Social Skills | * Disabilities Education Blog: Articles, Facts, & Advice *

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/

3
Dec/100

3 Reasons to Engage in Disability Training

Many business professionals are under the impression that disability training only benefits diverse organizations. Organizations often forego proactive training programs because they do not perceive an immediate need for them. However, disability training and education initiatives have benefits that extend beyond the walls of a business. Organizations that pursue initiatives equip themselves not only to hire, train, and benefit from a diverse workforce, but also to better serve consumers.

I. Hiring Employees with Disability

Disability programs undoubtedly assist employers in interviewing, hiring, and training those with disability. These programs may range in purpose, from making job applications accessible to assisting with employee assessment and placement. The goal of these programs is to build disability employer relations with job prospects and new hires, helping to transition individuals smoothly into the workplace.

II. Retain Employees with Disability

Unemployment among those with disability is nearly double that of those without (i). A causal factor for this statistic is an inability for organizations to retain employees with disability once they are hired. Disability products and training programs help employers build an inclusive workplace that supports, guides, and develops the talent they take on.

III. Increase Community Reach

Disability training products do not just benefit an organization in diversifying their business culture. Since the Americans with Disability Act, many individuals with learning, intellectual, and physical disability have entered the workplace to become valuable members of the business world. As employees, these individuals are earners and therefore also consumers. Engaging in disability training is beneficial for organizations in their efforts to serve an increasingly diverse community of consumers. Programs that emphasize soft skills training and sensitivity training will help employees to serve consumers with disability, increasing the reach of business both locally and nationally.

Developing disability training and education programs can be conducted internally and made to fit the individuality of most organizations. The Program Development Associates Workplace Skills Store is ideal for professionals interested in developing programs to enhance efficiencies in hiring, training, and advancing workers with disabilities. The store’s disability products are effective in helping individuals with and without disability to develop cooperative work skills, communicate, and develop as professionals.

Tagged as: Communication, disability awareness, disability education, disability employer relations, disability products, disability training, hiring, retaining employees, sensitivity training, Social Skills, soft skills training, training programs, Workplace, Workplace Disabilities

No Comments

28
Oct/103

Disability Employment Strategies

Decreasing the rate of unemployment is on the minds of business professionals and policymakers alike. President Obama issued an enthusiastic Executive Order in July of 2010, challenging the Federal government to reevaluate and optimize their role as disability employers. This Order fell on the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, helping to further disability awareness among American business owners and professionals.

But one question befalls most small to mid-sized businesses: how can we help? The fear of change, increased costs, and disability program failure has many employers stagnant, despite genuine interest in offering equal opportunity employment. Tough economic times make these fears even greater, tempting business owners to wait for the economic tides to turn before making major changes in business strategy and operations. However, an evaluation of internal business culture may provide hope for organizations of most industries. Analyzing the communication methods and level of worker autonomy can provide a sound indication of an organization’s ability to adopt a more inclusive workplace, hiring workers of varied mental and physical ability.

Disability Education: Increasing Communication Support

A diverse workplace will need standards of communication. When assembling teams of employees with richly varied abilities, it is vital for each individual to be aware of their peers and the communication methods necessary to support collaboration. Ongoing disability education is essential to promote such collaboration. Professionals will find interactive disability products likewise instrumental in educating employees in proper communication practices with their peers with disabilities.

Disability Products for the Inclusive Workplace

Additional disability products are available to business professionals who wish to supplement their disability training programs by providing individuals with disabilities the materials needed to help them develop professionally. The Discovering Your Personal Power curriculum helps individuals with developmental disorders identify their own unique dimensions of ability and worth. This disability product is ideal for training groups of employees; the CD-Rom comes with 30 activities that may be reproduced to facilitate training several employees simultaneously. This engaging product will help to build a sense of autonomy among workers with disabilities, smoothing their transition into the culture of an organization.

Though engaging in disability employment may be uncharted waters for most professionals, it is nonetheless a requisite for becoming an equal opportunity employer. Moreover, the employment level among persons with disabilities will likely keep falling until more small to mid-sized businesses proactively seek to hire persons with disabilities. However, disability products that cultivate worker autonomy can help professionals build the inclusive environments necessary to support workers with disabilities.

