Increasing the Employment of People with Disabilities in the State

1. Increasing the Employment of People with Disabilities in the State

2. Overview of Presentation • Who is a Person with a Disability? • Why Now – The Governor’s Executive Order • The Business Case • Best Practices • Creating a Welcoming Environment • Recruiting • Hiring • Retention • Partners and Resources

3. Who is a Person with Disability? ADA definition • Physical or mental condition that substantially limits one or more major life activity • Person has record of such condition • Being “regarded as” having such an condition

4. Visible and Hidden Disabilities

5. Why Now?

6. The number of persons with disabilities in state government has plummeted from 10.1% in 1999 to 3.2 % today and only 1.9% of new hires in 2012

7. MN Workforce Trends • With the aging of talent, we will be facing workforce shortages • MN’s workforce is 14.6% persons with disabilities compared to 3.2% of state employees • People with disabilities are an untapped source of workers that are needed to respond to workforce needs

8. State Government Plays a Crucial Role States in their role as employers can pave the way for how to find, hire, retain, and advance employees with disabilities • Nationwide, more than 5 million people are employed in state government positions • Businesses have told states that they are more likely to hire people with disabilities if state government is doing it successfully

9. National Priority • Unfinished Business, Making the Employment of People With Disability a National Priority, Senator Harkin Chair • National Governor’s Association- A Better Bottom Line- Hiring People with Disabilities • March 2014, all federal contractors must have a utilization goal of 7% qualified persons with disabilities • President Obama’s Executive Order 13548 • Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities • Hire an additional 100,000 individuals with disabilities over 5 years

10. President Obama’s Executive Order 13548 • Each agency needs to: • Designate a senior-level agency official to be accountable for enhancing employment opportunities • Include performance targets and numerical goals • Provide training of employment process: Schedule A • Increase accommodations and accessibility: physical and virtual • Increase agencies’ retention and return to work for individuals with disabilities and work-related injuries and illnesses • OPM’s Website for the Executive Order, supporting model strategies and other related disability employment resources: OPM Disability Employment

11. Successes of President Obama’s Executive Order • People with disabilities are now 15% of the federal workforce • 15.8% of all new hires have a disability • Federal government is on the path of increasing the number of people with disabilities by 100,000 • 68,000 people with disabilities have been hired in three years

12. The Governor’s Executive Order • Will be similar to the President’s Order • MMB Enterprise HR will track the results • Set performance targets and numerical goals • Set 7% for the state • Increase accommodations and accessibility, both physical and virtual • Will include 700 hour placement • Veterans with disability hiring • Centralized Accommodation Fund Study

13. Centralized Accommodations Fund • Streamlines the process • Prevents unintentional or intentional discrimination on the part of hiring managers • Can negotiate better rates when costs are consolidated

14. The Business Case

15. The Talent Pool • 1 in 5 people have a disability • In the 2010 census, 56 million Americans disclosed that they have at least one diagnosable disability A significant portion of the 20% of the population with disabilities remains either unemployed or underemployed.

16. Growth in Revenue and Market Share • Americans who have disabilities represent the third-largest market segment today with annual spending power estimated in the range of $1 trillion • 92% of Americans say they have a favorable view of companies that hire people with disabilities • 87% of the public say they prefer to support businesses that hire people with disabilities

17. Return on Investment • Studies show workers who have disabilities are consistently rated high in: • Performance, attendance, productivity, task consistency, work quality, and overall proficiency • Employees who have disabilities stay in their jobs • Eliminating turnover costs which can be as much as 93-200% of the employee’s salary • Costs aren’t as high as you think • Reasonable Accommodations and worker’s compensation

18. Fulfillment of Legal Obligations • Rehab Act of 1973 • Americans with Disabilities Act • Human Rights Act • The Governor’s Olmstead Plan • Requires that people with disabilities have the opportunity to live and work in their communities

19. Disability ≈ Diversity Diversity + Inclusion = Innovation

20. Best Practices

21. GraphGraph Dept. of Commerce

22. Work Culture • Do: • Communicating your commitment to increasing and engaging employees with disabilities • Hold leaders accountable for creating and maintaining a diverse workforce • Train employees on disability awareness, disability etiquette, and unconscious bias • Train supervisors and managers to focus on performance and not disability • Ensure website and physical office accessibility • Implement effective accommodation policies and practices • At the agency level, use a centralized funding model to cover costs of accommodations • Do not: • Assume that certain jobs are more suited to persons with disabilities • Assume that a person cannot or does not want a particular job because of an apparent or unapparent disability • Assume a person with a disability does not have the requisite education and training for a job

23. Work Culture Etiquette • Person first language- person with a disability • Don’t use the word impaired • Don’t touch a service animal without permission • Look directly at a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, not the interpreter • Use a chair when communicating with someone in an wheel chair so you are at eye level • Make sure the content of a visual presentation is read or described

24. Work Culture Accommodations • Form to request them • State has a contract for interpreters and CART • STAR Program in the state can assist with assistive technology • State Services for the Blind can assist with technology • Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division can provide technical assistance • Development Disabilities Council can help

25. Recruiting • Job postings and position descriptions • Review essential functions • 60% of job descriptions have potentially discriminatory physical or sensory qualifications • Recognize that there are often many ways to accomplish the same task • Include Equal Opportunity Statement on job postings, encouraging individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply and that reasonable accommodations are available • Advertise open job positions to job boards and media known to be utilized by persons with disabilities

26. HIRING & SELECTION • Ensure all candidates are offered an equal opportunity to participate • Inform candidates of interview process/format and who to contact if they need a reasonable accommodation • Provide interpreters or CART for candidates who are deaf • Account for delays with interpreters on the phone or speech to text relays for candidates who are deaf and hard of hearing • Evaluate each candidate based on job qualifications not on assumptions • Be aware of unconscious bias

27. HIRING & SELECTION Interviewing • Do: • Relax and make the applicant feel comfortable • Talk directly to the applicant • Do not: • Ask an applicant if he or she has a disability during a job interview.

28. Retention • Ensure all aspects of the employment experience are accessible • Create mentoring and networking opportunities • Conduct engagement surveys • Conduct training and development of employees • Ensure individuals with disabilities are included in advancement opportunities • Create employee resource groups and have senior level sponsorship • Ensure there are no barriers to accommodations • Measure and evaluate

29. Partners and Resources

30. Who is VRS? • Empower Minnesotans with disabilities to achieve their goals for employment, independent living and community integration

31. What VRS Offers • We offer: • Professional employment services • Help finding skilled, qualified candidates • Access to hundreds of pre-screened applicants • Assistance during the recruitment and hiring process • Help retaining diverse candidates • Providers throughout Minnesota All at no cost.

32. Resources • Accommodations / Technical Guidance • Job Accommodation Network – Job Accommodation Network • Agency ADA Coordinator/Designee • State ADA Coordinator: Ann Feaman • ann.feaman@state.mn.us • 651-259-3643 • Disability Recruitment • Statewide Recruiter: Elizabeth Nelson • Elizabeth.nelson@state.mn.us • 651-259-3603 • Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Steve Kuntz • steve.kuntz.@state.mn.us

33. Resources • Other Resources • State Disability Agencies – provided in handout • Office of Disability Employment Policy: United States Department of Labor • Ask EARN: Employer Assistance and Resource Network • States as Model Employer Initiative • Resources on workplace accessibility, inclusion, recruitment, supervision, and free training resources

34. COMMERCE CAN DO THIS!! • You are ahead of some other agencies- 4% of your workforce has a disability • We are in this together and we will learn from each other