AHEAD Conference 2012
Howard Green, NOD
Veronica Porter, Northeastern University
Elizabeth Gaillard, AAAS
Anne Fitzsimmons, NOD
JULY 2012
Agenda
- NOD
- Pipeline & Disconnect Issue
- OFCCP
- Case Studies – RIT, Sodexo
- NACE
- Northeastern University
- AAAS
- Q&A
- Discussion
2
The National Organization on Disability: A 30 year-old,
non-profit with a focus on employment for people with
disabilities
 Mission: Expand the participation and contribution of America’s 54 million
men, women and children with disabilities in all aspects of life.
 Focus: Increase employment opportunity and economic self-sufficiency for
the 33 million working-aged Americans with disabilities.
It’s ability,
not disability,
that counts
3
NOD’s innovative approaches to disability employment
are in five key areas
Wounded Warrior Careers: Helping severely
injured veterans transition into work
Start on Success: Career opportunities for high
school students with disabilities
Bridges to Business: Helping companies build
an inclusive workforce for people with
disabilities
Kessler / NOD Surveys, by Harris Interactive:
Delivering data on disability
CEO Council: A forum for corporate leaders
seeking to diversify their workforce
4
The current state of disability employment largely focuses on
individuals with disabilities (the supply) rather than employment
opportunities within companies committed to diversity hiring
practices (the demand)
Employers don’t
identify people with
disabilities as a ready
source for talent
Those that do -- do not
know where to find
them
Future State
Hiring people with
disabilities is
“business as usual”
Employers find the
public disability
employment system
daunting
Service providers do
not speak the language
of employers; and
success metrics vary
Current State
Limited “demand side”
focus and impact
 Hiring managers are
trained and hiring people
with disabilities is business
as usual
 Candidates continuously
sourced by service
providers producing a
pipeline of qualified talent
 People with disabilities are
readily considered for
career advancement
opportunities
 Successful partnerships
decrease the level of effort
by employers (streamlining
the hiring process)
5
5
OFCCP Proposed Regulations
 Federal contractors and subcontractors with $50,000 or
more will be required to comply
 7% of all staff (starting with new hires) should be
employees with disabilities
 New Recruitment Efforts (document & report)
– List all job openings with the nearest Employment One-Stop Career
Center;
– Enter into a linkage agreements with 3 “providers”
6
What’s Wrong With This Picture?