Tagged as: business strategies, Communication, developmental disabilities, disability awareness, disability education, disability employer, disability employment, disability training, inclusion, inclusive workplace, obama, people with disabilities, President Barack Obama, Professional Development, Social Skills, Workplace, Workplace Disabilities

3 Comments

22
Oct/100

Disability Education Specials from PDA

This month Program Development Associates is proud to offer sizeable discounts on over 80 different disability products for teachers, professionals, and parents. This discounted resource collection spans a multitude of different topics and issues, making it more affordable than ever to pursuer disability education for personal or professional use.

Products for Caregivers

In our previous article, we discussed the challenges those with disabilities face in finding employment that is both congruent with ability and provides a high level of satisfaction. As a follow up, PDA is excited to share the discounted resources now available to caregivers and those with disabilities who need assistance finding employment. The Barriers to Employment Special is a two piece bundle that will help individuals identify the personal obstacles, formulate strategies to overcome them, and plan for career advancement.

Barriers to Employment Success DVD

The first disability product in this bundle, the Barriers to Employment Success DVD, helps those with disabilities identify specific obstacles that need addressing. From lacking a professional resume to inadequate job experience, this DVD teaches viewers to rise above their problems by recognizing that they are not excuses. Rather, they are simply problems with solutions. Using five different categories of obstacles to frame such pissues, this disability education product helps those with disabilities develop the right attitude and resources to analyze their options and form an actionable plan to gaining employment.

Barriers to Success Inventory

Solving a problem is rarely the most difficult part of moving forward. Rather, it is identifying the problem to be solved that is most difficult. The Barriers to Success Inventory is one of the most intuitive and effective tool for persons with disabilities to implement in identifying hurdles to fulfilling employment.

Spanning several distinct dimensions of lifestyle, this disability resource uses 50 basic questions to uncover the most difficult challenges beset upon the individual being surveyed. Once these challenges are identified, the Inventory helps the individual develop an actionable plan for overcoming the challenges while pursuing employment and career opportunities.

The Barriers to Success DVD and Inventory are superb complements and valuable tools to accompany persons with disabilities and their caregivers in seeking employment. Both are available through this Program Development Associates Employment Special along with other resources listed under the Specials or Clearance section of the PDA website.

Tagged as: barriers to success dvd, barriers to success inventory, career guidance, disability education, disability employment, New Resource, Professional Development, Social Skills, Workplace, Workplace Disabilities

No Comments

21
Sep/102

Diffuse Workplace Bullying and Harassment

Workplace bullying and harassment will derail organizational productivity and cohesion faster than most other negative behaviors. Dispute resolution carries the potential for heavy costs in terms of both time and money. In recent years, harassment litigation has cost organizations anywhere from several thousand dollars to upwards of several million dollars in compensatory damages alone (i). Decreased employee moral and the inevitable cost of hiring and training new personnel make the overall cost of workplace harassment intolerable. It is easy to see why organizations are beginning to implement Workplace Harassment Training as a preventative measure to prepare employees, managers, and other business agents to sensibly handle harassment of all forms.

Prepare for Workplace Harassment

Workplace bullying and harassment is an inevitability that organizations simply must prepare to handle. Individuals who are predisposed to leveraging threats, power, and other forms of status can always infiltrate an organization, no matter how rigorous and thorough the employee-recruiting process. Moreover, individuals may develop these tendencies over time, well after having been recruited, trained, and promoted within an organization. The best way to handle harassment in the workplace is to anticipate its occurrence and train each member of the organization to recognize and diffuse these detrimental situations.

A Costly Proposition DVD

Program Development Associates offers the DVD resource A Costly Proposition to help companies build harassment awareness among their members. This resource provides viewers with six different situations, without narration or conflict resolution of any kind. Viewing the scenes without constructive guidance allows viewers to assess and discuss the situations, building a full understanding of how the situation can be identified and disarmed. After discussion, viewers move to the supplementary material of the DVD and are presented with an abundance of information detailing the losing nature of workplace harassment including potential legal ramifications.

