As a young child, I was
probably about 8 or 9 years old, my grandfather took me to his company picnic
on Long Island, NY. My young mind
was fascinated that my able-bodied (a term I didn’t know at the time) grandfather
worked in a place where there were people with missing limbs and other
disabilities (another term I didn’t know). My grandfather worked at the Viscardi
Center (www.viscardicenter.org) which prepares adolescents and adults with all types of disabilities and
levels of experience for entry or re-entry into the workforce. It was founded
over sixty years ago by Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. who himself wore prosthetic
legs. He became one of the world’s
leading advocates for people with disabilities and an advisor to U.S. eight
presidents, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter. Years later, in my corporate life, I
would once again cross paths with the Viscardi Center.
On July 26, 1990 President
George H. W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act. This law was modeled after Section 503
of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibited government contractors from
discriminating against individuals with disabilities and required them to
engage in affirmative action to employ and advance in employment this group of
individuals.
Under these laws, an
individual with a disability has i) A physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; (ii)
A record of such an impairment; or (iii) Being regarded as having such an
impairment. For employment
purposes, the individual must be able to perform the job’s essential functions
with or without a reasonable accommodation in order to enjoy the protections of
the law.
On March 24, 2014, new regulations became effective under Section 503.
Government contractors must now establish a utilization or representation goal for individuals
with disabilities in their workforces.
To
meet this utilization goal, the US Department of Labor suggests working with:
·
State Vocational Rehabilitation Service Agencies
·
Employer Assistance and Resource Network funded by DOL
·
Employment One-Stop Career Centers
·
Local Employer Network Organizations in SSA’s Ticket to Work Employment
Network Directory www.yourtickettowork.com/endir
·
Placement Offices of educational institutions specializing in placements
of individuals with disabilities.
Earlier this year I had
the pleasure of working with Cindy Roberts from the Virginia Department for Aging
and Rehabilitative Services. I
learned that DARS Business Services provides business with
·
Prescreened Qualified Candidates - (Matching
candidate skills and background with job requirements)
·
Pre-employment testing and
Background checks on DARS referrals
·
Financial Incentives
·
Job Retention/Return to Work Services
·
Accessibility Analysis and Solutions
Some of the ways they
support business and clients is by helping with recruiting and staffing by
setting up job internships or on-the-job training to make sure the employee is
a good fit, arranging job fairs, and partnering with job coaches to guide the
clients (employees) you hire who need extra support services. Additionally, they can help identify
accommodations and assistive technology that are simple and inexpensive. They can also help by providing
financial incentives for businesses through on-the-job training reimbursements
and assisting with Work Opportunity Tax Credits. Virginia employers can learn more about DARS and the
services they offer employers by visiting their website at www.vdars.org.
Each state has a
vocational rehabilitation agency which is federally funded to assist people
with disabilities to prepare for, obtain, or regain employment. If your organization hasn’t already
done so, conduct a search for the one in your state and contact them. You’ll be amazed at the resources they
can offer you.
The US Department of
Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) sponsors four research
and technical assistance resources, including
·
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) the leading source
of free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and
disability employment issues.
·
LEAD Center, a collaborative of disability, workforce and
economic empowerment organizations led by National Disability Institute
dedicated to advancing sustainable individual and systems-level change to
improve competitive, integrated employment and economic self-sufficiency for
adults across the spectrum of disabilities.
·
Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) which helps
employers hire and retain workers with disabilities.
·
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth
(NCWD/Youth), a partnership to promote success for youth with disabilities
entering the workforce.
There are so many success
stories regarding employment opportunities for individuals with
disabilities. For example, between
3,000 and 4,000 DARS clients become successfully employed each year. October is National Disability Employment
Awareness Month. Learn more about
what your organization can do to celebrate successes and the abilities that
every potential job candidate can bring to your organization.
Keywords: ADA, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, ODEP,
Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Viscardi Center, disability, employment
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