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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: a Shining Example of the Value of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> Diversity in Employment*<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> *By Dick Davis, Chairperson*<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> *National Federation of the Blind Employment Committee*<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> *From the author: Over the holidays, as I was reading the Little <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> Golden Book “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to my grandson Lucas, it <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> struck me that I could use Rudolph’s story in my talks because it has <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> everything to do with discrimination and the value of diversity in <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> employment. So here it is, slightly rewritten to serve that purpose. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> *<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a differently-abled individual who <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> faced discrimination and social ostracism because of his red nose. As <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> we all know, deer have beautiful shiny black noses. Rudolph’s was <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> shiny too, but it was red - so red that it actually glowed! While <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> this characteristic might have been regarded as beautiful in some <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> societies, it was a visible, ugly deformity in reindeer society. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> Because of it, Rudolph was mocked, humiliated, and disqualified from participating in reindeer games.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> To make things worse, Rudolph fell prey to this discrimination, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> internalized it, and took responsibility for his misfortune instead of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> realizing it was a problem of the larger society. Since he was <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> isolated at the North Pole Manufacturing Zone, there was no <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> organization of disabled reindeer to explain this to him. So when <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> Santa sought applications from reindeer to pull his sleigh, Rudolph <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> hid himself out of shame until all the candidates for the job had been selected.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> On Christmas Eve, a sudden fog, no doubt caused by global warming, <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> arose, impeding the progress of Santa and his team. But when Rudolph <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> came out of hiding, Santa immediately realized the practical value of <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> his “disability”, and hired him as lead worker for the sleigh team. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> The other reindeer, realizing that they had foolishly overlooked an <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> individual with the exact skill set to enable them to achieve their <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> mission, welcomed him to the team.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> Were it not for Rudolph, the team would have failed to achieve their <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> all-important Christmas objective, resulting in global disappointment <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> to all the good little girls and boys. But because of Santa’s wisdom <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> in understanding that difference could be an asset rather than a <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> limitation, they succeeded. And they memorialized this organizational <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>> achievement by creating a song which continues to be sung by children today.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Steve and Shannon Cook<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Steve on Dice World: Steve6009<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Steve on Twitter: @SteveCook67<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Today I married my best friend. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The one that I laugh with, live for, love.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>October 11, 2003 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>