PDA urges organizations to insulate themselves from potential downfall by thorough preparation and training. Workplace Harassment videos are a good start for organizations that aim to develop a harassment policy and best practices for employees. Taking proactive measures now may prevent the occurrence of severely detrimental incidents through the long term life of a business.

(i) http://www.corporationcampus.com/investors/facts.asp

Tagged as: a costly proposition DVD, Communication, diversity and equality, harassment awareness, harassment training, harassment training videos, human resources training, New Resource, Social Skills, workforce diversity, Workplace, workplace bullying, workplace harassment

2 Comments

2
Sep/104

Effective Communication Skills in the Workplace

Communication skills can make or break a diverse workplace. Organizations that hire persons with disabilities must recognize the fundamental need for improving communication skills, both on a macro and micro scale. Organizational leaders must be attentive to the communication practices between coworkers as well as those that are broadcasted throughout the organization as a whole.

This month, Program Development Associates features the Communicating with Tact, Candor, and Credibility D.V.D. to help organizations improve communication skills among their members. This digital resource explores the use of subtle mediation to effectively communicate with employees, members of interoffice teams, and upper level managers.

The point of difference in this training resource is the methodology it establishes to facilitate communication. This methodology teaches viewers to identify the individual with whom they are communication in terms of four typical conversational roles:

The Escape Artist
The communicator who sidesteps interrogation and often has a finger to point.

The Judge
An intellectual, this communicator uses ethics and morality to frame the actions of her peers.

The Scientist
Intelligent by nature, this communicator likes facts, figures, and statistics, quickly ignoring qualitative data.

The Beggar
Compassionate and empathetic, this communicator means well but often asks for more than they contribute.

By identifying the conversational role of the person with whom they communicate, viewers are better able to understand the motivation and necessity behind messages.

Once viewers learn to correctly identify the communication styles of their coworkers, they are given guidelines to further effective employee communication efforts. These guidelines include: Rephrasing, tactfully constructing talking points, quick message construction, scripting, feathered speech, and reconstructing corporate jargon.

In addition to the Communicating with Tact, Candor, and Credibility D.V.D., Program Development Associates offers a range of resources to foster communication skills. These resources include D.V.D.s, CD-ROMs, and other interactive materials exclusively designed with the diverse workplace in mind.

Tagged as: assistive communication technology, assistive technology device, business communication, communication barriers, communication in the workplace, communication model, Communication Skills, communication skills in the workplace, communication strategy, communication styles, Community Inclusion, community policing, community resources, community support, corporate communication, corporate communication strategies, corporate communications, disabilities communication, disability communication, disability technology, effective communication skills in the workplace, effective employee communication, forms of communication, improve communication, improving communication in the workplace, improving communication skills, interpersonal communication skills, mass communication, methods of communication, people with disabilities, professional communication, Professional Development, Social Skills, team communication, types of communication, Workplace, Workplace Disabilities

4 Comments

31
Aug/102

Training Resources for Diversity and Equality

This month, Program Development Associates features the Diversity: Face to Face D.V.D., a unique an innovative tool that explores the four main aspects of diversity in the workforce: stereotypes, similarities, unity, and benefits. Organizations watch, together, and learn the stories men and women who truly live in diverse environments. Through their stories and thoughts, viewers see not only what it is like to live with diversity, but also learn their roles in supporting a courteous and inclusive work environment.

Diversity in the Workforce and Stereotypes

Stereotypes affect both the person acting as well as the individual receiving. The Diversity: Face to Face D.V.D. helps employers and employees recognize signs of stereotyping with the goal of identifying and diffusing it before severe problems arise.

Finding Similarities

Next, the role of similarities in a group is explored. The motivation to pin point differences among people is dispelled. Instead, viewers are challenged to consider what common ground they share with one another.

Managing Workforce Diversity Through Unity

Next, the diversity D.V.D. uses similarities as a basis to cultivate a newfound sense of organizational unity. Each member of the organization will be challenged to bond in a way that seeks a common goal and purpose.

Benefits of Diversity Training

This featured diversity product ends with an exploration of the benefits of diversity in the marketplace of today. A talented pool of individuals with varying abilities has much to offer in our global and digital business world, and the Diversity D.V.D. surveys this idea through the eyes of workers in inclusive, diverse workplaces.

