“Lessons from the Fall of the Iron Curtain, Israel Advocacy, ADA and
Creating Welcoming Jewish Communities into How We Create Positive
Change”
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Necessary vs. Sufficient
• Symphony or Steam Engine?
• How did I learn about Theory of Change?
Started at age 13 on this! Learned from family
Read heavily on topic, actively seek and use mentors
White House, GOVERNING, Gov’t Executive etc. past clients
Many conferences/trainings on topic
My coach is Marty Linksy, a professor at Harvard Business School (see
http://cambridge-leadership.com/index.php/about_us/staff/linsky)
Executive Training at Harvard (see
http://www.exed.hbs.edu/programs/pmno/Pages/default.aspx and
https://exed.hks.harvard.edu/programs/ue/overview.aspx )
Site visits, asking questions
No fear of failure. LEARN FROM MISTAKES.
CASE STUDY 1:
Fall of the Berlin Wall/End of FSU
The Challenge
•
•
•
•
Gorbachev was allowing for elections
Pro-Democracy side: not organized
Pro-Democracy side: fragmented
Fear of public that if they voted against
Communists there was risk
• No money for campaign
• No experience with elections
• No clear message
Action
• FOCUS the message
• Bring in experienced team
Rules to work by
• People process negative information more
quickly and deeply than positive information.
• Three is a the magic number. Need a message
TRIANGLE, not an octagon!
• More than 6 things/choices is too many.
• Message repetition is key – generally takes being
touched at least 7 times to move behavior
• If it doesn’t happen on social media, it isn’t real.
Rules to work by
• Perfection is the enemy of the "good enough.“
Good results on a great plan are always faster, more efficient and effective
than perfection.
• It’s not who you know that matters – it’s who
knows YOU. How to Raise Money for Great Causes!
• Do a SWAT analysis.
• Work backwards from the finish line with a strong
theory of change. Determine the goal you want to achieve, and
then work your plan and timeline backwards from your goal.
Remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep it Short and Simple
If you can’t explain in
8 words or less why
people should care,
you will fail!
CASE STUDY 2:
The Israel Project
Started it at JFN with other JFN Members• Had a strong business plan and team
• Constantly checked performance metrics and refined plan
• Collaborated with DOZENS of other leaders/groups
Action
• Ignore “Amen Choir” and focus on swing
voters
• Laser sharp messages
• Leverage all investments broadly
Message Pyramid
•
>1 Elected Officials/Experts
• 10 Percent: Opinion Leaders
• 15 Percent: Informed Public
• 75 Percent: Politically Passive Voters
Who Can/Will Really Care About These
Issues?: Maslow’s Hierarchy
Focus on the “Swing Voter”
25%
25%
Amen Choir
Swing Voters
Always Against
You
50%
Very
Well
Traits of allies: Where Israel measures up
Prote cts
citiz e ns from
te rrorists
Supports U.S. policie s
High Te ch
Fre e dom and
e quality
Spe ak English
De mocracy
Trading partne r
Sports, culture , and
music
Spre ads
de mocracy
No human rights
violations
W orks for pe ace
Not Well
At All
Israel
Share s
Frie ndly re ligious value s
pe ople
Not At All Important
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
Allies
Page 12 |
*Data based on October 2005 opinion elite survey
Very Important
Voters believe the U.S. SHOULD support Israel
Thinking about the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in the Middle East,
please tell me whether, in general, do you think America should be...
Israel Supporter
Palestinian Supporter
Neither/Undecided
80%
71%
68%
60%
71%
Disengagement
69%
61%
60%
46%
38%
40%
30%
51%
59%
48%
43%
23%
20%
2%
0%
3%
6%
7%
23%
23%
14% 14%
11%
4%
58% 58%
34%
23%
24%
66%
Lebanon
12%
9%
10%
8%
6%
7%
6%
23%
9%
Jan. 2009
ADA!
CASE STUDY 3:
FAILURE OF ADA TO ENABLE PwDs to Get Jobs!





Approximately 70% of working-age Americans with disabilities don’t have
jobs.
This figure hasn’t changed in 24+ years since the passage of Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA).
While women, African Americans, Hispanics and others have made
improvements, employment gap for PwDs has INCREASED
57 million Americans with disabilities (18.6% of population - that’s 1 in 5
of us).
PwDs face 3 P’s: Poverty, Powerlessness & Prison.
STUDY
3:
Failed CASE
Theory
of Change
Theory of Change
NOFailed
IMPROVEMENT
SINCE ADA!
