Circle of Champions - Information Exchanges

Information Exchange – November 6, 2008

Mr. Orlando Barbosa, a Vice President at Sun Trust Bank,
welcomes the meeting participants to their Washington, DC office.
(Photo credit: Shawn T. Moore)

WELCOME REMARKS BY ORLANDO BARBOSA

• SunTrust supports collaborative initiatives and fully supports disability employment initiatives
• Most initiatives start with 3 or 4 people who have the passion
• This was true for the disability initiatives at SunTrust and resulted in a full time position dedicated to that initiative (Katherine McCary), a full fledged disability resource center, an assistive technology loan program, and leadership and support for the USBLN

WELCOME NEW 2008 NFI AWARDEES BY LORETTA HERRINGTON

The following 2008 NFI awardees were welcomed to the Circle of Champions:
• Best Buy, represented by Jodi Julseth
• Deloitte, represented by Jim Hammond
• Ernst & Young, represented by Lori Golden
• The HSC Foundation, represented by Son Park
• Lockheed Martin, represented by Christine Neigh
• PepsiCo (unable to attend)
• WellPoint, represented by Alicia Wallace

REMARKS FROM ASSISTANT SECRETARY NEIL ROMANO

• Thanks to SunTrust for hosting this 6th meeting of the Circle of Champions in this historic building overlooking the White House and Eisenhower Executive Office Building
• During this time of transition, be assured that as long as there are people who care about people with disabilities, this group will be important
• ODEP’s staff will be here and will be seeking your ideas and best practices, as you are our business library
• You are all to be thanked for your participation and sharing your ideas, effective practices and successes
• Continue to share and share even more; effective practices and success stories are critical to getting the word out; do not keep your light under a bushel basket
• A copy of my recently released film, funded by the US Department of Education, “America’s Strength,” was requested by the Social Security Administration to show to all its employees to help them understand that people with significant disabilities can work
• ODEP is currently working on a new initiative with several major non-profit organizations for the purpose of collaborating on the message that work is truly fundamental in the lives of all people, including people with disabilities
• I am never prouder than the day after an election because every election illustrates that the United States engages in a smooth transition from one administration to the next
• The Federal Government will never have sufficient money to change the hearts and minds of people about the capability of people with disabilities to work
• We need employers to collaborate with us in giving back to people with disabilities the freedoms that we have taken away from them by denying them equal opportunities to work.

ODEP INITIATIVES

• PITCH (Proving Individuals with Talent Can Help) – Barbara Haight (ODEP) presented this highly successful education campaign that ODEP conducted with Major League Baseball utilizing former no- hit pitcher Jim Abbott as spokesperson. Visit the dedicated page on ODEP’s website to view his PSA
• Collaborative – Tracie Saab (JAN/WVU) presented this new initiative that JAN, WVU’s Disability Policy Research Center and ODEP are launching to establish a collaborative to develop a universal message and marketing campaign. The collaborative will start with four founding members.
• Refreshed Business Case – Sheldon Serkin (ODEP) presented this project, conducted in cooperation with EARN and reviewed by Circle of Champions members. While the current business case focuses primarily on Human Capital, the new business case will add ROI, Marketing, Diversity, Social Responsibility and Innovation information including videos, quotes, and success stories. The business case will be on the EARN website and is a living document.
• Soft Skills Initiative - Rachel Dorman (ODEP) presented a new initiative expanding on the basic work with Circle of Champions members that led to the recently released soft skills fact sheet, “Essential Skills to Getting a Job.” (A print copy was included in the meeting folder and an electronic copy is available at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/softskills.htm. For additional printed copies contact ODEP.) The new initiative is to develop a soft skills education curriculum. Circle members have been invited to assist with the development. In response to a question on accommodations for youth with mental health needs, Rachel provided the following link to an ODEP fact sheet on that issue at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/transitioning.htm. Jodi Julseth (BestBuy) offered that www.dosomething.org is an excellent site for youth with information on small seed grants for youth to follow their passions.