An instrumental part of training diversity is building courteous and respectful behavior among all members of an organization. A richly varied group of individuals cannot function cooperatively without mutually respecting one another. Program Development Associates’ diversity resources provide the perfect medium for employers and employees alike to learn more about the importance and benefits of working within a large and heterogeneous group. This month P.D.A. offers the Diversity: Face to Face D.V.D. to help organizations recognize, embrace, and monetize their diversity.

16
Aug/101

Modern Diversity Training: Universal Design for Learning

Last week, we began our diversity training article series with a look at the use of modern assistive technology. In our second installment of Modern Diversity Training, we will explore the necessity for making the workplace accessible to complement the emergence of assistive technology.

First, an explanation of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, will be presented. Then, we will move to investigate how UDL techniques can help disability employers and other professionals design training materials for individuals with disabilities.

Universal Design for Learning was developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology to help teachers identify with the vastly differing special needs of students with disabilities. UDL provides a blueprint for creating goals, methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences (i). Utilizing recent neurological studies, CAST asserts that there are three dominant brain networks responsible for acquiring knowledge: recognition networks, strategic networks, and affective networks (ii). Each network has a different function, yet together they move an individual to gather, process, and learn concepts. Moreover, CAST asserts that each of these networks function differently for each individual. Thus, only by accounting for learner differences can teachers, and by the same token business professionals, assist persons with disabilities in acquiring knowledge.

Disability employers must embrace the concepts set forth by the UDL methodology in order to create a diverse workplace. Specifically, disability training programs must employ the three core components of UDL: multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement (iii). In creating multiple means of representation, employers present information pertaining to individual work tasks in various formats. For example, a disability employer may present a single piece of information through visual presentations, written manuals, aural recordings, flow charts, and other mediums to account for learner differences and increase the rate at which knowledge is ascertained.

Most importantly, the multiple means component of UDL provides an opportunity for the communication to be tailored for the individual receiving it. To illustrate, consider that a trainee with a visual impairment can be issued an audio recording containing instructions specific to a single task. Another trainee with a learning disability like dyslexia can receive instructions for the same task by way of a visual illustration with minimal written instructions. In this way, each learning style is accommodated for, each disability is overcome, and the diversity of the workplace is maintained.

Simply investing in assistive technology falls short of effectively diversifying a work environment. Disability employers must delve deeper and consider the degree of accessibility their business provides for persons with disabilities. Evaluating accessibility requires identifying the ability of employees, areas of exceptional talent, individual learner differences, and unique support needs. Disability and diversity training initiatives that harness the power of UDL have a significant advantage in making the workplace accessible.

(i) http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html”>http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html

(ii) see above

(iii) see above

9
Aug/106

Growth in Disability Studies Programs

A movement towards disability studies has begun to build momentum. Over the past decade, graduate study programs at universities across the nation have started to develop specific courses of study to better understand mental and physical impairments. From Georgetown University to the California Baptist University, these courses are being defined as a holistic study of the phenomenon of disability through a multidisciplinary approach (i).

Topics addressed include the social, cultural, and political role disability has played in society. Students learn the role people with disabilities have played in the development and implementation of several disciplines, from literature to social policy. Such programs aim to arm students with a knowledge base that will increase disability awareness and, ultimately, promote social change. The emergence of disability studies programs is important for at least two reasons.

First, disability awareness will only grow as these professionals enter society after completing their courses of study. Georgetown University explains that a critical component of their Master of Professional Studies in Disability Studies program is to provide students with the tools to educate and increase awareness across various audiences (ii). Graduates will attain the skill of communicating disability awareness and tolerance to a variety of audiences upon graduation, an invaluable skill necessary in spreading the message for any subject. In this way, graduates will have the ability to communicate awareness and tolerance to demographically or otherwise starkly differing groups of people. This promotes the proliferation of disability education by increasing the effectiveness with which it is taught. More effective disability education, in short, paves the way for awareness and understanding.