A+B+C=D
• 12% of Federal spending (more than 400 billion a year) goes to working age people
with disabilities – yet outcomes WORSE
• Hundreds of foundations are investing in programs/supports for PwDs – yet
outcomes WORSE
• 95% of voc rehab work done for PwDs who have been longterm unemployed FAIL
http://respectabilityusa.com/implementation-of-wioa-lessons-from-research-onemployment
• We are giving PwDs fish, not empowering PwDs to fish!
Theory of Change Needed!
A+B+C=D
• “Theory of change” must work. For example, ADA is
necessary, but not sufficient.
• Voc. Rehab. ALONE is not the answer. Must break down
silos and coordinate and collaborate.
• Employers need to be a part of the new plan and the plan
must match both the workforce needs of employers and
the demographics and talents of the population
• Focus on “Better Bottom Line.”
• Foundations should be on team. Stop funding failure.
Must Measure Outcomes, Not Outputs
Moving from “Business as Usual” to
“Best Practices”
Funders and government officials invest in programs that do not work! We need
best practices to increase opportunity for all
Resources for best practices: http://respectabilityusa.com/resources/for-policymakers (RespectAbility, NACDD, PVA, Best Buddies, NCIL, NOD)
Hundreds of leaders learning from webinars including:
http://respectabilityusa.com/implementation-of-wioa-lessons-from-research-onemployment
Implementing the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act
(WIOA) and the National Governors Association's: Better Bottom Line: Employing
People with Disabilities: Lessons from the Front Line
Goal: Increase
Employment for
People with
Disabilities
Employers
Benevolent Agnostics
To:
• Sympathetic Hiring
• Lack of Knowledge
• Randomly Solicited
• Tolerant of Job Coaches
• Cost / Risk Focus
“Employment First”
Vision
What Must Change?
Active Recruiters
• Asset Based Hiring
• Knowledgeable
• Relationship Based Matching
• Respect for Job Coaches
• Cost / Benefit Focus
Providers
People with a Disability & Families
Service Definition Driven
Limited Belief & Aspirations
• Focus on Person’s Deficits
• Can’t
Future
• Legacy Services
• Not Ready
Employment
• Readiness Model
• Passive
• Little Collaboration
• Perceived Safety of Segregation
• No Standard Training
• Benefit Risk
• No Certification
• Reliance on System
• Outsider to Employers
• Unprepared for Transition
• Process Compliance Driven
To:
Current
• Low Pay / Esteem
Full Belief & Desire
Employment
To:
• Yes I Can
Holistic Outcome Driven
• Yes You Can
• Focus on Person’s Abilities
• Active
• Best Practice Services
• Dignity of Risk & Integration
• Trained / Certified
• Benefit Management
• Part of Employer Team
• Utilize System to Bolster
• Rewarded for Outcomes
Natural Supports
• Improved Pay / Stature
• Prepared for Transition
Support System
Fragmented, Agency Centric
To:
Coordinated, Person Centric
Area Mental Health
• Silo’s
• Integrated
Vocational Rehabilitation
Dept of Social Services
• Not my mission
• Common Goals
Social Security
• Focus on Person’s Deficits
• Focus on Person’s Abilities
Workforce Development
Housing Authority
• Measured on Process
• Measured on Outcomes
DPI
• Lack of Coordination
• Coordinated
Community Colleges
Universities
• Funding Gaps
• Sufficient & Flexible Funding
Community Agencies
• Policy Deterrents
• Policy Enablers
OPPORTUNITY
 New Rule 503, Executive Order and Veterans rules mean
expanded Federal opportunities
 Fiscal cliff for SSDI in 2016. On Bi-partisan Policy Commission
Special Committee
 WIOA Law means we have law and money on our side
 List of Federal contractors who now need 7% of all employees
in all job categories to be PwDs. See:
http://www.fedspending.org/fpds/fpds.php?stateCode=MD&
sortp=u&detail=0&datype=T&reptype=p&database=fpds&fis
cal_year=&submit=GO
New York State
 73.3% of persons without disabilities aged 18 to 64 are employed.3
 32.2% of PwDs aged 18 to 64 are employed.3
 68,800 persons aged 16 to 20 have a disability.1
 997,500 persons aged 21 to 64 have a disability.1
 2,171,581 civilians with a disability live in the community in NY.3
 The Employment Gap between PwDs and people without disabilities has
decreased 0.7 % pts between 2010 and 2011.3
 601,407 people ages 18-64 received SSDI or SSI benefits in the year 2012.3
 In 2012, NY’s total expenditure on SSDI benefits for PwDs was
$8,018,808,000.3
Governor Andrew Cuomo  Voc. Rehab. obtained 12,386 jobs for PwDs in NY in 2012.2
(D)
 Voc. Rehab. received 36,015 general applicants and 1,099 blind applicants
in NY in 2012.3
1.
