USBLN, Biz-2-Biz Report
A Monthly Publication of the USBLN®
VOLUME THREE, ISSUE NUMBER EIGHT, AUGUST 31, 2010

Message from John D. Kemp USBLN®
Executive Director & General Counsel

Chicago has the Cubs, deep-dish pizza and will host the 2010 USBLN® Annual Conference & Expo. All we need is YOU. Be sure to join us for the camaraderie, solution-sharing and all-star line-up of speakers at our conference. It is our pleasure to personally invite you to attend our 13th Annual US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) Conference that will take place September 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.

You are encouraged to register today for "Aligning Disability with the Bottom Line: Talent, Market Share, and Supplier Diversity" for superior educational programming with dynamic speakers at our four-day conference featuring more than 40 educational seminars and 20 exhibits. Hurry, online registration closes on September 10. Our 2010 programming features a robust agenda focused on aligning disability with the bottom line through talent, market share and supplier diversity. This year’s conference includes an outstanding mix of panel discussions, cuttingedge forums and thought-leaders guaranteeing that our educational content is lively and immensely practical. You are invited to mix and match your choice of sessions to customize a program that’s best for you.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from leading businesses on the key topics impacting the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in our workforce, marketplace and supply chains today. You may want to bring several members of your team to cover all of these great sessions. View our agenda: www.usblnannualconference.org/agenda.html and register today at: www.usblnannualconference.org. We're saving YOU a seat!

Sincerely,
John D. Kemp

The USBLN® Participated in ADA 20th Anniversary Celebrations

The last week of July, the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) proudly joined in the many illustrious celebrations marking the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in Washington DC. John D. Kemp, USBLN® Executive Director & General Counsel, was joined by Beth Butler, Vice President, Accommodations Management, Wells Fargo Company and USBLN® Board Chair; Susan Palmer Mazrui, Director, Public Policy, AT&T and USBLN® Board member; Frances West, Director, IBM Human Ability & Accessibility Center and USBLN® Board member and Jill Houghton, USBLN® Deputy Executive Director, for several of the activities that took place on the Hill. Notable events included their attendance of the “Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2010” celebration at the White House. The commemoration paid tribute to this historic anniversary and was culminated with a memorable speech delivered by President Obama that summed up this important anniversary. To read the Presidential Proclamation--Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-anniversary-americans-with-disabilities-act

Next, they attended the “Disability Power & Pride Gala” on July 26, 2010 at the National Press Club following the White House ceremony commemorating the ADA's enactment. Disability community leaders, advocates and supporters across all sectors joined together to honor the past and reinvigorate a movement to change the future.

The USBLN® also attended the National Council on Disability’s (NCD) “2010 National Summit on Disability Policy” which took place July 26-27, 2010, in Washington, DC at the Renaissance Washington. This event commemorated the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act with more than 300 people with disabilities and prominent stakeholders, including federal and private sector disability experts. Attendees were invited to confer and exchange ideas on significant topics for all people with disabilities at this invitation-only event. Their theme of Living, Learning & Earning was designed to launch a national dialogue on disability policies and programs in the 21st century.

Source: US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®)

Entrepreneurs Advance

By John D. Kemp, Executive Director and General Counsel, US Business Leadership Network®, July 21, 2010 Twenty years ago, I was at the White House for the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Since that very hot summer day, we’ve seen many great advances for the community of people with a disability. Public accommodations have improved, education has become more accessible, and individuals with a disability have become a recognized component of our nation’s workforce.

The ADA highlighted the fact that Americans with a disability are employees of businesses nationwide. The US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) and its local Business Leadership Network affiliates across the country have worked with these professionals to help them find jobs, advance within their companies, and create better workplaces for themselves. As important as it is to mark this historic anniversary with reflections on the past, it is equally important for us to continue to look to the future. The USBLN® is now working on a new program which highlights another critical role individuals with a disability play in today’s economy – the role of entrepreneur and business owner. As our nation recovers from the current economic downturn, the self-employed will again prove to be the agile ignition of the economic engine.

As the Executive Director of the USBLN®, I have the honor of working with many major corporations who have committed to work on a daily basis to ensure the spirit of the ADA is an ingrained part of their corporate culture. These corporations have led the way in creating accessible workplaces where individuals with a disability are not only included, but also a valued and essential ingredient to the success of the corporation. I’m very pleased that several corporate members of the USBLN® have recognized that inclusion does not simply stop at providing a workplace accommodation for an employee or at enticing customers with a disability to purchase their product. The USBLN® has been working with several major corporations to bring inclusion to their supplier diversity programs through our new Disability Supplier Diversity ProgramSM (DSDP).

