disability awareness fear/stigma training employment services & innovations indiana vocational...

Disability Awareness

Fear/Stigma Training

Employment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

I. Myths, Facts, & Fears


True or false?

Directions: Decide whether each statement is true or false.


1. There are nearly 153,000 people with disabilities in the United States.

False. There are over 49.7 million—21.3 million of working age!Employment Services & Innovations

Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

2. A total of 37% of people with severe disabilities are unemployed.

False. Most experts place the number between 66% and 73%.


3. Hiring people with disabilities tends to drive up insurance and medical costs.

False. Dole Foundation,

DuPont, and Chicago Business

Leadership studies all

concluded that insurance and

medical costs do NOT rise.Employment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

4. Employees with disabilities have 2.4% more absences than other employees.

False. A 30-year DuPont study showed that workers with disabilities had fewer absences.


5. People with disabilities have lower turnover rates than their non-disabled coworkers.

True. Employment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

6. Aggregate annual income of people with disabilities is $1 trillion.

True. And $220 billion goes toward discretionary spending. Employment Services & Innovations

Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

7. Workers with disabilities don’t perform as well as their non-disabled coworkers.

False. A 30-year DuPont study concluded workers with disabilities tended to have above-average performance.


Fears on the Table

A “Time to Talk” Activity


II. Business-Disability

Community Partnerships


Hiring people with disabilities makes good

business sense! Good performance

Good safety record

No impact on medical & insurance costs

An ethical, socially responsible thing to do

Large, untapped labor pool

Lower turnover

Reduced recruiting costs

Fewer absences


Biz Benefits

New Customer Niche Group

Increased Brand Loyalty

Improved Community Relations

Risk Reduction/ADA Compliance Support

Reduced Recruiting Costs

Reduced Training Costs

Reduced Turnover

Tax Credits

Other Incentives

Increased Diversity


Business “New World” “Brand Partners”—Walgreens, CVS,

Best Buy, TIAA-CREF, Hyatt, Starbucks, Bank of America

Labor Market Realities

Diversity Niche Market

Customer Niche Market

Staffing Industry

We got “next”


III. Discussing the Disability

Community


Disability Types

Physical Disability Cognitive Disability Intellectual/Developmental

Disability Sensory Disability Psychiatric Disability Acquired Disability (TBI/SCI)


Disability Etiquette

Smile and be friendly.

Use a normal tone of voice.

Talk to the person with the disability—NOT to his aide, coach, or sign language interpreter.

If talking with a person in a wheelchair,sit or kneel to be at eye level.


Disability Etiquette, cont.

Do not refer to a person's disability unless it is relevant.

Use "disability" rather than "handicap" to refer to a person's disability.

When referring to a person's disability, try to use "people first" language.



Avoid referring to people with disabilities as "the disabled, the blind, the epileptics, the retarded, a quadriplegic,"

Avoid negative or sensational descriptions of a person's disability.

Don't portray people with disabilities as overly courageous, brave, special, or superhuman.



Don't use "normal" to describe people who don't have disabilities.

Never say "wheelchair-bound" or "confined to a wheelchair."

Never assume that a person with a communication disorder (speech impediment, hearing loss, motor impairment) also has a cognitive disability, such as mental retardation.


Supporting the Interview

Visual supports

Social stories

Talk less

Give wait time (use silence)

Keep it concrete and straightforward


Interview Tips A handshake is NOT a standard greeting for

everyone. When in doubt, ASK the person whether he or she would like to shake hands with you. A smile, along with a spoken greeting, is always appropriate.

Speak directly to the person with a disability, not just to the ones accompanying him or her.

Don't mention the person's disability, unless he or she talks about it or it is relevant to the conversation.


Interview Tips, cont.

Treat adults as adults. Don't patronize or talk down to people with disabilities.

Be patient and give your undivided attention. especially with someone who speaks slowly or with great effort.

Never pretend to understand what a person is saying. Ask the person to repeat or rephrase, or offer him or her a pen and paper.


