Category: Uncategorized

REI + NOD: Case Study

Posted on by Daniel Golden

 

OBJECTIVE

To recruit and employ people with disabilities to join the REI team at the state-of-the-art distribution center in Goodyear, Arizona. REI is already known for creating a progressive work environment that is inclusive and respectful. Through their partnership with NOD, REI had a goal of building a workforce reflective of the community and their customer base, by including people with disabilities.

OUTCOME

In previous efforts to create a working environment welcoming to people with disabilities in other REI facilities, the company noted how long the transition typically took. Working with the NOD team, REI saw near immediate results in the facility’s culture, including employees who took it upon themselves to learn sign language to communicate with a new co-worker who uses sign. NOD’s training program – created for all levels of employees, including leadership – taught the REI team how to work with and lead team members with disabilities. These training sessions, including etiquette and awareness lessons, were delivered to more than 30 REI managers and 120 staff members in anticipation of hiring more people with disabilities from the greater Goodyear area. Another key portion of the REI and NOD partnership was a comprehensive review of their existing inclusion policies resulting in specific recommendations to advance their inclusion goals.

TESTIMONIALS

“If anybody were to ever ask me if I’d work with the National Organization on Disability, my answer is a heartfelt ‘yes!’ They’ve been a fantastic partner to us and most importantly it wasn’t about them having a canned program that they had set that they would roll out to every employer. They truly take the time to understand you, understand your business, understand the opportunities in your business and really match those up. There’s no force fed, pre-programmed set of ideas they have for you. They really work with you to make something right for your company. I really appreciate that and I’d highly recommend the National Organization on Disability as a key partner on your initiative to find, recruit and employ great talent.”

Chris Joyce | Director of Operations, REI

“The NOD really set the foundation for us and gave us a base and a ground to really start walking. We were there, but I think we were more crawling towards that direction. The NOD really got us walking and really got us to run towards the goal we had. They were a great coach and mentor.”

Christian Saldana | Operations Supervisor, REI

LEARN MORE ABOUT REI AT THEIR NEWSROOM

 

Reimagine Recruiting

Posted on by Luan

CO-PRESENTED BY THE NOD CORPORATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL & CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (COSD)

On November 17, 2016, leaders and practitioners in campus recruiting, diversity & inclusion, human resources and compliance gathered in Cambridge, MA for Reimagine Recruiting. The annual NOD Corporate Leadership Council forum offered attendees an exclusive opportunity to network with peers and learn about leading practices in recruiting and hiring college students and recent graduates with disabilities.

Attendees gained insights from prominent employers, including NOD Corporate Leadership Council member EY, JPMorgan Chase, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, State Street and ULTRA Testing, as well as from the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services, Work Without Limits, and Working Mother. In addition, students with disabilities, student veterans, and college representatives shared ways employers can effectively tap into talent on campus.


Welcome remarks by NOD President Carol Glazer


Welcome from David D’Arcangelo, Director of Massachusetts Office of Disability


Welcome from Michael Stein, J.D., Ph.D., Executive Director, Harvard Law School Project on Disability


NOD Directors, John Quain and Luke Visconti of DiversityInc


Pete Rutigliano, Sirota and Barbara Spitzer, NOD present “A Data Driven Approach to Accelerating Disability Inclusion”


Reimagine Recruiting Attendees


Robert O’Brien, Lockheed Martin; Mark Estrada, State Street Bank; Andrea Shkane, JP Morgan Chase; and Lori Golden, EY speaking during “Disability Inclusive Diversity Roundtable Employer Discussion”


Sue Meirs, NOD moderates “Disability Inclusive: Diversity Roundtable Employer Discussion”


Keynote speaker Frank Kineavy, staff writer for DiversityInc and Villanova University Graduate


Carol Glazer, NOD, with Krista Carothers, Working Mother, presenting “Experiences of Disability in the Workplace”


Career Services and Disability Services Directors from Ball State, University of California Riverside, Southern Connecticut State University, and Northeastern University presenting at “Higher Education Best Practices” panel


Francisco Urena, Secretary of Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services during the “Veterans in the Workforce” panel


Doc Massard, Northrop Grumman, participates in the “Veterans in the Workforce” panel


Student Veterans Jessica Mack and Marshall Ireland speak during the “Veterans in the Workforce” panel