Launched at the beginning of 2010, the USBLN® DSDP connects major corporations to potential vendors that are disability-owned businesses. The USBLN® DSDP offers certification to businesses that are at least 51 percent owned, operated, managed and controlled by an individual with a disability. We work with our certified companies to identify the value they can bring to the supply chains of our corporate partners and provide a forum for introductions and dealmaking.

We are currently seeking companies that are interested in having disability-owned businesses as vendors and business partners as well as disability-owned businesses that could be candidates for certification. If you or your company falls into either of these categories, I encourage you to learn more about the USBLN® DSDP at www.usbln.org.

The progress of the past two decades has been tremendous and certainly deserves celebration. As disability-owned businesses expand their opportunities within corporate America, we are sure to find additional reasons to celebrate. May the party continue!

Source: US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®)

Experiential Education Initiative Program:
Fostering Social Change for People with Intellectual Disabilities

By The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, access@kennedy-center.org, August 5, 2010

The Kennedy Center’s Experiential Education Initiative (EEI) Internship Program seeks to provide individuals with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to experience the world of the performing arts and to develop social and jobrelated skills. Alongside these priorities, the EEI Program also strives to promote institutional and social change in the way people with intellectual disabilities are perceived in the workplace.

By fostering an inclusive environment, the EEI program opens career opportunities for six interns with intellectual disabilities each year and makes the abilities and value of these interns as staff in a performing arts organization evident to the Kennedy Center as an institution, to the individuals who work alongside the EEI interns, and, in turn, to society as a whole.

The Center tested the premise that placing individuals with intellectual disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers in a mainstream cultural institution would result in a change in people’s perspectives regarding the efficacy of working with individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Methodology:
A survey was conducted with former college interns of the Kennedy Center, and thus potential future arts administrators. Of the 236 individuals solicited, 62 (26%) responded. Amongst these respondents, 42 (67%) had worked alongside individuals with intellectual disabilities during their internship and 20 (48%), representing the control group, had not.

Results:
The results of the survey demonstrated that the EEI Program did make an impact on these interns and the work that they now do in their professional careers:

• 38.1% of individuals who worked alongside EEI interns were influenced by the experience.
• Of those surveyed who worked alongside the EEI interns, 28.6% claim to have been considerably influenced to be more open to hiring a person with an intellectual disability after their experience, compared to 20% for those interns who did not work alongside the EEI interns.
• Further, of those surveyed who worked alongside the EEI interns, 28.6% claim to have been considerably influenced to be more open to interviewing a person with an intellectual disability after their experience, compared to 25% for those who did not work alongside the EEI interns.
• Of those surveyed who worked alongside the EEI interns, 47.7% reported that, after having worked alongside individuals with an intellectual disability, they were likely to encourage others to hire or interview an individual with an intellectual disability, compared to a smaller 30% for those who did not work alongside the EEI interns.

Conclusion:
The Kennedy Center’s EEI Internship Program is making a lasting impact, both on the Kennedy Center as an institution and society as a whole, making known the unique capabilities and talents of people with intellectual disabilities in the workforce.

Survey results show that Kennedy Center college interns placed side-by-side as peers with EEI interns are more likely to consider hiring or interviewing someone with an intellectual disability than those who did not have EEI interns as their peers. They are also more likely to encourage others to consider hiring or interviewing someone with an intellectual disability. Further, and of key significance, Kennedy Center college interns tend to pursue careers as arts administrators, thus carrying this change in perspective and attitude to other cultural institutions throughout the world.

Source: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, access@kennedy-center.org

Unemployment Nears Record Levels Among People With Disabilities

By Michelle Diament, August 6, 2010

Unemployment grew sharply among Americans with disabilities in July as the job situation remained largely steady for the rest of the population, the Department of Labor reported Friday. At 16.4 percent, the unemployment rate among those with disabilities grew 2 percent over June when the rate stood at 14.4 percent. The uptick brings unemployment close to the record high of 16.9 percent seen in August 2009.

Meanwhile, unemployment among the general population increased marginally to 9.5 percent in July from 9.4 percent the previous month. The Department of Labor began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends within this group, so numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Employment statistics on people with disabilities cover those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

Direct URL: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/08/06/july-jobs-10/9671/

Source: Disability Scoop, http://www.disabilityscoop.com

USBLN® Affiliate Spotlight: Nominate Firms that Support People with Disabilities

By Diane Stafford, The Kansas City Star, August 23, 2010

Does your workplace have exceptional employment of or support for people with disabilities? Consider nominating your company for the first DisAbility Champion Awards in the Kansas City area. The Greater Kansas City Business Leadership Network is seeking nominations by Sept. 30 to honor for-profit employers that have best-practices programs. “Our overarching goal is to enhance employment opportunities for people with disabilities while increasing the ability for employers to reap the benefits of hiring these individuals — which are numerous. In other words, the proverbial win-win situation,” said Keith Wiedenkeller, senior vice president at AMC Entertainment Inc. and president of the disability leadership network.