TRANSITIONING WOUNDED AND INJURED MILITARY TO EMPLOYMENT

America’s Heroes at Work: A Multi-Agency Collaboration

Michael Reardon (ODEP) presented the following information on this web-based resource:

• Development of the America’s Heroes at Work initiative (www.americasheroesatwork.gov) was led by ODEP and its sister agency, VETS, in collaboration with several other Federal agencies including the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, and Education, the Social Security Administration, and the Small Business Administration
• The site receives 5,000 hits per month and is focused on returning military with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) & Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Employment is a critical support for re-integrating returning injured and wounded military
• The site is primarily designed to assist employers retain and hire
• A second initiative, an employer pilot project, is currently underway
• Loren Mikola (Microsoft) suggested viewing their Windows of Opportunity on their Accessibility page video for accommodation vignettes on several of their employees with disabilities. http://www.microsoft.com/about/diversity/programs/access.mspx

Circle Members’ Disabled Veterans Employment Initiative

Ed Asher presented Northrop Grumman’s (NG) initiative:

• Operation Impact was developed building on the cadre of nurse caseworkers who were in NG’s disability unit
• Recruiting is a huge program as NG hires 20,000 people annually
• To develop this targeted initiative, NG created champions in each area who were the points of contact
• Jobs were sculptured and in 2008, NG increased the number of hires from 15 to 40
• NG currently has 80 qualified disabled veterans available for hire and would like to replicate its initiative across their industry
• NG has many individual success stories to share

Jim Hammond presented Deloitte’s initiative:

• Abilities First is Deloitte’s Business Resource Group focused on disability issues
• Following an information exchange meeting held at ODEP during which Ernst & Young presented its disability employment initiatives, they decided to focus on a specific project
• One of their colleague’s viewed HBO’s Alive Day Memories and Abilities First decided to host an Alive Day event inviting other companies and organizations to join an employment network; there are 40 companies now engaged in this effort

Dr. Chip West presented TecAccess’ New Veteran initiative:

• DVET Training Program (Disabled Veteran Employment & Training) offers behavioral health support
• They offer training for jobs that are in demand and have developed a curriculum around those skills

Andrea Hall presented on CSC initiatives:

• Wounded Warrior & Veterans Hiring Program has portal on the CSC website at http://www.csc.com/careersus/ds/11849-military_programs
• They provide a point of contact and a link to a person for one on one assistance
• They hire not only disabled veterans but also close relatives (e.g. mothers, spouses)
• They have a collaborative relationship with Walter Reed
• They hold specialized recruiting events

ACCESSIBILITY & USABILITY OF ON-LINE SYSTEMS

Improving Accessibility and Usability to Your On-Line HR Systems

Randy Cooper and Mario Damiani (both of ODEP) presented an overview:

• DOL’s OFCCP issued a policy directive 281 on July 10, 2008
• The directive provided guidance on accessibility of on-line application systems
• All compliance reviews will include an evaluation of Federal contractors’ on-line application systems
• To provide education and awareness of accessible websites, ODEP in collaboration with OFCCP and assisted by EARN staff, developed the “Racing League” which was set up at the ODEP booth at the NILG conference
• The game involved an instant evaluation of the company’s website
• Comments during the discussion
• Vendors have been a problem; they claim their product is accessible but often it is not
• The correct contract language is a necessity

Accessibility and Usability: Plans, Challenges & Successes

Lori Golden (Ernst & Young), Dr. Chip West, and Debra Ruh (TecAccess) presented their experiences; Barbara Haight (ODEP) facilitated the discussion

• TecAccess’ home and career center pages are accessible
• Ernst & Young has launched a two prong effort
• They are working with their group that manages all their on-line efforts to develop a global accessibility strategy to result in a corporate-wide mindset that accessibility is just the way they do business
• They are taking a look at specific applications and working with TecAccess
• Melinda Evans (CSC) suggested that the vendors need to be brought together and educated that providing accessible systems is good business (Lois Cooper, Lori Golden, Alicia Wallace, and Loren Mikola concurred)
• Loren Mikola noted that when you make your web site more accessible, it is easier for everyone to use

One More Way: Open Sourced Collaborative

Steve Wing (CVS/Caremark) and Janet Fiore (Sierra Group ) presented on a new initiative:

• Steve noted that open sourcing provides a competitive advantage
• Steve noted that progress is marked one person at a time based on individualized attention
• Janet noted that her company, Sierra Group, has a Foundation that has launched the One More Way collaborative which connects job seekers, agency/service providers and hiring members across the country. Members access a customized search engine powered by Google; a Job Board sponsored by DiversityInc, and information dissemination methods among members that serve as ‘open sourced’ tools for driving up employment for people with disabilities, including veterans. (http://www.thesierragroup.com/assets/documents/one_more_way_flyer.pdf)

Wrap-Up

Loretta Herrington presented a look to the future.

• The Federal government has a lot more to do in the area of employment
• ODEP’s leadership has learned a lot from their colleagues and more from the Circle members
• We need to gather and share the Circle members’ success stories
• We are looking for a smooth transition to the next leadership
• We need to keep pushing for change