New Dolls on the Block

By William Lee Adams Thursday, Mar. 19, 2009

CONTROVERSIAL: Toymakers argue their dolls normalize disability, but some parents say they pigeonhole kids. What do YOU think?

Emily Keegin

Ever since Barbie and her reality-defying curves stepped into the playhouse, parents have complained that dolls promote an unattainable image of beauty. It's a particularly piquant point for Lexington, South Carolina mother Mary Ann Perry, whose 23-year-old daughter Valerie lives with Down Syndrome. "Dolls represent real people in the imagination of a young person," Perry says. "I don't want Valerie to think she has to be conventionally beautiful to be loved."

So when Valerie asked for a doll at Christmas, her mother bypassed buxom Barbie and purchased Elizabeth (retail price: $175) from S.C.-based retailer Downi Creations. Featuring 13 physical characteristics of Down Syndrome, including almond-shaped eyes, low-set ears, a horizontal crease in her palms and a slightly protruding tongue. Elizabeth, says Perry, is "different but beautiful at the same time." (See pictures of Barbie's 50 years.)

She's also one of a new breed of dolls targeted at special-needs kids. Parents in the U.S. and Europe are snapping up Down Syndrome dolls, blind babies, paraplegic dolls in wheelchairs and dolls wearing scarves as if undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

"There's a therapeutic impact," says Helga Parks, who sells more than 2,000 Down Syndrome and Chemo Friends a year through her online Helga's European Specialty Toys. Parks believes her products boost a child's self-esteem by normalizing their condition, and foster understanding among peers: "They take away the fear and sense of alienation for both parties."


While toy sales have been hit by the downturn, special-needs dolls are doing well. Sales at Downi Creations remained steady in 2008, while Kids Like Me, a U.K. retailer, sold 25% more dolls last year than in 2007. Among its hottest items are the Disability Set — which comes with two dolls, a guide dog, dark glasses and leg braces; and Tilley, who uses an electric wheelchair. "She's jazzy, she's modern, she's now," says company director Emmanuel Blackman.


Or is she? Special-needs dolls, and Down Syndrome dolls in particular, have come in for criticism from parents who believe they pigeonhole their children and rely on stereotypes. "It's a scary image for a lot of families," says Sheila Hebein, the executive director of the Chicago-based National Association for Down Syndrome. "They're highlighting differences that do not exist in all of our children. Certainly most do not have their tongues hanging out." In fact, she says, many work hard in therapy to improve muscle tone so they can better control their mouths. (Dollmaker Parks offers a nonprotruding option.)


Annette Hames, a British psychologist and an expert on how children conceive disability, says that anyone, special needs or not, would struggle to identify with these "odd-looking" dolls. Besides, she says, "Down Syndrome isn't about what you look like. It's about what you can and cannot do."


Despite such criticism, dollmakers remain unfazed. Peter Laudin, owner of the New York-based Pattycake Doll Company, says offended parents bring their own prejudices to the dolls, perhaps because of their personal difficulty accepting a child's situation. "Nothing we respond with satisfies their hurt," he says. But for kids who receive the dolls, that's beside the point. "Children love all dolls unconditionally whether it's special needs or not," Laudin says. Retailers hope adults share that openness, too.

TWO MAGIC QUESTIONS TO HIRING?

Steve Wunderlink gives us TREMENDOUS INSIGHT into the reality of what we are REALLY looking for when hiring...how we choose WHO WE HIRE, and maybe most importantly, he gives us food for thought...on who WE ARE!

He breaks down hiring into JUST TWO QUESTIONS...(based on experience and skill)...read on to figure out just WHERE YOU FIT IN.....and WHAT THOSE QUESTIONS ARE!

And as always, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Hiring

from http://themoralbusiness.blogspot.com/2009/03/hiring-part-one.html

by Steve Wunderlink

The nervous twenty-something sat down at a chair I offered him in the break room of the factory where I was hiring. Within a few seconds of meeting him I had a pretty good idea of whether I was going to hire him or not. Some had resumes and ties, some had torn jeans and a ratty shirt, but most had a scared look on their faces.

