His performance was a courageous example of a person rising above, willing to suffer indignities from people trying to take advantage of his disability as well as simply cruel and ignorant people.
Living in Florida, I can’t say I have been closely tracking Fetterman’s brave campaign against celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz. But I sure took notice last week of their first televised debate and the shameful way the Oz campaign – and many of those who support him – have belittled and bullied Fetterman.
I learned that Oz’s senior communications adviser has said, “If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn’t have had a major stroke and wouldn’t be in the position of having to lie about it constantly.”
I’ve also learned that his campaign, upon Fetterman initially declining to debate Oz in September as he worked to regain his ability to speak with authority, released what is clearly a mocking list of concessions they would make to get Fetterman to debate. It’s shameful.
Fetterman is stronger than most
As I watched Fetterman’s debate performance, I did so with great pride and admiration.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Fetterman is clearly stronger than most people. Average people are often crushed by the circumstances he’s fighting to rise above. I don’t think it was “painful” to watch him in his debate, as some have suggested. It was a courageous example of a person rising above an obstacle in his path, willing to suffer indignities from people trying to take advantage of his disability as well as simply cruel and ignorant people.
Equating an auditory processing disorder, or what others might describe as aphasia, with a lack of intelligence or cognition is commonplace and bigotry. This type of bullying cannot be accepted. The fact that anyone would leverage a widely held misconception for political gain, especially a medical doctor, is disgusting.
The sad truth is that ignorant criticism of Fetterman’s disabilities are bound to intimidate others with disabilities. The loss of their productivity already has a demonstrable impact on our gross domestic product. People with disabilities have the lowest labor participation rate of any group.
At the National Organization on Disability, we collect data from hundreds of companies to help improve human capital management of people with disabilities. Our mission is to help people with disabilities who want work to find it – and to help their employers maximize the potential, productivity and innovation of their entire workforce.
Helping people with disabilities move forward
Inhospitable work environments, transit and building facilities as well as belittling or bullying people with disabilities cause low labor participation rates of people with disabilities. It also destabilizes families. Gaining an advantage by expressing an “opinion” borne of ignorance (purposeful or not) is not harmless – it’s cruel and inexcusable.
It takes hard work to overcome a stroke, especially if there are visible signs and/or pain. It’s not hard to imagine why many people give up, and indeed, half of stroke survivors don’t return to work.
With almost 200,000 Americans under 65 having a stroke every year, this is not only a tragedy for those people and their families; it’s a major economic problem.
John Fetterman has demonstrated himself to be a fighter – a man with courage, drive and a remarkable lack of self-pity. He also must have a great support system around him, especially a supportive and loving family. I couldn’t have come back without my family, especially my wife, and my then chief operating officer, who is now my CEO.
No matter how one feels about his political opinions, I think having leaders who have overcome substantial challenges with enough humility to expose themselves to public scrutiny encourage and embolden others who face challenges. Even if the Senate candidate doesn’t win on Nov. 8, Pennsylvanians should be proud of Lt. Gov. Fetterman – a leader with grit.
People have told me that I’m a nicer person since my stroke. I certainly know I’m more perceptive and empathetic. Don’t we all need more empathy?
Luke Visconti, the founder of DiversityInc., is chairman of the National Organization on Disability.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
NEW YORK, NY (October 26, 2022) – Today Carol Glazer was named one of Women’s eNews ‘21 Leaders for the 21st Century’ honorees for 2022 for her innovative leadership while serving as president of the National Organization on Disability (NOD), which champions disability-inclusive diversity in the workplace, marketplace, and communities. Ms. Glazer, along with 20 other honorees, received the award on behalf of NOD at a Gala held at The United Nations in New York City.
In addition to celebrating this year’s honorees, the Gala included, for the first time in Women’s eNews’ 22-year history, a series of panel discussions addressing some of the most important issues impacting women and girls today including disability, health, business, diversity, leadership, and philanthropy. Glazer, along with other industry leaders and disability activists, participated on a disability awareness panel entitled Redefining Disability.
“Women’s eNews selected these 21 individuals and organizations for their unwavering and pioneering support for gender equality from the health, technology and business sectors to the voting booth,” says Lori Sokol, PhD., Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief.
