2011 January | * Disabilities Education Blog: Articles, Facts, & Advice *

28
Jan/110

Program Development Associates Honors a True Activist

You may not know the name John Wodatch, but that does not matter. What do matter are the tens of millions of individuals with disabilities who he has helped over the past four decades. Mr. Wodatch is an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. Currently, he has become chief of the Department of Justice’s disability rights section. He did no happen upon this disability services position by chance, however. Mr. Wodatch has a long history of facilitating equality among Americans, dating back to his beginnings in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in the late 1960s. His critical role in shaping public policy over the past forty years has equated to massive change, providing a model to which all Americans may look for guidance.

Mr. John Wodatch has an extensive history of promoting equal rights among Americans. His career with the Federal government began in 1969 in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare where he worked with several employment discrimination lawsuits. Three years later, Mr. Wodatch found himself involved with the writing of rules to implement the Education Amendments of 1972, a piece of legislation that barred Federally funded educational programs from practicing sexual discrimination. Here, his career took a notable turn; Mr. Wodatch’s role in implementing the Amendment’s new statutes gave him unparalleled exposure to civil rights issues that eventually made him one of the government’s primary experts.

In 1989, Mr. Wodatch was recruited to help draft a piece of legislation that would become a landmark in American history. The legislation would bring disability awareness to the forefront of the workplace, prohibiting employers to discriminate among qualified job prospects because of disability. That piece of legislation, of course, was passed in 1990 as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Wodatch, because of his extensive experience in the area, was chosen to help draft the legislation to make the ADA enforceable and able to promote social change.

John Wodatch provides an exemplary role model for the men and women of America, particularly business professionals. When reflecting on over 40 years of Federal employment, Mr. Wodatch comments “I feel luck to have been a civil rights attorney during a time of enormous social change[…]” (i). Each of us can relate to Mr. Wodatch’s experience, having seen progressive social change occur steadily from the 1960s and well into the 1990s. We must, however, strive to remain grateful to have seen such change. Moreover, we must follow in Mr. Wodatch’s footsteps to help promote the social change he worked so hard to spur.

American business owners are in a powerful position when it comes to promoting the social change brought about by Mr. Wodatch and the ADA of 1990. Practicing equal opportunity employment and training for disability can put an end to discrimination against individuals with disabilities, helping to spread equality among Americans.

(i) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/24/AR2011012402765.html

21
Jan/110

Emotional Quotient: A Managerial Study

Our disability training and education blog has a long history of distributing articles to help business professionals make the most of the talent they recruit. This article is no different. Today, Program Development Associates explores Emotional Quotient, or EQ, and the benefits employers receive by engaging in this type of employee training. It goes without saying, however, that leaders are smart to construct this sort of training in an inclusive manner. Opening the doors to a diverse talent pool adds depth to an employee base that translates to greater idea exchange and a heightened bottom line. In short, implementation of an EQ employee training program that accommodates those with disabilities is your organization’s best bet for increased productivity in 2011.

Training and The Emotional Quotient

The emotional quotient, typically denoted EQ, is the ability of an individuals to perceive, evaluate, and curb their emotions, as well as the emotions of their peers. This domain of ability is becoming characterized by organizational leaders, leadership consultants, and psychologists as the primary indicator of work performance. Individuals with a high EQ are more in tune with the emotions of themselves and those around them, increasing their ability to empathize, negotiate, and motivate individuals including themselves. EQ is thought to have the greatest impact on individuals in positions of authority because of their role in organizing and motivating a group.

Disability Employment Programs with EQ

Disability programs are already in place at most American businesses, their goals ranging from ADA compliance oversight to aggressive hiring of individuals with disabilities. No matter what the whole disability employment programs play in your organization, one thing is certain: Managers with high EQ scores drive effective disability employment programs that drive improvements in performance, workplace culture, and revenue (i).

