It’s
One World
Workforce
US BUSINESS LEADERSHIP NETWORK
2004 Annual Conference
October 31 - November 2, 2004
NEW YORK CITY
New York State
Business Leadership Network
Every employer recognizes
and benefits from the best
practice of including people
with disabilities in their workforce and
marketplace.
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WELCOME to the US Business
Leadership Network 2004
Conference, and to New York
City. Over the next few days,
we hope to provide you with
valuable information and an
opportunity to engage in lively
discourse about employment
This year’s
conference is being and customer service practices
funded in part with that result in hiring and
Federal funds from servicing individuals who
happen to have disabilities.
the U.S.
Department of
Labor Office of This year’s conference theme is:
IT’S ONE WORLD. The
Disability
USBLN’s mission is to achieve
Employment
an inclusive workplace,
Policy.
including awareness and
innovation for people with
disabilities. This can only
happen when we realize we all
have to work together.
ODEP
Office of
Disability
Employment
Policy
www.dol.gov/odep
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That’s why I’m so glad to see
that this year’s conferees
include federal, state and local
NEW YORK
government agencies, not-forSTATE
profits, educators, professionals,
Business
universities, technologists,
Leadership
corporations, and individuals
Network
www.nysbln.org with disabilities.
This year’s
conference is being
hosted by the New
York Business
Leadership
Network in
partnership with
the New York State
Office of Advocate
for Persons with
Disabilities.
On behalf of the USBLN, we
welcome our newly dedicated
state of Rhode Island to the 36
others, Puerto Rico and 2
Canadian Provinces. Each state
is an employer-led coalition
dedicated to promoting
opportunities that benefit that
state/regions’ employers and
people with disabilities.
Our vision is to reach every
employer in the nation to
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inform them of the overlooked
domestic pool of talented
workers with disabilities. In
2000, at the USBLN’s Seattle
Summit, Tony Coelho,
Commissioner of the
President’s Committee on
Employment of People with
Disabilities, challenged
everyone by saying...“If every
employer in America hired one
candidate with a disability, the
employment rate of people with
disabilities (now at 50%) could
reach parity with the
employment rate of the general
population (at 96%).” We have
not met that challenge.
Moreover, the unemployment
rate for people with disabilities
has increased to over 74%
during the last four years.
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Help us build strategies to reach
our goal! This year’s
Conference Committee has
done an outstanding job
developing a unique agenda that
addresses real issues facing our
nation. Together, we can make
a difference.
If you are not already a USBLN
member, I invite you to join. If
your state does not have a
chapter, this is a great
opportunity to start one.
We hope you enjoy the vast
diversity that New York City
has to offer, and we invite you
to engage it to the fullest. Let us
know how we can be of service.
Happy Halloween!
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Jeff Klare
Chairperson
New York Business Leadership
Network
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The City of New York
Office of the Mayor
New York, NY 10007
MATTHEW P. SAPOLIN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
November 1, 2004
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2004 Conference of the United
States Business Leadership Network (USBLN), the
national organization that supports the development
and expansion of Business Leadership Networks
(BLNs) across the country. Because of USBLN’s
continuing initiative to recognize and promote the
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best practices in the hiring, retaining and marketing
of people with disabilities, it is my privilege, as
Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s
Office for People With Disabilities (MOPD), to
welcome this outstanding organization to our city.
For years, the USBLN has been dedicated to
breaking down barriers and furthering employment
opportunities for people with disabilities, a largely
ignored segment of the population that is ready,
willing and able to work. The accomplishment of
BLNs to involve the largely untapped potential of
the disabled workforce is, in the words of Elaine S.
Chao, Secretary of the US Department of Labor,
“exactly what we need to build a vibrant,
productive, and inclusive workforce for the 21st
century."
Here in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg shares
USBLN’s enthusiasm to help include the disabled
population in our workforce. During the last month,
New York City, as the host city for National
Disability Mentoring Day — an annual event co9
sponsored by MOPD and the American Association
for People With Disabilities in honor of National
Disability Employment Awareness Month —
placed over two hundred disabled students and job
seekers with employers for the day. The students
and job-seekers were provided with hands-on
practical experience about what it is like to be a
member of the workforce, while the employers,
acting as Mentors, were exposed to the wondrous
potential that people with disabilities have to offer.
USBLN’s work serves to continue to further our
shared goal – the recognition of the disabled
population as a powerful and energetic addition to
the workforce. On behalf of Mayor Bloomberg and
MOPD, I thank each and every one of you for
attending this year’s USBLN conference and wish
you the best for an enjoyable and informative event.
