| Home | My Business | About Me | My Book | My Photos |
| My Poems | My Documentaries | My Newspaper Articles | News To Know | My Links |
| MySpace | My Guestbook |
|
Things that are going on that you might want to know. |
|
110 |
|
Mini
Series on Reasonable Accommodation: A Framework for Providing Reasonable
Accommodation for Employees with Disabilities in the Workplace
Dates: Wednesday - March 15, March 22, March 29, April 5 This online four-part Mini Series provides a framework for providing effective and reasonable workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Each session builds upon concepts learned in the previous session and is designed for those who have a good understanding of the Title I Employment Provisions of the ADA. The principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are simple, but applying them is not always obvious. Even employers who are experienced in hiring and promoting employees with disabilities can be confused by the requirement to make reasonable accommodations. This Mini Series aims to:
|
|
111 |
|
A National Survey of Consumer
Attitudes toward Companies that Hire People with Disabilities
New Study by Center for Social Development & Education Shows Consumers
Support Businesses that Hire Employees with Disabilities [The following is excerpted from the News Release.] American consumers are responding positively to companies they consider socially responsible, and increasingly count those that hire disabled workers among that group, according to a national public survey conducted by UMass Boston’s Center for Social Development & Education in collaboration with the America’s Strength Foundation and published in the January issue of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation (Vol. 24, Issue 1, IOS Press). It is one of the first studies to examine the attitudes of consumers toward companies that hire people with disabilities. Titled, "A national survey of consumer attitudes toward companies that hire people with disabilities," the study reports overwhelmingly positive attitudes among consumers toward socially responsible companies, and in particular toward those that hire individuals with disabilities. Specifically, 92 percent of consumers surveyed felt more favorable toward companies that hire individuals with disabilities and 87 percent said they would prefer to give their business to such companies. Among those surveyed, hiring people with disabilities ranked third behind offering health insurance to all employees and protecting the environment as an indicator of a company’s commitment to social justice. “The uniqueness of this research is its focus on the consumer,” said Dr. Gary Siperstein, director of the Center for Social Development & Education and lead author of the study. “In business, consumer interests drive corporate decision making. With this study, we’ve been able to demonstrate that the majority of consumers favor companies who hire individuals with disabilities. Companies who respond to these findings will not only help individuals with disabilities lead more fulfilling and productive lives through employment, they will also improve the company’s brand image.” Participants in the study were 803 adults randomly selected across the continental U.S. Most respondents drew upon personal experience in their answers, as 75 percent reported that they had either worked directly with someone with a disability and/or received services as a customer by a person with a disability. Ninety-one percent of those with a disabled coworker said that the job performance of his/her coworker was “very good” or “good.” Ninety-eight percent of those who had been served by a disabled worker were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the services they received. "Employers across the U.S. are finding that there are many business benefits associated with the employment of people with disabilities and the marketing of products and services to customers with disabilities,” says Katherine McCary, president of U.S. Business Leadership Network. “People with disabilities have much to contribute, and businesses are taking notice by proactively and successfully including disability as a diversity strategy.” “Hiring individuals with disabilities is, in fact, good for business,” says CT Hill, chairman, president & CEO of SunTrust Banks Mid-Atlantic, whose company is a member of the U.S. Business Leadership Network. “The return on investment to SunTrust can be measured in several ways. One, it helps our diversity initiatives, building a strong workforce; two, it helps us to develop products and services, expanding our customer base; and three, it enables us to reach out to our entire community. It’s good for our shareholders and it’s good for business." The study was conducted in collaboration with America’s Strength Foundation and The Gallup Organization with assistance from the Center for Survey Research. |
|
112 |
|
Visually
Impaired User Weighs in on Assistive Technology Debate
An opinion piece regarding an Assistive Technology debate has been
posted on the Linux Planet website. The debate focuses on whether the
Massachusetts state government should exclude Microsoft's OpenXML file
format used in its Office products from the list of file formats
officially used to archive state documents. The main alternative to
OpenXML is the OpenDocument file format.
These file formats are specifications for how office software files are stored, indicating how text should be formatted, how tables should look, and any other information a program needs to display or print a document. The OpenXML format is developed by Microsoft, and most, but not all, of its format specifications are released to the public. On the other hand, the OpenDocument format is a standard agreed upon by many organizations, including software developers. Public standards allow different applications, written by different developers, to use the data stored in the files. The Massachusetts Information Technology Division excluded the Microsoft format because they were concerned in part that later versions of the software would no longer support the format, and archived state documents would no longer be available to the public because the OpenXML specifications are currently not 100 percent publicly available. Opponents to this decision argue that Microsoft Office is already the dominant software used in the state and that's not likely to change. Further, there are no applications yet that fully comply with the OpenDocument standard. People with disabilities are caught in the middle, because Microsoft Office has been the most accessible and widely available office software for people with disabilities. The author of the opinion piece states: "The sighted community, in its attempt to be magnanimous to the non-sighted and fill our needs, has completely ignored the issue at hand. Does the system that has been selected meet the needs of the community toward which it is directed? Or is there something else that could be designed that would work more effectively and at a lower price for the consumer or taxpayer? According to the debate and its conclusion we, as visually impaired people, may never know what 'could be better done to meet our needs.'" The article also discusses the issue of some types of assistive technology being prohibitively expensive, and instances of states getting charged substantially more for a device than if the consumer were to purchase it directly from the company. To read more, use the following link: |
|
113 |
|
Bipartisan Panel to Study No Child Left Behind
A bipartisan commission is being created to "take a hard, independent
look" at the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The
Commission will hold public hearings and roundtables throughout the
United States to solicit input regarding the impact of NCLB and will
send recommendations to Congress prior to the expected reauthorization
of NCLB in 2007. In part, the law's testing requirements for students
with disabilities and English language learners have been sharply
criticized.
On the same day as the announcement of the bipartisan commission, Harvard's Civil Rights Project released a study finding white, middle class children have benefited most from NCLB. In addition, the study concludes that instead of ensuring the implementation of universal standards, NCLB has allowed for states to negotiate agreements to reduce the number of school districts identified as failing. Forty-nine of the fifty states have taken some action to amend NCLB or have been granted waivers regarding certain provisions of the law resulting in drastic differences in its implementation. Gregg Toppo, Bipartisan Panel to Study No Child Left Behind, USA
Today, Feb. 13, 2006, available at Harvard Study Blasts Education Policy, N.Y. Times, Feb. 14, 2006,
available at |
|
114 |
|
Celebrate Passage of the Money
Follows the Person! For 287,098 people in nursing homes who said they wanted out for the MDS survey, and for even more in ICFs, MR, and other Medicaid institutions, this vital legislation is cause for real celebration. For advocates across the United States who have labored long and hard to promote choice and freedom in long term care services this is cause to celebrate as we have achieved another important step in Real Choice for people with disabilities of all ages! Too many of us don't know there is a choice; there is something beyond the institution. So we have to make these victories visible by making a joyful noise about them. Celebrate home is where the heart is and hold a press conference or at least send out a press release. You can modify the one below if you like! This article Choices and Freedom Are Sweeter Than Candy! is posted on
AAPD at
http://www.aapd.com/News/mfp/passage.htm.
|
|
Page |
4/06
/2006 mjg Ó2003 carmelo gonzalez webmaster@carmelogonzalez.com www.CarmeloGonzalez.comLast updated on 07/19/2008