[Jobs] Two articles about employment of PWDs

[PETER ALTSCHUL]

Workers With Disabilities Fleeing Federal Work Force



By Jennifer Millman © 2006 DiversityInc.com®



Many historically underrepresented groups have gained ground in the federal 
work force in the last decade, with one egregious exception: people with 
severe disabilities, who represent 12 percent of the population, now 
comprise less than 1 percent of the federal work force, according to the 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)'s annual report.



While Latino, Asian-American and Native American work-force-participation 
rates saw double-digit growth from 1996 to 2005, those of PWD plunged into 
the red-a decline of 23 percent in nine years. The rate of growth in black 
participation remained virtually stagnant in that time, and that of whites 
decreased by about 4.5 percent.



"I find it interesting that this decline was going on when the Clinton 
administration established a task force on PWD with a subcommittee focused 
on the government as a model employer," said Andrew Imparato, president and 
CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). "While 
they were meeting and congratulating themselves, PWD were leaving the work 
force."



"This is a big issue of concern for us, and the commission is vigorously 
looking at it," said Carlton M. Hadden, director of the EEOC's Office of 
Federal Operations, which underwrote the report.



Former President Clinton established the National Task Force on Employment 
of Adults with Disabilities in partnership with the Subcommittee on Social 
Security of the House Committee on Ways and Means. But the task force, 
responsible for implementing aggressive policy to improve the representation 
of PWD in the federal work force, was not launched until the final year of 
his administration.



In 2001, the Bush administration implemented the New Freedom Initiative to 
promote full participation of people with disabilities by improving access 
and employment opportunities and vigorously enforcing the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA), which was established in 1990 to prohibit employment 
discrimination against PWD in both the federal and private sectors.



"When President Bush issued that two weeks following his inauguration, the 
disability community was very excited that the prospect of employment 
opportunities would finally be on the increase, that the larger society 
would realize this is not just good for PWD but for America," said Nancy 
Starnes, vice president and chief of staff with the National Organization on 
Disability. "I think it's sad that there hasn't been more evidence that that 
philosophy has taken hold. These are not the results we anticipated."



Why Are They Leaving?



No one knows for sure.



"I can't even hazard a guess as to why at this point," said Hadden. "It's 
very frustrating."



Equally frustrating, according to Imparato, is the government's lack of 
responsiveness to a problem illuminated years ago.



"We've known about this problem for two years," he said. "What has the 
federal government done since then? I don't know of anything."



"The last time I saw real movement on issues of discrimination in the 
workplace or discrimination in society, it came from the prior president, 
not this one," added Weldon Latham, a senior partner with the national law 
firm of Davis, Wright & Tremaine. Latham, who specializes in 
corporate-diversity counseling and represented Texaco and The Coca-Cola. Co. 
in two of the most volatile class-action racial- discrimination cases in 
history.



In 2003, the Supreme Court heard 304 cases under Title I of the ADA. Of the 
219 resolutions, more than 97 percent of the decisions favored employers.



"When you find that attorneys are reticent to even take an ADA case because 
nearly all of the cases brought to court are overturned, you see PWD simply 
are not winning this argument with employers," added Starnes. "When that 
kind of information goes through the disability community, it's a signal 
that maybe they're not wanted."



"The bottom line is that if PWD feel that their civil rights aren't 
protected under the ADA, they may feel they're better off just taking their 
benefits and leaving," said Starnes. "Maybe that's the path of least 
resistance for us. As PWD, who are supposed to be a protected class, why 
should we beat our heads against the wall if we're going to encounter this 
much difficulty in finding and maintaining our employment and earning a 
living wage?"



The exodus of federal workers with disabilities may be related to age, 
suggests Imparato.



"I think some people are probably leaving because the disability retirement 
system is attractive," said Imparato. "My understanding is that you can 
retire as a federal employee and turn right around and get a job, collecting 
benefits and salary. I knew someone who went out on retirement and a year 
later turned around and applied again with the same agency."



Whatever the cause, the federal government is ignoring an obvious means of 
finding out: Ask the people who leave. Nearly 90 percent of the Top 10 
Companies for People With Disabilities conduct exit interviews to enhance 
corporate understanding.



"The federal government is the largest employer in the country with the most 
capacity and resources," said Imparato. "There are lots of PWD trying to get 
jobs. They're working on advisory boards or doing grant reviews, but when 
they turn around and apply for the job, it's like people pretend they don't 
exist."



In late June, EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez charged Commissioner Christine M. 
Griffin with developing a strategy to improve opportunity in federal 
agencies for individuals with targeted disabilities, including blindness, 
deafness, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, mental illness, mental 
retardation, convulsive disorders and distortion of limbs or spine. The 
initiative is called LEAD: Leadership for the Employment of Americans with 
Disabilities.



"The government has been preaching to corporate America to hire people with 
disabilities since the 1950s," said Imparato. That's when former President 
Harry Truman formed the President's Committee on Employment of People with 
Disabilities, which was designed to "communicate, coordinate and promote 
public and private efforts" to enhance the employment of PWD. Listed first 
among the intended beneficiaries of this initiative were America's business 
leaders.