Sincerely,
Matthew Sapolin
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A Message From Commissioner Linda Angello
I am pleased to welcome you to the
U.S. Business Leadership Network
2004 Conference. It is our privilege
to be part of the movement to make
the workplace more inclusive and
diverse. All of our citizens have
something to offer the labor pool; it is our job to
help them make that contribution.
The New York State Department of Labor and our
Workforce Partners offer services that help all job
seekers find their first job, return to the work force
or look for a more challenging position. Our OneStop Career Center services include: job searches
and referrals, advice on interviewing techniques and
resume writing tips, employment counseling and
referrals to job training/education programs and
providers.
I am especially proud of our Disability Program
Navigator (DPN) initiative. We know that
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individuals with disabilities often face enormous
hurdles when looking for employment. Our staff
tries to improve self-sufficiency by linking persons
with disabilities to employers, programs and
services that can help them obtain and keep a job.
We recently received a federal grant to initiate DPN
pilot programs across the state.
Our local Interagency/VESID Employment
Services, or LIVES program in a cooperative effort
with the Office of Vocational and Educational
Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
and local social services districts to involve
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
eligible individuals in programs that help them find
employment.
Our staff also provides services to New York
State’s disabled veterans. Counselors called
Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists, or
DVOPs, provide intensive services to meet the
employment needs of disabled veterans and other
eligible veterans. This program directs the
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maximum emphasis toward serving those who are
economically or educationally disadvantaged,
including homeless veterans and veterans with
barriers to employment.
Thank you for coming to the conference and good
luck in your efforts to broaden the American
workforce.
Linda Angello
Commissioner
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KEYNOTE SPEAKER MONDAY,
NOVEMBER 1 • 12:00pm - 1:30pm
KEYNOTE: RADIO — THE TRUE MEANING
OF LEADERSHIP & MENTORING
COACH HAROLD JONES
The inspiration for the Movie Radio &
Former Football Coach of T. L. Hanna
High School Sometimes small choices —
to be attentive instead of indifferent,
inclusive instead of exclusive-- make all the
difference. For famed, Southern high school
football coach Harold Jones, choosing to embrace a
developmentally challenged African American boy
named James “Radio” Kennedy was truly a lifechanging moment. His selflessness at the time and
ultimate role as Radio's mentor has now been
immortalized, first in a classic Sports Illustrated
story and later in the acclaimed film starring Ed
Harris as Coach Jones and Cuba Gooding Jr. as
Radio (Sony Pictures). At the podium, Coach Jones
inspires others to become leaders in their
community, urging understanding and tolerance as
he recounts his empowering life story.
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James Robert Kennedy -— nicknamed ‘Radio’
because of his vintage radio collection and his love
of music — was an oddity in small town Anderson,
South Carolina. Clearly developmentally
challenged, Radio pushed a shopping cart around all
day, was assumed mute and often was cruelly
teased by other kids. But he caught the attention of
popular T.L. Hanna High School football coach
Harold Jones, who decided to befriend Radio. What
began as an uneasy relationship blossomed as
Coach Jones earned Radio’s trust, whom he enlisted
to help out at football practice and during games
and allowed to sit in on his classes at school, despite
the initial misgivings of the school principal and
many of the Coach's own friends. Radio, in return,
truly enriched the Coach's life by teaching him the
valuable lesson that friendship and family ties are as
important as any job. Ultimately the Coach had to
make hard decisions, as members of the community
attempted to have Radio barred from the classroom
and, after Radio’s mother’s untimely death,
remanded to a mental-health facility. His fight to
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keep Radio safe and secure in Anderson and as a
part of the town’s high school football team led the
Coach to become a real life hero, champion of
humanism, compassion, and understanding. In
Coach Jones and in Radio both, the lessons learned
include what courage it takes for a person to follow
their dream, defy expectations and transcend
boundaries.
Coach Jones and Radio both still reside in
Anderson, South Carolina, where Radio remains the
honorary coach, biggest fan, and cheerleader of the
T.L. Hanna High School football team.
