AT @ Work Time is Money: What is Your VALUE to Business? National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Project July 16, 2009 Webinar Presented by,

AT @ WorkTime is Money:

What is Your VALUE to Business?

National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Project

July 16, 2009 Webinar

Presented by,

Joan Kester

The George Washington University

Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research & Education

Mid-Atlantic Technical Assistance & Continuing Education Center 1

AT @ Work: What is YOUR Value to Business?

• In today’s climate, it is essential to view employers as customers and to paint a clear picture of what AT professionals offer business partners. Learn about the landscape of employment affecting people with disabilities and how analyze the needs of employers in your area. During the webinar, participants will also have an opportunity to discuss strategies to expand their employer base and define their value to business.

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Topics of the Webinar

• Employment: Understanding the Landscape

• Who are Your Primary Customers?

• What Do Employers Need?

• Expanding Your Employer Base

• Adding Value to Business

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Employment

Understanding the Landscape

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National Snapshot

According to the National Council on Disability:

• The Federal government operates a large number of programs designed to assist in the fostering of employment relationships.

• Despite considerable effort and investment, an employment rate for working-age Americans with disabilities of less than one-half that for the population as a whole.

• Data show lower incomes when people with disabilities do work and generally higher levels of poverty.

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Understanding Barriers

• While we know there is a pool of talented workers with disabilities, many barriers exist.

• We need to relieve employers of the range of fears and misconceptions that surely have prevented, and may continue to prevent, all too many from taking full advantage of the productive potential of workers with disabilities.

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Myths & Fears• There is a lack of full understanding of

why myths, fears, and stereotypes about people with disabilities continue to persist among employers.

• We must factor in these potential barriers when developing our outreach strategies.

• What myths and attitudinal barriers have you experienced and how have you addressed them?

National Disability Policy: A Progress Report National Council on Disability January 15, 2008

http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2008/pdf/RevisedProgressReport.pdf 7

According to the Association of State AT Act Projects…

People with disabilities want to work. They want to contribute to society, enjoy personal fulfillment, and earn a living. The nation needs workers and technology is the key to employment for persons with disabilities. Employers need assistance in identifying the technology solutions that will preserve or enhance their workforce.

http://www.ataporg.org/atap/projects.php?id=major_accomplishments

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On the topic of Employment:• The Workforce Investment Act, Ticket to

Work Act and other recent federal initiatives have created a state environment of change. One-stops are struggling to effectively service individuals with disabilities and are in need of extensive support and technical assistance to make their computer labs, telephones and other media accessible.

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On the topic of Telecommuting:• The increasing use of work related

telecommuting holds promise for increasing employment options for individuals with disabilities, which frequently requires assistive technology in the form of computer and telephone adaptations. However, many employers and people with disabilities need assistance in making this work.

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Who are YOUR Primary Customers?

Dual Customer Relationship

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The NationalVR-Business Network and the

Institute on Rehabilitation Issues (IRI) on VR Business Partnerships

What Can we Learn from this Model in Building Partnerships

with Employers?

Source: PowerPoint developed by Kathy West-Evans, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), Director of Business Relations, http://www.rehabnetwork.org/busrel/

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Key Concepts

• Customer-Driven Networks

• Building and Sustaining a Business Partnership Network: “One Company” Approach

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Dual Customer Approach

• This term describes a customer service strategy that recognizes both INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES and EMPLOYERS or business as a customer.

• We are responsible for educating employers about the benefits of accommodations and assistive technology.

• This requires a dual customer approach in the delivery of services.

32nd IRI, "The VR-Business Network: Charting Your Course“ located at http://www.rcep6.org/IRI/tmpt/publications.htm#32nd

Dual Customer Approach

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NationalVR-Business Network

• Through this national network, there is a Point of Contact in each public VR state agency.

• Beyond this VR initiative, there may be many other priorities and projects of the public VR agency.

• Are you connected to these initiatives and can this be a potential “market” for your outreach efforts to employers?

http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/vrpractices/busdev.html 16

What Do Employers Need?

Putting your ear to the ground

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Employers’ Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New

Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce, The Conference Board

• The future U.S. workforce is here—and it is woefully ill-prepared for the demands of today’s (and tomorrow’s) workplace. Among the most important skills cited by employers:

• Professionalism/Work Ethic• Oral and Written Communications• Teamwork/Collaboration and• Critical Thinking/Problem Solvinghttp://www.conference-board.org/pdf_free/BED-06-Workforce.pdf 18

Targeting High Growth Clusters, Labor Market Analysis

• It is important for you to understand the potential impact of the labor market:– Priority career clusters– Growing industry– Projected employment trends

• To begin your labor market analysis, it is helpful to review your State’s Labor Statistics website

http://www.bls.gov/ 19

The Bottom Line

How can you address the bottom line of employers?

• The bottom line of economics• The bottom line of procedures and

process• The bottom line of safety• The bottom line of efficiency• The bottom line of cost-effectiveness• The bottom line of workplace community• Many more…

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What VALUE do you Offer an Employer?