2.
3.
2012 Disability Status Report: New York, disabilitystatistics.org
StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes, 2013
Annual Disability Statistics Compendium
Prevalence of disability among non-institutionalized people aged
16 to 20 in New York in 2012
People with Disabilities seem as warm, but not
Competent: Must Reduce Stigma!
Figure 1. Scatter plot and cluster analysis of competence and warmth
ratings for 20 groups.
From Universal dimensions of social cognition: Warmth and competence by Susan T. Fiske,
Amy J.C. Cuddy, and Peter Glick
What one word or phrase sums up the biggest obstacle to
people with disabili es finding and succeeding in a job?
(answer included, but not limited to)
Word Clouds are generated from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.
Survey Fielded November 6 – December 2, 2013 3839 Respondents, 1969 People with
Disabili es
17
PARTNER : HOLLYWOOD/CELEBRITIES
Showcase Employer Heroes
• Every community needs role model employers Walgreens, EY, AMC Theaters, Hospitals, Senior living
among others have found they can “do good and do
well” at the same time.
• http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=
4272981&page=1#.UcyOVD7wKA0
• http://www.nbcnews.com/video/night
ly-news/19562689#19562689
27
Partner with Other Stakeholders
RespectAbility partners with existing nonprofit
disability organizations and leaders
28
Work with Elected Officials
 Positive change will require strong bipartisan
cooperation and public-private partnerships
Congresswoman
Cathy McMorris Rodgers
Congressman Brad Sherman
and Lisa Sherman
Senator Tom Harkin
 Elected officials need to see
Americans with disabilities as a
powerful voter group
Congressman
Pete Sessions
Work with Potential 2016 Candidates
Former SoS. Hillary
Clinton
Gov. Christie and John
Pare of National
Federation of the Blind
Gov. Jeb Bush
Gov. Walker (WI) with
disability leaders
Business Plan and Toolkit
Business Plan
Toolkit
Toolkit created by: RespectAbility, Best Buddies, National Association of Councils on
Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), Paralyzed
Veterans of America (PVA), National Organization on Disability (NOD)
Case 4: Creating a Welcoming Community
• Focus Groups
–
–
–
–
–
Capitol Hill- Congressional Staffers
People with disabilities looking for work
Parents and providers of PwDs looking for work
Maryland- Jewish Parents with no personal connection to disability
Texas- Jewish parents with no personal connection to disability- Special thanks to Joan
Alexander and Linda Burger
• Polls
–
–
–
–
–
–
JerusalemU- Young Engaged Jews
Disability Community
Foundation for Jewish Camp (Laszlo Strategies)
Senate Battleground Voters
Nationwide Voter Survey
American Jews- Special thanks to Jay Ruderman and the Ruderman Family Foundation
JU Poll- 2607 Jews
Agree/Disagree with the
statement…
18Somew
Strongl
Strong
Somew
Really
29
18- hat 18y
18ly 18-29 hat
not
29 Disagre 29 Disagr 29
Agree
Agree
sure
e
ee
Jewish events and organizations
should be as welcoming and
89% 88%
inclusive of people with
disabilities as everyone else.
Raising my children to be
Jewish is very important to me.
Caring about Israel is a very
important part of my being
Jewish.
Israel is the spiritual center of
the Jewish people.
Having a Jewish spouse/partner
is very important to me.
North American and Israeli Jews
share a common destiny.
9%
10%
1%
1%
*
*
1%
1%
81% 75%
12% 17%
2%
4%
1%
1%
3%
4%
80% 63%
15% 27%
2%
5%
1%
2%
2%
2%
71% 65%
22% 25%
4%
6%
2%
2%
1%
3%
71% 62%
16% 19%
5%
8%
5%
7%
4%
4%
47% 33%
34% 41%
9%
11%
3%
3%
7%
12%
Do you have a family member, close friend,
or yourself have a disability? Please check all that apply.
Answer Options
Response
Percent
I HAVE A DISABILITY
I HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER WITH
A DISABILITY
I HAVE A CLOSE FRIEND WITH A
DISABILITY
10.8%
NONE OF THE ABOVE
51.4%
30.3%
15.7%
Which of the following is the most convincing statement on why
inclusion of Jews with disabilities should be a more important
priority for the Jewish community?