I set them at ease with an offer of something to drink before we sat down and began the interview. After doing hundreds of interviews and hiring dozens of new employees into the company I got pretty good at getting to know people quickly. Let me give you a few quick observations about hiring for jobs.

Resumes are for pinheads. Any good manager can tell more from a handshake and a look in the eye then they could ever from a resume. Only in the MOST technical of jobs do you even need to know any kind of proficiency in tech stuff. You can ALWAYS teach someone to fix and maintain but you can RARELY teach guts, brains, perseverance and interpersonal skills. I know a lot of idiots with great resumes and there “ain’t no fix for stupid.”

Never trust educational background. With less than 50% of our high school graduates knowing how to read and most universities teaching you political views instead of calculus; I would never trust education. Most people learn to take tests. “Will this be on the exam?” And they forget as soon as the last paper is handed in. How much education and where you got it isn’t important. My degrees are more a testament to my perseverance and patience than they are to my knowledge.

Be prejudiced. Hire based on certain prejudices. I am NOT talking about skin color or gender, which makes no difference. I am talking about hiring the RIGHT people for the RIGHT job, whoever that may be. I have felt pressures from every front to hire people who were not right for the job but they were “right” for some other reason. I was asked to hire a person because their family worked in the company, because they came from a certain school, because I needed more minorities in my departments, because they had seniority, and even because they just needed a break. Resist the pressure against hiring the RIGHT person for the RIGHT job, be prejudiced.

Get under their skin. So many interviews I have been in, on both sides of the table, never get under the skin at what the person is really like. How do you get to know a person in that short of time? They walk in. Are they late, RIGHT on time, or early? You see how they are dressed. Are they OVER dressed, appropriate, or UNDER dressed? You shake their hand. Is it strong and confident, wimpy fish-like, crushing, or Monkish where they wipe after they shake?

You look them in the eyes. Are they scared, averted, piercing and deep, or bloodshot? You offer them a drink. Do they graciously accept and thank you, decline and thank you, offer to pay, or have their own and pull out a JB from their pocket. You sit down with them. Do they slouch, sit at attention, cross arms and legs, lean towards you or lean away from you?

You haven’t said a word yet but you probably know whether you are going to hire them based on the first few minutes of meeting them. I am now ready for the interview. Sometimes they surprise me and wipe out my first impressions but usually I have only two questions for them ...

I am now ready for the interview. Sometimes they surprise me and wipe out my first impressions but usually I have only two questions for them...

When I was interviewed and trained to DO interviews I was given a book of questions to ask or choose from. I started with the book and the interview took over and hour and I would dutifully write down their answers so I could consult it later and remember why I hired them in the first place ... how stupid is that.

Here are some stupid questions to ask in an interview:
- Are you a self starter?
- Do you consider yourself a people person?
- Are you a leader?
- Are you a Green Bay Packers fan?
- Do you have a problem with overtime?
- Did you get good grades in school?

All of these questions will get only one response. They are basically an intelligence test and not interview questions. If ANY ONE answers "no" to these questions don't hire them. These are leading questions and don't get under the skin of the person.

Here are some good questions:
- Define integrity.
- What is on your bookshelf right now?
- Who needs you?
- Tell me about a time when you got in over your head and what you did about it.
- What is the greatest event in your life so far?

When I was a rookie I had the first set of questions and wondered why I really didn't know my new employee. When I became a little seasoned I evolved to the second set of questions and enjoyed the people I worked with. After hundreds of interviews I broke even those questions down into just two. Two questions told me what I needed to know about the person beyond the non-verbal's described in the last column. Two questions to get below the surface:
- What do you expect from me, your boss?
- What can I expect from you, my employee?

Confused? Not really, you can find out a lot about a person from those two questions. See if you can tell which I would hire based on the following answers.

What do you expect from me, your boss?
- A paycheck
- A chance to prove myself
- Two weeks paid vacation
- A company car
- Experience, guidance, and knowledge

What can I expect from you, my employee?
- My best, everyday
- Eight hours, minus breaks of course
- My support of you, to make YOU look good
- Loyalty
- The extra mile
- 40 hours a week, with time and a half for more

Which would you hire? Maybe the more important question is: Which are you?