“I am truly honored to be recognized by Women’s eNews, especially during National Disability Employment Awareness Month.” said NOD President Carol Glazer. “I am a firm believer in emphasizing what individuals with disabilities can do instead of what we can’t do, especially as it relates to employment. It is society’s obligation to make sure everyone can be an active and contributing participant in the world we live in.”
Under her leadership as NOD President, Ms. Glazer has transformed NOD into the country’s premier resource and ambassador on disability inclusion with an employment-focused agenda. As a result, NOD partners with corporate America to create new career opportunities for the sixty percent of Americans with disabilities, including our wounded veterans, that are not in the workforce. She continues to be an advocate and change leader for Americans with disabilities and all underrepresented groups, working diligently to foster greater opportunities to be part of our culture and community.
Ms. Glazer shared the vision for the future of disability inclusion: “Our mission is to change the paradigm of people with disabilities from deficit requiring charity, to talent requiring opportunity.”
Finally, Ms. Glazer urged others to spark change, saying, “My call to action is two words: ’Come out!’ Let people know you have a disability. It demystifies and destigmatizes disability.”
For more information about Women’s eNews, the award-winning, non-profit global news organization, click here.
AboutNational Organization on Disability (NOD)
The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 60-percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate, and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.
With Covid prompting more employers to consider remote arrangements, employment has soared among adults with disabilities.
Before the pandemic, Kathryn Wiltz repeatedly asked her employer to let her work from home because of her disability, but was denied. Credit: Sarah Rice for The New York Times
Ben Casselman |Oct. 25, 2022
The strong late-pandemic labor market is giving a lift to a group often left on the margins of the economy: workers with disabilities.
Employers, desperate for workers, are reconsidering job requirements, overhauling hiring processes and working with nonprofit groups to recruit candidates they might once have overlooked. At the same time, companies’ newfound openness to remote work has led to opportunities for people whose disabilities make in-person work — and the taxing daily commute it requires — difficult or impossible.
As a result, the share of disabled adults who are working has soared in the past two years, far surpassing its prepandemic level and outpacing gains among people without disabilities.
Share employed, change since Jan. 2020
In interviews and surveys, people with disabilities report that they are getting not only more job offers, but better ones, with higher pay, more flexibility and more openness to providing accommodations that once would have required a fight, if they were offered at all.
“The new world we live in has opened the door a little bit more,” said Gene Boes, president and chief executive of the Northwest Center, a Seattle organization that helps people with disabilities become more independent. “The doors are opening wider because there’s just more demand for labor.”
Samir Patel, who lives in the Seattle area, has a college degree and certifications in accounting. But he also has autism spectrum disorder, which has made it difficult for him to find steady work. He has spent most of his career in temporary jobs found through staffing agencies. His longest job lasted a little over a year; many lasted only a few months.
This summer, however, Mr. Patel, 42, got a full-time, permanent job as an accountant for a local nonprofit group. The job brought a 30 percent raise, along with retirement benefits, more predictable hours and other perks. Now he is thinking about buying a home, traveling and dating — steps that seemed impossible without the stability of a steady job.
“It’s a boost in confidence,” he said. “There were times when I felt like I was behind.”
Mr. Patel, whose disability affects his speech and can make conversation difficult, worked with an employment coach at the Northwest Center to help him request accommodations both during the interview process and once he started the job. And while Mr. Patel usually prefers to work in the office, his new employer also allows him to work remotely when he needs to — a big help on days when he finds the sensory overload of the office overwhelming.
“If I have my bad days, I just pick up the laptop and work from home,” he said.
Workers with disabilities have long seen their fortunes ebb and flow with the economy. Federal law prohibits most employers from discriminating against people with disabilities, and it requires them to make reasonable accommodations. But research has found that discrimination remains common: One 2017 study found that job applications that disclosed a disability were 26 percent less likely to receive interest from prospective employers. And even when they can find jobs, workers with disabilities frequently encounter barriers to success, from bathroom doors they cannot open without assistance to hostile co-workers.
Workers with disabilities — like other groups that face obstacles to employment, such as those with criminal records — tend to benefit disproportionately from strong job markets, when employers have more of an incentive to seek out untapped pools of talent. But when recessions hit, those opportunities quickly dry up.