ENTERTAINMENT MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1
• 7:00pm - 9:30pm
ANITA HOLLANDER
Anita Hollander has worked performed
throughout Europe and the U.S. as an
Actress and singer. She has premiered new
works of composers and playwrights at
venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Village Gate,
Playwrights Horizons, the Original Improvisation,
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the O’Neill Center, and other
cabarets and theaters. At the New
York Shakespeare Festival, she
sang original work of Philip
Glass. She received a Helen
Hayes Award nomination for
Outstanding Lead Actress in a
Musical for the Olney Theatre premiere of The Fifth
Season and originated the title role in the awardwinning play Gretty Good Time at the Kennedy
Center in Washington.
Her one-woman show, “Still Standing,” has been
presented Off-Broadway at Primary Stages, as well
as at Nat Home Theatre, Don’t Tell Mama Cabaret
and The White House. Still Standing has garnered
critical praise and awards from ASCAP, Billboard,
NY Times and Back Stage Magazine, for writing as
well as performance.
As a member of all three actors' unions, Anita
serves as East Coast National Chair of the AFTRA
Performers with Disabilities committee and has
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enlightened audiences in theatres and schools about
disability with Boston's Urban Improv, Joseph
Chaikin's Body Songs at the Public Theatre in NY,
and Infinity Dance Theatre. She has toured as a
Celebrity Against Cancer for the American Cancer
Society, and for VSA Arts she appeared at the U.N.
with Betty Buckley and Tom Brokaw.
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SCHEDULE
Sunday, October 31, 2004— Pre-Conference
Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3:00pm - 5:00pm EARLY REGISTRATION
6:00pm - 8:00 pm WELCOME AND
COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Opening Remarks – USBLN Board of
Directors
Monday, November 1, 2004 — Conference Day
ONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7:00am - 9:30am REGISTRATION
7:30am - 8:45am Pre-Conference USBLN
Employer Breakfast [By Invitation Only]
John Kemp, Principal, Powers, Pyles,
Sutter & Verville; CEO, Half The Planet
Foundation
8:30am - 10:00am CONTINENTAL
BREAKFAST
9:00am-10:00am Welcome/Opening Remarks
Jeff Klare, CEO, Hire disAbility
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Katherine McCary, President, USBLN
Commissioner Linda Angello, NYS
Department of Labor
Deputy Commissioner Becky Cort,
NYS Department of Education – VESID
Terry Simmons, CEO, Simmons
Associates, Inc.
10:15am - 11:45am BREAKOUT SESSIONS . . .
..........................................
USBLN UNIVERSITY: FRESHMAN TRACK:
BLN BASICS
DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT: THE
VECTORS THEORY
Barry Callender, Simmons Associates
Inc.
PAVING THE WAY: EMPLOYERS QUEST
TO HIRE AND ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES
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Betsy Kravitz, Senior Program
Specialist, Office of Disability
Employment Policy, US Department of
Labor
UNIVERSAL DESIGN APPROACHES TO
EMPLOYING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Robert Pasternack, Ph.D., Vice
President, Education Services Division,
MAXIMUS
Project Advisor with William Kiernan,
Ph.D. and Linda Wernikoff
BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR THE
SERVICE SECTOR AND FINANCIAL
SERVICES INDUSTRY
Annette Kellermann, Senior Vice
President, Program Manager,
Accessible Banking, Bank of America
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12:00pm - 1:30pm LUNCH AND KEYNOTE
ADDRESS:
RADIO – THE TRUE MEANING OF
LEADERSHIP & MENTORING
Lynn Boccio, Vice President, Cendant
Car Rental Group
Susanne Bruyere, Executive Director,
ADA Center, Cornell University
Margaret Moree, NYS Department of
Labor
Keynote: Coach Harold Jones Inspiration for the Movie Radio &
Former Football Coach of T.L. Hanna
High School
1:45pm - 3:15pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS . . . . .
..........................................
USBLN UNIVERSITY: Sophomore Track
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Developing a BLN & Junior Track: Expanding a
BLN Chapter EMPLOYER — CENTERED
JOB PLACEMENT STRATEGIES
Lisa Laudico & Michael Hecht, NYCDepartment of Small Business Services
HELP WANTED: OUR UNTAPPED
RESOURCE
Mildred E. Des Biens, Program Manager,
IBM
WEAVING AN ACCESSIBLE WELCOME
MAT FOR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES
WITH DISABILITIES
Tari Susan Hartman, President, EIN SOF
Communications
Joseph Craig, Senior Vice President,
Information Services, Nielsen NRG
ACCESSIBILITY & IMAGINATION =
ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY IN THE
WORKPLACE… THAT MAKES CENTS !!!
Joani Madarash, accessLinx. Inc.
