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The Disability Twist in Diversity: Best Practices for Integrating People with Disabilities into the Workforce Katherine McCary

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Resources for Hiring and Retaining People with Disabilities

Most savvy businesses and their human resources managers understand the value of diversity in the workforce. A diverse workforce must, for example, mirror its diverse marketplace if it expects to be successful. But what many businesses overlook in their diversity initiatives is the population of people with disabilities. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are 49.7 million Americans with disabilities and 21.3 million of working age — the largest minority population.

Disability affects one in five of us and is an acquired diversity dimension. It's a minority population that crosses all other diversity dimensions and one that any one of us can join at any time.

From a marketing perspective, disability experts tell us that this population has an annual aggregate spending power of $1 trillion, with $220 billion in

discretionary spending. This is a virtually untapped marketing opportunity, especially as our population continues to age, and aging increases the potential of living with a disability.

People with disabilities possess needed skill sets that employers badly need. These talented job seekers are resourceful and creative thinkers, thanks not only to new technologies and greater access to education but also to the challenges they must overcome every day living with a disability. In today's highly competitive hunt for talent, smart businesses have recognized the value of adding disability to their diversity outreach, employing and retaining talented individuals with disabilities and marketing to customers with disabilities.

In this article I identify several of these companies and the best practices supporting their success. In addition, these companies are learning how to utilize the resources available to this underrepresented group and many have established partnerships with non-profits, which are listed in the sidebar.

Why Talent is Often Overlooked Employers seeking talent often overlook people with disabilities largely as a result of misconceptions and fear. When asked, most businesses that have not reached into the disability community state common concerns, including cost for accommodation, training time, attendance, attitudes of coworkers, uncomfortable interviewing, reduction in performance levels and, most significantly, attitudinal barriers ("people with disabilities don't belong in the workforce").

However, the realities completely contradict these concerns. According to a study by Virginia

Katherine McCary is a Vice President at SunTrust Bank and President of the U.S. Business Leadership Network.

"Disability affects one in five of us and is an acquired diversity dimension. It's a minority population that crosses all other diversity dimensions and one that any one of us can join at any time."

Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, employers who had experience including individuals with disabilities reported that these individuals were productive and capable (in terms of timeliness, punctuality, task consistency and speed) and that the cost associated with hiring and accommodating these workers was not a significant issue. According to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) — a national employer support organization specializing in accommodation issues — 51 percent of accommodations cost less than $500 and 15 percent cost nothing at all.

Employer Best Practices Businesses are always seeking a competitive advantage. Including people with disabilities in the workforce and marketplace has become a successful strategy for many employers both large and small. Following are some businesses that are successfully integrating people with disabilities into their workforces and serving as a model for others looking for ways to tap into the talent of this underrepresented population.

SunTrust Banks, Inc. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, SunTrust Banks is one of the nation's largest commercial banking organizations with branches and services in more than 1,700 locations in the Southeast and Mid- Atlantic. SunTrust has focused on the disabled community for more than ten years and has been recognized by WE Magazine as a Top Ten Employer for People with Disabilities. SunTrust's project called "Put Ability to Work" recruits individuals with disabilities into temporary employment at the bank. This initiative has been so successful, resulting in full time employment for many of these individuals, that the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) HR Magazine awarded the bank with its 2000 HR Innovative Practice Award.

Expanding on that success, the Chairman, President and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Bank launched the Accessing Community Talent (ACT) Program, which seeks to increase its employment of people with disabilities through education and resources. This program also aims to increase management awareness of marketing opportunities for customers with disabilities and manages a central accommodation fund for managers and customers. At the same time the Bank launched SunTrust's Disability Resource Center, which provides information on recruiting, interviewing, disability etiquette, customer interaction, resources and accommodations.

Employees and customers with disabilities are an important diversity focus for SunTrust. Corporate support of the following programs shows their commitment:

National Disability Mentoring Day Emerging Leadership Internship Program for outstanding college students with disabilities Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Annual Conference National Business & Disability Council American Association for People with Disabilities, and the National and State Business Leadership Networks in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

SunTrust continues to receive national recognition for its efforts, including the U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao's 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award that recognizes exemplary and innovative efforts to recruit, hire and retain people with disabilities.

Motorola, Inc.

"Businesses are always seeking a competitive advantage. Including people with disabilities in the workforce and marketplace has become a successful strategy for many employers both large and small."

Motorola and its global diversity organization have achieved a number of milestones in its effort to build a strong foundation for initiatives focused on people with disabilities. The company's executive commitment and sponsorship of these initiatives leads the way.

First, Motorola is the lead employer of the Arizona Business Leadership Network (AZBLN), which focuses on people with disabilities in terms of education, outreach and connecting with resources. With funding from the Motorola Foundation, the AZBLN has sponsored education forums on disability awareness, assistive technology, returning to work and information on specific disability groups. More importantly, the AZBLN is connecting business with community service providers, including vocational rehabilitation.

Second, a Motorola representative sits on the board of directors for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and chairs an employment committee. The company has also funded different components of AFB's efforts, including a workshop for blind and visually-impaired high school students from the Chicago area.

