Most folks have at least heard about Rio de Janeiro’s famous Carnival. What most have not heard about or experienced in any way is people with visible disabilities taking part in the parades. That is, until Paul Davies got involved.
Paul established a samba school for people with disabilities following his own experience with a hernia in 2006 which left him unable to participate in Rio’s carnival. In 2008, his samba students, all of whom have disabilities ranging from physical disabilities that require the use of a wheelchair to students who are deaf, blind and have Down Syndrome.
This year, Volkswagen backed the students’ entry, allowing them to have a float and costumes for the very first time. What a wonderful celebration! For those who are not familiar with Brazil, there are approximately 30 million adults with disabilities living in the country.
We have been getting quite a bit of questions lately regarding health insurance market reform, specifically as it relates to adults and children with disabilities. While there are many new provisions, there are two that I think have direct impact. The first one is that as of 2014 health insurers will no longer be able to discriminate against people due to disabilities or other pre-existing conditions. Health insurers will no longer be allowed to deny coverage, charge higher premiums, exclude benefits relating to pre-existing conditions, rescind coverage after someone is injured or acquires a new condition, or impose annual caps on benefits. For children, most of these provisions go into effect for children in September 2010. The second provision has to do with lifetime caps on benefits which are prohibited immediately. Between now and 2014, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may restrict annual caps on benefits on benefits. As of 2014 both lifetime and annual caps on benefits are prohibited.
When my girls were younger I can recall many an instance where friends of ours who had children with special needs were at a complete loss when their children would reach their lifetime health benefits by their first or second birthday. This will certainly make a difference to families in those situations.
Nadine
Health Delivery, Inc., a health Services Provider in Saginaw, MI, will pay $45,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by EEOC. The EEOC had charged that Health Delivery, Inc. unlawfully refused to return to work an employee with a record of depression even though she had completed a course of treatment and had been approved to return to work. The company’s alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Shelley
Did you know there is an interagency partnership working to improve the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities in the federal government? It is known as the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium (FDWC) and includes federal agency leaders, disability program managers, human resource specialists, recruiters, reasonable accommodations & 508 coordinators, emergency preparedness specialists and disability employment policy practitioners among its members.
If you are a federal government employee and would like to get involved with this consortium, visit www.fdwc.wordpress.com.
Nadine
Many of you asked, “What is Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act?” Section 503 is a higher standard than Title I of the ADA. It requires employers with federal contracts or subcontracts that exceed $10,000 to take affirmative action to hire, retain, and promote qualified individuals with disabilities. All covered contractors and subcontractors must also include a specific equal opportunity clause in each of their nonexempt contracts and subcontracts.
This law is enforced by OFCCP within the U.S. Department of Labor.
Shelley
While serving as a presenter at the 11th Annual Summit on Leading Diversity Conference in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to attend The Association of Diversity Councils (a division of PRISM International, Inc.) recognition of the top 25 diversity councils award reception and ceremony.
The award recognizes and honors the outstanding contributions and achievements of the nation’s Top 25 diversity council groups that lead diversity processes in their organizations and have demonstrated results in their workforce, workplace and marketplace.
What I found to be very interesting was the fact that four of this year’s winners have also been Disability Matters award winners. A coincidence? I doubt it.
Springboard would like to congratulate Cisco, Kaiser Permanente, Prudential Financial and McDonalds for their ongoing leadership in disability and diversity.
Nadine
Now’s the time for employers to impact new or revised regulations before they are finalized.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in order to invite the general public to provide input on how OFCCP can strengthen the affirmative action requirements of, the regulations implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Section 503).
The Section 503 ANPRM was published in the Federal Register on July 23, 2010. All comments must be received on or before September 21, 2010.
An ANPRM is a formal notice to the general public by a government agency that they intend to create new regulations or modify existing regulations. Read more at www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/sec503/sec503_frequently_asked_questions.htm
Shelley
People with disabilities often have difficulty dealing with company call centers. For instance, those who are blind have reported that call center service reps often assume that callers can see using their eyes, and are unable to divert from the script – even after the customer has told the rep that they are unable to do what the rep is asking such as reading a tiny number from a product. Other issues have been for folks who are hard of hearing, having their requests to speak slowly, ignored or people with traumatic brain injuries such as service disabled veterans, having difficulty locating the correct menu for their request or entering required numbers.