B.A Mathematics –June 2007
B.A Economics – June 2007 ( Honors)
M.S Mathematics – January 2010
Work Experience
– Hamilton Lane Advisors –Summer Intern (May-August
2006
– Statman Analyst Research Intern – Feb,2010-June2010
– Blackfeather Enterprises LLC (telecommute) July-August
2011
– Skills- C++ Perl, Python, VBA, MATLAB, SPSS, AMOS,
SRATA,LATEX, LexisNexis, Access, SQL, MySQL, Power
Point, Excel, ASP, Ajax PHP
– Certification – CMFS, Six Sigma Green Belt Lean/DFSS
– Senior Class Treasurer
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WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
 OVER PAST FIVE YEARS
–
–
–
–
–
TWO DEGREES
APPLIED FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED POSITIONS
100 INTERVIEWS(HOURS OF APPLICATIONS WORK)
NOT A SINGLE JOB OFFER
BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT
• Lack of exposure to disability
• Lack of internal structure from businesses to
move candidates with disabilities beyond the
initial interview.
• Outside placement groups unable to help.
8
Key Issues
OFCCP/501
Regulations
Talent
Pipeline for
Entry level
to Mid-level
Positions
Key Issues
More
Internships
and Co-ops
Support for
Students
and
Employers
Post-Hire
Disconnect
between
Career and
Disability
Office
Training for
Managers
9
“One of the great obstacles faced by
employers
when
diversifying
their
workforce is the difficulty in sourcing
candidates with disabilities with the
required skill sets necessary to fill entrylevel to mid-level positions.”
~ Todd Harbaugh, EVP and COO
Sam’s Club North America
10
“One of the greatest obstacles faced by
career services practitioners in providing
programming and services to students
with disabilities is the disconnect that
often exists between career services and
disability services.”
~ Kara Leonard, RIT Career Services
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NOD’s Objective
To highlight a major issue identified from our work
with over a dozen employers and offer
recommendations based on lessons learned to:
• Improve employment opportunities and outcomes
for students with disabilities
• Facilitate more collaborative and effective
relationships between University Disability Offices
and Career Offices and employers
• Make recruiting efforts by employers more
productive which will have a positive impact on both
the employer’s and university’s bottom line.
12
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) – a
best practice model
Voluntary release form instituted in October, 2010
• 300 students to date
Training provided to all career services practitioners
on specific needs of job seekers with disabilities –
• Liaison between Career Office and Disability Office
Website resources developed for job seekers with
disabilities and employers
• Workplace accommodations, disclosure process
Course offered on ways to navigate the job search
process, with emphasis on soft skill development
and how to effectively disclose a disability
 Jointly taught
 Of 9 students who participated, 7 employed
13
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Team-approach model to support students in
employment search
• Career Services, Disability Services, Spectrum
Support, Academic Advisors
• Collaboration continues until employment
Outcome: In the past year this model has
been used to assist seven students, and all
seven successfully obtained employment
14
Sodexo is one employer who has struggled to
find talent with disabilities at the university
level
• Sodexo Buffalo Financial Services Center - Difficulty
sourcing candidates with disabilities for entry-level to midlevel positions – Accounting, IT
• Collaborate with University of Buffalo and Canisius College
• Sodexo Talent Acquisition Group (TAG) developed e-card to
communicate job openings to the local universities’ Career
Offices and Disability Offices
• The design allows for the e-card to be sent to all students
and students with disabilities via listserv.
• E-card includes a link to a video created by Sodexo’s ERG –
demonstrating commitment to and appreciation of hiring
people with disabilities for their abilities.
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Sodexo E-card
Sodexo Job Opportunities
No matter what position you start in here at Sodexo, the decision on
where to go depends only on your determination to learn and grow.
Through education, training, and rewarding best practices, you will
find endless opportunities to soar in Food and Beverage
Management, Facilities Management, Human Resources and more.
Make an immediate impact while leading the teams that touch
hundreds of thousands of lives every day.
Senior Accountant - Accounts Receivable
Senior Accountant - Revenue Reporting
Senior Accountant - Merchant Services
Staff Accountant - Balance Sheet
Please apply online and mention how Sodexo is committed to promoting and fostering equal opportunity for
you heard of the position
employees in all operations of our company. Please click on link below for
more information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD4pyKZPTkE
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What Can Career & Disability Offices Do?



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



Appoint Career Services Liaison to Disability Office and Alumni Office
and take a “team approach” towards student employment
Provide training for Career Office practitioners
Institute a “Release Form” to allow students with disabilities to give
permission to share their names with the Career Office (e.g., RIT)
Ensure University Career and Disability Office’s websites post job
openings and information on companies who are disability friendly
Communicate job openings to all students through the Career Office
and Disability Office via listserv (e.g., Sodexo e-card)
Develop/utilize database to capture & track pertinent contact
information on students with disabilities (with permission) in order
to assist employers in recruitment and communicate post – grad
Offer a class (and jointly-teach) on the employment process,
disclosing a disability and requesting accommodations.
Stay abreast of OFCCP regulations
17
What Can Employers Do?





