“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” ~Herman Melville
Definition:Acting with concern and sensitivity, aware of the impact of your actions on others, particularly the disadvantaged .
Does your business hire people with developmental disabilities or donate to a homeless shelter? A growing number of consumers consider such factors when deciding whether to patronize your business. A company’s “social responsibility” quotient can make a difference to its bottom line.
Watch this very short video about several big business who hire people with disabilities and why
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill.
(Video transcript)
Social Responsibility Do the Right Thing…Do the Smart Thing…Do the Profitable Thing Aetna
Narrator: Together, our corporate culture, our business leadership, and our community outreach reflect Aetna’s unflagging commitment that Americans with disabilities can work and participate fully in the community. All of our community outreach efforts reflect our belief that people with disabilities can be active participants in communities, both in and out of work.
ADDECCO
Lois Cooper: Our motto is “Better Work – Better Life” and we truly believe that by finding one person a job, we’re helping that individual, we’re helping their family, we’re helping their community, and we’re helping the local economy.
Northrup Grumman
Employer: At Northrup Grumman, we not only strive to build and retain the best workforce, but also the most diverse and inclusive workforce. Operation Impact helps injured personnel identify career opportunities with Northrup Grumman.
MERCK
Jay Schiller: Global diversity inclusion is built into the core values of Merck because it’s good business. If everyone is included, everyone has “buy-in“. You are more productive in the long run.
Juan Williams, Narrator, America’s Strength: When any segment of society is left behind, we all lose, diminishing the American Dream.
“Independence”… [is] middle-class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth.” ~G.B. Shaw, Pygmalion, 1912
“Intellectual disability” (previously known as mental retardation) means that an individual mentally develops at a below-average rate. These people can have learning difficulties and trouble socially adjusting.
Intellectual disability (sometimes called “cognitive disability”) is not a disease or a contagious condition. You can challenge your friends to reduce stigma around disability. Sign up for We Are Able.
This type of disability (which differs from person to person) can be caused by any condition which impairs the development of the brain before or during birth or in early childhood. More than 250 causes of intellectual disability have been discovered.
In the US, roughly 4.6 million people are identified as having an intellectual disability.
One known cause of mental disability is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and is totally preventable.
Challenge your friends to reduce the stigma around disability. We Are Able.
Children with cognitive disabilities may develop slower than other children in terms of speaking, learning to walk and taking care of themselves (showering, eating, dressing).
About 25% of cases of mental disability are caused by a genetic disorder.
A BBC poll conducted in the UK concluded that “retarded” was the most offensive disability-related word.
The majority of individuals affected by these disabilities show only mild symptoms and, with the right support, can greatly improve, learn, and develop.
92% of adults with a mental disability live independently or with family members while 8% live in an institution or group home.
In about 25 to 33% of children born with a mental disability, the cause is unknown.
Meet Dayle Chapman. When she came to us Dayle was ending a volunteer stint as a Senior Regent with the Springfield Moose Lodge, a local service organization, but wanted to try something different. She had an interest in child care.
Dayle was ready and willing to learn as much as she could to help her job search. She took advantage of as many classes and job preparation activities offered through WorkSource, as possible.
We helped Dayle with obtaining the necessary credentials such as a food handlers card, infant first aid CPR and get registered into the Oregon criminal registry. We also assisted her with getting some continuing education credits, reaching a Level 6.
Next, we started applying to child care facilities. In fact, Doris Steele applied to one such place in the evening and the next day Judy Gains, the owner of Grandma’s House called Dayle first thing the next morning for an interview.
Judy said that she hired Dayle because, ‘When you call a young person for an interview they can’t come right away for an interview, but Dayle was willing to come as quick as her bus could get her here first thing this morning.’
Judy has been pleased with the work that Dayle has provided and has worked with her to complete more levels of continuing education including taking a 1 credit college class.
Recently, Doris spoke with Judy and she said “I count on Dayle for quite a bit. Dayle helps me remember things. And when Dayle says that she doesn’t think that she can do something, I let Dayle know that I have faith in her and Dayle winds up doing whatever it is that she didn’t originally think that she could do!”
We are very proud of Dayle’s success and her willingness to do everything possible to make sure that she was ready for a community job.
How much do you know about various disabilities? Here are some fun ways to play and learn at the same time.
Truth or Misconception?
After you read each of the following statements, select Truth or Misconception. When you’re finished, find the correct answer at the bottom to find out whether you were correct!