“We have a last-in, first-out labor market, and disabled people are often among the last in and the first out,” said Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington research organization.
Remote work, however, has the potential to break that cycle, at least for some workers. In a new study, Mr. Ozimek found that employment had risen for workers with disabilities across industries as the labor market improved, consistent with the usual pattern. But it has improved especially rapidly in industries and occupations where remote work is more common. And many economists believe that the shift toward remote work, unlike the red-hot labor market, is likely to prove lasting.
More than 35 percent of disabled Americans ages 18 to 64 had jobs in September. That was up from 31 percent just before the pandemic and is a record in the 15 years the government has kept track. Among adults without disabilities, 78 percent had jobs, but their employment rates have only just returned to the level before the pandemic.
“Disabled adults have seen employment rates recover much faster,” Mr. Ozimek said. “That’s good news, and it’s important to understand whether that’s a temporary thing or a permanent thing. And my conclusion is that not only is it a permanent thing, but it’s going to improve.”
Before the pandemic, Kathryn Wiltz repeatedly asked her employer to let her work from home because of her disability, a chronic autoimmune disorder whose symptoms include pain and severe fatigue. Her requests were denied.
Ms. Wiltz’s new job allows her to work from home permanently. Credit…Sarah Rice for The New York Time
When the pandemic hit, however, the hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Ms. Wiltz worked in the medical billing department sent her home along with many of her colleagues. Last month, she started a job with a new employer, an insurance company, in which she will be permanently able to work remotely.
Being able to work from home was a high priority for Ms. Wiltz, 31, because the treatments she receives suppress her immune system, leaving her vulnerable to the coronavirus. And even if that risk subsides, she said, she finds in-person work taxing: Getting ready for work, commuting to the office and interacting with colleagues all drain energy reserves that are thin to begin with. As she struggled through one particularly difficult day recently, she said, she reflected on how hard it would have been to need to go into the office.
“It would have been almost impossible,” she said. “I would have pushed myself and I would have pushed my body, and there’s a very real possibility that I would have ended up in the hospital.”
There are also subtler benefits. Ms. Wiltz can get the monthly drug infusions she receives to treat her disorder during her lunch break, rather than taking time off work. She can turn down the lights to stave off migraines. She doesn’t have to worry that her colleagues are staring at her and wondering what is wrong. All of that, she said, makes her a more productive employee.
“It makes me a lot more comfortable and able to think more clearly and do a better job anyway,” she said.
The sudden embrace of remote work during the pandemic was met with some exasperation from some disability-rights leaders, who had spent years trying, mostly without success, to persuade employers to offer more flexibility to their employees.
“Remote work and remote-work options are something that our community has been advocating for for decades, and it’s a little frustrating that for decades corporate America was saying it’s too complicated, we’ll lose productivity, and now suddenly it’s like, sure, let’s do it,” said Charles-Edouard Catherine, director of corporate and government relations for the National Organization on Disability.
Still, he said the shift is a welcome one. For Mr. Catherine, who is blind, not needing to commute to work means not coming home with cuts on his forehead and bruises on his leg. And for people with more serious mobility limitations, remote work is the only option.
Many employers are now scaling back remote work and are encouraging or requiring employees to return to the office. But experts expect remote and hybrid work to remain much more common and more widely accepted than it was before the pandemic. That may make it easier for disabled employees to continue to work remotely.
The pandemic may also reshape the legal landscape. In the past, employers often resisted offering remote work as an accommodation to disabled workers, and judges rarely required them to do so. But that may change now that so many companies were able to adapt to remote work in 2020, said Arlene S. Kanter, director of the Disability Law and Policy Program at the Syracuse University law school.
“If other people can show that they can perform their work well at home, as they did during Covid, then people with disabilities, as a matter of accommodation, shouldn’t be denied that right,” Ms. Kanter said.
Ms. Kanter and other experts caution that not all people with disabilities want to work remotely. And many jobs cannot be done from home. A disproportionate share of workers with disabilities are employed in retail and other industries where remote work is uncommon. Despite recent gains, people with disabilities are still far less likely to have jobs, and more likely to live in poverty, than people without them.
“When we say it’s historically high, that’s absolutely true, but we don’t want to send the wrong message and give ourselves a pat on the back,” Mr. Catherine said. “Because we’re still twice as likely to be unemployed and we’re still underpaid when we’re lucky enough to be employed.”