Third, Motorola is a sponsor of the Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) program and conference.

Finally, following the events of 9/11, Motorola funded Project Reemploy through Abilities Inc. and the National Business and Disability Council, a New York-based organization that focuses on people with disabilities. As a result of Motorola's generous contribution, more than 200 people with disabilities were placed in jobs after being displaced by the terrorist attacks. The company has continued its relationship with Abilities Inc. as a sponsor of the National Business and Disability Conference. At this event, Motorola demonstrated a number of accessible technologies including high-contrast displays, expandable fonts, text messaging accessories, voice activation and the Neck Loop that enables people with T-Coil hearing aids to use a cell phone. Additionally, Motorola demonstrated its alternative format product manuals, which are available in Braille, large print and audiocassette.

Oklahoma One-Call System Inc. A small not-for-profit organization, Oklahoma One-Call System is dedicated to the protection and safety of underground facilities, property and welfare of the citizens of Oklahoma. This is accomplished by linking excavators with the owners of underground facilities to permit the marking of the underground lines to prevent inadvertent damage. Commonly know as "Call Okie," the corporation staffs and manages a call center that receives dig site requests. Oklahoma One-Call was asked to expand its operational window from a five-day to a seven-day a week 24-hour operation.

It was evident, as a small business, that resources at Call Okie were limited to accomplish the new required business mission. Reviewing the business performance and associated metrics two issues were clearly identified. The first was employee retention and the second was to develop a 24/7 business approach.

Analysis of employee retention metrics indicated that the prior year resulted in an employee turnover rate of 120 percent. Further investigation suggested that employees left the business because they were dissatisfied with the job and its requirements. A review was done on the overall hiring practices and training program offered to employees. Concurrently, management staff met with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. People with disabilities are a stable workforce providing a wealth of knowledge, capabilities and a willingness to work with a high level of retention. Oklahoma One-Call realized that this available workforce could be an

"Motorola and its global diversity organization have achieved a number of milestones in its effort to build a strong foundation for initiatives focused on people with disabilities. The company's executive commitment and sponsorship of these initiatives leads the way."

important resource to accomplish its newly-expanded business mission.

The 24-hour-a-day mission offered unique challenges. Business processes were reviewed and modified, and technology options were investigated. A clear business choice was to arrange for "overnight" support from a home terminal. This would put the Call Okie functions in someone's home, eliminating the requirement to have a cost-prohibitive call center open 24 hours a day.

Some people with disabilities have transportation issues so the option of working from home helped provide this group with an opportunity to work. Utilizing the Oklahoma Business Leadership Network (OKBLN) job fit system, candidates were identified and interviewed for Customer Service Representative positions. Oklahoma One-Call developed a Call Center Training package that acquainted candidates with the tasks, responsibilities and duties of the position. Working with the Oklahoma Department of Visual Services a training course was developed and offered to individuals with disabilities. This was a joint effort combining the resources of Call Okie and the facilities and resources of Visual Services.

Through this whole process Oklahoma One-Call has hired and trained ten people with disabilities to work as home-based Customer Service Representatives, which represents 25 percent of the organization's staff. Capitalizing on this success, Oklahoma One-Call is now opening an additional site in eastern Oklahoma that will employ ten more individuals, and has scheduled an additional training class open to anyone with a disability. As a result of these efforts, Oklahoma One-Call received special Commendation from the governor of Oklahoma, has been selected as the lead employer for the OKBLN and Employer of the Year from Oklahoma City.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Cincinnati Children's Hospital is dedicated to providing the highest level of pediatric care to meet the medical needs of infants, children and adolescents. The center employs more than 7,000 people in support, clinical care, teaching and research capacities. Seven years ago, Erin Riehle, then clinical director of the Emergency Department at Children's Hospital, struggled to solve a performance problem that plagued the efficient operation of the ER — the restocking of supplies in a timely and dependable manner.

It was no problem to fill these entry-level jobs with students and other part-time workers hoping to pursue careers in health care, however, their turnover was continuous due to the repetitious nature of this task. Then, Children's adopted a major diversity initiative in their hiring practices. At this time, the hospital adopted a policy statement from the American College of Healthcare Executives which reads, "Healthcare organizations must lead their communities in increasing employment opportunities for qualified persons with disabilities and advocate on behalf of their employment to other organizations."

Erin recognized that virtually every child with a disability is a customer at Children's at some point in their growing years, yet they encountered almost no role models with disabilities among the staff they saw. Though critically important, restocking of ER supplies was not valued nor reliably performed. Putting these factors together, she realized the solution to her staffing problem could also help fulfill the diversity mission of her hospital in a more complete way. This idea gave birth to Project SEARCH — a program that provides jobs for individuals with significant disability barriers to employment.

She also realized that the hospital would need community partners to achieve this goal. These partners recognized Children's Hospital as a highly desirable, large local employer with good jobs in a wide array of vocational areas that would result in a win-win situation for all. The

"Erin recognized that virtually every child with a disability is a customer at Children's at some point in their growing years, yet they encountered almost no role models with disabilities among the staff they saw."

partners committed themselves to providing staff who would be devoted to this employer and become truly knowledgeable about the work site.

