Model Employer Informational Session We are shaping an inclusive workforce The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 1

Model Employer Informational Session

We are shaping an inclusive workforce

The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 1

Agenda Introductions Background on Model Employer Initiative

Goals/Objectives Our starting point – Where we are now?

What are the numbers? Have we made progress? What does success look like?

Connecting to the Stakeholders Focus Group Feedback Common Themes and Responses

Self-Identification – feedback & response “We Are” “I Am” Education and Training

Reasonable accommodation – feedback & response Educational effort RACRA

Recruitment, Hiring and Promoting Employees with Disabilities – feedback & action response

Acknowledgements and Questions


BackgroundExecutive Order 478

Signed by Governor Patrick, January 2007

Employment Guidelines for Executive Branch Updated November 2007

The Disability Task Force on Employment Formed May of 2008, to:

Examine Executive Branch’s policies & practices, and

Research best practices in the public and private sector as they pertain to attracting, hiring, promoting, and retaining people with disabilities.


Background Cont.

Task Force goal: Make the Executive Branch a model

employer Develop Strategic Plan implementing

policies and practices that welcome people with disabilities of all ages as valuable contributors to the workforce.


Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives

• Seek to increase the number of people with disabilities employed by the Executive Branch.

• Explore methods to ensure the successful retention and promotion of state workers with disabilities and older workers who age into disability.

• Foster an environment and a workforce able to support and facilitate the employment of people with disabilities.


Our starting point – Where we are now?

As of Quarter One FY10 the Executive Branch of the Commonwealth employed 1092 (2.4%) self-identified persons with disabilities.


3/31/20079/26/2009

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

3.5%

Total W/F Total Mgmt.

Manager Representation

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

Mgrs.

Overall W/F Disability W/F


Persons with Disabilities represent 3.1% of the overall managers in the executive branch workforce.

11.4% of the workforce with disabilities are managers.

Professional Representation

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Professionals

Overall W/F Disabled W/F


Persons with disabilities represent 3.1% of the professionals overall in the executive branch workforce.

60.4% of the workforce with disabilities are professionals.

Technicians

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

3.5%

4.0%

Technicians



Persons with Disabilities represent 2.2% of the technicians in the overall executive branch workforce.

3.8% of the workforce with disabilities are technicians.

Office Clerical Representation


Persons with Disabilities represent 4.1% of the overall Office Clerical workforce in the Executive Branch.

12.5% of the workforce with disabilities are in Office Clerical positions.

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

Office/Clerical


Service Maintenance

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

ServiceMaintenance

Overall W/F Diability W/F


Persons with disabilities represent 2.2% of service maintenance in the overall executive branch workforce.

2.7% of the workforce with disabilities are in the service maintenance positions.

Connecting to Stakeholders-- How it was organized Commissioned Independent

Facilitator University of Massachusetts Medical

School Sought feedback from three key

stakeholder groups Employees Hiring Managers ADA Coordinators


Connecting to the Stakeholders

Asked participants to share experiences and perceptions regarding: Self-identification of disability; Disclosure and reasonable

accommodation; Recruiting, hiring, promoting and

retaining employees with disabilities; How agency culture affects on such

experiences


Self-Identification Feedback: In general, employees with

disabilities: Lack awareness that self-identification is a

distinct and separate process from disclosure & the request for reasonable accommodation

Are unaware of whom to contact to self-identify Are unaware of how to request accommodation

Response: We Are / I am campaign Training


Marketing Campaign


Reasonable Accommodation

Feedback: In general, ADA Coordinators and hiring managers agree: Agencies have the capacity to provide basic

reasonable accommodations to the physical work place and equipment,

Providing other types of accommodations are often challenging.

Funding for accommodations can be a problem.

Response: Reasonable Accommodation Capital Reserve

Account (RACRA) Training/education


Reasonable Accommodation Capital Reserve Account (RACRA)

RACRA is a back stop when an agency finds that it cannot meet the costs of providing reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities.

Note: The RACRA Fund is intended to supplement agency resources to respond to reasonable accommodation requests, but not to supplant them.


Goals and Objectives of RACRA

Five-year goals Provide some financial relief to agencies

that are successful in hiring and retaining employees with disabilities

Determine long-term funding needs for this activity

Begin to establish a centralized structure for addressing reasonable accommodation and related issues in the workforce.


Process Agency:

Assesses accommodation request Establishes Cost(s)

If over $2500, may apply to the Reserve Account

If spending on RA so far in the Fiscal Year is over 0.5% of Agency Budget, may apply to the Reserve Account

Completes and transmits application or asks questions to Barbara Lybarger at MOD [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

Recruiting, Hiring and Promoting Employees with Disabilities

Feedback: All focus groups expressed: A lack of awareness of systemic

recruitment and hiring efforts for people with disabilities.

Response: Campaign to heighten awareness Training


AcknowledgementsTaskforce Principals

Paul Dietl, Chief Human Resources Officer

Myra Berloff, Director - MOD Ronald Marlow, Assistant Secretary

for Access and Opportunity, ANF Jean McGuire, Assistant Secretary for

Disability Policies and Programs, EOHHS


AcknowledgmentsTaskforce Members -

Sandra Borders, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity Charles Carr, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Dean Denniston, Executive Office of Health and Human

Services Stan Eichner, Executive Office of Health and Human

Services Irma Gutierrez, Executive Office of Public Safety and

Security Michele Heffernan, Human Resources Division Barbara Lybarger, Massachusetts Office on Disability Jeff McCue, Executive Office of Health and Human Services Valian Norris, Executive Office of Education Dan Shannon, Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities

Council


AcknowledgementsTechnical Assistance

From Massachusetts Medicaid Infrastructure and Comprehensive Employment Opportunities (MA MI-CEO), under a grant to the Center for Health Policy and Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (CFDA #93-768).


What’s Ahead?

Phase II Training Additional

Resources Build on

what we have begun


Further Information

Sandra Borders, ODEO– 617-878-9812

Stan Eichner, EOHHS – 617-573-1782

Barbara Lybarger, MOD – 617 727-7440


Documents

Model Employer Informational Session We are shaping an inclusive workforce The Commonwealth: Working to be a Model Employer 1