Steve Wunderlink
themoralbusiness.blogspot.com

Bill would require Oregon universities to interview at least one minority football coach candidate

Rachel Bachman wrote this article for the Oregonian, (at www.oregonlive.com), and I have to admit...I think she hit the nail on the head with this one.

Since this is a blog - I can safely tell you (hopefully without losing you to boredom) that this morning on my way to work I pondered JUST THIS QUESTION...What then, if affirmative action isn't "fair" to qualified minority applicants....then what is the alternative?

And I thought, "How about a LAW that companies must INTERVIEW minority applicants?!" I was Oh, So Proud.....until....

Alas, I don't have an original idea, but it is HOPEFUL, is it not, that Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, drafted JUST THAT measure at the behest of constituent Sam Sachs, a former college football player and minority-rights activist.

I LIKE IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Bill would require Oregon universities to interview at least one minority football coach candidate

by Rachel Bachman, The Oregonian

www.oregonlive.com, rachelbachman@news.oregonian.com

The Oregon Legislature plans to introduce a bill this week that would require universities to interview at least one minority candidate before hiring a head football coach. If it passes, Oregon would become the first state with such a law.
House Bill 3118 is patterned after the NFL's Rooney Rule, which helped transform the league's head coaching ranks after being implemented in 2003.

Oregon's bill aims to diversify hiring in major college football, where seven of 120 head coaches are minorities.

Richard Lapchick, founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics In Sport at University of Central Florida, said the bill could push the NCAA to drop its resistance to enacting a similar rule.

"I think it's very significant and very welcome by people who have been fighting for this for a long time," Lapchick said.

Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, drafted the measure at the behest of constituent Sam Sachs, a former college football player and minority-rights activist.
"It seems to me it only makes sense," Greenlick said. "Because (the Rooney Rule) has had an effect and because I don't think minority coaches have been given a fair shake in Oregon, certainly in football."

Oregon's bill would cover the six state universities with football teams: Oregon, Oregon State, Portland State, Eastern Oregon, Western Oregon and Southern Oregon.
The bill contains an exception for a school "bound by contract to promote a member of the institution's current coaching staff." Call it the Oregon Out: In December, the Ducks promised their head coaching job to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly when Mike Bellotti becomes the school's athletic director.

The bill grew out of Sachs' frustration over the speedy hire of Jerry Glanville in 2007 as Portland State's football coach. Sachs said he has nothing against Glanville but decried the lack of a more inclusive search for such a prominent job.

Ironically, Portland State hired one of the nation's first African American head football coaches: Ron Stratten in 1972. But since he resigned after the 1974 season, most of the state's head football coaches have been white. Neither Oregon nor Oregon State has had a minority head football coach.

Rob Cashell, athletic director at Eastern Oregon, said the bill might help his department.

"I think if qualified minorities knew that they were going to have a possibility to interview, they might take a closer look at schools such as ours -- that Oregon has this law and there's an opportunity there. It might strengthen the pool of candidates."

Sachs, who has a black studies degree from Portland State and teaches about diversity at the Oregon State Police Academy, lobbied administrators and wrote letters to the editor about the need to open head-coach searches. But the former fullback at Western Oregon didn't get much traction.

Sachs said he thought about suing to push the issue. But, he said, "I'm not black and I'm not a coach."

So Sachs approached legislators about writing a bill, using his 2005 experience as an intern in Oregon Sen. Avel Gordly's office.

If passed, the measure could slow down and open up football head-coaching searches, which are often quick and secretive. Sachs said he got friendly receptions, though no endorsements, in meetings with OSU athletic director Bob De Carolis and UO athletic director Pat Kilkenny.

"I've been very surprised and pleased," Sachs said, "at how most people I have reached out to, whether it be athletic directors that I've talked to, or coaches, or legislators, they already seem to mentally be there. And they think, 'Yeah, this is a no-brainer. Of course.' So to me, that's encouraging, and it just reinforces my belief in people."

Unlike the Rooney Rule, which levies fines for teams that don't comply, Oregon's bill includes no penalties.

The ranks of minority coaches in the NBA and men's college basketball, sports with high numbers of African American athletes, have increased to the point where race is rarely discussed in hiring.