Erin now serves as Director of Disability Services. Currently, more than 70 people with significant developmental disabilities are working as hospital employees through this program, with two staff providing on-the-job support services to these employees. On average, these individuals have been employed for five years and earn an average wage of over $8 per hour. Most are working approximately 32 hours per week and receive full benefits. They work in a wide range of positions that are often overlooked for people with developmental disabilities. Many of these require mastering complex functions, yet they are routine in nature, such as sterilization tech, department sticking, lab courier and clinical support staff.

From the hospital's point of view, the program has been enormously successful by improving performance in high-turnover, entry-level positions. The Project SEARCH employees have also had a low rate of absenteeism and been rated highly for their work ethic, accuracy and enthusiastic attitude. The program has helped the hospital achieve its diversity objectives and resulted in extensive local and national acclaim. And the collaborative model has benefited its community partners and their participants in achieving their objectives, as well. Other hospitals and employers around the country have begun requesting consultation from Project SEARCH to adopt this win-win model in collaboration with community partners. The program has demonstrated multiple and sustained benefits for the employer and the customers it serves, for the people hired and for the community.

Booz Allen Hamilton A global leader in management technology and consulting, Booz Allen Hamilton provides services to major international corporations and government clients around the world. With more than 16,000 employees on six continents, the company is privately held and headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Employing individuals from diverse populations has been a longstanding commitment for the firm. In fact, diversity is explicitly designated as one of the firm's core values, and is included in performance assessments, career planning and training, development and rewards programs. In fact, diversity competencies have been designed to help staff and managers leverage both cultural differences and multiple perspectives.

People with disabilities are part of Booz Allen's diverse population. They have a strong presence and representation through the employee-based Disability Forum, which provides educational and awareness opportunities, policy development and assists the firm in making significant changes in accessibility.

Booz Allen is also committed to providing opportunities to youth with disabilities. In 2001, Booz Allen created the Emerging Leaders Program, a paid summer internship program providing leadership development opportunities for students with disabilities. Since then, the firm has underwritten the application and selection process and has provided opportunities for the interns to meet national leaders with disabilities, such as Justin Dart and John Hockenberry. Booz Allen enlists other businesses throughout the nation to partner in hiring Emerging Leaders finalists. Exxon Mobil, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lockheed Martin, SunTrust Bank and others are among these corporate partners. Booz Allen also assists its clients in understanding and leveraging disability employment and marketing opportunities within their organizations.

"From the hospital's point of view, the program has been enormously successful by improving performance in high- turnover, entry-level positions. The Project SEARCH employees have also had a low rate of absenteeism and been rated highly for their work ethic, accuracy and enthusiastic attitude."

Getting Started In order for employers to be successful in incorporating disability into any organization's diversity initiatives, senior management support is crucial. Often the HR professional or hiring manager may realize the potential talent by including people with disabilities in the workforce, but leadership support is necessary to make this activity a part of the culture.

When promoting this to senior management, key areas of focus are:

pending or current skilled labor force shortages, the aging workforce, the value placed on intellectual capital, best practices of competitors, expanding marketplace opportunities, and increasing workforce diversity by including this untapped talent pool.

Training and education will be required to overcome any misconceptions or fears. Disability as a component of diversity must have its firm foundation in the business case: it cannot exist as an HR or social program. Target specific high turnover or "difficult to recruit" positions, determine the essential functions of these jobs and develop partnerships with local service providers, such as the state vocational rehabilitation agency, to recruit qualified candidates. Enlist the support of supplemental staffing firms, such as Manpower, Inc., to proactively recruit and assign individuals with disabilities to the organization. Join a Business Leadership Network (BLN) chapter to take advantage of business-to-business networking and support that will enable the organization's efforts to expand its disability outreach. Look for resources and find ways to tap the talents of people with disabilities.

SIDEBAR: Resources for Hiring and Retaining People with Disabilities

U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) — a national non-profit employer organization that educates chapters/businesses on the business case for employing people with disabilities. www.usbln.com

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Workplace Preparation (CWP) — A grant- based, non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that focuses on workforce development and quality education issues. It assists chambers of commerce in the development of workforce strategies so their members can hire, train, retain and advance workers with skills to compete in the 21st century. www.uschamber.com/cwp

Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU RRTC) — Identifies factors that enhance or inhibit businesses from tapping into a pool of potential employees. It is a gateway to information, resources and services regarding the employment of people with disabilities. www.worksupport.com

Job Accommodation Network — A free consulting service designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities by providing businesses with individualized worksite accommodations solutions. www.jan.wvu.edu

Emerging Leaders Internship Program — Partners with businesses and non-profit organizations to offer meaningful internship and leadership development opportunities to students with disabilities. www.emerging-leaders.org

Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities — A consortium composed of large and small universities, well-known national employers and U.S. Government agencies focused on the career employment of college graduates with disabilities. www.cosdonline.org

American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD) — Promotes career development for students/job-seekers with disabilities nationwide through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration on International Disability Mentoring Day. www.aapd-dc.org