"I Am, I Can, I Do" National Public Education Campaign:
First Public Service Announcement (PSA) Now Available Online
The USBLN® is very proud to launch our national public education campaign titled, "I Am, I Can, I Do." The campaign includes a series of 30 and 60 second Public Service Announcements (PSAs) showcasing people with disabilities who 'Do!'
AMC Entertainment Inc., a USBLN® member company, debuted the first in this PSA series in their theatres nationwide on September 30, 2011. The showings continued through October in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The USBLN® PSA was aired in 5,000 movie theaters nationwide reaching over 20 million viewers! The campaign's inclusion of many vibrant young people with disabilities conveys the value that people with disabilities bring to the workplace, marketplace and supply chain plus sends a message to youth with disabilities to aspire to their 'dream' careers.
Following the AMC sponsored showing during October and unveiling at our 2011 USBLN® Annual Conference, the campaign will continue throughout 2012, culminating with a special event to be held during the 2012 USBLN® Annual Conference on October 1-4 in Orlando, Florida.
Watch the first USBLN® PSA here:
You are invited to share the above PSAs with your organizations, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and social networks! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for our latest video releases. Juntos Podemos (Together We Can)!
Juntos Podemos (Together We Can)!
Jill Houghton
PHOTO: Matthew Sapolin in 2007 with his guide dog at the time, Compass. Mayor’s Office via the Associated Press.
On behalf of the USBLN®, we extend our deepest condolences to the family of Commissioner Sapolin and the state of New York for the loss of this great leader on November 29, 2011. An excerpt from the statement released by Mayor Bloomberg's office on the death of Matthew Sapolin:
“It is with profound sadness that I announce the passing of my friend and advisor Matt Sapolin, who has led the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities for over nine years. New York City is the freest city in the freest country in the world because everyone has a voice here, including those who cannot physically speak. Matt was the perfect embodiment of so many essential New York traits – passionate about justice and tireless in his pursuit of equal access and opportunity for all New Yorkers. Matt is already deeply missed at City Hall, where he and his guide dog Downey were constant fixtures."
Mr. Sapolin, had served as commissioner for the Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities since the post was created in 2006. In that role, he pushed to make New York City’s building code more accommodating to people with disabilities, created a mentoring program and led an effort to freeze rents for some disabled New Yorkers.
Mr. Sapolin was also blind. Friends and colleagues said that while Mr. Sapolin’s blindness informed his life, it did not narrow it. He was an accomplished wrestler, a versatile musician, a formidable chess player and an occasional skier.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed Mr. Sapolin executive director of the Office for People With Disabilities in 2002. Four years later, Mr. Bloomberg decided to elevate the job to the level of commissioner, and Mr. Sapolin rose with it.
Read the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/nyregion/matthew-p-sapolin-who-led-bloombergs-office-for-disabled-dies-at-41.html?_r=2
Source: The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) wishes to recognize the Secretary of Labor, Hilda L. Solis and the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Director, Patricia A. Shiu for their leadership in focusing on this important issue. The USBLN® looks forward to reviewing the proposed rule and providing their input into the formulation of the government’s final rule on hiring, advancing and retaining individuals with disabilities by America’s federal contractors.
Today, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register. The proposed rule strengthens affirmative action requirements established in Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 obligating federal contractors and subcontractors to ensure equal employment opportunities for qualified workers with disabilities. It also details specific actions contractors would need to take in the areas of recruitment, training, record keeping and policy dissemination. In addition, the rule clarifies OFCCP's expectations for contractors by providing specific guidance on how to comply with the law.
The main comments that OFCCP seeks concern the following topics:
The NPRM proposes to do the following:
To read the notice of proposed rulemaking visit: Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office
PROPOSED RULES:
Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Obligations of Contractors and Subcontractors Regarding
Individuals with Disabilities, 77056–77105 [2011–31371]
Comments may be submitted, identified by RIN number 1250-AA02, by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Fax: (202) 693-1304 (for comments of six pages or less). Mail: Debra A. Carr, Director, Division of Policy, Planning, and Program Development, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Room C-3325, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. All comments must be received by Feb. 7, 2012, and should include identification number (RIN) 1250-AA02.