Disability issues are likely to become more prominent in coming years because the pandemic has left potentially millions of adults dealing with a disability. A recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York estimated that close to two million working-age Americans had become disabled because of long Covid.
Employers that don’t find ways to accommodate workers with disabilities — whether through remote work or other adjustments — are going to continue to struggle to find employees, said Mason Ameri, a Rutgers University business professor who studies disability.
“Employers have to shape up,” he said. “Employers have to pivot. Otherwise this labor shortage may be more permanent.”
Ben Casselman writes about economics, with a particular focus on stories involving data. He previously reported for FiveThirtyEight and The Wall Street Journal.
THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION ON DISABILITY ANNOUNCES THE 2022 LEADING DISABILITY EMPLOYERS AT ANNUAL FORUM CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF DISABILITY INCLUSION PROGRESS
Fifty-Two Companies Recognized for Commitment to Building an Inclusive Workforce
NEW YORK, NY (October 3, 2022) – At the National Organization on Disability (NOD)’s Annual Forum, entitled NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future, fifty-two organizations were honored as 2022 NOD Leading Disability Employers. Now in its eighth year, the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal recognizes companies for measuring and achieving strong talent outcomes for people with disabilities. With this recognition, NOD shines a light on those employers that are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce by adopting exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.
“For the past forty years, we have envisioned a world where all people with disabilities enjoy full opportunity for employment, enterprise and earnings and employers know how to make the most of their talents,” said NOD President Carol Glazer. “I congratulate these fifty-two organizations for their leadership and commitment to hiring and retaining people with disabilities. Together we can reimagine the future by harnessing the power, creativity, and innovation of disability-inclusive diversity in the workplace, marketplace, and communities across America.”
The 2022 Leading Disability Employers are as follows:
Accenture
American Heart Association
American Water
AmerisouceBergen Corporation
Bell Textron Inc
Capital One Financial Corporation
Centene
CircuSense/Omnium Circus
Colorado Springs Utilities
Comcast NBCUniversal
Consumers Energy
Dow
DXC Technology
Endeavors Unlimited
EY
First Busey Corporation
FirstEnergy
The Hershey Company
Hilton Worldwide
Idaho National Laboratory
Independence Care System
KeyBank
KPMG LLP
Leidos Inc.
Lockheed Martin
L’Oréal USA
M&T Bank Corporation
Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Mayo Clinic
Northrop Grumman
Oshkosh Corporation
PRIDE Industries
PSEG
Puerto Rico Industries for the Blind, Corp.
Randstad
Reed Smith LLP
Regions Bank
Roche Diagnostics Corporation,
Sanofi US
Sempra
TD Bank
Tennessee Valley Authority
T-Mobile, USA
S. Bank
Unum
Vectrus
The Viscardi Center
VSP Vision
Walgreens
WeCo Accessibility Services
Wells Fargo & Company
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
The than 300 corporate partners, disability rights advocates and civic leaders in the nation’s capital. The Forum, emceed by Michael Smerconish, veteran political commentator, and host to programs on both CNN and SiriusXM, paid tribute to fellow Pennsylvanian, outgoing NOD chairman Governor Tom Ridge for his tireless commitment fighting for the rights of people with disabilities. The Forum featured two keynote speakers: Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living, disability activist, and a two-time Paralympian and Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization. In addition, special messages were given by Michele Buck, CEO of The Hershey Company, Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO and President of Hilton Worldwide, and many more.
In addition, attendees were invited to two dynamic roundtables entitled: Honoring the Disability Rights Movement Over the Last 40 Years and Focusing on the Future with Innovators in the ADA Generation whichincluded distinguished and talented professionals including Judy Heumann, Disability Rights Leader and Principal of the Oscar-Nominated Higher Group Netflix documentary CRIP CAMP, Taryn M. Williams, Assistant Secretary for Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, and Day Al-Mohamed, Disability Policy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council.
About the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal + Employment Tracker
The NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal is a selective award given to companies demonstrating positive outcomes in recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing people with disabilities in their workforces. To see current and past winners of the NOD Leading Disability Employer seal, visit www.NOD.org/seal.