The NFL's minority hiring lagged until the 2003 adoption of the rule named for Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and chairman of the league's diversity committee.

Three years later, seven of the league's 32 head coaches were minorities -- 22 percent. In 2007 and 2009, African American head coaches led teams to Super Bowl victories.

Advocacy groups have decried the lack of similar progress in college football, where about 47 percent of players are African American but six percent of the coaches are. In January the New Jersey Legislature introduced a bill urging the NCAA to adopt the Rooney Rule. Oregon's bill would take that a step further and make it state law.
Greenlick said the bill has a good chance of passing.

"I don't see what should stop it," he said. "I mean, who's going to come in and oppose it? All you're asking them to do is when you're hiring a new coach and you're doing interviews, interview at least one minority candidate."

-- Rachel Bachman; rachelbachman@news.oregonian.com

Movie Production Companies Resolve Pregnancy EEOC Case

So, it's NOT "stranger than fiction" that Hollywood makes mistakes. You would think by now.....but that's why we have the EEOC! All employees should be aware of the role of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This government agency exists to ensure that all employees are treated fairly, regardless of age, disability, national origin, veteran status, pregnancy, race, religion, retaliation, sex and sexual harassment.

There is no cost to file a charge or talk to an EEOC representative. You can call 1-800-669-4000, or go online to www.eeoc.gov. You can send email to info@eeoc.gov.

The EEOC is ready and able to help.

Do YOU think the majority of employee's KNOW ABOUT THE EEOC?

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
PRESS RELEASE 2-12-09
www.EEOC.gov

MOVIE PRODUCTION COMPANIES RESOLVE PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION CASE WITH EEOC
“Stranger Than Fiction” Production Companies to Pay $75,000 to Pregnant Job Applicant

CHICAGO, Crick Pictures, L.L.C., and Mandate Pictures, L.L.C., will pay $75,000 to settle a federal pregnancy discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC’s suit had charged that movie production companies Crick and Mandate refused to hire a pregnant job applicant, Cynthia Castillo-Hill, for a position as an extras casting assistant after they learned that she was expecting a baby. Castillo-Hill sought work on the film Stranger Than Fiction, which stars Will Ferrell.


The EEOC’s evidence in this case which included an e-mail from the hiring supervisor showed that the defendants believed that Castillo-Hill’s pregnancy would prevent her from being able to handle the stress and long hours associated with the job though her own doctor had indicated that the job was appropriate, explained EEOC Chicago District Office head Jack C. Rowe.


EEOC Regional Attorney John Hendrickson, who oversees all litigation for Chicago District Office, added, “It is just this sort of stereotypical decision making by an employer that is prohibited by federal law, and for good reasons.” Pregnancy discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.


The consent decree settling the suit, signed by Judge Gottschall of U.S. District Court in Chicago today, provides that the defendants will pay the pregnant applicant and her attorneys a total of $75,000, less applicable taxes. The decree enjoins the companies from future pregnancy discrimination and retaliation. It also requires the defendants to provide training to their managers about the obligation to avoid discrimination. The EEOC suit was originally filed and captioned EEOC v. Crick Pictures, et al., Case No. 08 cv 5005, N.D. Illinois E. Div.


EEOC Trial Attorney Deborah Hamilton, who worked on the matter, said, “The Pregnancy Discrimination Act makes clear that pregnant job applicants must be judged on the basis of their job skills and abilities, not on the basis of their pregnancy. We are pleased that the defendants have joined in a voluntary resolution of this suit. All parties thus have saved further time and expense”.


EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney Gregory Gochanour, who managed the agency’s litigation of the case, added, Ms. Castillo-Hill will receive meaningful compensation, and through the consent decree, protections are in place to ensure that future discrimination is avoided.

Federal Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole in Chicago had presided over a settlement conference that led to the resolution of this case.

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, gender (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), religion, national origin, age, disability and retaliation. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Recession hitting minority job rolls

Have you been wondering how minorities are faring during this recession? What solutions does the federal stimulus package offer?

What do you think?

Chris Casey, a reporter for the Greeley Tribune has a finger on the pulse of the unemployment rate and what's in store for minorities...read on...

