[nfbmi-talk] then why is he on nish board?

Terry D. Eagle terrydeagle at yahoo.com
Tue Oct 22 07:24:29 UTC 2013


This article hails Meijer, Inc. as a leader in innovation and employment for
persons with disabilities, However, the human resources of Meijer, Inc.
certainly has its' ignorance and prejudices when it comes to blindness, as
one person at the Lansing food processing facility summarily determined upon
meeting a blind person, that a blind person could not possibily perform such
jobs as food processing.  Perhaps before Meijer, Inc. is hailed as a hero in
employment for jobs for persons with disabilities, they need to train the
Meijer, Inc. human resources to take off the blinders toward blindness, and
put on the blindfold of blindness, to experience and learn that persons with
blindness are capable of doing the type of jobs Meijer, Inc. offers for
employment, in addition to training human resource staff in the
non-discrimination law provisions of this state and nation.  Meijer, Inc. is
not to big to be exempt from failure to comply with the law, and adequately
train their staff in such non-discrimination provisions, especially those
Meijer, Inc. staff engaged in the recruitment and employment decision
positions of the company.

The example above would be a wonderful opportunity for BS4BP to do effective
education about the capabilities of blind persons, through in-service
training and consultation with  a statewide employer, with the potential for
well paid meaningful jobs for BS4BP clients, however, instead of BS4BP
hiring and effectively training job placement specialists to educate and
demonstrate the skill and willingness of blind persons to want work over
welfare, The BS4BP is busy hiring incompetent highly paid administrators,
with no training in skills of blindness, and leaving unused millions of
rehabilitation dollars on the table at the end of each fiscal year, rather
than using such administrator salaries and unused rehabilitation funds for
blind persons, to establish meaningful consumer-centered service positions,
along with appropriate staff and consumer education and demonstrated
training in skills of blindness, which would achieve both BS4BP staff
effectively assisting BS4BP consumers, and consumers to locate and compete
for jobs and careers in the employment sector of society.     

It is only when the state policy and decision-makers realize and make
consumer-centered services a priority and way of program administration,
that we shall realize a demonstrated and measurable impact and decline in
the percentage and number of unemployed and underemployed persons with
disabilities in this state.  Such an impact shall never be achieved while
the state is on a path of bloated administration, rather than a
consumer-centered service focus, subminimum wage sheltered sweatshop work
for consumers, rather than appropriately trained and placed consumers and
employers alike within the competitive workforce, and the demise and burial
of the WORK-TO-WELFARE  attitude and practices toward persons with
disabilities in this state by politicians, state administrators, and staff
of programs and services designed to serve the training, employment, and
career needs and dreams of persons with disabilities.

I know the TRUTH hurts, but its' realization will also set the captive free,
both the administrator and consumer!

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of joe
harcz Comcast
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2013 12:16 PM
To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] then why is he on nish board?

Elmer Cerano People with disabilities deserve good jobs | Lansing State
Journal | lansingstatejournal.com

 

Written by

 

Elmer Cerano is executive director of Michigan Protection and Advocacy
Service Inc.

 

 

People with disabilities are drastically underrepresented in the workforce
despite having marketable skills and an honest desire to work.

 

Current estimates indicate that more than 80 percent of people with
disabilities in Michigan, and more than 70 percent nationwide, are
unemployed.

 

Michigan's rate of unemployment for people with disabilities is horrifying,
especially since Michigan is the only state in the nation that guarantees
mandatory

special education for students with disabilities through the age of 26 -
well above the national mandate of providing special education through the
age

of 21.

 

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

 

Raising awareness, however, is only the first step in creating meaningful
policy reforms that will lead to full employment for people with
disabilities.

When I say full employment, I am not talking about "made-work activities",
day programs or segregated work centers.

 

I am talking about new ways to increase productivity for all people with
disabilities through unique job matching approaches and the proper use of
technology

such as touch-screen monitors and picture icons and more automation. Such
innovative efforts allow people with disabilities to work alongside people
without

disabilities and to earn a prevailing, fair wage.

 

This year's disability employment awareness theme of "Because We Are EQUAL
to the Task" is a declaration that, with new innovations in job matching,
people

with disabilities can be valuable assets in making local businesses and
corporations profitable. People with disabilities are a vast untapped
workforce

who want an opportunity to prove their abilities and to earn a fair wage
and, much like their temporarily able-bodied peers, want to be a part of the
economic

growth and prosperity of this state.

 

Despite recent strides in creating new community employment opportunities
for people with disabilities, segregated work centers ("sheltered
workshops")

are still considered by some to be acceptable alternatives to gainful
integrated community employment.

(Page 2 of 2)

 

Because of the antiquated 14(c) waiver to the Fair Labor Standards Act
(FLSA), it is still legal for people with disabilities to be paid below the
federal

minimum wage. This waiver legally allows people with disabilities to be paid
based on their levels of productivity - not a bad idea when first enacted

more than 60 years ago - but it fails to encourage job matches and
technology that enhance productivity. It is time we look at doing a better
job of matching

the person's skills and interests to a job where their productivity can be
maximized.

 

The next step for Michigan following the October employment awareness
campaign is to study the successes of employment strategies currently under
way at

places such as Meijer Inc. Their efforts to hire people with significant
disabilities are evolving as a national model by creating a dynamic and
inclusive

workforce where they work with each employee as an individual to provide a
proper job fit, according to their abilities. Meijer is also a founding
member

of a knowledge exchange group consisting of leaders from large retailers all
over the country, which focuses on promoting best practices for hiring
people

with significant disabilities.

 

In addition, we need to put forth and implement statewide policies which
increase competitive, integrated employment in the community as the
preferred outcome

for all people with disabilities. Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service,
Inc. continues to advocate for increased numbers of people with disabilities

who earn competitive, prevailing wages in integrated settings located within
the community but action in the form of concrete legislation promoting this

goal is long overdue.

 

Michigan's unacceptable high rate of unemployment for people with
disabilities can be corrected by innovative ideas in finding the best job
match that maximizes

productivity and earnings for people with disabilities. Michigan's 26 years
of special education entitlement and efforts by Michigan Rehabilitation
Services

must break with past patterns of lowered expectations of the abilities and
the earning potential of people with disabilities.

 

Source:

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20131012/OPINION02/310120041/Elme
r-Cerano-People-disabilities-deserve-good-jobs
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