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Employers who include disability issues in corporate diversity
policies enrich and enhance workplace benefits in the new economy. Such
benefits include diverse leadership, innovation, increase in overall morale and
the ability to cast a wider recruiting net. Outlined below are strategies to
successfully incorporate persons with disabilities into the workplace.
Make a corporate commitment to include
persons with disabilities among your stakeholders Is the CEO
committed to a disability friendly workplace? Is there a written document to
all staff that affirms this commitment? Do corporate policies, procedures and
practices specifically mention disability? Do persons with disabilities serve
on the board? Are employees and customers with disabilities seen in the annual
report? Are workers with disabilities employed at all skill levels in the
workforce, including senior management positions? Are your products or services
marketed to customers with disabilities? CEO commitment means senior
leadership will embrace disability policies and that the organization will
talk the talk and walk the walk.
Educate all staff on
disability Does new staff orientation include disability
awareness training? Are training materials available in alternate formats such
as large print, Braille, and captioning? Do employees with disabilities serve
as mentors for new hires who do not have disabilities? Providing
disability education dispels myths and enables all staff to make sound
disability employment decisions.
Provide ongoing information on
disability Are staff familiar with legislation pertaining to
disability? Does staff receive disability information that could be helpful at
work, at home or at school? Is disability information provided routinely in the
company newsletter or on an intranet site? Are disability resources in the
community contacted to help injured workers return to the workplace as soon as
possible? Continued education enables employees to utilize pertinent
disability information to resolve everyday family and worklife
situations.
Form a disability support
group Do employees with disabilities meet to discuss disability
employment issues? Does this group have authority to make recommendations to
management? Is all staff aware of this group and the contributions it makes to
corporate success? Disability perspectives enable all employees to
contribute their full work potential to corporate success.
Provide accessible facilities and
services Are buildings, parking areas, work spaces, and
communication systems accessible to persons with disabilities? Accessible
facilities and services are more useful for everybody.
Accommodate applicants and workers with
disabilities Is there a central source and budget for
accommodations? Are applicants and employees informed that accommodations are
available if needed? With permission, are employee success stories that
demonstrate improved productivity based on accommodation shared with other
employees? Does staff routinely stay abreast of new developments in universal
and assistive technology? An open policy on accommodations allows
candidates and workers with disabilities to demonstrate what they can
do.
Project a disability friendly image to
attract candidates and customers with disabilities Do college
recruiters target students with disabilities when making campus calls? Do
recruiters search for resumes on disability-related Web sites? Are publications
directed to persons with disabilities targeted for company advertising? Are
recruiters and other personnel responsible for establishing working
relationships with community agencies serving applicants with disabilities?
Building relationships with community agencies increases referrals of
candidates with disabilities.
Hire applicants with
disabilities Do recruiters regularly attend employment fairs for
candidates with disabilities or target students at colleges with known
populations of students with disabilities such as Gallaudet University and the
National Technical Institute for the Deaf? A diverse workforce includes
employees with disabilities.
Train and advance workers with
disabilities Do employees with disabilities routinely
participate in employer-sponsored training opportunities? If not, has this
issue been brought before the Disability Support Group for recommendations? Are
procedures in place to promote qualified employees with disabilities to
management and supervisory positions? Employers who talk the talk and
walk the walk of disability employment promote qualified workers to upper
management positions.
Encourage staff to volunteer in the
community Is staff encouraged to build relationships with
disability community service organizations during work hours? Does staff make
regular visits to high schools to inform administrators, teachers and students
(including students with disabilities) about scheduled open houses and job
trends in your industry? Are human resource staff instructing students with
disabilities about how to set up a scannable resume or serving as mentors to
graduating post-secondary students with disabilities to help them with their
job search? Employers who want to make a difference in the disability
employment arena are eager to influence tomorrows disabled workers and
help job candidates with disabilities with their search.
This information was prepared in cooperation with the Business
Leadership Network (BLN), an employer-led endeavor of the Office of Disability
Employment Policy supported by the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. This program
promotes best disability employment practices to enhance employment
opportunities for job candidates who happen to have disabilities. For more
information about the BLN and other programs of the Office of Disability
Employment Policy check out our Web site < www.dol.gov/odep/ > or call
202-693-7880.
July 2000 |