Source: US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) (www.usbln.org) and the U.S. Department of Labor (http://www.dol.gov)
PHOTO: Maggie Roffee, Corporate Relations Manager, USBLN® interviewing a student at the Connect with Youth! event
On December 7, 2011, the DC Metro BLN, in collaboration with Bridges from School to Work (a Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities program,) conducted a mock interviewing workshop for DC and Maryland high school students with disabilities.
The workshop was held at the new National Youth Transitions Center and National Veterans Center of the HSC Foundation. The Connect with Youth! events bring together employers with youth with disabilities for career preparation and work-based learning experiences. During the December 7th workshop, employer DC Metro BLN members conducted both panel and individual 15-minute ‘speed dating’ type interviews with students. For many students, this was a first job interview experience. The final session brought together the students, employers, Bridges employer representatives, and school transition coordinators to share thoughts about the workshop experience. The enthusiasm generated by this experience resulted in many creative ideas for the next Connect with Youth! event. In addition to USBLN® representation at the December event, participating companies included BAE Systems, ICF International, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP, Lockheed Martin, and ManpowerGroup. To learn more about the DC Metro Business Leadership Network, visit: www.dcmetrobln.org
Source: US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) (www.usbln.org) and DC Metro Business Leadership Network (www.dcmetrobln.org)
By Maggie Roffee, Corporate Relations Manager, USBLN®
On December 14 and 15, 2011, the first two video forums with the Moscow-based Russian Business Advisory Board on Disability (BABD) were held. The BABD is supported by the Moscow-based NGO, Perspektiva.
The December 14th forum was held in the DC and Moscow offices of KPMG. The discussion topic for this forum was developed for the Perspektiva staff and focused on strategies for non-profit organizations to engage and maintain employer involvement in disability employment. Dr. Richard Luecking, President of TransCen, Inc. and Maggie Roffee, Corporate Relations Manager for the USBLN® presented.
On December 15th the second forum was held in the DC and Moscow offices of Ernst & Young. The discussion topic for this forum was developed for the members of the BABD and focused on the origins and development of the USBLN® and strategies for employer to employer engagement in disability employment policies and practices. Lori Golden, Board Member, and Jill Houghton, Executive Director of the USBLN® presented.
The USBLN® and the BABD signed a partnership agreement in September 2011. Members of the BABD traveled to the United States in October to visit the Walgreens Distribution Center in South Carolina and participate in the USBLN® Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
PHOTO: Left to right: Lori Golden, Inclusiveness Consultant and Lead of AccessAbilities, Ernst & Young, LLP and Board Member, USBLN® with Jill Houghton, Executive Director, USBLN® presenting during video forum.
Source: US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) (www.usbln.org)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public accommodations (businesses and non-profit organizations) to provide goods and services to people with disabilities on an equal basis with the rest of the public. Businesses and non-profit organizations that serve the public are to remove architectural barriers when it is "readily achievable" to do so.
This checklist is based on the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. It updates the original ADA Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal which was based on the 1991 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The original checklist was issued in 1992 and revised in 1995.
Businesses and non-profit organizations removing barriers before March 15, 2012 have the choice of using either the 1991 Standards or the 2010 Standards. Businesses and non-profit organizations removing barriers on or after March 15, 2012 must use the 2010 Standards.
ADA National Network ·
www.ADAta.org
Questions on the ADA call 800-949-4232 voice/tty
Questions on the checklist: 617-695-0085 voice/tty or
ADAinfo@NewEnglandADA.org
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 www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org for more information and to watch the “I Can” PSA and “Meet Sue” video.