So what’s a company to do? Make sure all call center staff are trained on disability etiquette & awareness, ensure all of the computer systems meet current accessibility guidelines and make sure the reps know how to use the systems to ensure accessibility for all who need it. Also, remember to include an option of speaking to an operator in the initial voice response menu but allow for the system to automatically transfer the caller to the operator if no option is chosen.
At the end of the day, it’s about good business. The disability community is the largest and fastest growing minority market in the world, in the U.S., surpassing the Hispanic population by 5%. As the population gets older and more veterans return home with service related disabilities, these numbers are only going to grow. These individuals have interests in your products and services, have money to spend but will not do so if they are not treated appropriately.
Nadine
While attending a conference where the topic was the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, someone commented that students with disabilities who graduate high school this year should be referred to as members of the ‘ADA Generation,’ a new generation of Americans with disabilities growing up with an expectation of academic achievement, employment and the opportunity to give back to their community.
Do you agree? I can tell you that my older daughter, an American adult with disabilities who is completing her freshman year of college, certainly does. If you do agree, what do you think colleges and companies should be doing to positively reinforce this belief? Do you know of colleges and companies who are already doing great things in this arena? Let us know.
Nadine
Twenty years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. This landmark civil rights law has helped people with disabilities fulfill the American vision of equal opportunity for all.
Nadine and I were on the south lawn of the Whitehouse when President Obama signed a new Executive Order to to establish the Federal Government as a model employer of individuals with disabilities. Read the Executive Order at www.whitehouse.gov.
Shelley
Hello everyone. I blog today to let everyone know that two days per week, Shelley Kaplan will blog for me specifically on ADA topics and issues. Shelley will always make it known when it is she who is blogging rather than me. For those who don’t know Shelley, she is Springboard’s Manager of ADA Services including training.
Happy Reading!
Nadine
Anyone with a disability knows firsthand that air travel when you have a disability is not always the best experience. Chicago, Illinois’s Mayor Richard Daley wants to change that, at least for passengers with disabilities who travel to or through Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway International Airports.
The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities has launched a new disability awareness and assistance program to train airport employees on how to more effectively recognize and help travelers who may require additional assistance. Some front-line airport employees from the areas of terminal management, security, concessions, ground transportation, traffic management and Traveler’s Aid have received the training and wear a “Purple Airplane” pin signifying their ability to assist travelers with disabilities.
Chicago was the first city to implement a cabinet-level office for people with disabilities (1990) and recently the National Organization on Disability named Chicago one of the top two cities in the United States for accessibility. In doing so, the organization highlighted the City’s innovative programs and services for people with disabilities, including the accessibility of its airports. The CDA has also developed informational materials available at both airports and online to inform travelers with disabilities about the resources available to them at O’Hare and Midway International Airports. The brochures include a map highlighting accessibility throughout the airports.
I sure could have used these services when I was traveling in January and February, using a wheelchair due to surgery on both feet. A double thumbs up to Chicago and Mayor Daley!
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has announced the official theme for this October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month – Talent Has No Boundaries: Workforce Diversity INCLUDES Workers With Disabilities. The theme reminds all of us that workers with disabilities represent a diverse and vibrant talent pool for hire. In other words, Expectation plus Opportunity equals full participation.
Kathy Martinez, The U.S. Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy was recently quoted as saying, “People with disabilities must be woven into our work culture. Already, we benefit from the incredible array of talent they bring to our workplaces. But we must raise the bar, we must create the inexorable expectation that people with disabilities will contribute in every way to our economic successes. Only by nurturing this expectation and providing people with disabilities with unlimited employment opportunities, can we all benefit from their talents.”
The world’s first theme park, Morgan’s Wonderland, for people with disabilities opened in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Gordon Hartman, the developer, said his inspiration came from his 16-year-old daughter Morgan, who suffers from severe cognitive delay.
The theme park is fully accessible and incorporates the latest in cutting-edge technology including special bracelets with microchips, so families can keep track of children who may wander off.
Perhaps Morgan’s Wonderland will show other theme parks that it is possible to fully accommodate people with disabilities.
A company whose job requirement is to have Autism? Unheard of, but true.
I just learned about Specilisterne, a software company based in Denmark that tests software. Testing software is a tedious process that I for one could never do but for someone with Autism, it’s a job that fits like a glove.
The company’s founder, whose son has Autism, understands that people who have high-functioning Autism have unique abilities that give them an edge in this type of job. So, yes, these employees are being hired because of their abilities such as strong attention to detail, good memory and persistence.
Like me with my daughters, this business owner is creating opportunities that he hopes will ensure that his son and others like him will be treated “normally” and employed “fairly”.