More importantly, however, it is a sign that large scale social change is on the way. The near future will see a growing population of working professionals with a deep understanding of different disabilities, across a range of different societal and historical contexts. These professionals will be instrumental in helping to assimilate those with disabilities into the workforce, in counseling persons with disabilities and their families, and in furthering the field of disability education and research. Moreover, the growing number of disability studies courses and the bodies that fill their lecture halls illustrate a growing interest and empathy for persons with disabilities, a critical component to spreading awareness.

The trend in disability studies programs is indicative of a growing number of working professionals with substantial disability training and education. This translates to narrowing the gap between those with a disability, and those without. Graduates will have the resources and experience to collaborate with individuals with disabilities, helping them to become active community members. Business owners must take note of the growing number of disability studies programs and their resulting societal implications. These graduate schools, for example, represent prime recruiting outlets for Human Resource departments, managers, and other professional positions. Disability study program graduates serve exemplary consultants, as well, for businesses looking to implement inclusion training to solidify their company culture.

(i) http://www.sps.cuny.edu/programs/spscourses/programdescription.aspx?pid=6&sid=DSCP

(ii) http://scs.georgetown.edu/departments/32/disability-studies

Tagged as: Communication, Community Inclusion, developmental disabilities, disability awareness, disability education, Disability Studies, Disability Studies programs, disability training, Diversity, Georgetown University, inclusion, inclusion training, inclusive workplace, learning disability, Professional Development, Social Skills, Workplace, Workplace Disabilities

6 Comments

5
Aug/100

Inclusion Training and the BWAP

Creating an inclusive workplace fosters a variety of talents that increase productivity and keep companies on the forefront of innovation. The success of the inclusive workplace, however, hinges on the ability of business owners and managers to correctly identify the strengths, weaknesses, and unique talents of each employee. This managerial ability becomes even more important when the employee has a disability. The Becker Work Adjustment Profile, or BWAP, provides an observer rating assessment of the vocational ability of an employee with a disability, and it is an essential tool for managers of any business with a diverse culture of workers.

The Becker Work Adjustment Profile gauges the work readiness of an individual by measuring their habits, attitudes, and skills, collectively recognized as vocational competency. Moreover, this tool identifies where additional supports are needed with respect to different work areas, and to what degree. It is a reliable test, appropriate for teenaged children over 15 as well as adults. Its application is suitable for workers who are learning disabled, physically disabled, emotionally disturbed, economically disadvantaged, or mentally retarded.

The primary advantage of the BWAP is in its nature as an observer rating instrument. A professional who has had experience observing the subject in their work environment administers the test, greatly reducing the potential for subject-driven error. In addition, the BWAP is exceptionally comprehensive. Vocational competency is ascertained by measuring 63 different items allocated to four separate sub scales, or domains: Work Habits/ Attitudes, Interpersonal Relations, Cognitive Skills, and Work Related Skills (i). After the employee is evaluated, areas of dissonance between ability and work behavior are identified. Additional, task-specific training is then administered, working to eliminate the dissonance between ability and behavior.

Administering the BWAP is easy and intuitive. Evaluators utilize three main materials including a Questionnaire Test Booklet, an Individual Profile Form, and a User’s Manual. The observer uses the Profile Form to rate the subject with respect to the behavioral items listed in the Questionnaire Booklet. The Score Summary and corresponding Vocational Competency of the subject is recorded on the Profile Form as both a raw and derived score for each domain. These values are then cross referenced with the BWAP Manual to determine the level of work readiness and necessity of work supports for the subject.

Keeping a business productive, efficient, and ready to innovate requires strong attention and appreciation for human capital. Paramount to effectively integrating human capital is the capacity for personnel managers to assess each employee as an individual with unique abilities. The need to measure the work readiness of each employee and construct appropriate supports is particularly critical for workplaces rich with persons of varying abilities. The Becker Work Adjustment Profile, or BWAP, is an industry standard for such assessments. The instrument, when coupled with ongoing disability training and education programs, provides a foundation for placing and retaining employees with disabilities.

(i) http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-71316809/measuring-rehabilitation-outcomes.html

13
Jul/100

Inclusion Training through Diversity Awareness

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.