Source: Campaign for Disability Employment
ADVERTISEMENT: Save the Date to join us in Orlando, Florida on October
1-4, 2012! -
(http://www.usblnannualconference.org/)
ADVERTISEMENT: DiversityInc.com -
(http://www.diversityinc.com/)
Source: Submissions provided to the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) (www.usbln.org)
The USBLN® is a partner in a cooperative agreement awarded to Cornell University's Employment and Disability Institute, School of Industrial and Labor Relations to establish a National Technical Assistance Center for employers on employment of people with disabilities. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the purpose of the Center is to conduct innovative research, assist ODEP in developing demand-side policy, and share best practices with employers on the recruitment, hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities. To link with the National Technical Assistance Center, go to http://www.earnworks.com.
Monthly EARNWorks Employer Newsletters: http://www.earnworks.com/news/newsletters.asp
Source: Employer Assistance & Resource Network (EARN)
ADVERTISEMENT: The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment
Policy (ODEP) -
(www.dol.gov/odep)
ADVERTISEMENT: Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) -
(www.wrp.gov)
The Employer Demand Project, funded by a five-year grant from the U.S Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), sets out scientifically rigorous and evidence-based methods to develop, identify, and evaluate employment demand-side models. It generates new knowledge to better understand market-driven workforce trends: to improve employment outcomes and inform employment practices and policies to prepare individuals with disabilities for the changing needs and requirements of the present and future workforce.
The project weaves together a series of nine targeted and coordinated demand-side research projects (guided by a Blue Ribbon Expert Panel and an Independent Evaluator), providing new data gathering, data analysis, hiring tools, partnership building, and experimental study, to inform comparison of the efficacy of demand- and supply-side models in understanding and improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
Additionally, the sub-projects deal directly with issues of “corporate culture,” including focus groups and town meeting to understand the nexus between disability and corporate culture, as well providing specialized trainings for senior management, department heads, and hiring personnel.
The partnership is an unprecedented nationwide collaboration of economists, statisticians, and leading experts in law, public and disability policy, corporate culture, applied life studies, technology, rehabilitation, and education. Project partners will translate findings into valid and practical tools for large and small businesses in different market sectors to improve employment outcomes for persons with disability.
View the Employer Resources – Toolkit: http://bbi.syr.edu/projects/corpculture/toolkit.htm
Source: U.S Dept of Education, National Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR),
Grant No. H133A060033, Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
(http://bbi.syr.edu/projects/corpculture/empmodels_overview.htm)
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 Gary Goosman at gary@usbln.org or 202-349-4259.
Source: US Business Leadership Network
ADVERTISEMENT: Walmart
(http://www.walmartstores.com/diversity/)
ADVERTISEMENT: America Online (AOL) -
(http://corp.aol.com/)
ADVERTISEMENT: Job Accommodation Network (JAN) -
(http://www.askjan.org/)
The USBLN® is pleased to recognize its partners and their generous support.
Ruby Partners:
Topaz Partners:
USBLN® Annual Conference Partnership Opportunities
The USBLN® Annual Conference is the preeminent national event that taps into the vast economic potential of fully including people with disabilities. In addition to participating in educational and networking opportunities that advance the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, our conference partners receive recognition and benefits which further solidify their standing as leaders.
Several levels of Partnership opportunities are available and include Corporate Membership. Customized partnership opportunities are also available for government agencies, non-profit organizations, and small businesses. (DOC | PDF)
To learn more about our upcoming 2012 Annual Conference Partnership Opportunities, please contact Jill Houghton, USBLN® Executive Director at Jilldh@bellsouth.net or 954.461.4726.
ADVERTISEMENT: Become a BLN Affiliate - Learn more online at http://www.usbln.org/affiliates.html
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 Lynn Kirkbride, Director of Affiliate Relations at (307) 631-0894 or lynnkirkbride@gmail.com.
Source: US Business Leadership Network
End of Document