1. People with learning disabilities aren’t smart.
Truth
Misconception
2. People who can’t hear can use the telephone.
Truth
Misconception
3. You can catch a disability.
Truth
Misconception
4. People with cerebral palsy always have mental retardation.
Truth
Misconception
5. People who use wheelchairs can’t play basketball.
Truth
Misconception
6. People who are blind can read.
Truth
Misconception
7. People with cognitive disabilities can get jobs.
Truth
Misconception
8. People with disabilities can live by themselves.
Truth
Misconception
9. People who can’t hear don’t watch TV.
Truth
Misconception
10. People with disabilities can vote.
Truth
Misconception
11. People with disabilities make good employees.
Truth
Misconception
Answers: 1. Misconception 2. Truth 3. Misconception 4. Misconception 5. Misconception 6. Truth 7. Truth 8. Truth 9. Misconception 10. Truth 11. Truth
Do you know the American Manual Alphabet or American Sign Language (ASL)? Would you like to learn? Here is a video that is simple and an easy way to learn and then you can use what you learned to solve the following riddles and jokes.
Break the code to find the answers to these riddles!
Learn the ASL symbols for the letters of the alphabet and you will be able to solve these mystery riddles.
Read each question. Then look at the fingerspelling symbols provided . Figure out what alphabet each symbol represents. If you have trouble you can refer to the chart below.
The answers are at the bottom of the riddles. Good Luck!
Riddles
I have a face, yet no senses.
Time is of the essence,
but I don’t really care.
Voiceless it cries,
Wingless it flutters,
Toothless bites,
Mouthless mutters.
What has roots as nobody sees,
Is taller than trees,
Up, up it goes,
And yet never grows?
Little Nanny Etticoat
In a white petticoat
And a red nose
The longer she stands,
The shorter she grows.
Thirty white horses upon a red hill,
Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.
Lives in winter,
Dies in summer,
And grows with its root upwards.
I run
But I can’t walk
What am I?
Answers: 1. Clock 2. Wind 3. Mountain 4. Candle 5. Your teeth 6. An icicle 7. Water
Break the code to find the answers to these jokes! If you have trouble you can refer to the chart above. Have Fun!
Jokes
Where do cows go on Saturdays?
What is a snake’s favorite school subject?
What goes up when the rain comes down?
What does a lazy dog do for fun?
Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
How do you keep a rhinoceros from charging?
What did the dog say when he sat on the sandpaper?
What time is it when the clock strikes 13?
Why are Teddy Bears never hungry?
What is a monkey’s favorite month?
Answers: 1. To the…moovies! 2. Hisssstory 3. An umbrella! 4. Chases…parked cars! 5. To get to the…museum! 6. Take away it’s…credit cards! 7. Ruff ruff! 8. Time to…Fix the clock! 9. Because they’re always…Stuffed! 10. Ape-ril!
Zane graduated from high school in 2003, he then took a part-time dishwashing position at a lodge in Lakeside Oregon. He had a great two years of working there before moving on to his next job at Goodwill Industries, where he continues to be a loyal and reliable employee to this day.
Zane is ready for a change and is looking for a part-time dishwashing position. He really liked working as a dishwasher previously and feels it was something he did well. He is friendly and outgoing and really enjoys helping, meeting people and being part of a team.
Zane has a memory like you would not believe. He is like a book of information and probably why it is so important for him to learn new things and the reason he enjoys meeting new people so much.
Some of the things Zane enjoys doing in his free time are working out at the gym, bargain shopping, going to concerts and collecting unique keys.
Zane is looking for part-time work in Eugene, approximately 20 hours a week and he is willing to work any hours as long as he is able to get to and from the location by bus. If this sounds like someone you are looking for, please give me a call at 541-337-9498 Linda Cox, Employment Specialist.
After decades as a niche market, the disabled have become a driving force in technology and a giant inspiration for innovation. And according to some, this is coming fast, within the next 5 years.
Here’s a short clip showcasing some of the innovative technology that are just around the corner and proof that disabilities are changing big business.
He’s a quite, very presentable young man. He graduated from Springfield High School with a modified diploma, but because of his demeanor and drive, it won’t be a roadblock to his success. He describes his learning style as “hands-on”, he does well with written/verbal and demonstration then giving him a chance to try for himself.
Camryn had his driving permit and was taking driving lessons at the time that we were first introduced to him. His goal was to get his license and then save money to buy a vehicle and find an apartment of his own.
He has an interest in fishing, working on cars and welding as well as construction. He sees himself as eventually working in metals/fabrication, auto body work or construction as a long term goal.
Within weeks of meeting Camryn, we placed him in a scanning job with Chambers Construction, who had come to us seeking someone to scan boxes of past accounts. Camryn made himself useful and took to the task given to him with ease.
Shortly after starting work at Chambers Construction, Camryn and his family lost everything they owned in a house fire, but Camryn didn’t let this deter him from his job for very long. After a day or two off, he returned to work with a renewed purpose of earning enough to move out on his own.