Answer Options
ROUGHLY 1 OUT OF EVERY 5 JEWS HAS A DISABILITY. SOME ARE BORN WITH A DISABILITY, BUT
FOR OTHERS IT COMES FROM ACCIDENT, AGING OR ILLNESS. CHANCES ARE HIGH THAT
EVENTUALLY EVERYONE WILL AT LEAST FACE TEMPORARY CHALLENGES SUCH AS CRUTCHES.
WHATEVER THE REASON PEOPLE HAVE A DISABILITY – JEWISH INSTITUTIONS NEED A PLAN,
SKILLS AND BUDGETS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING DISABILITIES.
THROUGH INCLUSION, WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT, THOUGH EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT, ALL
PEOPLE WERE CREATED EQUAL AND IN THE IMAGE OF G-D, “B'TSELEM ELOKIM BARA OTO.” THE
TORAH TEACHES US THAT SOME OF OUR GREATEST LEADERS HAD DISABILITIES-- MOSES HAD A
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT, JACOB HAD A LIMP, AND ISAAC BECAME BLIND.
WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN JEWS TO BE ENGAGED IN
JEWISH LIFE. AS WE DO THIS IMPORTANT WORK, WE SHOULD BE MINDFUL THAT THERE ARE
MANY JEWS WITH DISABILITIES WHO ALREADY WANT TO BE INVOLVED JEWISHLY AND ARE
HAVING A CHALLENGING TIME GAINING ACCESS TO OUR AGENCIES, SYNAGOGUES AND
COMMUNITY.
WE ARE A STRONGER COMMUNITY WHEN WE LIVE UP TO OUR VALUES—WHEN WE ARE
WELCOMING, DIVERSE, MORAL AND RESPECT ONE ANOTHER. WE WANT OUR CHILDREN,
PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, AND OTHER FAMILY AND FRIENDS WITH DISABILITIES TO BE ABLE
TO HAVE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
JEWISH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE THE SAME HOPES AND DREAMS
AS EVERYONE ELSE, EVEN IF THEY FACE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES. WE SHOULD ENSURE THAT
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THEIR PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION IS WELCOME AND MEANINGFUL
TO US ALL.
INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CAN BE AS EASY AS GIVING A CHILD A HEADS UP
BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO A NEW ACTIVITY OR OPENING THE DOOR FOR A SENIOR CITIZEN.
WE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IF WE START BY ASKING PEOPLE WHAT WE CAN DO IN ORDER
Respon
se
Percent
10.7%
12.5%
6.9%
33.6%
29.4%
6.9%
Which of the following words makes you feel most positive
about
including more Jews with disabilities in our community?
Answer Options
Equal Opportunity
Equitable
Inclusion
Welcoming
Respect
Open Tent
Understanding
Ethical
Response
Percent
9.6%
2.3%
16.7%
23.5%
20.0%
4.7%
12.1%
11.1%
Pictures that work
What doesn’t work
It isn’t just about a beautiful and happy person. Elements
that make images less effective are:
 Staged
 Religious Observance
 PwDs Alone Isn’t Inclusion
Winning Messages
WE ARE A STRONGER COMMUNITY WHEN WE LIVE UP TO OUR VALUES—
WHEN WE ARE WELCOMING, DIVERSE, MORAL AND RESPECT ONE ANOTHER.
WE WANT OUR CHILDREN, PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, AND OTHER FAMILY
AND FRIENDS WITH DISABILITIES TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
JEWISH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE THE SAME
HOPES AND DREAMS AS EVERYONE ELSE, EVEN IF THEY FACE DIFFERENT
CHALLENGES. WE SHOULD ENSURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THEIR
PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION IS WELCOME AND MEANINGFUL TO US ALL.
Winning Messages:
After each statement I read, please tell me if you find it to be a very convincing, somewhat convincing,
not very convincing or not at all convincing reason to make increasing levels of employment among
people with disabilities more of a national priority.
Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should
be able to get ahead in life. People with disabilities deserve to be able to work
to achieve the American dream, just like anyone else
Companies like Walgreens, E.Y.
which was formally known as
Ernst and Young, AMC and
others have shown that
employees with disabilities are
loyal, successful and help them
make more money. If we find
the right jobs for the right
people it can and does increase
the bottom line of companies.
Government policies that help
people with disabilities get
and keep jobs are a win-win
because they allow people
with disabilities the dignity
and financial benefits of work
and also grow our economy
and save taxpayer money.
