Information Exchange - October 27, 2006
"I am proud to announce that on October 26, 2006, the Office of Disability Employment Policy formally signed an Alliance Agreement with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), former Assistant Secretary Roy Grizzard told the NFI Circle of Champions (CoC) on October 27. Circle participants gathered at SHRM headquarters to share their expertise and to welcome the representatives of businesses who had received the 2006 New Freedom Initiative Awards just the day before.
Dr. Grizzard welcomed new participants -- Aetna, CVS/pharmacy, Highmark and Raytheon Missile Systems - to the Circle. These four corporations joined the previous winners to exchange information on developing a platform for change.
Among the possibilities discussed were:
- Incorporating disability in all diversity initiatives
- Influencing the pipeline of candidates, starting with the middle schools or younger
- Educating the educators and school guidance counselors on raising their career expectations for students
- Providing opportunities for work experience in high growth fields
- Training curriculum that includes modules that target hiring managers and the corporate operations staff
- Return on Investment facts
- Members' initiative to present the business case for hiring people with disabilities at meetings of their own professional associations
After considerable discussion, the participants enthusiastically endorsed three initiatives: a national marketing campaign, an online tool kit, and the development of a speakers' bureau. The NFI Circle of Champions will support ODEP staff efforts to actualize these initiatives.