8
Jul/101

Disability Job and Career Management

A planted seed cannot grow without the nurturing power of sunlight and water. In the same way, employees cannot grow without the support of their organization. In our previous article, we explored a study conducted by the Federal Managers Association that had an alarming message: managers are perceived as ill equipped to foster a work environment where employees with disabilities can develop into valuable professionals.

Unemployment for individuals with disabilities has risen, despite the strong legislative push to abolish discriminatory hiring practices.[i] A clear reason for this contradictory outcome is a general lack of the proper disability education and advocacy among managers, an argument advanced by the Federal Manager Association’s Unnecessary Boundaries study.

Fortunately, the hardest hurdles have been cleared. The Federal government has led by example through the 1990s, starting with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. President Clinton furthered efforts with his Executive Order 13163, a commitment to award 100,000 Federal jobs to persons with disabilities by 2005. Organizations are now responsible to follow suit, not only by equitable hiring practices, but also by establishing inclusive work environments where persons with disabilities receive the supports necessary to advance and grow.

The first and most essential step in providing support for an employee with a mental or physical impairment is to evaluate their level of competency. The mysterious and complex nature of mental illness coupled with a personalized manifestation per individual places extreme importance in management’s ability to assess employees and their varying abilities before attempting to create environmental supports to encourage their growth. A multitude of tools are available for gauging competency and can be classified by how employees’ abilities are measured. Self-report instruments, for example, rely on the employee’s ability to display aptitude through written questionnaires or workplace simulations. Observer rating instruments, on the other hand, rely on an observer to rate an employee’s aptitude based on how well he or she displays an ability to perform specific tasks, either through written questionnaires or simulated work situations.

Self-report instruments are most useful when a mental health professional is helping a person develop social skills across a variety of social contexts.[ii] While a work environment is considered a social context, self-report instruments are not ideal as they require the involvement of a trained mental health professional. Observer rating instruments, by contrast, work well in the business context. The observer need not be a professional counselor or psychologist. They must, however, have a substantial opportunity to observe and learn about the employee and his or her condition prior to administering an assessment.[iii] Managers and other Human Resources personnel are ideal candidates for the role of an observer as they have ample opportunity to get to know new hires before administering an observer-rating assessment.

Once the competency of an employee with a disability is ascertained, management can begin to tailor the company culture in a way that maximizes the employee’s ability to participate, communicate, learn, and develop. Disability job and career development tools are available to help organizations assess the competency of their workers, and they represent vital tools in creating an inclusive work environment. Other disability training and education resources can be utilized to spread awareness in a diverse organization, a necessary complement to helping persons with disabilities develop as professionals among their peers.

[i] http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/stats.htm

[ii] http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-71316809/measuring-rehabilitation-outcomes.html

[iii] http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-71316809/measuring-rehabilitation-outcomes.html

30
Jun/100

Advocacy Training in 2010

Advocacy education and disability awareness have become major drivers towards the creation of inclusive workplaces for individuals with richly varied mental and physical abilities. Both the political and social landscapes in America have progressed towards providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Still, however, obstacles prevent a fully equitable environment for employment; nearly 45 percent of Americans with disabilities were unemployed as of 2000, according to the United States Department of Labor.[i] Studies conducted in late 2004 showed an alarming rise in unemployment among those with disabilities, projecting a rate of 65 to 70 percent.

At first blush the blame is easily placed on management. Studies seem to imply managers, Human Resources Departments, or other administrative bodies charged with hiring personnel for organizations are not welcoming persons with mental or physical impairments. However, a closer look reveals a more startling truth.

The Federal Managers Association in conjunction with Telework Exchange, an organization committed to demonstrating the emerging value of remote telecommunication operations, surveyed over five hundred Federal employees in January and February of 2010 to gauge institutional advocacy and awareness for hiring, developing, and promoting workers with disabilities. The resulting study, titled Unnecessary Barriers, provides insight as to why unemployment for persons with disabilities has risen so dramatically.

Contrary to intuition, it is not managerial gatekeepers thwarting the assimilation of those with disabilities into the workforce. Of the employees surveyed, an overwhelming 71 percent said their institutions had made a full and steadfast commitment to hiring employees with disabilities.[ii] However, only a mere half of respondents felt that officials had the tools and knowledge to retain and ultimately promote these employees.[iii] With the remaining half of managers and decision makers ill-equipped to provide the supports necessary to advance a worker with a disability, retention and advancement become impractical if not altogether impossible.