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3:45pm-5:00pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS . . . . . .
..........................................
BUILDING A COST VALUE MODEL FOR
CALL CENTER SERVICES
Dr. Benjamin J. Soukup, Jr., CEO,
Communication Service for the Deaf
POWER OF SPEECH, THE ART OF
IMPLEMENTATION
Renee L. Griffith, Zephyr-TEC Corp.
INTERVIEWING COLLEGE STUDENTS:
THE PERILS, PITFALLS AND PAYOFF
Alan D. Muir, COSD Career Opportunities
for Students with Disabilities
BUSINESS DISABILITY AND
EMPLOYMENT: CORPORATE MODELS OF
SUCCESS
Howard Green, Business Liaison
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Michael F. Shriver, Executive Vice
President and Director, MBNA America’s
Support Services Division
VETERANS AND EMPLOYMENT
James R. Peluso, U.S. Department of
Veteran’s Affairs
7:00pm - 9:30pm DINNER RECEPTION:
USBLN AWARDS & ENTERTAINMENT
AWARD PRESENTATION:
Katherine McCary, President, US
Business Leadership Network
The Honorable Judge Leslie Crocker
Snyder
Dr. Benjamin Soukup, Jr., CEO,
Communication Service for the Deaf
"Building a Cost Value Model for Call
Center Services"
ENTERTAINMENT:
Anita Hollander, "Still Standing"
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SCHEDULE continued
Tuesday, November 2, 2004 – Conference Day
Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8:00am - 9:00am CONTINENTAL
BREAKFAST
9:15am - 10:45am BREAKOUT SESSIONS . . . .
..........................................
USBLN UNIVERSITY: SENIOR TRACK:
Exceptional Leadership Award Winners
PLANTING THE SEEDS – INTERNSHIPS
AND MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR
YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES
Rayna Aylward & Jennifer Sheehy
Keller, YWC – Youth to Work Coalition
DIVERSITY IS MORE THAN COLORBLIND: RECRUITING BEYOND RACE AND
GENDER
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Gil Johnson, Director, National
Employment Center, American Foundation
for the Blind
ASSOCIATION OF THE CREATION OF
NON-VIOLENT COMMUNICATION
Paula Gloria Tsakona, President,
Concorida Foundation
ADA/FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
ACT/WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
Andrea Haelin-Mott, Project Director,
Northeast ADA & IT Center
11:00am - 12:45pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS . . .
..........................................
LIA-DISABILITY INITIATIVE - A
PARTNERSHIP
Mitchell H. Pally, Vice President,
Legislative and Economic Affairs of the
Long Island Assoc..
28
Ann McDermott-Kave, Associate Director,
Community Relations OSI Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
Ella Craanen, Regional Marketing
Coordinator, VESID
PROFIT TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE:
INCENTIVES FOR EMPLOYERS AND HOW
TO ACCESS THEM
Sheridan Walker, President and Founder,
Hire Potential
CHALLENGES AND IDEAS TO
STRENGTHEN YOUR COMPANY
THROUGH HUMAN RESOURCES
CJ Coolidge, President, C4Dynamics
1:00pm - 2:30pm BLN CHAPTER MEMBERS
MEETING
Don't Forget to Vote!
Networking Circles
29
In addition to the scheduled Breakout Sessions we
will have an area set aside for Networking
Circles. Knowing that our Breakout Sessions can
not address every possible topic of interest
to all attendees, we will have an area set up with
discussion tables.
8
30
9
WORKSHOPS continued
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2004 / 10:15am –
11:45am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
USBLN UNIVERSITY: Freshman Track - BLN
Basics
This session will educate prospective BLN chapters
on the business case for BLN, the process and
procedures to start a BLN chapter using the USBLN
membership requirements. Information will include
selection of a Lead Employer, Steering Committee,
Mission and Vision statements, the role of the
Chamber of Commerce and SHRM chapters, the
role of the service provider/state VR and chapter
first year events and goals.
DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT: The Vectors
Theory
Barry Callender, Simmons Associates Inc.
In this highly competitive business environment,
organizations need full contribution and top
performance from every employee. Successful
organizations recognize the need to recruit and
31
retain Top Talent from across an increasingly
diverse talent pool.