Recession hitting minority job rolls
By Chris Casey
Greeley Tribune
www.greeleytribune.com

Minorities rank disproportionately high on U.S. unemployment rolls, and without innovative programs to connect them to jobs, the gap could worsen under the massive federal stimulus package, according to a national Latino advocacy group.

Much of the $787 billion package’s job-training and educational investments are for existing programs, and those don’t always reach Latinos or other people with limited English-speaking skills, said Catherine Singley, a policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza’s Employment and Economic Policy Project. Job training targeted directly at these populations, including English as a Second Language classes, should be an emphasis in the stimulus package, she said.

“We want to make sure all workers are prepared to compete for worker opportunities, and make sure the disparity blacks and Latinos face in the labor market [is] not exacerbated by the new stimulus package,” Singley said.

Since the recession began, unemployment among minorities has outpaced the rest of the population, according to a study by the Center for American Progress, a labor and civil rights-oriented think tank.

Representatives from the National Council of La Raza and the Center for American Progress hosted a national teleconference this week called “Latinos and the Economy.”

Some unemployment figures, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, of the American Progress report:

» 9.7 percent — unemployment rate for Latinos in January 2009, an increase of 3.5 percentage points from December 2007 and the highest level since 1995;

» 12.6 percent — unemployment rate for blacks in January, an increase of 3.7 percentage points since December 2007 and the highest level since 1994;

» 6.9 percent — unemployment rate for Anglos, an increase of 2.5 percentage points since December 2007 and the highest level since 1983.

The report also highlighted earning gaps between groups:

» $535 — median weekly earnings of Latinos in fourth-quarter 2008.

» $593 — median weekly earnings of black workers in the period.

» $748 — median weekly earnings of Anglo workers in the period.

Singley said the Council of La Raza also is concerned that in the rush to get stimulus money out “we might sacrifice the chance to get new stakeholders to the table.” The package, she said, is a broad-reaching investment that might not reach the communities most in need.

She also said that Latinos accounted for 54 percent of the new labor participants in the U.S. labor market in 2008. “So if the success of the package is slowing the growth of unemployment, what happens when you add new workers? … That hasn’t been addressed.”

John Brick, spokesman for the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform, said he views language skills as a “small barrier” to unemployed Americans of all races seeking work.

“If you’re talking about stimulus package meat and potatoes — putting jobs on the table — I think most Americans, and those in the state of Colorado, have adequate language skills to get these jobs,” he said.

He said the alliance is disappointed that E-Verify, a program that checks workers’ immigration status, wasn’t required to be used by businesses receiving funds in the stimulus bill.

“I frame it, and CAIR frames this, more as a class problem rather than a race problem,” Brick said. “I think you’ll find there is a class of business that’s looking for cheap labor, has looked for cheap labor and anything along the way will look to bring in labor for the cheapest cost.”

Will Straw, associate director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress, said the stimulus package directs $4 billion for job training to help people who’ve lost jobs get retrained for new work options. He noted that the stimulus also boosts money for Pell Grants to help low-income people attend college and improve their marketability in the high-skill-oriented economy.

Singley, of the Council of La Raza, said the infrastructure piece of the stimulus — $150 billion will be directed to highways, bridges and other building projects — is where Latino workers can see the biggest employment boost.

“Our concern is where the jobs are going to be created and the types of skills required to link up to the new jobs,” she said. “Our emphasis is on targeted training to those with multiple barriers to get jobs, including a language barrier disparity.”

Chris Casey is a reporter for the Greeley Tribune in Greeley, Colorado. He can be reached at ccasey@greeleytrib.com.

Top 10 Reasons Why People with Disabilities Should Work

IF you think it's a good idea for people with disabilities to work....If your disabled and you think it's a good idea to work or your looking for good reasons to work....Here's Some GREAT information on WHY PEOPLE WITH DISABLILITIES SHOULD WORK!

Plus I think Mr. Lavin opens the door for us to gain a broader understanding of what results we see from affirmative action programs and he has some practical advice for companies on how to hire people based on SKILLS instead.

Do you think WORK should allow you to invest your abilities for pay? Do you think hiring should be based on skill and talent? What do YOU think?