“Campus to Careers: A Boston Pilot” with Sue Meirs, NOD; Alan Muir, COSD; and Kathy Petkauskos, Work Without Limits


ULTRA Testing’s Brian King presenting on Aspergers inclusion during “Opportunity Makers: Employment and the Neurodiverse Workforce”


Dr. Ernst VanBergeijk, Lesley University, presents during panel discussion on “Finding and Developing Partnerships that Foster Employment for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities”


Dan Rivard and Kelsie Salas participate in “Finding and Developing Partnerships that Foster Employment for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities”


Jessica Mack speaks during Student Led Discussion Group “Authentic Answers to Unspoken Questions”


Kelly Molloy in “Authentic Answers to Unspoken Questions”


Justine Weatherman in “Authentic Answers to Unspoken Questions”


Alan Muir, COSD, with David D’Arcangelo, Director, Massachusetts Office of Disability

NOD Staffer Receives Disability Award

Posted on by Luan

Margaret Ling, NOD’s Event & Administrative Associate, received a citation this week for her work while Vice Chair of City University of New York’s Coalition for Students with Disabilities (CCSD).

The citation is an acknowledgement of New York residents who dedicate their efforts to advocating and serving the disability community.

Michael Miller, Michael Simanowitz, and Aravella Simotas, representatives from the New York State Assembly, awarded Ms. Ling and the CCSD executive board members with the citation. In addition, Dr. Christopher Rosa, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, City University of New York, was in attendance at the ADA anniversary event, held at Queens College.


Photo includes: Assemblywoman  Aravella Simotas and NOD’s Margaret Ling.

Photo includes: Michael Miller, Michael Simanowitz and Aravella Simotas of the New York State Assembly, with Samantha Wong, Chair of CCSD, and Dr. Christopher Rosa, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, City University of New York.


Photo includes: Executive board and members of CCSD with members of New York State Assembly and Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, City University of New York.

NOD Kick Off National Disability Employment Awareness Month at the RIT Career Fair

Posted on by Daniel Golden

To jumpstart NDEAM, a coalition of national organizations are shining a spot light on one critical issue facing companies seeking to meet federal disability employment targets: a broken pipeline between employers and universities who are graduating students with disabilities—and what’s being done to address it. Representatives from NOD, with National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE); Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD); General Electric Aviation; National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID); and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) will address the urgency of connecting graduates with disabilities to employers during the college’s Career Fair.

Career Action Planning Guide for Wounded Warriors

Posted on by Daniel Golden

The Career Action Planning Guide for Wounded Warriors outlines a process for working with veterans with serious disabilities or wounded warriors as they transition to civilian careers. Career Action Planning is the first of a four step process that together constitute the Intensive Career Transition Support Model™ for veterans with high barriers to career transition developed by the National Organization on Disability.

13 Career Action Planning Guide for Wounded Warriors

Bridging the Employment Gap for Students with Disabilities

Posted on by Daniel Golden

As companies expand their diversity initiatives to better include people with disabilities, they look to colleges and universities to source candidates for entry and mid-level positions. Often, however, employers have not been successful identifying students with disabilities and building a pipeline of talent. This is not due to a lack of qualified candidates, but rather a lack of access to students with disabilities.

At many institutions of higher education, the career services office, which assists students in preparing for and obtaining internships and employment and are the first line of contact for employers, lack a strong—or any—connection to the office of disabled student services, which ensures proper accessibility and accommodations on campus for students with disabilities. This disconnect leaves a gap, both for employers seeking to diversify their workforce and for students with disabilities who are not gaining access to the same services and opportunities as their peers without disabilities.

This paper explores the problem of campus employment services for students with disabilities and the impact OFCCP guidelines will have on employers, colleges, universities and students with disabilities. As well, as offer a case study example and recommendations as to what university disability offices, career services offices and employers can do to address this issue.

Bridging the Employment Gap for Students with Disabilities

Special Report from the Conference Board | Do Ask, Do Tell: Encouraging Employees with Disabilities to Self-Identify

Posted on by Daniel Golden

This special report investigates what companies are doing to build a diversity-inclusive culture and encourage employees with disabilities to voluntarily self-identify. It will help organizations to create an environment in which employees may feel comfortable self-identifying.

Special Report from The Conference Board | Do Ask Do Tell: Encouraging Employees with Disabilities to Self-Identify