up.This is the reason why veterans with disability and those without are not being hired in many of the infrastructures in our society. People with criminal records are hired faster than minority veterans. Once you have been labelled with a mental disorder you’re not being taken seriously in society any more. So why hurt yourself to apply for jobs when the answer was already no because they already knew. If any disabled veterans apply for jobs where technical skills are needed, they will not hire them – it’s a fact.Try getting hired at Lockheed Martin with PTSD and see what will happen.
I was also wondering the same as Judy…how can the disabled access this job portal?
I think the federal government is doing a great job in mandating quotas for the hiring of the disabled. Ideally, the disabled will be a well-integrated part of the workforce one day. As this article states, the most innovative companies will take advantage of the many benefits offered in hiring the disabled.
Disabled individuals, in my opinion, are great problem-solvers by nature. We are constantly figuring out ways to overcome barriers in our work and personal lives. Thus, we often see what others think of as a significant problem as just one more barrier to fix in the day.
Maybe getting people diagnosed with a mental illness voc rehab, career counseling and getting all people working will eleiviate the social security system? SSI/SSDI isn’t working – it only enables people to sit around and wiait for a check when they can all be self-sufficient. Just a thought. The federal govt is making cuts because the system is working under state federal guidelines, criteria and enabling people – not empowering.
Yes, we are about to let the world know, “we are able.”
My name is DESTIN W. I living in Haiti, good happy year.
I agree with all of the incentives listed. I just would like everyone who advocates for people with disabilities to also work toward every state that receives Federal funds to have to set and report on affirmative action goals for PWD and to meet the same standard the President has set for the Federal government in hiring.
There is no better way for government to model integration of PWD than by being a model of diverse workplaces, innovating transferable solutions for everything from phone systems to data management systems. Governments at every level need to answer the question for an employer,”When a PWD in our workplace we do Y…” Short term financial solutions might entice some, seeing real integrated workplaces in action would provide a far better example than money or talk.
This sounds good on paper or in a blog, but when real pople with a disability really need assistance, you’re given the run around. It’s always not our area, talk to the other guy or agency. Where is the real help when you need it? Non exsistant. So unless you can really help me or whoever needs it, why blog?
How do you access the job portal spoken of in your article?