Interview Tips, cont.

Relax. Anyone can make mistakes. Offer an apology if you forget some courtesy. Keep a sense of humor and a willingness to communicate.


Interview Process

Use visuals

Develop a mini-schedule for the flow of the interview

Ensure clear beginnings and endings

Attempt to block out environmental distracters


Theory of Mind

What if I don’t know that you have a mind separate and different from my own?

What if I don’t realize that you are a unique individual in your own right?

What if I don’t realize that you have my interests at heart and want to offer me the benefits of your own experiences and thinking and ability?

What if I don’t know that you experience things differently from me?


David Letterman's Top Ten Natural Supports

10. Support Theory of Mind (difficulty with

perspective taking)

9. Talk to the employee

8. Support "sins of the system" (helping employees

learn informal rules)

7. Mentor

6. Provide clear feedbackEmployment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services


David Letterman's Top Ten Natural Supports,

cont.5. Give clear directions

4. Ensure employees know how to ask for "help"

3. Model (demonstrate how to do tasks)

2. Use "silence"--don't verbally overwhelm during training

1. Use visual supports

Natural Supports Websites

VCU Rehabilitation Training &

Support

www.worksupport.com

Job Accommodation Network

www.askjan.org

Griffin Hammis

www.griffinhammis.comEmployment Services & Innovations Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services

http://www.worksupport.com/

http://www.askjan.org/

http://www.griffinhammis.com/


Typical Supervisor Concerns

Additional supervision

Loss of productivity

What if it doesn’t work out?

Am I stuck forever paying a sub-standard employee?

How do I effectively communicate with an employee who has a disability?


Supervision Strategies

Not required to lower quality or standards for any employee

Communicate your expectations with all employees

Workers with disabilities need feedback just like other employees

UPS 3-Year Study of Employees with Disabilities


Supporting New Hire

Help the person learn about personalities

Provide pointers about informal rules such as breaks, dress, and coffee

Teach special work language

Check to make sure person understood; ask them to repeat instructions

Be yourself


Supporting New Hires

Introduce yourself and make the person feel welcome

Introduce new employee to co-workers

Show the individual where things are located & review policies/procedures

Invite the person to join you and others for breaks and lunch


Emotions

Be consistent with your interactions

Help to discriminate between good-natured teasing and when someone is angry or upset

Explain expectations for jobs or routines

Help the individual, and yourself, not to overreact to a situation

Criticize privately

Ask person what you can do to help; suggest a break


Creating Mutual Respect

Encourage co-workers to respect the skills and abilities of all employees.

Remember that the new person was hired because he or she has the skills to do the job


Social

Work is also an important social enterprise

It is important to form valued relationships

Establish informal employee mentors

Theory of Mind


Learning & Remembering

Act as a peer on an adult-to-adult level

Use straightforward and concrete language

Allow extra time to learn procedures

Teach multi-step tasks one step at a time

Provide reminders (checklists, symbols, color codes)

Simplify task by modifying procedures or equipment


Communicating with Placement Agencies

Inform the Employee

Be PROACTIVE

Take advantage of your resources

Keep the employee involved


Strategies

What has worked in the past?

What hasn’t?

How are the same issues handled with other employees?


Common Concerns

Medications

Difficult to understand person

Harassment by other employees

When to seek help from Agency


Employees with Cognitive Disabilities

A cognitive disability is any disability affecting mental processes.

People with cognitive disabilities do not necessarily have decreased levels of work skills, abilities, or intellectual functioning.

Possible accommodations: job coaching, structured breaks, checklists & time tables, clear and concise directions/instructions.


Employees with Psychiatric Disabilities

Psychiatric disabilities are disorders of the brain that may disrupt a person’s feelings, moods, and abilities to relate to others.

Possible Accommodations: job coaching, structured breaks, checklists & time tables, contingency plans to deal with stress.

disability awareness fear/stigma training employment services & innovations indiana vocational...

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