<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";
panose-1:3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Whitney SSm 4r";}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:8.0pt;
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.BalloonTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>This came from the Wall Street Journal. I find it interesting, but how true is it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Michelle</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><a name="OLE_LINK1"></a><a name="OLE_LINK2"></a><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>New C-Suite Mandate: Accessibility</span><span style='font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>IBM’s Frances West Says Demand Is Rising for Easy-to-Use Technology<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:15.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Whitney SSm 4r";color:#666666'>‘We’ve embedded accessibility into the basic training for new designers,’ says Ms. West. </span><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Whitney SSm 4r";color:#666666;text-transform:uppercase'>IBM </span></i><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Whitney SSm 4r";color:#666666'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>By<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Lauren Weber<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:43.5pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The Wall Street Journal<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Oct. 19, 2014 4:46 p.m. ET <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Here’s a C-suite role you may never have heard of: chief accessibility officer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>But as demographic and regulatory developments bring disability issues squarely into the workplace—and the marketplace—companies will find themselves paying closer attention, says Frances West, who was appointed CAO at </span><a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/IBM"><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>International Business Machines </span></a><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Corp. in July.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>The 57-year-old Ms. West, who began her career as an engineer at IBM in 1979, is responsible for making sure IBM delivers products and services that people of all ages and abilities can use. She also guides efforts to make IBM’s own workplace accessible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>She spoke to The Wall Street Journal about this emerging role. Here are edited excerpts:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Market Sensitivity<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: Why did IBM create this position?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: One reason is demographics. We see the emergence of the aging population on one end, and on the other end the millennials. They’re very socially conscious, so the topic of mainstreaming people with different abilities is very natural for them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Second, the U.S. has new regulations for federal contractors [requiring them to aim for 7% of the workforce being people with disabilities]. And we see new legislation and policies globally—in Europe, Canada, Australia and China.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Last, we’re a technology company, and the proliferation of mobile is relevant to disability. It has [changed how we think about] ease of use and accessibility, and making sure that our technology is adaptive and available for anyone to use anytime, anyplace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: How do you get engineers and designers to accept this mandate?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: We’ve embedded accessibility into the basic training for new designers. It used to be you tested for accessibility after you finished developing the product. That’s too late. It has to be considered from the start.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: What does IBM need to do better when it comes to serving customers with disabilities?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: The challenge in general is the whole buy-in of accessibility as a very user-experience-based concept. It’s coming at us a lot faster than we anticipated. The market is creating demand for IBM to respond, so I think it’s really a speed issue. We have all the components to continue our leadership, but the speed of recognizing the market demand and the speed of responding to it is the focus here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'><img border=0 width=700 height=378 id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CFEDD4.9314D760" alt="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/CS-AA039_ACCESS_9U_20141016162108.jpg">ENLARGE <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: What is slowing it down?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: There are a lot of competing interests like in any organization. It isn’t so much slowing it down, it’s the understanding that the market is here and now. Sometimes when you do something for a long time, you may not be as sensitive to what the market is asking for. If we can dial up our sensitivity meter it will be a great thing because we’ve done the hard work and the investment, so really it’s just the time to respond. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: How is the regulatory landscape changing?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: The watershed was December 2006, when the United Nations passed the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. I equate it to the Kyoto Treaty for the green movement. When that treaty was signed, you saw an unleashing of creativity and innovation for green businesses. We see a similar situation happening [in the disability arena].<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: On your first day, you went to Washington to urge the Senate to ratify the treaty. Why?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: We’re talking about a human-rights issue, and technology is a very important underpinning of making this principle come alive. If we don’t sign the treaty, we won’t have the opportunity to influence the technology standards that will be established in this area. We want to be at the table. This isn’t the time to shut ourselves off from this global discussion. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>A Reason to Innovate<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: What do companies need to do to make their workplaces more accessible?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: I think people respond very well to a leader who says that this is important for the company, not just for the purpose of hiring but it’s good for the business. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: “Reasonable accommodation” for people with disabilities often gets employers in legal trouble. How does IBM think about that?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: If you leave it to individual managers to accommodate, it can be very time-consuming and costly. And frankly, it can also be a situation where it’s a disincentive for the manager to hire, especially if they’re overworked and have to spend extra time figuring out how to understand accessibility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>That’s why large companies need to centralize decision support. If you’re a manager in IBM and you want to hire a person with a disability, and there’s a cost associated with it—for example, buying a screen reader—that cost will come out of a centralized budget. We also created a global app called Accessible Workplace Connection. Anyone can log on, whether they’re a new hire or a manager trying to procure an accommodation for an employee. It walks you through the accommodations that are available and how to put them in place.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>WSJ: How does a CAO get the attention of the top leaders?</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>MS. WEST: We want to challenge the notion that this is a low-level compliance play. It isn’t an HR or niche initiative. Our experience is, if you think about it differently, you can view this as a reason for innovation and then translate that into business differentiation. And that’s how we get to the C-suites and people who influence resources and budgets.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>Ms. Weber is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York. She can be reached at </span></i><a href="mailto:lauren.weber@wsj.com" target="_new"><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>lauren.weber@wsj.com</span></i></a><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'>.</span></i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style='border-top:solid black 1.0pt;border-left:none;border-bottom:solid black 1.0pt;border-right:none;padding:5.0pt 0in 5.0pt 0in'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:13.5pt;background:white'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank You,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy"'>Michelle Clark<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Information Technology Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Section 508 Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Office of the Chief Information Officer </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>USDA / Natural Resources Conservation Service<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>1400 Independence Ave. SW. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Rm. 1669-S<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Washington, DC. 20250 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>O: 202 2609014<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>E-mail: </span><a href="mailto:michelle.clark@wdc.usda.gov"><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>michelle.clark@wdc.usda.gov</span></a><span style='font-size:9.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>To learn more about Section 508, go to </span><a href="http://www.section508.gov"><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>www.section508.gov</span></a><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>“Because your own strength is unequal to the task do not assume it is beyond the powers of man; but if anything is in the powers and province of man, believe it is within your own compass also!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Marcus Aurelius Antoninus<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><br><br><br><br>This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>