Top 10 Reasons Why People with Disabilities Should Work
by Don Lavin

Don Lavin is Vice President of a private, non-profit corporation that specializes in customized employment for unemployed and underemployed youth and adults with varied disabilities and employment challenges. His very informative and interesting blog is located at donlavin.blogspot.com.

Recently, I accepted an invitation to speak at a Statewide video conference entitled: The Meaning and Value of Employment of People with Disabilities in Minnesota. This video conference is being planned and sponsored by Pathways to Employment (PTE), Minnesota’s Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG). The mission of PTE is to increase the competitive employment of people with disabilities and meet Minnesota's workforce needs by bringing together people with disabilities, employers, businesses, government, and providers.

This upcoming conference is dedicated to a discussion on real values of employment, beyond wages, from the perspective of workers with disabilities. The target audience for the video conference is people with disabilities and family members, County staff, providers of disability-related services, and advocates from all around the State of Minnesota. Appropriately, the event will include perspectives and views of people with disabilities as well as advocates working to promote competitive employment for working age adults with disabilities.

I will share my viewpoint and conclusions with the audience based on 32 years of management experience with employment and workforce development programs. And I intend to keep the discussion light and fun so I’ve decided to use a "David Letterman Top Ten" approach as I present the main reasons why youth and adults with disabilities should choose work as their first option. Here they are–

10. Work makes you feel good.
American author and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, said it best- "What exercise is to the body, work is to the mind." Thoreau’s observation is not only correct but supported by employment related research. In the area of mental health, for example, supported employment has been identified as an evidenced-based practice (EBP) in recovery from a serious mental illness. New research tells us that people shouldn’t wait until they recover before they go to work. Rather, the opposite is apparently true– people tend to recover BECAUSE they go to work! There is little question that having an occupation is fundamental to human wellness and for so many reasons.

9. The workforce needs you.
Numerous workforce studies forecast labor shortages in the next decade including warnings about how impending baby boomer retirements will deplete the American workforce of critical talents. Also, studies document the challenges business are having finding skilled and unskilled labor across a spectrum of economic sectors. To illustrate, a recent study by Manpower, Inc. revealed 41% of American companies surveyed were having trouble filling jobs. Clearly, changing workforce demographics and dynamic economies in America are creating new opportunities for partnerships with private businesses. Now is the time to engage the employability of all interested and available workers with a wide range of skills and abilities.

I am a member of an employment leadership team in Minnesota that recently crafted a value proposition to communicate the importance of including everyone in our local workforce. Minnesota’s value proposition says this– "We need everyone in the workforce for businesses to thrive and communities to prosper."
And including everyone means tapping every available citizen who wants to work.

8. Work is a part of your identity.
Whenever we meet new people, a ritual of getting to know one another commonly ensues. Generally speaking, people are initially interested in asking us questions about who we are and where we live. And the third most likely inquiry is this– "What do you do?"
Indeed, having an occupation is highly valued in our American culture. A job becomes a central part of the fabric of who we are and contributes to how others see and relate to us. Kate Stepkin, a U.S. baker, put it this way– "Work is an essential part of being alive. Your work is your identity. It tells you who you are."

"What do you do?" And how should chronically unemployed individuals answer this question? Further, how does their answer shape self-esteem or contribute to valued roles in their community?

7. Work gives you a chance to meet new people.
Many national studies validate that people with disabilities experience high and chronic unemployment separating them from the social and economic fabric of their communities. To illustrate, the National Organization on Disability (NOD)/ Louis Harris Poll conducted a study in 2004 and found people with disabilities were more likely to experience high unemployment (65%) and discrimination. Conversely, they were less likely to socialize, eat out, or attend religious services than their counterparts who don’t have disabilities. In addition, this study found people with disabilities were less likely to report overall satisfaction with their lives with only 34% saying they were highly satisfied verses 61% of their counterparts.
To say it simply, social similarities attract and differences repel.

A working life gives people with disabilities an opportunity to meet and connect with others in their community. And this experience of friendship and collegial team work educates the public about the competence of people with disabilities to work and live in the mainstream of community life. Social integration is critical to widening opportunities, battling stereotypes, galvanizing human rights, and ensuring the American public’s support of universal design policies so no one is left behind and everyone is included.

