[Jobs] Beyond cognitive disabilities

Thu Nov 2 14:06:56 CST 2006

Here is my personal statement; NOONE has the right to tell you what you can 
or cannot do but you, yourself; Jeanne Marie Govia Respectfully Submitted:
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Altschul" <atschu at erols.com>
To: <employment at acb.org>; "'Jobs for the Blind'" <jobs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: <jeanine.long at reuters.com>; <sreines at worldbank.org>; 
<smart at business-disability.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 8:09 AM
Subject: [Jobs] Beyond cognitive disabilities

> Beyond Cognitive Disability Barriers Employees Quickly Emerge as Assets
>
>
>
> By Amy Joyce Washington Post Staff Writer October 29, 2006
>
>
>
> When Kathryn Giordano, director of administration at Baker Botts LLP,
> suggested to Pat Berry that his daughter come work at his law firm for the
> summer, he shook his head in disbelief.
>
>
>
> "I thought no, not a law firm," he said. "It was absolutely scary."
>
>
>
> That's because Berry's 19-year-old daughter who loves to ride horses and
> types 45 words a minute has a cognitive disability. His daughter's stint 
> at
> the firm allayed his initial fears. "Professionals with cognitively 
> disabled
> children think they can't do this," he said. "But they can."
>
>
>
> Other organizations have had the same realization. A decade ago, the
> Cincinnati Children's Hospital opened a division called Project Search 
> which
> helps place people with cognitive disabilities in jobs within the hospital
> and teaches other organizations how to do the same.
>
>
>
> "We really have found that people with significant disabilities are 
> capable
> of doing incredibly complex work as long as it's systematic," said Erin
> Riehle, director of the project. Most people with developmental 
> disabilities
> work in stereotypical jobs, she said, like cleaning and horticulture. "Our
> objective was to look beyond that. We found that we could put people with
> Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and many other disabilities into roles
> that had never been considered before."
>
>
>
> People with cognitive disabilities have significant delays in measured
> intelligence, adaptive functioning or academic functioning. "A fair amount
> of hospital revenue comes from providing medical care to kids with
> disabilities. We kind of had an awareness that we needed to provide role
> models in our workforce," Riehle said.
>
>
>
> More companies are realizing the workforce opportunities in people with
> intellectual disabilities and are considering them not only for jobs, but
> careers. But the number is still anemic. Only about 31 percent of people
> with such disabilities are employed, said Jon Colman, chief operating
> officer of the National Down Syndrome Society.
>
>
>
> Mason Berry has a genetic disorder known as Fragile X syndrome, which
> affects speech, motor skills, cognitive abilities and other 
> characteristics.
>
>
>
> Last summer at Baker Botts, she picked up books at book drops throughout 
> the
> towering office at the Warner Building and reshelved them. She logged
> magazines into the computer and did some Internet research. After a few
> weeks, she learned how to ride the Metro so she didn't have to wait for 
> her
> father, a partner there, to finish a conference call. This summer, she is 
> a
> Labor Department contractor doing database work, closer to their home in
> Virginia.
>
>
>
> "I loved it," she said while visiting her father's office on a recent
> weekday. To bide her time, she was reorganizing library slips. "They are 
> not
> in order," she said, shuffling through them.
>
>
>
> Companies like Baker Botts, working with local schools and organizations,
> have found that hiring employees with cognitive disabilities can fill a
> major gap in employment -- and it has been acting as a go-between to find
> other firms for employees with cognitive disabilities.
>
>
>
> The firm started what is now an official practice several years ago when 
> the
> managing partner brought his son with cognitive disabilities to the office
> in Dallas and paid him out of his own pocket. It went so well that the 
> firm
> decided each office should hire one or more employees with cognitive
> disabilities.
>
>
>
> Danny Ricchi, 22, sets up the conference centers at Baker Botts. Ricchi, 
> who
> has Down syndrome, likes going to the company gym and walking around the
> office -- and eating. "My favorite place is my mom's restaurant," he said,
> referring to I Ricchi.
>
>
>
> Mir Azad, 18, who also has a cognitive disability, works at Baker Botts's
> library, shelving books, inputting information on the computers and making
> deliveries.
>
>
>
> David Hughes, 43, works in the mail room, delivering boxes and mail. Nancy
> Leap, human resources manager, said he recently returned to her a document
> she meant to leave on her assistant's desk, and she apologized for her
> mistake. Hughes, who has Down syndrome, looked at her incredulously and
> said: " You made a mistake?"
>
>
>
> "It's eye-opening to come out of the office and you're a self- centered
> lawyer and you bump in to someone so excited to be doing what they're
> doing," Berry said. "It disarms you."
>
>
>
> More companies are finding nothing but a loyal, diligent employee base.
>
>
>
> "It's hard to get employers to imagine that people with impairments 
> actually
> can fit into a busy 24/7 workplace," said Cathy Healy, director of 
> workforce
> and education programs with the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an
> affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "When you see it in action, 
> it's
> so amazing."
>
>
>
> Only 32 percent of Americans with disabilities aged 18 to 64 are working,
> but two thirds of the 68 percent who are unemployed would rather be 
> working,
> according to a study done by her group.
>
>
>
> Healy is working to show employers that adults with disabilities make up a
> large pool of workers. "Lots of research tells us that people with
> disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities, have great staying
> power," she said. "These employees are loyal. They are hard workers, 
> people
> pleasers, and they want to stay employed."
>
>
>
> David Egan, 29, has been with Booz Allen Hamilton for 10 years. He works 
> as
> a distribution clerk and is "proud to be a part of that team." He likes
> working with different people and enjoys delivering packages to employees 
> at
> Booz.
>
>
>
> More than just being a loyal full-time employee, he is also an advocate 
> for
> people with intellectual disabilities. He has Down syndrome. He is active 
> in
> the Special Olympics, an organization that Booz supports. "They like to 
> have
> employees come together to show team spirit. Here at Booz Allen, we also
> talk about core values a lot," Egan said. "I try to fit what we do as a
> company and what I do outside the company."
>
>
>
> Heather Skeen, a senior recruiter and disability coordinator at Booz, said
> the company believes hiring employees with cognitive disabilities enriches
> the overall work experience. "When you have someone with different 
> learning
> experiences, it's an experience for those who don't have a disability,"
> Skeen said.
>
>
>
> "I'm very fortunate to be with this company not just as a disabled person
> but as a full citizen," Egan said.
>
>

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