Unemployment among males in the United States hovers around 18%, its highest level since the 1950s (i). There is evidence of an increased number of men of prime working age entering into disability unemployment programs as well, indicating a trend that has only contributed to the rise in unemployment. Mr. Damian Paletta of the Wall Street Journal reports that while the Social Security and Medicare are projected to operate through 2029, the disability fund will “run dry” in four to seven years without government intervention, as indicated by government auditors (ii).
Encouraging beneficiaries of Federal and state disability unemployment programs to remain positive and proactive in re-entering the workforce is key in reducing unemployment levels. Moreover, increasing the rate at which these individuals re-enter the workforce will enable the long-term sustainability of disability programs. The Disabilities Education Blog has created the following 4 steps to help individuals with disabilities transition from the passivity of unemployment programs to the rewarding stimulation of the workplace.
Step 1: Self Evaluation
The first step is to look inward. One must set aside personal time to reflect on the power of having complete control over life choices. The happenings of everyday life cannot be controlled, however tactful decision-making can be exercised to address challenges and overcome them as they occur.
For those with disability, self-evaluation may require the help of an advocate, a caregiver, or disability career management resources to aid in assessment. In uncovering areas of talent, individuals can gain direction in their career search by pursuing opportunities within their most prominent skill sets.
The Disability Training online store offers many disability training resources to aid in identifying personal passion, work preferences, and developing vision for professional career development. The Beyond Barriers to Passion and Possibility is one such DVD. This interactive training tool is hosted by leading disability employment professional Denise Bissonnette and presents key inquiries designed to help individuals with disabilities create a clear and actionable job search.
Most importantly, the Self Evaluation must conclude with setting goals that will lead the individual to a fitting and fulfilling career in an industry of interest.
Step 2: Make Things Actionable
Of course, goals are not useful if they are not attained. One must make things actionable by considering the finer points necessary for goal attainment. For example, an individual may create a list of 3 tasks that will enable them to achieve their goal. This list should include three different actions:
- Immediate: Something that can be done immediately to aid in goal achievement.
- Short Term: Something that can be accomplished in 3 to 5 days.
- Long Term: Something that may take 14 to 90 days or more.
Imagine one conducts a self-evaluation and determines their passion, talents, and work preferences are conducive to a job in telecommunications. Consider the following example of how to this individual implement immediate, short term, and long term actionable items to find a job in telecommunications (the goal).
- Immediate: Conduct an Internet search for available telecommunications jobs. Note job requirements and identify areas where specific skills are needed.
- Short Term: Reference your Self Evaluation and determine areas where additional training is necessary to expand current skill sets or build new ones. Research available training programs and enroll in the one that will expand or build those necessary skill sets.
- Long Term: Commit to your training program and take pride in increasing both work readiness and ability. Once completed, engage in interviewing processes for the appropriate telecommunications positions.
Step 3: Prepare for Life After Unemployment
Economists have written that a major downfall of the U.S. Federal disability program is that it “provides strong incentives to applicants and beneficiaries to remain permanently out of the labor force,” (iii). These economists believe that individuals enter the program for good reason at first; however, they become comfortable with being unemployed and suffer a reduction in both ability and marketability as a potential new hire.
Beneficiaries of Federal disability programs can avoid this downward spiral by staying positive and engaging in the steps we’ve covered thus far: continual self evaluation, goal setting, and persistent goal attainment.
Step 4: Persevere
The most important driver towards employment is perseverance. To persevere is to remain active in the pursuit of a goal, no matter the difficulties encountered along the way. One must be ever mindful that each new day is a new opportunity to make significant strides towards finding a job that may lead to an exciting and fulfilling career. Failure is inevitable, yet it only furthers one’s progress by illustrating specific mistakes that are to be avoided in the future.
Share Your Story with Program Development Associates
Many struggle with the challenge of finding employment. Maintaining the courage and persistence necessary to find stimulating and rewarding work is very difficult, especially in the tough economic times with which we have faced in recent years.
Program Development Associates invites you to share your thoughts on the employment search, effective disability training programs, and our 4 Steps to Reducing Disability Unemployment on Twitter! Simply Tweet DisabilityEDU to share your experiences!
