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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

What Will YOU Do? Focus on Ability

By Guest Blogger Tracie Saab, Job Accommodation Network (JAN)


We each have a role to play and benefits to gain by improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I know - you’re wondering, “Me? What can I do to make a difference?” You (yes, YOU) have the power to shape attitudes about ability, to mentor a young person with a disability, to change the way people think about disability and employment and ultimately, to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The ideas we perpetuate about disability and employment impact successful employment outcomes – either individually through our own positive or negative beliefs about ability or through the assumptions of others who have the power to make employment decisions.
When you were young, were there people who influenced your perception of what you could do when you grew up or played a role in helping you plan for employment? Was there someone, maybe a coach, teacher or mentor, who challenged you to aim high and dream big? When we focus on ability – what we can do – our perspective is wide-open. When young people are told they can achieve, they can win, they can dream - then they will set their sights high and aim to be the best they can be. The same is true for people who are given the opportunity to put their abilities ahead of their disability in the workplace. We influence these aspirations by the way we treat people and by creating opportunities for people to achieve success on the job.
A new public outreach campaign is showing employers that it pays to foster an inclusive and flexible work culture that considers the needs of all employees – including those with disabilities. The Campaign for Disability Employment, a newly-formed collaborative of leading disability and business organizations, has launched What Can YOU Do?, a national effort designed to promote the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities and challenge assumptions about disability and employment. The partners in the Campaign have come together around the common belief that at work, it’s what people can do that matters. People with disabilities want to work and their talents and abilities will positively impact businesses both financially and organizationally.
Myths about disability and employment and attitudinal barriers and negative stereotypes continue to impact employment opportunities for qualified people with disabilities. We can all do our part to change these misperceptions by reminding young people with disabilities that they have the skills to pursue meaningful careers and play an important role in America’s economic success. We can also encourage employers to recognize the value and talent people with disabilities bring to the workplace, as well as what can be realized by fully including everyone. Every day, people with disabilities can and do add value to America’s workplaces.
So what can YOU do to support this effort and improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities?
You can join the effort and support the Campaign by being an ambassador of the What Can YOU Do? message. The Campaign’s Web site, www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org, offers a range of education and outreach tools, designed to engage employers, people with disabilities, families, educators and the general public in the effort. It features practical ideas and resources to support the Campaign’s goal of promoting positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Also available are video public service announcements (PSAs) including the Campaign’s “I Can” PSA – featuring seven people with disabilities, not actors, sharing what they “can do” on the job when given the opportunity – and “Meet Sue", winner of the What Can YOU Do? Video Contest. We encourage everyone to share these videos.
Please join the Campaign for Disability Employment in its mission to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by visiting the What Can YOU Do? Web site to access resources to assist in recruiting, retaining and advancing skilled, qualified employees and by sharing the important message that, “At work, it’s what people can do that matters.”
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN FOR DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT:
The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort among several disability and business organizations that seek to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace, as well as the dividend to be realized by fully including people with disabilities at work. These partners include:
• American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
• National Business and Disability Council (NBDC)
• National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
• National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• Special Olympics (SO)
• U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN)
The Campaign is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP); receives technical assistance from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN); and is supported by the Disability Policy Research Center at West Virginia University.
Tracie Saab is the Project Manager for the Campaign for Disability Employment, funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor. She works to establish collaborative partnerships among disability and business organizations to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Before managing the Campaign, Tracie served for many years as a Job Accommodation Network (JAN) consultant and national speaker on accommodation and disability employment issues.
Posted by Diana Z. on Apr 7, 2010 12:11:50 PM in Employment | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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