The survey of 1000 likely 2014 voters was conducted from September 20-24, 2014, in the
Senate Battleground.
Winning Messages:
Republican Hill Staff
At RespectAbility, we deplore the actions of individuals who would game the system of disability benefits. It
makes the rest of us with real disabilities and those who we care about look guilty and it makes it more difficult
to have important conversations like this one about our hopes, aspirations and dreams of entering the
workforce and being active, contributing members of society. I’m here to talk about how to enable more
individuals to achieve the American Dream, how to get more individuals off of benefits, into jobs and actually
paying taxes.
Payments to Americans with disabilities cost
taxpayers approximately $450 billion a year.
The trust fund for the Social Security
disability insurance program will run out of
money in 2016 if nothing significant is
changed.
The vast majority of people with disabilities
say that they want to work at least part
time, but our safety net programs do not
encourage labor force participation and
continue to punish people for working and
saving money.
We cannot afford to have more than 10
million Americans sit at home on their
couches when they can help make
America stronger. Keeping a disability
unemployment compensation system
that costs taxpayers $450 billion a year
is financially unsustainable. As a nation
we cannot afford NOT to have all
people with disabilities, especially
young people with disabilities in the
competitive workforce- at fair
competitive wages. Every American
who can work should be encouraged to
do so.
Download PDF-- Click Here
Rules to Work By
1. Have serious experts do your public
opinion research. Don’t short-cut message testing or
targeting. It’s not what you say that matters, it is what people
HEAR.
2. Say "NO" to good ideas.
There is never enough time, talent or "treasure" (i.e. money) to do
everything. It is critical to be disciplined enough to say "yes" to
GREAT ideas. A good idea is to expand opportunities to send
someone who already goes to Jewish day school to Jewish camp,
or more people who have no interest in Judaism on Birthright
Israel. Great ideas are enabling someone who WANTS to be
Jewish to be included. Who are our swings?
Must be data driven
Develop the Message and
Monitor Public Opinion
• Focus Groups
• Polls
• Dial testing
Leveraged Delivery
• Share research
• Training partners
• Creating on-message
materials
Media Relations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Media briefings/ events
Fact sheets
TV ads for press
Direct mail to press
Email to press
Online references for press
44
TOC
Rules to work by
Be Clear About Your Targeted Goals: Build your
database and contact management system
Don’t expect people to come to you – go to them
(Selebs, Google analytics, Social media etc.)
Real metrics: Are you getting what you paid for?
Rules to work by
Focus on outcomes, not outputs.
Real results can take a marathon, not a sprint. Breaks enable you to take
a step back and re-evaluate people, processes and performance metrics.
The best ideas for work are often made the far away from the office.
Smile.
Work, no matter the hours and intensity, should be fun. Leaders with a
"glass half full" mentality will get more productivity and positive
outcomes from their teams. After all, life is short. Why not make it fun?
Jewish Survival Through Inclusion
• Has a person who is blind and who uses adaptive computer technology
checked your website and facilities for accessibility?
• Do the videos you use have captions? Do you have a way to communicate
with people who are deaf or use other adaptive supports?
• Do you employ individuals who have disabilities? If so, what are their
jobs? Do they receive the same compensation and benefits as all other
employees in like positions?
• How you educate your staff, board of directors, trustees and other key
people about serving and partnering with people with disabilities?
My ask to you: Don’t fund discriminaton
•
Does your organization have policies and/or programs that support
meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities at all levels? Are they
prominent on your website and materials?
•
Does it have a disability advisory committee / inclusion committee, and if so,
are Jews with disabilities themselves and their family members on the
committee?
•
Will ALL people with any kind of disability be welcomed to participate? If not,
why not? If so, how do you plan to identify, reach, and welcome them?
•
Do you serve Jews with disabilities in an inclusive way (welcoming them inside
the full community), or are they forced into segregated “special needs
programs” which are inherently unequal?
•
Has someone who uses a wheelchair personally check the physical
accessibility of your offices and programs for people who use wheelchairs?
GO, FIGHT, WIN!
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Co-founder/director, Mizrahi Family Charitable Trust
9800 Avenel Farm Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
www.RespectAbilityUSA.org
www.LaszloStrategies.com
Cell: (202) 365 – 0787
JLM@LaszloStrategies.com
JenniferM@RespectAbilityUSA.org
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/respect_ability
https://twitter.com/jewishinclusion
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/RespectAbilityUSA
https://www.facebook.com/RespectAbility4All