(i) http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/men-unemployment-and-disability/?partner=rss&emc=rss
(ii) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703752404576178570674769318.html
(iii) http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/men-unemployment-and-disability/?partner=rss&emc=rss
*Image source: Leonhardt, David. Men, Unemployment, and Disability. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/men-unemployment-and-disability/?partner=rss&emc=rss
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.
Program Development Associates offers a variety of tools to minimize communication barriers among the members of an organization. PDA offers several multimedia resources to aid in establishing effective communication skills in the workplace.
Community Support for People with Disabilities
Providing a supportive community is the best way to facilitate effective communication. For those with disabilities, supportive environments add an element of inclusion that is critical for professional development. In order to construct an inclusive environment, an organization must be prepared to identify with the special needs of each member, regardless of mental or physical ability. Second, an organization must take strides to meet the special communications needs of each employee, once identified.
Augmentative Communication Strategies for Adults
PDA offers the Augmentative Communication Strategies for Adults book to give business professionals expert guidance in identifying a multitude of disorders and illnesses. Each section provides current and rich information as well as proactive measures to take when communicating. This guide also provides professionals with a CD-ROM of complementary tools to aid in assessing how much communicative support an individual needs.
Conversation Skills: On the Job and in the Community
The Conversation Skills book concentrates on illustrating the skill sets necessary for communicating with people with disabilities. Particularly beneficial for employees, this book helps those with disabilities become integrated and valuable organization members. Skill sets are built through brief 10 minute lessons, issued twice weekly over the course of 3 months.
Effective communication requires all parties involved to be aware that special communication needs may be necessary. In a diverse workplace, this disability awareness must be taught through disability training resources including DVDs, text books, CD-ROMS, and other interactive mediums. PDA has many disability training DVDs for business professionals to implement when issuing diversity training among employees.
Rapidly evolving technologies and an ever-changing political landscape make today’s business environment a dynamic challenge. In the face of such volatility, organizations thrive on the depth and diversity of their employees. A workforce rich in racial, cultural, and ethnic tradition keeps ideas fresh, varied, and constructive. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, and never before has generating multiple solutions to a wide variety of problems been so valuable.
Finding unique individuals to help carry a group to an end goal is a difficult challenge. Fortunately, the Civil Rights movements of the early and mid 1900s revolutionized the cultures of businesses large and small. Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities increasingly gained recognition for their inherent value, deepening the talent pool from which organizations could draw. The archaic ideals of the 1800s and early 1900s have become footnotes in the history books. No longer are men the breadwinners, women the homemakers, and the minorities the disadvantaged. Further, advances in technology have made the workplace more accessible, particularly for individuals with mental and physical impairments.
Even more daunting than finding a talented workforce is the task of managing workplace diversity to maximally achieve that end goal. This difficulty is faced by a host of different leaders in various organizations, from collegiate coaches to Fortune 500 Executives. However, recruiting talent is only the beginning. Distributing, uniting, and retaining talented individuals is a long term process that will graduate mere managers to the level of wildly successful, esteemed leaders.
While a richly varied talent pool in an organization’s culture is of paramount importance, a leaders ability to unite and retain that talent is the critical it factor. Diversity awareness and respect is the foundation on which any endeavor to unify a diverse mass must be built. Herds of unique individuals with equally unique ideas and solutions are of little value if the herd cannot move together. In this way today’s business leader is under more pressure than ever to educate employees of their coworkers’ differing backgrounds, ideologies, and lifestyles.
Diversity awareness training fosters an understanding of the multitude of differences that make each person a one-of-a-kind individual. With awareness comes education, and with education sprouts the opportunity for appreciation. To further encourage appreciation among employees, leaders within an organization can engage in regular workforce and employee diversity training. Diversity training seminars and workshops offer an invaluable occasion for individuals to learn about one another and cultivate a respect for ethnicities, ideals, and traditions that differ from their own.