During this interactive session participants will:
- Learn about subtle forces (Vectors) that can
impede or accelerate employee progress
- Analyze the impact of Vectors on their recruiting
and retention efforts
- Develop action plans to counteract the Vectors
that are having a negative effect on morale,
productivity and organizational effectiveness
PAVING THE WAY: Employers Quest to Hire
and Accommodate People with Disabilities
Betsy Kravitz, Senior Program Specialist, Office
of Disability Employment Policy, US Department
of Labor
This presentation will describe and demonstrate the
Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) which
gives employers free access to over 1500 students
with disabilities who are interested in summer and
permanent positions throughout the country. These
students attend colleges in more than 45 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The
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presentation will also describe future initiatives for
this program and other programs at the Office of
Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) that support
employers in their quest to hire and accommodate
people with disabilities.
UNIVERSAL DESIGN APPROACHES TO
EMPLOYING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Robert Pasternack, Ph.D., Vice President,
Education Services Division, MAXIMUS
Project Advisor with William Kiernan, Ph.D. and
Linda Wernikoff
Dr. Pasternack, Dr. Kiernan and Ms. Wernikoff will
discuss different perspectives on the use of
Universal Design principles for including people
with disabilities in the workforce and the
workplace. Dr. Pasternack is the Vice President for
Education at MAXIMUS, the nation's largest
provider of consulting services to government. Dr.
Kiernan is the Director of the Institute for
Community Inclusion at the University of
Massachusetts in Boston. Ms. Wernikoff is the
33
Director of Special Education for the New York
City Schools.
Their perspectives will focus on research, policy,
and practice in understanding, developing, and
implementing Universal Design principles in the
inclusion of people with disabilities in the
workplace of the 21st century...Employers and
others will gain a basic understanding of the
concept of Universal Design, its application to
disability policy, and its implementation in
programs designed to increase the employment of
people with disabilities in the workplace. Transition
of students with disabilities from school to postsecondary programs and the 21st century workforce
will also be discussed by these three nationally
recognized experts.
BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR THE
SERVICE SECTOR AND FINANCIAL
SERVICES INDUSTRY
34
Annette Kellermann, Senior Vice President,
Program Manager, Accessible Banking, Bank of
America
The workshop will focus on best practices for the
inclusion of people with disabilities in the service
sector in general and the financial services industry
specifically. Best practices discussed will include:
- Activating the inclusion of customers, associates,
shareholders, vendors, and the community in a
holistic approach to disability
- Eliminating the types of barriers that can impact
access to and understanding of financial services
including Physical, Communication, Technology,
Attitudinal Stereotypes, and Financial Literacy.
Possible solutions to systematically address these
barriers will also be discussed.
- Integrating disability into diversity
- Determining your value proposition
- Impacting the bottom line – look beyond the facts
and figures to build you business case
Leveraging existing internal and external resources
to understand, reach, and impact this market
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2004 / 1:45pm –
3:15pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
USBLN UNIVERSITY: Sophomore Track Developing a BLN
This session will provide information to new
chapters or those chapters ready to move to
incorporation, non-profit status, directors and
officers insurance, bylaws and website
development. Templates and examples will be
provided.
USBLN UNIVERSITY: Junior Track Expanding a BLN Chapter
This portion will offer basic information on
strategic planning, expanding membership, merging
local chapters to create a state BLN Chapter or
expanding one chapter’s outreach by creating
regional leads and regional steering committees.
Discussion will include the restructuring following
the change of a Lead Employer.
HELP WANTED: Our Untapped Resource
Mildred E. Des Biens, Program Manager, IBM
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ENTRY POINT! THE WAY TO GO!! PANEL OF
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES ENTRY POINT! is the
awardwinning internship program for undergraduate
and graduate students with disabilities who are
majoring in science, engineering, mathematics,
computer science, and business. Founded in 1996
by the American Association for the Advancement
of Science, ENTRY POINT! meets the talent and
diversity goals of the private and public sectors by
identifying, screening, and placing students in
productive and challenging positions. Students are
recruited and selected for internships at IBM,
NASA, The National Institutes of Health, JPMorgan
Chase, Texas Instruments, and the Northwest
Fisheries (NOAA).
This panel will feature three former ENTRY
POINT! interns. They have successfully converted
to full hires in the company with which they
interned. The panelists will discuss their academic
achievement, support systems, coping skills, and
their remarkable persistence leading up to an
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outstanding opportunity to work for a major
company. Their stories will give credibility to the
enormous success of this program. ENTRY POINT!
Is clearly the way to go!!! “Help Wanted.” Video
IBM created for manager awareness about IBM’s
commitment to hiring people with disabilities from
managers and employees. Millie Des Biens, Global
Workforce Diversity, will talk about IBM’s
recruiting and hiring programs.