6. Work provides life structures.
Work gives a fundamental purpose and meaning to our lives. It offers life structures and regular routines such as:
· how we spend our time
· what we spend our time doing
· where we spend our time
· who we spend our time with
· why spend our time in the way we do.

Work offers consistency in our schedule and fills structured time with challenges, social relationships, and activities that nurture personal growth.

5. Work allows you to invest your skills and talents for pay.
Contrary to stereotypes, myths, and half-truths, people with disabilities are real economic assets. And work enables people with disabilities to invest their time, skills, and talents to the economic gain of employers and themselves. As it is for all people, the real challenge is identifying, unlocking, marketing, and employing innate talents or acquired job skills.

Like the unique color of our eyes, texture of our hair, or other physical attributes, we are all born with individual gifts and talents to contribute. Sadly, potential contributions of individuals living with significant disabilities are often overlooked, dismissed, or underestimated. Individual talents, however, can be examined through creative processes such as "discovery" or "person-centered career planning."

Discovery and career planning are designed to study and assess potential economic contributions of youth or adults with significant disabilities. These procedures are not assessment tools for screening the appropriateness or suitability of working. Rather they are strategies for identifying and determining how talents, assets, and potential contributions can be marketed to private industry. Once these possibilities are identified, they can be marketed to prospective employers through traditional job placement approaches. Or, customized employment practices can be used to build job opportunities around the unique interests and skills of individuals receiving the employment assistance.

In my view, it seems like such a waste of talent when no clear effort is made to employ the skills or innate potential that virtually everyone holds. Why not exchange these talents for real pay?

4. Work contributes to greater independence and self-support.
Unless people work or happen to be independently wealthy, most rely on someone else or the government for their keep. For chronically unemployed individuals, gaining a measure of economic power in their lives increases autonomy and choices about many personal matters. Earning a competitive wage and other employment benefits contributes to one’s self-support and provides discretionary income empowering people to set short-term and long-term goals.

3. Work contributes to higher productivity and achievement.
Competitive employment enables people to use their strengths and practice their skills. This leads to higher levels of individual competency and achievement. In addition, work enables people to pool their talents with others to achieve something greater than themselves. When people reach tangible personal goals they've set for themselves, it fuels higher self-esteem and personal competence. And when people with disabilities contribute to attainment of a company’s business accomplishments, it educates and breaks down social and economic barriers to success.

2. Poverty sucks!
I remember a politically incorrect poster many years ago by Micheal O'Harro. The poster portrayed a rich man standing in front of his Rolls Royce sipping on a cocktail. Inscribed above the photo was a sarcastic message– "Poverty Sucks!" Well, it sure does. Money may not buy happiness but it sure helps people pay the bills and live a minimum standard of life that brings comforts and pleasures.

A colleague and friend of mine, Joe Maronne, said it best– "If you think working is stressful, try a lifetime of unemployment and poverty." Right on, Joe!
1. Why work? Because you CAN!!

If you live with a disability, there is no better time in history than now to consider work. Almost anyone can work if he or she chooses to, has a good plan, finds an interested employer, and has access to essential work and community supports. Today, we have improved work incentives and public policies, amazing technologies to increase accessibility and functionality, better public and private transportation systems, and more effective employment practices to customize jobs and deliver the job supports people need to contribute in the workforce.

Is "going to work" really that easy for most people with disabilities? Of course not. If it were, there would be more people working. There are still significant barriers to employment for many Americans with disabilities because of low expectations and lack of access to responsive services many people need to meet presenting challenges or overcome individual circumstances.

If you really want to work and you’re getting the run around, I highly recommend seeking out educational and adult service providers who observe an "employment first" philosophy and believe in your abilities to work. These are the providers who are most likely to deliver on your potential. And yes, it may take some time to find the right employer or develop a job that is good match to your abilities, but it will be well worth the wait.

There is a place in the American workforce for anyone who chooses to work. We need to find it, develop it, or if necessary, create it.
For all of these reasons, I say-Choose work!

Blacks, Hispanics more likely to be stopped in W Va

"Although nearly 94 percent of the drivers stopped were white, the study found that blacks and Hispanics were at least 1.5 times more likely to be stopped by police. And once stopped, the study found, they were more likely to be arrested or receive a citation."