The local award is modeled after the top 50 list that Diversity Inc. magazine publishes nationally. Wiedenkeller said the Kansas City network decided to focus on forprofit companies because it’s the sector “that we need to convince that it’s good for the bottom line to employ people with disabilities.” Also, he said, it would be unfair to compare for-profit companies with nonprofit organizations that have the mission to serve people with disabilities. An awards luncheon, sponsored by AMC Theatres, SHRM-KC and Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP, is planned for Oct. 21 at the Kauffman Foundation.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/23/2169996/nominate-firmsthat-support-people.html

Source: The Kansas City Star

Call for Disability-Owned Businesses

The USBLN® is pleased to announce the launch of the Disability Supplier Diversity ProgramSM! This program offers businesses that are owned by an individual(s) with a disability, including service disabled veterans, an exciting opportunity to increase their access to potential contracting opportunities with major corporations, government agencies, and one another. If you or someone you know is a business owner with a disability, and would like to learn more about how to get Disability- Owned Business Enterprise Certification through this program, please contact Aditi Dussault, Director of Affiliate Relations and the Disability Supplier Diversity Program, at aditi@usbln.org or 202.487.5868.

Source: US Business Leadership Network

USBLN® Affiliate Profile: Warm Welcome to the Great Lakes BLN

The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Great Lakes BLN as a member of our national family.

The Great Lakes Business Leadership Network (BLN) is a business-led organization, collaborating to increase business success through increased diversity, including full inclusion of people with disabilities, as customers, employees, suppliers, and community members. Great Lakes BLN serves eight Michigan counties: Arenac, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, and the counties of the Great Lakes Bay Region – Midland, Bay, and Saginaw.

Employers are invited to join the Great Lakes Business Leadership Network to understand, utilize, and benefit from the valuable resources that people with disabilities represent in both consumer and labor markets.

Their lead business is The Dow Chemical Company. Dow sponsored the launch meeting at their site on July 26, with 35 attendees, representing 27 businesses. Rob Vallentine, Director, Public Affairs, North America, is the Business lead, representing Dow Chemical. 13 businesses have already joined Great Lakes BLN, including:

• Best Buy
• Bierlein Companies, Inc.
• Chemical Bank
• Dolce International - The H Hotel
• Dow Chemical
• Dow Corning/HSC
• Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance
• Medical Data Solutions
• Physical Therapy & Rehab Specialists
• Spence Brothers
• Tata Consultancy Services
• TIC Energy & Chemical Inc.
• Zentx Media Group

Their Lead Council Partner is Disability Network of Mid-Michigan. Our team at Disability Network working on this includes Linda Leahy, Sara Browne, and Executive Director, Sara Kristal. The start-up for this project is being funded by grant from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth-Michigan Rehabilitation Services using funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA).

They also have 9 local Partners signed up who are committed to work in a coordinated way to meet defined needs of member businesses: http://www.greatlakesbln.org/Partners.html

For more information, please contact:

Great Lakes Business Leadership Network
1705 S. Saginaw Road
Midland MI 48640
989-631-8867 (Voice & FAX)
Dial 711 for TTY Relay
www.GreatLakesBLN.org

Source: Great Lakes Business Leadership Network (BLN)

ADVERTISEMENT: Novartis - (http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/about-us/diversity-inclusion/index.jsp)
ADVERTISEMENT: Ability Magazine - (http://www.abilitymagazine.com/)
ADVERTISEMENT: Job Accomodation Network (JAN) - (http://www.askjan.org/)

Actionable Advice from the Campaign for Disability Employment - What Can YOU Do?

The Campaign’s messages and products are framed around the theme of “What Can YOU Do?” In that spirit, here are a few things YOU can do to help promote its messages among people with disabilities:

• Post a link to the What Can YOU Do? Web site on your organization’s Web site. For instructions on how to do so, click on “Link to Us” at the bottom of the site.
• Feature the Campaign in your organization’s member publication. A quick and easy way to do this is to use one of the Campaign’s drop-in articles. Alternatively, or in addition, you could send an e-blast about the Campaign to your members. In this e-blast, encourage them to share their job skills and talents through the What Can YOU Do? Web site’s micro-blog feature.
• Spread the word about the Campaign through your organization’s social media activities. The Campaign offers timely and fresh content for updates on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media outlets. As part of this, encourage your members to become a “fan” of the Campaign for Disability Employment on Facebook and join its network on LinkedIn as a way to stay abreast of disability employment issues.
• Print and distribute Campaign materials. The What Can YOU Do? Outreach Toolkit features a variety of fact sheets, posters and other downloadable outreach tools.
• View and share the Campaign’s “I Can” PSA!