WEAVING AN ACCESSIBLE WELCOME
MAT FOR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES
WITH DISABILITIES
Tari Susan Hartman, President, EIN SOF
Communications
Joseph Craig, Senior Vice President, Information
Services, Nielsen NRG
Learn $uccessful $olutions for strategic marketing
“with” the disability community. Explore how
market research can help frame the business case,
raise your bottom line and/or fortify your labor
pool.
38
ACCESSIBILITY + IMAGINATION =
ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY IN THE
WORKPLACE ...That Makes Cents!!!! (A.K.A.
An Equation for Employment Success)
Joani Madarash, accessLinx. Inc.
This workshop will serve as an introduction to
accessibility concerns in the workplace. Creation of
opportunities for inclusion of all people and
providing accommodations and supports to
optimize talents and contributions will be
considered. Review of current strategies and
exploration of innovative practices to maximize
accessibility and accommodations in the workplace,
without compromising the “bottom line”, will be
examined.
Concepts including, but not limited to, universal
design, assistive technology and
telecommunications, guidelines for compliance with
the Americans With Disabilities Act, accessible
website design, multi-media applications and
alternate formats, creative “out-of-the-box” thinking
and recognizing advantages of diversity in the
39
workforce will be presented. This interactive
workshop will provide an opportunity for
participants to gain a greater understanding of
accessibility issues and challenges, share ideas,
“brainstorm” options and consider resourceful
solutions.
LIA - Disability Initiative - A Partnership
Mitchell H. Pally, VP, Legislative and Economic
Affairs of the Long Island Association
Ann McDermott-Kave, Associate Director,
Community Relations OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Ella Craanen, Regional Marketing Coordinator,
VESID
This workshop will demonstrate how several
service provider agencies (for individuals with
disabilities), their business partners, government,
and a large chamber of commerce can come
together to form a partnership to assist job seekers
with disabilities.
40
- You will gain an appreciation for the scope of
problems of a job seeker with a disability and their
plight to find work in this economy
- You will learn about how to form a partnership
with resources you already have
- You will learn how to maintain the momentum
- Learn how a coalition of providers can form a
single source of contact for business
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2004 / 3:45pm –
5:00pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BUILDING A COST VALUE MODEL FOR
CALL CENTER SERVICES
Dr. Benjamin J. Soukup, Jr., CEO,
Communication Service for the Deaf
THE POWER OF SPEECH, THE ART OF
IMPLEMENTATION
41
Renee L. Griffith, Zephyr-TEC Corp.
It’s time to look seriously at implementing speech
recognition software in the workplace. With
repetitive stress injuries the leading occupational
injury, speech recognition can help reduce and
prevent this type of injury. With the recent advances
in this technology, it can dramatically increase the
productivity of document, spreadsheet and email
creation. Speech recognition can assist people with
disabilities to access computer technology and
participate in the success of a business organization.
This seminar offers information on evaluating
various situations for software, training and support
programs to successfully implement this
technology.
INTERVIEWING COLLEGE STUDENTS: The
Perils, Pitfalls and Payoff
Alan D. Muir, COSD Career Opportunities for
Students with Disabilities
42
There is apprehension and concern when
interviewing a college student with an apparent
disability and more so after a student discloses their
“hidden” disability. We will discuss some of these
concerns and provide practical tips to focus on the
applicant with their qualifications. Employers who
attend this session will have greater awareness of a
significant population of students on campus that
continues to increase. College graduates with
disabilities have a greater than 40% unemployment
rate. As students become more prepared for career
employment, employers will have a greater pool of
students from which to choose as the economy
improves. Interviewing these students is the same as
any other student without a disability. However, the
twist of handling disclosure of a hidden disability
and the need for accommodations are the
differences that may appear in hiring a student with
a disability. As with all prospective hires, each
person is unique with their needs and how to
integrate them into the workplace. Participation
from all attendees is welcome, as we will learn from
each other.