In the wake of the Unnecessary Boundaries study, it is clear to see the rising unemployment level among those with disabilities is not linked with an unwillingness to hire. Rather, it is a lack of tools, knowledge, and interoffice environmental supports that makes difficult the retention and advancement of workers with disabilities. Specifically, it may be a general lack of advocacy education that contributes most to persons with disabilities attaining short-lived employment.

Legislation like the A.D.A. is not enough. Industry professionals from Capitol Hill to Middle America must support disability education and awareness in the office. The lofty ideals that have been penned on paper must now manifest themselves as committed actions. Proactive interoffice advocacy education programs are the foundation for promoting knowledge and empathy among employees, two qualities necessary to unite coworkers in an inclusive work environment. In a unified company culture with ongoing disability training, each employee receives the support they need to develop as a professional, enhance their skill sets, and maximize value for both themselves and their company.

[i] http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/stats.htm

[ii] http://www.teleworkexchange.com/unnecessarybarriers/landing.asp

[iii] http://www.teleworkexchange.com/unnecessarybarriers/landing.asp

26
Jun/101

Inclusion Training: Office Communication

Successful communication creates the groundwork for an inclusive company culture. The inclusive workplace is one that thrives on diversity and accommodates individuals of various mental and physical abilities. Disability training that emphasizes communication and networking skills is necessary for creating a unified, valuable, and positive company culture.

Without courteous communication, the inclusion model breaks down. As a result employees may feel disrespected, undervalued, incapable of performing job related tasks, and unfulfilled. Thus, disability training programs must first and foremost equip employees with the knowledge and skill to communicate with one another, regardless of mental or physical differences.

Tremendous responsibility rests on the shoulders of able-minded individuals to get to know coworkers with disabilities in order to facilitate courteous communication. Disability education programs are essential in providing employees with information about specific conditions as well as corresponding etiquette guidelines. As Program Development Associate’s new training DVD (dis)Ability Awareness makes clear, effective communication hinges on individuals and their ability to relate to one another. Managers and disability training consultants must keep this fine distinction in mind for two important reasons:

Humans Categorize by Nature

Human beings categorize individual elements of reality simply in virtue of having a conscious mind that strives to make sense of things. As humans categorize, prejudices are formed to efficiently assimilate the overwhelming amount of sensory inputs encountered daily. While these shallow snap judgments allow for the processing of an immense amount of sensory inputs, they fall short in that people tend to favor their own category while undervaluing things that are perceived as different.

Humans Exhibit Affective Display

According to the American Psychological Association, Affective Display is a person’s ability to display thoughts, both conscious and unconscious, through verbal and nonverbal communication. Tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions may all indicate an individual’s conscious or unconscious feelings, regardless of the message they intend to transmit.

Since the categorical nature of the human mind creates prejudices and the Affective Display phenomena communicates these preconceptions regardless of the communicator’s intent, disability education in the workplace must work to rid employees of predetermined thoughts about persons with physical or mental impairments. Once the slate is clean, education and training programs have to help employees understand one another on a personal level. General background information on certain conditions and corresponding social etiquette provides a substantial starting point. However, able minded individuals must endeavor to understand coworkers with disabilities on a personal level. Once this deep level of understanding is ascertained, employees are well suited to respectfully interact with one another.

Once coworkers with disabilities are understood on an individual and personal basis, networking can occur to further the inclusion of the office environment. Asking a coworker what one may do to make them feel included or offering to escort them to a department meeting are two examples of simple acts that can help solidify and develop friendships that perpetuate value for the company as a whole.

Inclusion training DVDs are an unparalleled medium for helping employees understand how their preconceived notions may affect and ultimately hinder their ability to communicate with their coworkers. Program Development Associates also carry a diverse set of disabilities training resources to assist businesses in creating a company culture where diversity is valued, respected, and embraced.

Reference: American Psychological Association (2006). VandenBos, Gary R. ed., APA Dictionary of Psychology. Washington, DC.

