[NFBP-Talk] hiring people

Fri Dec 28 17:36:54 UTC 2018

Hiring People With Disabilities Is Good Business

Article link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/27/opinion/disability-rights-employment.html
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XCI1OGM1NjFmNGQyZTMxNTEyYzdiNjkwZjc1ZTU5MTcxZjM1NGE0MzIzXCJdfSJ9> 

Microsoft, Bank of America and CVS are just a few big companies that profit
from their proactive employment practices.

For years, companies have maintained low expectations about hiring people
with disabilities. Most of these companies believed that employees with
disabilities could not perform well in the workplace and that actively
hiring them would drag company performance and profits down.

Thankfully, over time, many employers have come to understand that these
perceptions are untrue. And new research strongly suggests that the opposite
— that hiring people with disabilities is good for business.

A recent study has shown, for the first time, that companies that championed
people with disabilities actually outperformed others — driving
profitability and shareholder returns. Revenues were 28 percent higher, net
income 200 percent higher, and profit margins 30 percent higher. Companies
that improved internal practices for disability inclusion were also four
times more likely to see higher total shareholder returns.

These findings, presented in a report from Accenture, in partnership with
Disability: IN
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3YWQwMzIwYTUyZmU5MmVjOWNmZThjMjE3NmQ2Yzc4YTU3NThkXCJdfSJ9>  and the American
Association of People with Disabilities
<https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.aapd.com?p=eyJzIjoiMFpwTHJ
0NnZMZEZaSjJMZmV2MFl5aGRidGpVIiwidiI6MSwicCI6IntcInVcIjozMDQ4OTk3NSxcInZcIjo
xLFwidXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5hYXBkLmNvbVxcXC9cIixcImlkXCI6XCJjMTl
jMzExMThiMTM0ZDllYTkwZWZhZDVkMzBjNmYyN1wiLFwidXJsX2lkc1wiOltcIjVmOGY1MmRiZDg
yMjJkNGE5NzY0MWU5MGQ0NDNjMWY4N2Y2ZmJhNWRcIl19In0> , give companies a new
reason to hire people with disabilities. The results are based on an
analysis of the financial performance of 140 companies that averaged annual
revenues of $43 billion and participated in the Disability Equality Index
<https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.disabilityequalityindex.or
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ZmFkNWQzMGM2ZjI3XCIsXCJ1cmxfaWRzXCI6W1wiZTY1Zjk3MGY3NTdkMjU0N2YyMzQwMmQ0MDhm
ZDMxODliY2Q2ODM1ZVwiXX0ifQ> , an annual benchmarking tool that objectively
rates company disability policies and practices.

What exactly are these exemplary companies doing?

Well, Bank of America brought together 300 people with intellectual
disabilities to create a support services team to manage fulfillment
services and external client engagement. Microsoft built a successful
disability hiring program specifically for people on the autism spectrum.
The program, designed to attract talent, is a multiday, hands-on academy
that gives candidates an opportunity to meet hiring managers and learn about
the company as an employer of choice. And CVS Health refocused its training
programs to capitalize on characteristics — creativity, problem-solving
ability and loyalty — that people with disabilities often demonstrate.

The new research identifies five common denominators among such
organizations. First, they hire people with disabilities, ensuring that
they’re represented in the workplace. Second, they carry out practices that
encourage and advance those employees. Third, they provide accessible tools
and technologies, paired with a formal accommodations program. Fourth, they
generate awareness through recruitment efforts, disability education
programs and grass-roots-led initiatives. Fifth, they create empowering
environments through mentoring and coaching initiatives.

I lost my leg to bone cancer at age 12. Since then, I have fought, as a
citizen, attorney and legislator, for the civil rights of people with
disabilities. All of us deserve to be valued equally and provided the
opportunity to participate fully in our society.

I was brought up in the disability rights movement. My uncle, President John
F. Kennedy, left an important legacy on this front. Influenced by his
experiences with his sister, Rosemary, President Kennedy witnessed firsthand
how differently she was treated — how often she was ignored and excluded. He
became the first president to make equality and social justice for people
with disabilities a priority for his administration.

The last law that he signed before he died was the Community Mental Health
Act, which called for an end to “custodial isolation” and created America’s
network of community mental health centers. Congress has since passed more
than 120 laws expanding disability rights, forever changing public
attitudes.

But it was only when I went to college in the 1970s that I came of age
politically and really thought about the issue of disability rights. It
happened after I heard Judith Heumann, a disability rights advocate who
contracted polio as an infant, give a speech and call disability a civil
rights issue. I’d never heard that comparison before. I realized that
millions of disabled people were unjustly being left out of daily life. Ms.
Heumann inspired me to become an advocate myself.

I committed myself to this cause because of people like Joseph Pabin. He
graduated from college with a degree in computer science and a 3.5 grade
point average, an impressive résumé that easily got him in the door for job
interviews. But once he showed up, interviewers noticed his speech
impediment and told him they doubted he could successfully interact with
customers. Mr. Pabin looked for a full-time job for three years without
finding one, and his self-esteem plummeted. Ultimately, he contacted Bender
Consulting Services, a career placement company that recruits, screens and
hires people with disabilities for professional positions with private
sector and government employers. Highmark offered him a full-time position
in information technology. He has thrived at the company, working directly
with customers, for four years now.

As we head into the new year, it’s important to recognize how far we’ve
come. Twenty-eight years ago, the Americans With Disabilities Act was
passed, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities. I
still remember standing alongside my father in the Rose Garden watching
President George H.W. Bush sign the bill into law, forever engraving it into
his legacy.

But when it comes to employment, a cornerstone of the American dream, we
have failed to live up to the promise of this historic law. Many employers
have yet to recognize that people with disabilities can contribute
economically if sought out and accommodated. Americans with disabilities — a
population of 50 million people, more than one in every five — still face
numerous challenges in entering and participating in the work force.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
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MFwiXX0ifQ> , only 29 percent of Americans ages 16 to 64 with a disability
were employed as of June 2018, compared with nearly 75 percent of those
without a disability. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities who
are actively seeking work is 9.2 percent — more than twice as high as for
those without a disability (4.2 percent).

The United States labor market is at its strongest in decades, and possibly
ever. But all too many people with disabilities remain without jobs. The
Accenture analysis reveals this inspiring statistic: Hiring only 1 percent
of the 10.7 million people with disabilities has the potential to boost the
G.D.P. by an estimated $25 billion.

Once companies are aware of these potential economic benefits, they should
be motivated to bring persons with disabilities into the work force to
thrive as never before. Hiring them also gives companies fresh insights into
developing and marketing products and services that meet the needs and
preferences of consumers with disabilities — the third-largest market
segment in the United States, according to the Office of Disability
Employment Policy
<https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.dol.gov?p=eyJzIjoiYTgxX0p4
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OWMxOTk3MTE0MzYzMWYzY2Q5XCJdfSJ9> . To start, corporations should
participate in the Disability Equality Index.

As a New Year’s resolution for corporate America, it’s hard to do better
than to pledge to hire people with disabilities. Yes, we can do it because
it always feels good to do what’s right. But now it turns out that reaching
this next frontier for corporate social responsibility is also good
business.

<https://mandrillapp.com/track/open.php?u=30489975&id=c19c31118b134d9ea90efa
d5d30c6f27> 

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