May/110
Disabilities in the Workplace: Training for Executive Order 13548
As we approach the twenty-first anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Disabilities Education Blog would like to reflect on the year that has passed since President Obama addressed the country in honor of the Act’s 20th anniversary last summer.
Disability Training: Preparing for Executive Order 13548
For Federal employers, the Department of Labor has prepared a Toolkit for Implementing Executive Order 13548. Private business may benefit from this free resource, though it is geared towards Federal agencies. Nevertheless, this easy-to-follow toolkit outlines 5 main steps that employers must take in order to hire, train, and retain individuals with disabilities. Those steps are as follows:
1) Training. The first step is to reassess current hiring and training practices. Of particular importance is reviewing Schedule A certifications and processes. Under Schedule A hiring, employers may recruit qualified individuals with disabilities to fill certain job openings. For more on Schedule A hiring, please download the ABCs of Schedule A, a free .pdf document made available by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
2) Preparation. Step 2 in the DOL’s Toolkit for Implementing Executive Order 13548 is to create a welcoming environment for those with disabilities. Above all, employers must reassess the accessibility of their business. This stretches far beyond the physical workplace to include accessible company Web pages and other community outreach mediums. Additional soft skills training and ongoing disability awareness initiatives are recommended to keep each member of the organization mindful and accountable in creating an accessible environment for employees with disabilities.
3) Recruitment. Companies are encouraged to download the DOL’s Four Step Reference Guide to employing qualified individuals with disabilities. Business owners are also encouraged to proactively search for new networks from which to recruit. Building relationships with disability employers, for example, is just one way these new networks may be explored.
4) Interviewing and Hiring. Here, businesses are urged to once again review the ins-and-outs of Schedule A hiring, certifications of job-readiness, job accommodations, and more. To start, businesses may want to review the Overview of Hiring Practices for individuals with disabilities.
5) Retention. Finally, businesses are encouraged to consider what it means to retain employees with disabilities. The DOL’s Toolkit for Implementing Executive Order 13548 has many resource links to help employers perform a range of tasks including: helping injured employees return to work, build skills to manage veterans with PTSD, TBI, or other illnesses, and making ongoing workplace accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
Disability Training for Private Businesses
Disability trends indicate that the number of Americans with serious disability has been rising through the past decade. The 20th anniversary of the ADA and President Obama’s Executive Order to increase Federal employment of individuals with disabilities are two additional societal cues that diversity in U.S. workplaces is growing. Private sector businesses are smart to prepare to hire, train, and retain individuals with disabilities in the same way Federal agencies are doing so.
The Disabilities Education Blog has prepared several free resources to help businesses achieve this end, including:
- 3 Keys to Fostering Inclusion: This easy-to-follow resource lists 3 fundamental steps organizations may take to make their employees feel acceptance, value, and efficacy.
- Making Websites Accessible: This 5-part series is designed to help businesses create user-friendly Web pages that are accessible to individuals with disabilities, a simple yet crucial step in removing barriers of access to the workplace.
- Soft Skills Meet Hard Tasks: Join the Disabilities Education Blog in this look at soft skills training, a new way of developing individual skill sets to better accept coworkers, communicate respectfully, and foster inclusion in the workplace.
Employers may always visit the Disability Training online store to browse our comprehensive collection of leading disability videos, texts, CD-Roms, and more. Resources span a range of topics from specific illnesses to promoting respectful communication and inclusion in the workplace.
May/110
Disability News: Starbucks Sued by EEOC
A Starbucks location in El Paso, Texas, gained less-than-favorable attention this week as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, sued the company for discriminatory hiring practices. The news comes as a shock to customers, many of whom regard the trendy coffee chain as forward-thinking and socially responsible. The incident illustrates firsthand that discriminatory practices are still very much a part of the modern American workplace. Moreover, this lawsuit serves as a wake up call to businesses nationwide: The ideals of a business or brand—respect and responsibility in the case of Starbucks—exist only so long as they are actively reinforced among all levels of employees.