Winners are determined based on data provided by companies on the NOD Employment Tracker™, the onlyassessment tool available that focuses on the workforce, to help companies evaluate their disability inclusion policies and practices. Organizations wanting to compete for the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal voluntarily opt in to be considered. Those companies’ responses are scored, considering both disability employment practices and performance. Scoring prioritizes practices that are associated with increased disability employment outcomes over time, and companies receive additional points based on the percentage of people with disabilities in their workforce. At NOD’s Annual Forum, the cohort of winners are revealed by name; no specific scoring or ranking is disclosed.
The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 60-percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate, and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION ON DISABILITY AND ITS CORPORATE PARTNERS SEND A STRONG MESSAGE OF HOPE TO DISABILITY COMMUNITY AT ANNUAL FORUM: NOD AT 40: HONORING THE PAST; INNOVATING THE FUTURE
NOD Celebrates 40 Years of Disability Inclusion Progress in the Workplace and Honors Long-time NOD Chairman Governor Tom Ridge and President Carol Glazer
NEW YORK, NY (October 3, 2022) – The National Organization on Disability, along with its title sponsors The Hershey Company and Prudential, disability rights advocates, civic leaders and corporate global partners and sponsors convened at 101 Constitution Ave. in DC for NOD’s annual Forum: NOD at 40: Honoring the Past; Innovating the Future on September 29, 2022. More than 300 attendees celebrated 40 years of NOD and the accomplishments of the disability rights movement and specifically the advancement of disability employment rights in this country; explored the future being built by ADA Generation innovators; and honored the man who has served as NOD’s Chairman for the last 16 years, the nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge, as well as Carol Glazer who has served as NOD’s president for the last 13 years.
A sense of hope permeated throughout the day as attendees witnessed messages from Hershey CEO Michele Buck, Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO and President of Hilton Worldwide, Dr. Forber-Pratt, Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in the Administration for Community Living, disability activist, and a two-time Paralympian and Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, as well as energizing and innovative roundtable discussions led by industry leaders including Disability Rights Leader Judy Heumann, Day-Al Mohamed, Disability Policy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council and Xian Horn, Founder of Give Beauty Wings and Changeblazer, ForbesWomen Contributor.
“Hope is a simple idea, but is truly the steppingstone to resilience,” said NOD President Carol Glazer. “When NOD began, we were filled to the brim with hope that we could make the world a better place for people with disabilities. For the last 40 years we have focused on being a catalyst for driving a positive perception and shattering misconceptions about people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and communities across the United States. Today was an amazing day as colleagues and friends reflected on the past, but it was also a time to dive into the challenges that the disability community still faces in the years to come. Together I believe we can continue this journey of progress with perseverance, innovation, and hope.”
The celebration continued into the evening on the Roof Terrace with a beautiful tribute to Governor Tom Ridge for his 16 years of service as NOD Chairman, given by Michael Smerconish, the Forum’s emcee, and SiriusXM/CNN Host. In addition, fifty-two organizations were honored as the 2022 NOD Leading Disability Employers. Now in its eighth year, the NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal recognizes companies for measuring and achieving strong talent outcomes for people with disabilities. With this recognition, NOD shines a light on those employers that are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce by adopting exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.
“I am partially paralyzed and a member of the disability community. Here it is simply: We have a right to go to work,” said incoming NOD Chairman Luke Visconti. “People with disabilities have the lowest labor participation rate of any group because most companies won’t hire us. I am proud of NOD for capturing data on corporate best practices and helping progressive companies, like the ones who sponsored this event and others who attended, to manage their human capital at peak performance. I am thankful to take the chair from Governor Tom Ridge who led this organization and board to its current wonderful shape.”
About National Organization on Disability (NOD)
The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 60-percent of working age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD offers a suite of employment solutions, tailored to anticipate and meet leading companies’ workforce needs. NOD has helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive in today’s global economy by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. For more information about NOD and how its portfolio of professional services, Leadership Council and Employment Tracker™ can help your business, visit www.NOD.org.
Welcome to the NOD Leadership Council site where members enjoy exclusive access to leading disability inclusion resources, tools and events.
Don’t have a username and password? Check to see if your company is a NOD Leadership Council member and learn more about joining.