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BUSINESS DISABILITY AND
EMPLOYMENT: Corporate Models of Success
Howard Green, Business Liaison
Michael F. Shriver, Executive Vice President and
Director, MBNA America’s Support Services
Division
In May of 2004, Virginia Commonwealth
University published the Business, Disability, and
Employment: Corporate Models of Success. This
was a collection of successful approaches reported
by 20 businesses. It has often been said that one
way to increase the employment of people with
disabilities is to share success stories with other
businesses. Mike Shriver, Executive Vice President
with MBNA and Howard Green from Virginia
Commonwealth University will share examples of
how public – private partnerships can results in
increased employment opportunities for people with
disabilities as well as assist businesses with a
greater increase in their bottom line. Howard and
Mike will share some of the 20 vignettes collected
over the past several years which has demonstrated
44
success in hiring, retaining and maintaining workers
with disabilities.
VETERANS AND EMPLOYMENT
James R. Peluso, U.S. Department of Veteran’s
Affairs
This session will provide information concerning
the demographics and nature of the veteran
population. It will include an overview of veterans
as a resource to business and industry; distinct
characteristics of the population and their
transferable skills and abilities. Additionally, we
will discuss vocational rehabilitation and job
placement services to veterans seeking employment
utilizing Community and Private Sector Program
examples. Support service available to employers
and veterans to help veterans maintain employment.
Access to veterans and veterans services.
Discussion and Q&A
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004 / 9:15am –
10:45am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
45
USBLN UNIVERSITY: Senior Track Exceptional Leadership Award Winners
This session offers panel discussion from the top
Chapters and Employers recognized by the
Exceptional Leadership Awards in prior years. In
depth discussion of successes and challenges to
promote and share best practices.
PLANTING THE SEEDS - Internships and
Mentoring Programs for Youth with Disabilities
Rayna Aylward & Jennifer Sheehy Keller, YWC
– Youth to Work Coalition
The co-founders of a new public-private group, the
Youth to Work Coalition (YWC) -- Rayna Aylward,
head of the Mitsubishi Electric America
Foundation, and Jennifer Sheehy Keller, senior
official in the US Department of Education -- will
share insights and practical advice on
developing/strengthening internships and mentoring
programs. The YWC, which includes more than 30
corporations, federal agencies, universities and
nonprofits, makes the business case for the
importance of such programs and offers resources
46
to interested employers. The interactive session will
include examples from BLN member companies
that have established successful programs and
perspectives from young professionals who
benefited from internship and mentoring
opportunities.
DIVERSITY IS MORE THAN COLORBLIND: RECRUITING BEYOND RACE AND
GENDER
Gil Johnson, Director, National Employment
Center, American Foundation for the Blind
ASSOCIATION OF THE CREATION OF
NON-VIOLENT COMMUNICATION
Paula Gloria Tsakona, President, Concorida
Foundation
Association of the Creation of Non-Violent
Communication, inspired by Marshall Rosenberg's
work, but open to all systems. For the past three
years Concordia, with Paula Gloria in the field, has
been working in India, Sri Lanka and Kashmir
giving presentations on Non-Violent
47
Communication (NVC). Presently they are also
developing a program at the MGR Janaki Women's
College in Chennai, India to help establish a
prototype center for communication and
globalization studies.
ADA/FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
ACT/WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Andrea Haelin-Mott, Project Director, Northeast
ADA & IT Center
As many Human Resource professionals have spent
many hours understanding the intricacies of the
ADA, FMLA and Workers’ Comp, it is important to
understand how these three laws intersect each
other. This session will discuss the interactions of
these three pieces of legislation and strategies for
solving issues of accommodations for workers with
disabilities, within the context of them — separately
and collectively. Come and bring your questions!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004 / 11:00am –
12:45am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
48
EMPLOYER CENTERED JOB PLACEMENT
STRATEGIES
Lisa Laudico & Michael Hecht, NYC-Department
of Small Business Services
The session will focus on specific ways to engage
employers to (a) determine their workforce needs;
and (b) best fill those needs given the available
jobseeker pool. Emphasis will be placed on
strategies for forging long-term, highlevel
relationships with employers that improve both their
own-bottom line and the employment prospects of
the community. Case studies will be provided to
demonstrate successful examples.
PROFIT TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE:
Incentives for Employers and HOW to Access
Them
Sheridan Walker, President and Founder, Hire
Potential
Tapping into the Untapped-HR Making a
Difference in Driving Revenue! Participants will
learn how HR can utilize Federal and States
incentives to drive revenue to the company’s
49
bottom line. Information will be given on what is
available and how to implement quickly in an
organizations current hiring process regardless of
the size and number of locations. Participates will
gain knowledge of how to recruit, hire and retain
qualified candidates in this untapped market. If you
pay federal taxes, hire people, train or have high
turnover you will want to participate in this
presentation.