The incident occurred in July of 2009. Nearly 3 years ago, Elisa Sallard applied for a position at a local Starbucks. The job listing was for the position of Barista, the individual responsible for greeting Starbucks customers, taking orders, answering questions, preparing coffee or food orders, and conducting other basic cleaning duties. The listing made no explicit requirements that past experience be necessary; rather, new hires were to be trained to perform all required duties, as is common to other franchise locations.
Elisa was hired by the coffee shop, and soon thereafter she requested a footstool to better help her perform her duties. It was at this moment that Elisa’s physical condition, dwarfism, seemed to be an issue. Starbucks promptly dismissed Elisa’s request, relieving her of her position later that day. The EEOC has taken legal action accordingly, as Starbucks directly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in refusing to make a reasonable accommodation to better assist Elisa in performing her duties.
Disability Awareness: Training Managers to Make Accommodations
In light of the now-pending lawsuit faced by Starbucks, business owners are smart to reassess their position on disability training in the workplace. Training spreads disability awareness, helps to create best practices that comply with Federal disability laws, and insulates organizations from costly disability-related issues.
First, managers and other workplace decision-makers must be aware of what, exactly, constitutes a ‘disability’ under the ADA. According to the Act, an individual must exhibit each of the following characteristics:
- A mental or physical impairment,
- That is substantially limiting, and
- It is limiting in regard to one or more major life activities.
Should an employee exhibit these three characteristics, they are to be considered as having a ‘disability’ and are thus protected by the ADA. One of the most important protective clauses of the ADA is Title I, a provision requiring employers to provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ to employees with disabilities.
Disabilities in the Workplace: Providing Accommodation Through an Interactive Process
The Training Diversity Blog provides a fantastic guide to workplace accommodation under the ADA. It may be summarized as follows:
Request for an accommodation must be made through an interactive process.
The interactive process begins when the employee, in plain English, expresses their desire for an accommodation that will enable them to perform their job tasks.
The burden is on the employer, or the employer’s agents (on-site management), to remain attentive to an employee’s request for an accommodation.
Employer is entitled to review the request, and he or she may deny the accommodation request so long as it imposes undue hardship.
The interactive process is critical in remaining both attentive to employees as well as compliant under the ADA. Disability training programs, particularly those conducted internally, are fundamental in relaying knowledge of the ADA and its requirements to managers and employees alike. Businesses large and small may benefit from training seminars with disability videos, guest speakers, and interactive tools. Even those businesses with brands built upon principles of responsible, fair trade coffee procurement are poised to fall from the ignorant actions of a select few.
May/110
Paratransit Month: Increasing Accessibility and Opportunity
The Disabilities Education Blog has covered the contemporary issues faced by many individuals with disabilities when it comes to access to employment. From company websites to physical offices, we’ve explored what is necessary to increase the accessibility of both the physical workplace as well as general information, such as job openings and company information. We have sought to identify the barriers to access faced by individuals with disabilities in these areas so we may better counter them, establishing systems and practices that help these individuals overcome such barriers.
True, disability training programs are instrumental in creating inclusive workplaces where individuals with disabilities may thrive. However, accessibility is not a standard to be implemented in the workplace only. In fact, it is a general lack of accessibility in public transportation makes it difficult for qualified individuals to gain entry to the workplace, health care facilities, and rehabilitation centers. This problem is inhibiting, and it further perpetuates unemployment among individuals with disabilities.
Easter Seals Project ACTION
In 1988, two years prior to the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Easter Seals Project ACTION was commissioned by Congress to research and improve upon the accessibility of public transportation. The organization serves as a vital link between the transportation industry and the disability community, striving to eliminate the barriers of access to public transportation.
This year, Easter Seals Project ACTION has deemed June 2011 Paratransit Month, a time for paratransit managers and other organizations to focus on ADA complementary paratransit implementation. Business professionals are encouraged to participate through Project ACTION’s following free events:
Excellence in Service for Paratransit Managers: This 10-week virtual course is ideal for those new to the paratransit field. Learn more about the history behind the disability rights movement, how to best serve the disability community in your service area, and expand your understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Registration is free, but you must RSVP!