• Help the business save or make money• Expand the business• Increase their customer base• Solve a problem• Use old things in a new way• Improve the way things are being done

now• Respond to a problem in the community• Capitalize on or respond to a trend• What are your ideas? 21

Affiliating with Business Organizations

Questions to consider:• What business organizations exist in your

area?• What services do they provide?• Can you join?• Can you provide continuing education?• Can you include your information in their

literature, publications, websites, etc.?• What business organizations exist and

how have you affiliated with them to outreach to employers? 22

In Their Own Words: Employer Perspectives on Youth with Disabilities

in the Workplace

The following items are a few that these employers suggest for practitioners:

• To recruit companies for work experiences, market the competent service of the professional or organization representing youth with disabilities and the potential benefits to the company. Avoid charitable appeals based on disability.

In Their Own Words: Employer Perspectives on Youth with Disabilities in the Workplace, National Center on Secondary Education and Transition 2004,

http://www.ncset.org/publications/essentialtools/ownwords/default.asp 23


in the Workplace

• Get to know the industries and companies in your area; careful screening and matching are not possible without this knowledge.

• Seek out and cultivate internal champions who can advance the concept and the value of such work experiences within companies.

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in the Workplace

• Be ready to provide both formal and informal disability awareness training, tailored to the needs and circumstances of the company.

• In the long run, it is important to continue to seek out and listen to the voices of employers. With improved focus on the employer’s needs, there is good reason to expect improved adult employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.

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Listening to What Employers Need

• To forge successful partnerships with business, it is important to connect with and understand their “world”.

• How do you connect with the pulse of business in your state to fully understand the needs of employers, prior to designing your approach?

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Expanding Your Employer Base

Capacity Building Efforts

Source: Beyond Traditional Job Development, Denise Bissonnette, http://www.diversityworld.com/Denise_Bissonnette/index.htm

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Twelve Ideas for Expanding Your Employer Base

1. Start with People you Know

2. Keep up with National, State & Local News

– Industry trends, upcoming meetings/events, changes in local organizations and companies, business leaders

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3. Read Business Journals, Magazines and Other Newspapers

– Local business news, new products and services, Chamber of Commerce news, new businesses

4. Attend Meetings where People get Together on a Regular Basis for a Common Purpose

– Chamber of Commerce, community organizations, professional associations, volunteer groups 29


5. Attend special state, city, town and neighborhood events

– Public hearings, city council meetings, community development meetings

6. Join local, state and national organizations

– Identify networking opportunities (e.g. Retail Merchant’s Association, Educational Councils, Independent Insurance Agents) 30


7. Make Presentations to Clubs, Meetings, Conferences or Classes

– Who is in need of a luncheon speaker?

8. Attend Job Fairs and Conferences

9. Sponsor Training or Educational Events for Employers

10.Hold Special Events Involving Employers with the Program and Participants

– Award banquets, job shadowing days 31


11.Initiate and/or maintain contact with employers through mass and targeted mailings

– Promotional brochures, flyers, invitations, articles, newsletters, surveys.

12.Learn about Local businesses by using directories, journals and other written and/or electronic resources

– Library, service clubs, chambers, universities

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Expanding your Employer Base

• What strategies have you used to expand your employer base? What challenges have you experienced?

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Adding Value to Business

From an employer’s perspective

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Refining our Approach: An Employer’s Perspective

• Our approach can make or break future opportunities for individuals with disabilities to gain employment with those businesses that we contact.

• Language is key! Eliminate the use of the field’s jargon.

• Focus our materials on the benefits to employers.

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In a presentation entitled “Adding Value to Business” presented by Erin Riehle, Project SEARCH, Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati shares her perspective on how we are perceived by business and why we should provide quality services.

Source: Training & Technical Assistance for Providers funded by Office of Disability Employment Policy, US Department of Labor, located at http://www.t-tap.org/. To view Erin’s presentation and supporting materials, click on http://www.t-tap.org/training/onlineseminars/riehle/riehle_0306ho.pdf.

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The Project SEARCH model teaches us:• Cold calls can be an anathema to business and

perceived as rude.• When we “offer” incentives, it may appear we

are using deficit market strategies, especially if asking for the easiest job.

• If an employer hires a person with a disability with a job coach, be cognizant how many support people from agencies come through an employer’s door.

• Be aware of how many agencies are approaching employers about job openings – a business model would provide a point of contact.

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How might this impact your approach with employers?

Recap

• Employment: Understanding the Landscape

• Who are Your Primary Customers?

• What Do Employers Need?

• Expanding Your Employer Base

• Adding Value to Business

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AT @ WorkJoan Kester, M.A., CRC

Human Resource Development Specialist/Senior Research Associate

Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research & Education

Technical Assistance & Continuing Education Center, Region 3

The George Washington University

202-489-7112

[email protected]

www.gwcrcre.org

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Documents

AT @ Work Time is Money: What is Your VALUE to Business? National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Project July 16, 2009 Webinar Presented by,