But the data shows the government's example needs improvement-and it has for 
some time.



"It's hypocritical for the federal government, with all its resources and 
capacity, to tell small businesses and national corporations that hiring PWD 
is good for business, when PWD are leaving the federal work force in 
unprecedented numbers," said Imparato. "I personally feel there are specific 
types of accommodations such as sign-language interpreters and assistance 
for the blind that the federal government is uniquely able to provide."


Lessons From the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities



By Jennifer Millman © 2006 DiversityInc.com® July 13, 2006



Best Practices From the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities



Recruit actively.



All of the Top 10 have active recruitment programs for PWD, including 
outreach through the Internet, word of mouth, newspapers, job fairs, 
professional networks, and colleges and universities.



Establish mentoring programs.



All of the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities have mentoring 
programs in which most mentors and mentees meet on a monthly basis.



Create a culture of flexibility.



All of the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities offer flexible 
hours and dependent-care benefits, including childcare and eldercare. More 
than 90 percent allow for job sharing, telecommuting, cafeteria-style 
benefits and adoption assistance.



Secure leadership commitment.



All of the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities have a diversity 
director or chief diversity officer who are directly or 
one-direct-report-removed from the CEO.



Monitor diversity programs regularly.



All of the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities seek feedback on 
diversity issues, whether through employee surveys, focus groups, 
management-employee interviews or exit interviews.



Commit to a vision.



All of the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities incorporate 
diversity into their corporate-mission statement.



People with severe disabilities are leaving the federal work force in record 
numbers, while other traditionally underrepresented groups are entering it 
like never before, according to recent EEOC data. The reasons? Possibilities 
include poor accommodation, unfavorable court decisions, and retirement 
benefits that many people with disabilities (PWD) find preferable to federal 
employment, as two decades of government initiatives have failed to improve 
inclusion.



While the federal government has lagged in this endeavor, the Top 10 
Companies for People With Disabilities have broken new ground in recruiting, 
retaining and marketing to people with disabilities. Here are some examples:



Cingular Wireless, No. 2 in the Top 10 Companies for People With 
Disabilities, has a task force of company leaders and workers with 
disabilities that develop recommendations to make the workplace accessible.



Merck & Co., No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies for PWD, seeks to ensure PWD have 
optimal access to its staff and services. On Merck.com, people who are blind 
or have other types of disabilities can access a wealth of valuable 
information, including data on Merck products, patient-assistance programs, 
feature articles, corporate information and the latest news in research and 
development. Merck also plans to launch a career-information center for PWD 
in the near future. In 2005, Merck's efforts won it a distinction as the 
first pharmaceutical company to earn National Federation of the 
Blind-Non-Visual-Accessibility certification, which denotes a company's Web 
site is as navigable by people who can't see as it is by people who can.



And Merrill Lynch is No. 1 in the Top 10 Companies for PWD. On The 2006 
DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list for the first time this 
year, at No. 44, the financial-services giant is making significant headway 
with employees who have disabilities. In 1998, Merrill Lynch launched the 
Disability Awareness Professional Network to assist employees with hearing 
impairments, a group the Census Bureau calculated at 1 million this year. 
Now its membership transcends this population and includes "parents of 
children with disabilities and anyone interested in disabilities, either 
through volunteering or wanting to learn more about disabilities," Chris 
Fossel, national leader of the program, said in the June issue of 
DiversityInc magazine. "A lot of what we do is promoting disability 
awareness; that's what's most important at Merrill Lynch."



Andrew Imparato, president and CEO of the American Association for People 
with Disabilities, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is one of the 
few, and maybe the only, federal agency with such a network.



"This is the same thing we tell corporate employers. Affinity groups give 
PWD a reason to connect with each other and look at systemic issues. While 
few individuals stick their necks out, they can make changes as a group," he 
added. All of the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities have 
employee-resource groups.



Mentoring programs are one way to speed up the process, according to 
Imparato, who credits such initiatives with helping him gain the skills he 
needed to progress through the federal ranks. All of the Top 10 Companies 
for People With Disabilities have mentoring programs.



"It's important to create a pipeline and advancement opportunities for PWD 
in federal service," he said. "Let's move beyond rhetoric. It's time to 
translate verbal commitments to hire qualified workers with disabilities 
into some goals that are realistic, and to set timetables and realistic 
strategies for achieving those goals."



Immediate change is possible.



"The government could do all kinds of things, such as giving rewards and 
bonuses to people creating inclusive environments and withholding from those 
who don't," said Weldon Latham, a senior partner with the national law firm 
of Davis, Wright & Tremaine. A renowned expert on legal diversity issues, 
Latham has provided counsel to national corporations such as The Coca-Cola 
Co., which has landed a spot in The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for 
Diversity for the last three years, including two years in the Top 10, after 
having settled a class-action lawsuit in 2001 to the tune of $192.5 million. 
Among the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities, 80 percent tie 
management compensation to successful diversity initiatives, almost all in 
the form of bonuses.