Determining Paratransit Eligibility: This two-part webinar trains professionals who are actively involved in conducting or managing the paratransit eligibility process. Interested parties must register by June 1st to take part in this comprehensive online training program.
Federal Budget Improvements: 2012
Accessibility to public transportation is projected to increase as a number of changes are made to the 2012 Federal budget. These changes reflect the growing need for state grants, employment programs, and most notably independent living programs geared towards increasing accessibility of public transportation services.
Improving Workplace Accessibility
Program Development Associates supplies business professionals, special education teachers, researchers, and others with leading disability training resources to increase accessibility in the workplace. PDA keeps pace with the rapidly evolving world of disability research and program development, offering exclusive resources, disability research, and news to spread awareness of the contemporary issues faced by some 54 million Americans with disabilities (i).
Increasing accessibility to communal services like public transportation is just one side of the equation, albeit an important one. Equal effort must be focused on increasing workplace accessibility. Disability workplace material like DVD resources, ongoing training initiatives, and strong corporate leadership are essential in promoting awareness for accessibility and inclusion in the workplace. Increasing accessibility to both public services, like transportation, and private opportunities, like employment, sets a foundation to drastically reduce unemployment among individuals with disabilities.
(i) http://projectaction.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ESPA_who_we_are&s_esLocation=wwa_
May/110
In the News: Austism Research, Education, and Resources
Autism education and awareness are in the news as the Wall Street Journal covered new research about the condition last Monday, May 3rd. The new study restates what many researchers, parents, and advocates know about the condition: Children with autism have larger brains than children who do not. It goes further, however, to indicate that the accelerated brain growth of children with autism occurs before age 2. This is an important discovery as it takes modern research a step closer to identifying specific causes for the illusive condition, as well as when physiological changes may trigger those causes.
This most recent autism study serves as a follow-up to a 2005 investigation by researchers at the University of North Carolina. Utilizing magnetic resonance imaging technology, researchers analyzed the brain shape and size of just under 100 children as they grew from 2 to 5 years in age. Of the children observed, 58 had autism and 38 did not. Children with autism exhibited enlarged brains through age 5, while those without the condition did not.
Following the study at the University of North Carolina, studies now indicate that children may develop autism at about 12 months old. This assertion is based in part on the similar social abilities that both children with and without the condition exhibit around the age of 6 months. It is not until about 12 months that children begin to show signs of autistic social behavior, such as deficits in interaction and communication.
It is hoped that more will be learned about autism as researchers begin to hone-in on the exact moments when the condition begins to develop in children. Pinpointing this transition may potentially indicate specific physiological changes that contribute to the development of the condition, which in turn could lead to prevention. While the condition remains illusive, one thing is clear: technology is here to help.
Autism Resources
Autism resources and learning devices are undoubtedly one area that stands to gain from ongoing research. Parents typically rely on a variety of autistic help videos to facilitate engagement and education, signaling to the increased role technology plays in fostering relationships amongst family members and those with disabilities. Program Development Associates features a variety of these highly effective resources, including:
A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism
Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet narrates this film, following a mother’s journey to unlocking the mind of her autistic son. Directed by Oscar nominee Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Talking Back to Autism tracks mother, Margret, as she encounters other families struggling with autism, confides in leading experts and advocates, and discovers innovative new therapies to overcome the condition and embrace life with her son. Available in Closed Captioning.
This comprehensive DVD Set includes hours of interviews with leading researchers, doctors, and authors. DVDs include Asperger Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Autism Times Two, and Straight Talk About Autism. Made with the professional in mind, this comprehensive collection of resources is a cost effective training tool that covers a multitude of autism and Asperger spectrum disorder issues.
This DVD resource confronts an obvious fact that may be underprepared for in America: Children with autism grow into adults with autism. Explore the world of Paul and Jamie, two adults with autism who enjoy the support of parents, life coaches, and other advocates. Available in Closed Captioning, A Place in the World illustrates the importance of support systems in the lives of autistic individuals, from child- to adult-hood.
*Facts and figures for this article have been derived from the Wall Street Journal article, “Link in Autism, Brain Size,” available at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704436004576299371343861618.html