Establish relationship and collaborate with University Career Offices
and Disability Offices
Enlist help of Employee Resource Group
Ensure University Career and Disability Office’s websites post job
openings and information on companies who are disability friendly
Communicate job openings to all students via the Career Office and
Disability Office listserv (e.g., Sodexo e-card)
Have an on-campus presence at job fairs and workshops
– Use an identifier to indicate that you represent a disabilityfriendly employer (e.g., lapel ribbon used at UAK)
– Enlist members of Employee Resource Group (ERG) to attend
on-campus job fairs, workshops
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Resources
NACE Spotlight Articles – February, 2012



Helping Students With Disabilities Make Key Decisions --www.naceweb.org/s02292012/students-with-disabilities/ --- College
version
Making Critical Connections to Students With Disabilities --www.naceweb.org/s02292012/recruit-students-disability/ --- Employer
version
Best Practices: Recruiting Students With Disabilities --www.naceweb.org/s02292012/recruiting-disability/ --- Employer
version
Websites:

National Organization on Disability www.nod.org

NACE www.naceweb.org

AAAS Entry Point! www.entrypoint.org
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Contacts



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Howard Green greenh@nod.org
Marilyn Mackes mmackes@naceweb.org
Veronica Porter v.porter@neu.edu
Elizabeth Galliard efgaillard@yahoo.com
Kara Leonard kmloce@rit.edu
Anne Fitzsimmons fitzsimmonsa@nod.org
20
National Association of
Colleges and Employers
2012 AHEAD Conference
New Orleans
July 9-14
NACE: Who Are We?
 Mission: NACE leads the community of professionals
focused on the employment of the college educated
by providing access to relevant knowledge, resources,
insight and relationships.
 Member Profile:
 2000 Higher Education Institutions
 1000 Employer Organizations
 An additional 5000 individual members
 Student Reach: More than 1M per year through
Career Services offices
 Core Value: Foster and support individual and
organizational diversity and inclusion in all facets of
the organization.
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NACE: Attention to Disability and Employment
 NACE Diversity & Inclusion Statement
 Member Competencies
 NACE Content & Professional Development
For Members
Annual Conference, Employer Roundtables,
Metro Member Events, Webinars
Spotlight Newsletter Articles
Journal Articles (sample provided)
For Students
Job Choices Magazine Articles
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Moving Forward: What Can We All Do Better?
1.
2.
3.
Increase awareness among employers
through strategic alliances and
collaborations.
Create stronger ties and action plans
between campus disability and career
services offices.
Create tools and content to assist students
with disabilities with the job search and
interviewing process.
24
Example of What NACE Provides Employers and
Career Services Members
Disclosure of a Disability In a Job Interview
By Betsy Johnsen, Esq.
25
For more information:
Marilyn Mackes
NACE Executive Director
mmackes@naceweb.org
Northeastern University
• History of the Disability Resource Center at NU.
• Experiential Education/Co-op is an important
component of the curriculum.
• Access to the Co-op program has been an
important reason why students choose NU.
• Access to Career Services
27
Wrap Around Experiential Education Model
for Success – NUConnect*
Strategic
Partnership
DRC, CS,
Co-op
Resources
Employer
Advisory
Committee
Working
Group
External
Partners
* A Strategic Partnership between the Co-op Program, Disability and Career Services
Strategic
Partnership
DRC, CS, Coop
Working
Group
Resources
Employer
Advisory
Committee
External
Partners
Workshops - External
N’ the Know Webinars, (COSD)
•Disclosure, Self Advocacy and Accommodations
•Disclosure, Apparent/Non-Apparent Disabilities
•Career Development of College Students with Disabilities
•Experiential Education and Students with Disabilities
•Career Development for Students with Psychiatric
Disabilities
Strategic
Partnership
DRC, CS, Coop
Working
Group
Resources
Employer
Advisory
Committee
Coaching Model
External
Partners
Holistic Systems Approach Characterized by:
•
•
•
•
Collaboration
Advocacy
Knowledge and resources
Feedback
Collaboration
• Assemble your team: (DRC, Co-op, Career
Services, external agencies, parents,
academic advisors)
• Consult with the team members to share
information and contribute their expertise
Advocacy