Unfortunately, managers are often categorized by low levels of EQ. In a study of more 1400 managers, Ken Blanchard businesses found that about 56-82% of managers lacked the EQ skills most necessary for successful leadership (ii). Specifically:

82% fail to give employees praise for positive contributions
81% neglect to incorporate each of their followers in job processes
76% either over-supervise their followers, or under-supervise them, providing a leadership style incongruent with job tasks and work environment
59% neglect to implement proper employee training programs to motivate their employees

Moving Forward: Developing Employer Relations

The good news: it’s never too late to create employee or managerial training programs tailored specifically to the needs of your organization. Organizations are cautioned, however, to fully assess business operations as well as managerial EQ levels before engaging in training to build employer relations skills. Full business analysis is a critical factor in creating training programs that yield true results. Disability videos, EQ materials, and other resources are available online, giving businesses the opportunity to create a custom library of training materials geared specifically towards their unique training objectives.

(i) http://guidebestofthebest.com/emotional-intelligence-eq-matters-more-than-iq-to-increase-business-profit-budget-for-executive-leadership-development-and-success.php

19
Jan/110

Build Inclusion Through Disability Awareness

Business professionals know that today’s work environment is on the move. Technologies, marketing channels, even employee training programs are constantly changing. It’s never been a more dynamic time to be in business. With the rapid changes, however, comes the excitement of evolution. It’s survival of the fittest; today, being most fit means leveraging your workforce.

The first step in leveraging your workforce is ensuring that you spread disability awareness. Today’s dynamic workplace is one where many individuals of many abilities must interact and work with one another. Engaging in disability training is one way to spread awareness, as many disability programs start with an educational overview of different conditions, communication practices, and etiquette guidelines.

Once employees are made aware of the rich differences they share with their peers, they can move to more specific areas of disability training, such as disability etiquette. Etiquette training increases the ability of one employee to communicate with another in a respectful and considerate manner, regardless of either one’s abilities. This is important for several reasons. First, workers are more likely to communicate with one another when feeling respected within their environment. This breeds efficacy, or the feeling that one is capable of bringing about change.

Second, courteous communication practices help employees communicate with one another in a non-offensive way. This contributes to creating a respectful environment, and likewise to instilling a sense of efficacy in workers, but has another benefit: risk mitigation. Organizations that regularly train for disability maintain a heightened level of disability awareness that prompts appreciation for the differences among peers. Ongoing training likewise keeps communication skill sets sharp, ensuring employees respect one another in the workplace. Without training for disability, an organization cannot hope to create a respectful and functional diverse workplace. This opens the door for a host of negative side effects including harassment lawsuits, discrimination claims, and other distracting and detrimental outcomes.

Training to enhance workplace skills is a sure bet for productive growth this year. Training initiatives must be conducted with persons with disabilities in mind, however. Disability training plants the seed of awareness. From awareness grows respect, appreciation, and inclusion—3 fundamental principles of communicative and profitable work environments.

15
Jan/110

Focus on Employee Training This Year

The beginning of a new fiscal year often has managers and other business leaders thinking: What can we do to increase efficiency? After all, profitability is intricately linked with efficiency. Increase efficiency and profit margin will grow.

Hiring new employees and forming new departments often seems to be the route towards increasing interoffice efficiency. Ideally, these actions are thought to create more power, structure, and production. However, human capital has a diminishing return to scale and requires substantial time before a return is realized. Technological investment, then, becomes the next sensible alternative. While technology integration typically has an exponential return, it unfortunately requires capital expenditures that may be daunting, further shrinking profit margins.

One route to increased efficiency: focus on what you have. Increasing the value of human capital is an effective way to increase operational efficiency and the bottom line, particularly in today’s diverse workplaces. In diverse workplaces, enhancing employee skill sets through inclusion and disability training pays sizeable dividends that encourage future growth.

Building Inclusive Workplaces

Inclusive workplaces are defined as environments where all individuals are accommodated openly, regardless of ability. Inclusive environments are known to have higher levels of commitment and job satisfaction among both managers and employers. In fact, executives who embrace workplace diversity and inclusion are shown to score 7 to 14% higher in these dimensions of job affinity (i). Overall, inclusive workplaces that move to increase the levels of commitment and satisfaction among their workers increase the value of human capital for the organization as a whole, greatly increasing the potential for long term gain.