20
Jun/100

Disability Education in an Inclusive Workplace

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

20
Oct/090

New Resource – Special Kids: Getting Ready

Special Kids: Getting Ready DVD

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Special_Kids_Getting_Ready_DVD-pid890.html

Resource #: SKGD944W

Part of the Special Kids Learning Series

skgd New Resource Special Kids: Getting Ready

Special Kids: Getting Ready DVD

It’s fun to get ready for the day — do you know how to do it? This program teaches children how to care for themselves, how to bathe, shower, brush teeth and comb hair, dress and undress, with emphasis on tying, buckling, zipping and buttoning.

Teaches: Self-Help, Communications, Motor & Social skills plus speech, labeling, writing, reading, sequencing, modeling, generalization, and association to objects and actions.

The Special Kids Learning Series is designed to teach and promote quality, effective, integrated learning for children with autism spectrum disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, Down syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, Apserger syndrome, dyslexia and other developmental and learning disabilities. It has been proven that video is one of the most effective ways to reach and teach this audience. Each program focuses on teaching early academics, self-help, hygiene and socialization skills to help visually receptive learners acquire speech, reading, writing, fine motor, computer, play, human interaction and other important skills.

This series employs the following teaching methods:
• Multi-Associative Learning: Special Kids combines video of an object, action or person through real-time video or photography, with the audio association of its identification through the spoken word.
• Modeling: The simple video modeling of actions, events and proper behaviors. Generalization: The grouping of objects, actions or events in their proper category or sequence.
• Repetition: Repetitive presentation of materials, in a variety of approaches, to reiterate, yet entertain.
• The Human Element: Very importantly, Special Kids features the human element — via host “John Sprecher,” father of a boy with autism — that Newsweek calls essential to learning.

Tagged as: Children's Grooming, Motor Skills, New Resource, Social Skills, Special Kids

No Comments

20
Oct/090

New Resource – Special Kids: Let’s Go To…

Special Kids: Let’s Go To… DVD

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Special_Kids_Lets_Go_To_DVD-pid891.html

Resource #: SKLD964W

Part of the Special Kids Learning Series

skld New Resource Special Kids: Lets Go To...

Special Kids: Let's Go To ... DVD

There are lots of places to go in a day — some important, some interesting and some fun! This program teaches children what happpens and how to behave wherever they go. Visit a doctor and dentist and it won’t hurt a bit. See how getting your hair cut is easy (and no reason to squirm!) and go shopping.

Teaches: Social, Self-Help, Communications & Play Skills plus speech, labeling, writing, reading, sequencing, modeling, generalization, and association to objects, actions and concepts.

Tagged as: Children's Behavior, New Resource, Social Skills, Special Kids

No Comments

20
Oct/090

New Resource – Special Kids: Things in a Day

Special Kids: Things in a Day DVD

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Special_Kids_Things_in_A_Day_DVD-pid892.html

Resource #: SKTD944W

Part of the Special Kids Learning Series

sktd New Resource Special Kids: Things in a Day

Special Kids: Things in a Day DVD

There are lots of great things to enjoy everyday- from family and friends, to food and fun! Join John and learn all them. You’ll discover things around your house. You’ll learn important things: telling time, answering a telephone, buckling a seatbelt. Plus you’ll do lots of fun things, too.

Teaches: Social, Self-Help, Communications & Play Skills plus speech, labeling, writing, reading, sequencing, modeling, generalization, and association to objects, actions and concepts.

This series employs the following teaching methods:
• Multi-Associative Learning: Special Kids combines video of an object, action or person through real-time video or photography, with the audio association of its identification through the spoken word.
• Modeling: The simple video modeling of actions, events and proper behaviors. Generalization: The grouping of objects, actions or events in their proper category or sequence.
• Repetition: Repetitive presentation of materials, in a variety of approaches, to reiterate, yet entertain.
• The Human Element: Very importantly, Special Kids features the human element — via host “John Sprecher,” father of a boy with autism — that Newsweek calls essential to learning.

Tagged as: New Resource, Social Skills, Special Kids, Telling Time, Things in a Day

No Comments

Categories

Recent Posts

Archives

Pages

Blogroll