I emailed Kim Cailteux, Camryn’s supervisor, to see how he was doing after his first 90 days and this is the email that I received;
Hi, Lorie –
All’s well with Camryn. He’s a good worker. I don’t have any complaints. He’s independent, he doesn’t seem to ever have questions (but he’s not afraid to ask if he does have one). He’s efficient. He’s conscientious, he fits in well.
We’re glad to have him.
Kim Cailteux, CDT, Contract Administrator
Camryn is still working with Chambers Construction and according to Kim, “He fits in nicely and everyone has nice things to say about him. He’s independent and a hard worker. He works from the time he gets here until he leaves. That makes it real easy on us. He’s done such a large volume of scanning, his completed work is something we really appreciate. The times he does have questions or needs to discuss something, he articulates himself well. He’s a warm person, he has a nice smile and he conducts himself professionally. We hope to have him around for a while more!”
Congratulations to both Camryn and Chambers Construction, we are so happy to have been a part of this success story!
Employees with disabilities can have a positive impact on profitability
Mark Wafer is a Tim Hortons franchise owner in Toronto and an advocate for Canadians with disabilities.
I’m a long-time Tim Hortons franchise owner with six restaurants in Toronto. Over the years, we’ve employed more than 125 employees with disabilities in meaningful and competitively paid positions. Today, 46 of our 250 employees identify as having a disability. These disabilities range from significant intellectual challenges to deafness, blindness, mental-health issues, physical disabilities and episodic disabilities such as multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. They hold positions in our company ranging from entry level to senior management.
Recently, our company reached out to former Goodwill employees who had lost their jobs as that organization closed its doors in the Toronto region. These individuals are marginalized workers and many have disabilities. We reached out to them because we know the massive barriers they will face in finding new jobs.
The unemployment rate for Canadians with disabilities is somewhere between 60 per cent and 70 per cent. Officially, Statistics Canada says it’s about 50 percent, but that doesn’t take into account the many Canadians who have no marketplace attachment, such as the 450,000 school graduates from the past five years who have disabilities and have never worked even a single day. (Of those, about 270,000 have a postsecondary education.) But they aren’t counted in unemployment numbers, so we know that the official numbers are conservative.
Imagine, then: If Canadians with disabilities who hold economics degrees and MBAs are unable to find work only because they have disabilities, what hope do the former Goodwill employees have in the search for new employment?
Our shout-out to the Goodwill employees went viral on social media. We received an enormous response. We will indeed be hiring some of those workers at our stores, but the most significant feedback I received was from other companies and corporations that said they had never thought about hiring a person with a disability. In 2016, I find that absurd and frustrating. It’s unacceptable.
More than 15 percent of Canadians have a disability. Why do employers continue to ignore or fear such a large and untapped labor talent pool? How can an employer say they haven’t given much thought to this massive demographic group?
The answer is simple: Employers believe in a series of stereotypes, myths and misperceptions about including disabled people on their payrolls. They believe disabled employees will work slower and be less productive, need more time off, work less safely or be less innovative. Or that the accommodations required will be too expensive. These are all myths.
In fact, including workers with disabilities in real jobs with equal pay tends to have a direct and positive impact on a business’s profitability. Workers with disabilities are more productive, work more safely, stay longer, require less supervision, are more innovative and have less absenteeism.
In my business, for example, the absenteeism rate for my 46 employees with disabilities is 85 per cent lower than the 200 employees without disabilities. My annual employee turnover is 38 percent, versus the 100-per-cent norm in the quick-service restaurant sector. I have never filled out a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claim for a workplace injury to a worker with a disability. And workers with disabilities have different problem-solving skills – and “different” is exactly how workplace innovation is bred.
This all adds up to an economic case. Being an inclusive employer has a major economic impact on a business once capacity has been built, yet most Canadian companies are still too fearful to hire a qualified, educated and skilled candidate who has a disability. They almost always choose the less-qualified and non-disabled applicant.
The economic impact to my business has been profound. Employee morale is higher overall – the turnover rate for my non-disabled staff is 55 percent, just more than half the norm. And customers want to shop in retail outlets that are inclusive. That means more sales and more transactions.
Canadian businesses must realize that excluding the disabled, willfully or otherwise, is holding them back. A business cannot consider itself to be an outstanding employer if it excludes 15 percent of the Canadian population.
There is one more compelling figure that should make companies want to get on board: Although 15.5 percent of Canadians identifies as having a disability, adding in those individuals’ direct family members brings the number of Canadians directly affected by disability to 53 percent.
Now that is a figure no business can afford to ignore.