Training for Inclusion

Program Development Associates offers the Disability Workplace Skills Online Store to help organizations and other business professionals build inclusion in the workplace. The multimedia disability products showcased in the store focus on a variety of topics including disability etiquette, soft skills, and sensitivity training. Focusing on these training topics increases operations efficiency by fostering confidence and efficacy among employees. The disability resources offered by PDA are instrumental in developing internal disability training programs, constructing environments that fully support workers of various abilities, and encouraging valuable idea exchange.

(i) http://ehstoday.com/training/news/executives-diversity-training-successful-1222/

14
Jan/110

Government Trains to Hire Workers with Disabilities

President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13548 last summer, challenging the Federal government to reevaluate their strategy for disability employment. The Order fell on July 26^th, 2010, the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Motivation for the Order came from the need for the nation’s largest employer, the Federal government, to lead by example. The President challenged Federal departments to not only higher individuals with disabilities, but also to increase the rate at which they are retained and advanced. The government made significant strides towards attaining that goal just before the New Year; the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hosted a disability employment training event, focusing on how best to achieve the goals set forth by the President’s Order.

An Overview: Executive Order 13548

Executive Order 13548 moved to unite the Office of Personnel Management, Department of Labor, Equal Opportunity Commission, and Office of Management and Budget in an effort to reassess Federal disability employment initiatives. The goal: reposition the Federal government as a “model employer of persons with disabilities,” (i). Each department was charged with developing their own plan of action for hiring prospects with disabilities. Additionally, Order 13548 encourages Federal departments to utilize the excepted service hiring authority of Schedule A to expedite job, internship, and training program placement of those with disabilities.

Federal Disability Training, October 2010

The Office of Personnel Management hosted the disability training workshop, partnering with fellow departments to address the lofty goals set forth by the President’s Order. Commenting on the training program, OPM Director Christine Griffin stated:

This is a win-win for everyone. Employment opportunities are increased for people with disabilities and the Federal government hires highly talented and skilled individuals. (ii)

Disability Programs and Employment

In the wake of President Obama’s Order and the Federal Disability Employment Training event, it is time for employers nationwide to embrace Ms. Griffin’s message: training for disability is a win-win. Preparing your organization to take on individuals with disabilities adds rich depth to your employee base, strengthening human capital. Further, according to a study of disability trends conducted by the Council for Disability Awareness, the rate of serious disabilities among working Americans is growing at an alarming rate (iii). Training for disability is becoming an essential component of employee training, creating a competitive advantage for the forward thinking organizations that embrace it.

(i) http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2010/10/from-the-office-of-personnel-managment-102610-opm-hosts-disability-employment-training-workshop-gave-agencies-the.html

(ii) See above.

(iii) http://www.beamalife.com/blog/disability-insurance/5-most-alarming-long-term-disability-ternds/

11
Jan/110

Achieve Interoffice Efficiencies with Disability Training

Disability training may take on several forms. From enhancing employee communications to creating cohesion among different departments, training for disability optimizes organizational performance. The means of implementation may vary, however the end is most always constant: increased operational efficiency.

Reasons to Train for Disability

Training for disability is a requisite for success in today’s dynamic and diversified business culture. The Council for Disability Awareness has issued disability trends report stating that the incidence of serious disability has grown steadily since just 2007. Women and younger workers are most at risk, according to the report, and managers who anticipate disability in the workplace are positioned for success. Disability costs can be staggering, but forward-thinking organizations can anticipate areas of risk and train employees accordingly. Remaining compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, requires attentive study of Federal and state level laws. Specifics may fluctuate, and creating a disability employment program that oversees compliance issues can save organizations immense amounts of time, money, and unwanted publicity.