Surprised? Do YOU think this is "racial profiling"? If it's not, what else is it! Please FEEL FREE to click on "Add Comments" and TALK TO US (link located at end of story)....this article and MORE at our website - www.minorityjobs.net.



Original Article: Feb 10 2009, 18:52 Eastern Time


By BRIAN FARKAS
Associated Press Writer


CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A study commisioned by lawmakers on alleged racial profiling by West Virginia police shows black and Hispanic motorists are more likely to be stopped and searched than whites.


Lawmakers authorized the Division of Criminal Justice study to resolve racial profiling accusations against law enforcement officials. The study presented to lawmakers Monday was based on 301,479 traffic stops recorded by police across West Virginia between April 2007 and September 2008.


“It doesn't answer the question of whether racial profiling is taking place,'' said Stephen Haas, director of the division's statistical analysis center. “It does answer the question of disparity of whites, blacks and Hispanics.''


Although nearly 94 percent of the drivers stopped were white, the study found that blacks and Hispanics were at least 1.5 times more likely to be stopped by police. And once stopped, the study found, they were more likely to be arrested or receive a citation.


Also, blacks and Hispanics were at least twice as likely to be searched.
However, the study showed that once searched, whites were more likely to have drugs and other contraband on them than either blacks or Hispanics.


“The fact that they are being searched at higher rates then whites, but less contraband is being found, it raises questions as to what were the reasons for the stop and search,'' Haas said.


Franklin Crabtree, executive director of the state's American Civil Liberties Union chapter, said researchers might not be able to say racial profiling exists, but circumstantial evidence suggests it.


“This study indicates we civil libertarians have a lot of work to do in West Virginia,'' he said.


The ACLU sued the city of Charleston in 2002 after city police stopped a vehicle with three black students who were participating in a leadership program at West Virginia State College.


West Virginia NAACP President Kenneth Hale said in a statement that the results aren't surprising. But Hale said it's disappointing to see “that people of color are still being disproportionally singled out to be stopped and searched when they travel on the state's roads.''


The Legislature has been debating racial profiling since 2002. Lawmakers adopted the Racial Profiling Data Collection Act in 2004 and approved rules governing the study in 2006.


The study required officers to note the type of violation the vehicle was stopped for and whether the officers issued a citation, warning or took no action. They also must note the time and day of each stop, how long the stop lasted and the patrol area and county where the stop occurred.


Information was collected by city police, county sheriff's deputies and state police troopers.


Speeding was the most common reason for a traffic stop. And only 4.6 percent of all stops resulted in a search, the study found. Contraband was not found in 53.6 percent of the searches.


The study said disparity ratios were highest in Barbour, Berkeley, Hardy, Jefferson, Preston and Summers counties. Minority drivers were two-and-a-half to six times more likely to be searched in Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Hardy, Mason, Mineral, Mingo, Pleasants, Randolph and Wirt counties.


Among cities, Parkersburg recorded the highest disparity with blacks more then twice as likely to be stopped then white drivers. Charleston led in searches with blacks being nearly five times more likely to be searched.


Despite the higher search rates for black drivers in Charleston, Beckley, Huntington and Wheeling, the report said the contraband “hit'' rate for blacks was lower than for whites.
Among county sheriff's departments, Putnam County led the state with blacks nearly 2.5 times more likely to be stopped and 3.5 times more likely to be searched.
Blacks were 4.5 times as likely to be searched by state troopers assigned to the Parkersburg detachment, and three times as likely by troopers attached to the South Charleston detachment, the study said.


Officials the state sheriff's association and fraternal order of police did not immediately return calls seeking comment.


State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous said Tuesday the agency had not seen the report, but troopers stopped filling out the forms on Jan. 1.


Haas said it will be up to the Legislature to decide if additional studies are needed.


House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, co-sponsored the study legislation in 2006.


Webster said Tuesday night said law enforcement agencies outside the State Police objected to the data collection over concerns it was redundant and time consuming.
“There was quite a bit of resistance,'' she said.


In the meantime, Crabtree said the study is a “really good step. At least we have a good idea of what we're dealing with.''