The ultimate end goal for any diversity training program is to perpetuate a feelings of reciprocal awareness and respect among employees. Without both awareness and respect, leaders cannot hope to have employees work effectively. In a business environment laden with dynamic challenges, organizations simply cannot afford to have anything other than a unified and diversified talent pool. Disability and inclusion training D.V.D.s, C.D.s, and other resources offer a vital first step towards developing diversity awareness programs to bring employees together, maximizing output, and enrich their work experience.
Creating an inclusive work environment is the best way to ensure both accessibility and productivity are fully realized in our dynamic business world. No two persons have the same problem solving processes, ideals, or passions, regardless of physical or mental ability. An inclusive environment accommodates workers of various ability levels, in turn providing a diverse assortment of individual talents and strengths that can be utilized to develop new ideas. The celebration and respect for diversity among coworkers are essential components in developing new ideas, and new ideas are the foundation for future growth across all industries.
At the heart of the inclusive workplace lie the management team and their ability to implement environmental supports to encourage an accepting and communicative company culture. Behavior, individual workers’ attitudes, and internal processes must be harnessed to support environmental inclusiveness, as determined by the unique landscape of each institution or company. Managers serve a vital role in aligning themselves with the resulting vision while leading employees through the implementation of inclusive practices.
Managers must consider the uniqueness of each individual when designing a program to help employees of all physical and intellectual ability levels engage with one another. The following guidelines, as shared by the Canada Secretariat, provide an outline for managers and disability program advisers to lead employees in respectful communication with coworkers with visual, aural, physical, and developmental disabilities, respectfully:
Communicating with Coworkers with Visual Impairments
- Identify yourself as well as anyone accompanying you
- Mention any previous interactions to help the employee remember prior engagements he or she may have had with you
- Name the individual with whom you are speaking when speaking to a group of coworkers
- If the conversation has ended, indicate you are moving to another location
- Courteously clear the area of obstacles
- If necessary, describe the environment to the coworker
- If offering to lead the coworker to another location, invite the coworker to take your arm
- If the coworker would rather walk independently, walk about a half step ahead and listen intently for instructions and questions
- Offer to read written information when appropriate
- Do not pet or play with guide dogs, if present, as it is distracting and inappropriate
Communicating with Coworkers with Aural Impairment
- Identify the language required if employing interpreter services
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace that allows the interpreter to use sign language to relay the message to the coworker
- Allow the coworker time to communicate in return, through the interpreter
- Use written or clear nonverbal body language when communicating one on one
- To facilitate lip reading, face the coworker and keep hands and objects away from your face
- Face the coworker and speak in a clear and slow voice
- When possible, converse in a quiet environment and move to eliminate disruptive background noises
Communicating with Coworkers with Physical Impairments
- Facilitate movement via wheelchair, scooter, or other mobility aid by rearranging furniture in the room
- When standing in close proximity, do not lean or excessively touch another’s mobility device as it is considered personal space
- Always conscientiously consider what may or may not constitute accessible for those in wheelchairs and other mobility aids
- Do not push or move a coworker in his or her wheelchair unless asked to do so
Communicating with Coworkers with Developmental Disabilities
- Inclusion starts with a fundamental knowledge of the person, their background, and their general personality: Get to know the person so that you may include them
- Offer assistance when necessary
- Slowly and articulately repeat information when necessary
- Speak directly at the coworker
- Listen actively and intently
Managers, disability program advisers, and disability training consultants are charged with developing and clearly communicating policies that provide an unwavering framework for respectful employee diversification and interaction. Policies must first seek to maximize the range of talent and unique strengths among workers by hiring individuals of all abilities.
Essential to management’s creation of an inclusive workplace is their ability to provide diversity education for employees. Tantamount importance lies in management’s ability to foster an environment that encourages courteous and independent communication among persons of all physical and mental abilities. Several disability training resources and disability training DVDs highlight the importance of fostering an environment where all individuals, ranging from those with high intellectual capacities to persons with mental and physical disabilities, feel accepted, unified, and valued. Ongoing disability education is crucial in ensuring all members of the company or institution are up to speed on the nature of different disabilities, the availability of training resources, and evolving strategies for inclusion in the workplace.
Reference: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/tb_852/cwwed1-eng.asp