Disability Training Topics

Disability training topics are similar to those of other, more common employee training programs. Unlike common training programs with which most employers are familiar, however, training for disability addresses these areas with workplace diversity in mind. This new and forward thinking method of employee training increases accessibility, builds inclusion, and positively leverage diversity to increase the bottom line. Three areas of beneficial disability training include employee communications, human relations, and ethical decision making:

Communications

With the number of different cultural customs and languages increasing in today’s workplace, increased importance is placed on effective communication. The same may be said for public relations; as community diversity increases, so too does the need for business to make an effort to communicate with persons of different backgrounds.

Human Relations

Training to better human relations involves more than communications training. Subtopics here include soft skills training, sensitivity training, and other areas of training that aim to increase the emotional quotient of employees.

Ethical Decision Making

From a legislative stance, employers are prohibited from discriminating against qualified job applicants. However, job posting, recruiting, and interviewing practices are each performed at the discretion of the employer. Training managers and human resources departments to carry out these functions in an ethical manner translates to ADA compliance, increased reach to prospects with disabilities, and an enriched talent pool from which to choose.

What to Expect from Disability Training

Ongoing employee training benefits each member of the organization. For organizations with an eclectic employee base, disability training offers the added benefit of creating a sense of inclusion among employees with rich differences. Ongoing training is essential; disability videos and other multimedia resources are essential in presenting and refining concepts that are critical to success.

6
Jan/110

Moving Forward: Disability Training and Trends

Disability training has become an instrumental means of accommodating workers of most ability levels. Qualified individuals may now find fulfilling careers in workplaces in spite of mental or physical impairment. Technology has undoubtedly fueled this movement, assisting individuals to accomplish otherwise impossible feats. Disability awareness has grown since the mid 1900s as well, contributing to fully functional diverse workplaces. To continue with this progress, an assessment of disability trends is necessary. Only by an examination of the past may we create a future that continues to strive for heightened disability awareness, appreciation, and equal opportunity among qualified individuals.

Training for Disability: Examined Trends

To prepare for the future, we must study the past. To help, the Disability Training Blog must turn to the Council for Disability Awareness (CDA). In 2007, the CDA reviewed long-term disability claims, figures from participating companies, and data collected from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. Pooling this information, the CDA successfully uncovered several emerging trends with respect to disability prevalence among working Americans.

Disability Trends*

The 2007 CDA study uncovered the following trends in workers with disabilities:

1) Growth of Disabilities

Disabilities deemed “serious” are growing among American workers at a staggering rate.

2) Women and Young Employees Are Most Susceptible to Disabilities

Working women experience serious disabilities and almost twice the rate of men, while young workers aged 20-40 are experiencing such disabilities at a likewise increasing rate.

3) Decline in Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Nervous System Related Claims

Claims of this nature receded in 2007, perhaps because of increasingly effective and accessible medical technologies.

Meeting Needs with Disability Resources

The 2007 CDA study whispers a word of caution that organizations and business professionals are smart to heed. Disability rates are climbing. Most alarming are the rates of serious disability among women and young adults, two major talent pools from which disability employers draw to maintain diversity. As rates of disability continue to climb, so too will the frequency with which employers encounter qualified individuals with disabilities. This puts tremendous strain on employers to assimilate these individuals into the workplace, particularly in instances requiring strict ADA compliance.

Training for disability is the most effective way for organizations to anticipate this trend, accommodate individuals with disabilities, remain ADA compliant, and continue operating proficiently. Moreover, disability training enhances business cultures through disability awareness and appreciation, two critical factors in leveraging diversity to create value. In light of the research conducted by the CDA, and the trends uncovered therein, it is likely that the rate of disability will continue to grow with the American population. Inclusive workplaces anticipate this trend, are positioned for a minimally disruptive transition, and are poised to excel while competitors play catch-up.

*Source for 2007 CDA study: http://www.beamalife.com/blog/disability-insurance/5-most-alarming-long-term-disability-ternds/

Tagged as: CDA, Council for Disability Awareness, disabilities, disability awareness, disability in the workplace, disability resources, disability training, disability trends, disability workplace, inclusion, inclusive workplaces, rates of disability, serious disabilities, training for disability

No Comments