• Advocacy vs. Advising
• Initiate a conversation about disclosingmodel self-advocacy
• Create a database of external partners
including employers -(employer advisory group)
• Add self-advocacy skills to your curriculum
(how to be a mentee)
Knowledge of Disabilities and Resources
• Increase your knowledge of and internal and
external resources
• Include these resources on your team with
the student’s permission.
• Aspergers Association of New England, Voc.
Rehab, Mass office of Disability, Workforce
Recruitment Program, COSD, AHEAD, AAASEntryPoint, for example.
33
Feedback
• Schedule frequent meetings with students
• Follow up with employers
• Check in with team to create a best practices
model of service
34
Workshops - Internal
How to Work with Students with:
– Aspergers Syndrome
– Learning Disabilities/ADHD
Upcoming Workshops
– Psychiatric Issues
– Chronic illness and Mobility issues
– Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Vision Impaired
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Strategic
Partnership
DRC, CS, Coop
Working
Group
Resources
Employer
Advisory
Committee
Employer Advisory Committee
External
Partners
•Improve access to employment for students with
disabilities.
Purpose:
•Target employers in various industries to create mutually
beneficial partnerships.
Goals:
•Develop strategies to help students be better prepared for
interviewing, working.
•Share best practices.
•Increase employment opportunities.
Next Steps
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Established a LinkedIn group to share resources
Employer-in residence at the Disability Resource Center
Targeted promotion for specific positions
Employer-led Panels and workshops
Host a webinar at the company
Invite students to employer site
Disability mentoring Day such as done by Blue/Cross and Job Shadowing,
i.e. Bridgewater State
Employer panel at NE AHEAD to share ideas for creating environments that
attract differently abled people and to reach out to other colleges more
efficiently
Informational Interviews with students with disabilities.
Internship/Coop programs to recruit students for the future positions-longterm relationship building
Entry Point!
www.entrypoint.org
Project on Science, Technology, and Disability
American Association for the Advancement of Science
AHEAD/NOD
New Orleans, LA
June, 2012
What is Entry Point! ?
• Internship Program; typically 10-12 weeks,
for college students with disabilities.
• An employer partnership program.
• A skills development and career mentoring
program.
• A portal into a science or engineering
career for talented students.
39
How We Recruit
• College/University Disability & Career
Services Professionals
• Diversity and disability advocacy groups
• Professional and scholarly associations
• Internet/Facebook
• Relationships that span 20+ years
40
What We Require
• Minimum 3.0 GPA
• Majoring in Physical Sciences, Computer Science,
Mathematics, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Business)
• Full-time enrollment in 4 year as undergrad or grad; or 2
year with intent to transfer to 4 year program
• U.S. citizen or holding a valid work permit, international
students if desired
• Willingness to relocate
41
How Students Benefit
• Experience in a real work setting
• Paid assignments
• Travel stipend (fare to/from internship site)
• Assistance in finding housing and local
transportation
• Using accommodations in a work
environment
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Current Partners
 NASA/ACCESS
 IBM
 NSF
 NIH
 Merck
 Lockheed Martin
 Ball Aerospace
 Dow Chemical
 USDA
 L’Oreal
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What Partners Get
 SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS
• Diverse workforce
• Unique approaches to business problems
• Perspectives and experiences that reflect
customer base
• Individualized fit with current internship program
• Ongoing support; student, mentor, manager
• Help with securing accommodations
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Our Success Rate
• 650+ Placements
• 590+ Individuals
• 18 pursuing or have received Ph.D.
• 92 % of intern alumni are either still
enrolled or currently employed in science
or engineering related field
45
Entry Point! Contacts
Ric Weibl, Sr. Project Director
rweibl@aaas.org
202-326-6674
Laureen Summers, Program Associate
lsummers@aaas.org
202-326-6649
Betty Gaillard, Recruiter
efgaillard@yahoo.com
214-763-6270
Jean Morrell, Recruiter
jeanlmorrell@aol.com
775-848-2550
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