Source: The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE)

Improve your Supplier Diversity Program with Certified Disability-Owned Businesses

The new USBLN® Disability Supplier Diversity ProgramSM (DSDP) offers major corporations and government entities a reliable source for identifying potential suppliers that are disability-owned businesses, including businesses owned by service disabled veterans. Through the DSDP, your organization can connect with a growing pool of qualified suppliers while meeting objectives for inclusion of entrepreneurs with a disability. Six major corporations have already made the commitment to include certified disability-owned businesses in their supply chain, and have joined as USBLN® DSDP - Founding Partners. If you would like your company to join Ernst & Young LLP, SunTrust Bank, KPMG, IBM Corporation, Merck & Co. Inc., and Freddie Mac as a Founding Partner, please contact Aditi Dussault, Director of Affiliate Relations and the Disability Supplier Diversity Program, at aditi@usbln.org or 202.487.5868.

Source: US Business Leadership Network

Disability Community News Corner - Upcoming Events

• UCLA’s Leadership Institute for Managers with Disabilities is a five month leadership development program that combines a 3-day onsite campus experience bookended by leadership assessments, web conferences and individual coaching. Exploring such topics as organizational savvy, effective negotiations, leadership and strategy to achieve the extraordinary, and mentoring and networking, the program is designed for managers and leaders who want to increase their value to their organizations and advance their careers. On Campus Session: October 26-29, 2010.
  Event details: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/x27613.xml
     
• Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans Virtual Job Fair takes place on September 16, 2010 from 4 pm to 8 pm (EST) from Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans (www.JOFDAV.com) a disABLEDperson Inc. organization. If you are a veteran with a disability, attend a job fair form the comfort of your home in complete anonymity, a public service to our disabled veteran community.
  To register: http://www.myjstn.com/vcf/ad/jofdav/
     
• The US Business Leadership Network’s (USBLN®) 13th Annual Conference & Expo will be held in Chicago, Illinois on September 19 – 22, 2010. “Aligning Disability with the Bottom Line: Talent, Market Share, and Supplier Diversity” is the preeminent national employer-to-employer event that taps into the vast economic potential of people with disabilities. This conference brings corporate, government, disabilityowned businesses and BLN affiliates together to create workplaces, marketplaces, and supply chains where people with disabilities are fully included as professionals, customers and entrepreneurs. Online registration closes September 10, 2010.
  Event details: www.usblnannualconference.org.

Source: Submissions provided to the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®)

Online Registration Closes September 10th! Visit: www.usblnannualconference.org

USBLN® Annual Conference Partners

The USBLN® is pleased to recognize its partners and their generous support. To learn more about our Annual Conference Partnership Opportunities, please contact Jill Houghton, Deputy Executive Director at Jilldh@bellsouth.net or 954.461.4726.

Presenting Partner

• Walgreens

Lead Media Partner

• DiversityInc

Sapphire Partner

• Merck

Ruby Partner

• AT&T
• IBM
• NIDRR
• Dept. of Education
• Morgali Films
• SSA
• Ticket to Work

Topaz Partners

• McKesson
• Walmart

       Exhibit Hall Host

• Microsoft

Inclusion Partners

       Disability Supplier Diversity Program

• Manpower

       TOWER Initiative

• McDonald's

       Press Room

• CSC

       Conference Supporters

• ADA National Network
• Aramark
• Nordstrom
• ODEP
• Verizon
• Starbucks
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Individual Breakout Session Supporters

• Qualcomm

ADVERTISEMENT: DiversityInc.com - (http://www.diversityinc.com/)  USBLN Lead Media Member 
ADVERTISEMENT: USBLN Annual Conference - (http://www.usblnannualconference.org/)

At work, it’s what people can do that matters.

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace. Visit http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org/ for more information and to watch the “I Can” PSA and “Meet Sue” video.

Source: Campaign for Disability Employment

Become a BLN Affiliate

The BLN is an educational organization. Members engage in networking discussions to increase their knowledge of community outreach, recruiting and interviewing, the accommodation process and barriers to employment. By participating in a business to business dialog, employers learn how to leverage their organizations for success. Being a part of the BLN sends a message to the community that the business is committed to including people with disabilities in the workforce. For more information on becoming a BLN Affiliate, please contact Aditi Dussault, Director, Affiliate Relations & Disability Supplier Diversity Program aditi@usbln.org or 202.487.5868.

Source: US Business Leadership Network

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