CHALLENGES AND IDEAS TO
STRENGTHEN YOUR COMPANY
THROUGH HUMAN RESOURCES
CJ Coolidge, President, C4Dynamics
Challenge your assumptions about Human
Resources and the role it plays in the success of a
small to midsize company.
50
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
women of New York
State. Previously,
Commissioner Angello
served as Director of
the Governor’s Office
of Employee Relations
for five years and was
responsible for
negotiating and
implementing
agreements with the
State’s nine employee
unions, covering more
than 193,000 State
employees in the
Executive Branch. She
was also appointed by
Governor Pataki as a
Member of the Deferred
Compensation Board,
and was elected Chair
LINDA ANGELLO
Linda Angello
was sworn in
as New York
State
Commissioner of Labor
in 2001 as New York
State’s primary
advocate for job
creation and economic
growth through
workforce
development. The
department has a long
and proud history of
providing superior
service to all of its
customers, including
business, job seekers,
organized labor, and all
working men and
51
in 1997. In this
capacity, she doubled
participant investment
options and initiated
major revisions to
communications
program to aid the more
than 90,000 participants
in making more
informed investment
decisions.
Commissioner Angello
also served as Chair for
the National
Association of State
Directors of Employee
Relations, and is Past
President of the New
York State Public
Sector Coalition on
Health Benefits. She
serves on many
Advisory.
LYNN BOCCIO
Lynn Boccio
has headed
Avis RentACar’s
Diversity Business
Enterprise program
since 1996 and plays an
instrumental role in
establishing
relationships and
creating an environment
that results in increased
corporate purchasing
from diverse suppliers.
“Our DBE program
allows Avis and Budget
to embrace the diversity
of ideas, cultures,
ethnicity and
backgrounds to enhance
our promise and value
52
to our customers,” said
Boccio. She has
received national
recognition for her
advocacy in the area of
supplier diversity,
including 2002 when
Avis was selected for
the second consecutive
year by the Women’s
Business Enterprise
National Council as one
of “America’s Top
Corporations for
Women’s Business
Enterprises.”
SUSANNE M.
BRUYERE
Susanne M.
Bruyère, Ph.D.,
CRC, is the
Director of the
Employment and
Disability Institute at
Cornell University in
the School of Industrial
and Labor Relations —
Extension Division. She
is currently Project
Director and a CoPrincipal Investigator of
numerous research
efforts. Two are
Rehabilitation Research
and Training Centers
(RRTC) funded by the
U.S. Department of
Education, National
Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR), the
RRTC for Economic
Research on
Employment Policy for
Persons with
Disabilities and the
53
RRTC on Disability
Statistics and
Demographics. Susanne
currently serves as a
Division 22
(Rehabilitation
Psychology)
Representative to the
American
Psychological
Association Council of
Representatives, the
current Chair of
GLADNET (the Global
Applied Disability
Research and
Information Network
on Employment and
Training), and as
Second Vice Chair of
the CARF (an
international
rehabilitation facility
accreditation
organization) Board of
Trustees.
JOHN D. KEMP
John D. Kemp
is Principal in
Powers, Pyles,
Sutter &
Verville, has a federal
law and legislative
practice in the areas of
disability,
rehabilitation, health
care, and nonprofit
organizations. He has
served as Chief
Executive Officer of
United Cerebral Palsy
Associations, VSA Arts
and HalfthePlanet
Foundation, and serves
in that capacity for
54
Disability Service
Providers of America, a
lobbying trade
association. He has
served as General
Counsel and Vice
President Development for the
National Easter Seal
Society and managed a
law firm that advised
companies on state and
federal civil rights,
employment and
education laws and
policies regarding
persons with
disabilities. Mr. Kemp
currently serves as a
member of the
nonprofit Boards of
Directors for several
organizations,
including: the
Rehabilitation Institute
of Chicago; the
National Rehabilitation
Hospital of
Washington, DC; the
American Association
of People with
Disabilities (AAPD), of
which he is a cofounder; The Abilities
Fund; and
HalfthePlanet
Foundation. Mr. Kemp
served as a presidential
appointee to the
National Council on
Disability for six years
ending in early 2002.
Mr. Kemp has personal
experience with
disability. Having been
born without arms
55
below the elbows and
legs below the knees,
Kemp uses four
prostheses in living an
independent, productive
life. In 1997, he was
recognized as
Washburn University
Law School’s
Distinguished Alumni
Fellow, and in 1991
was inducted into the
Horatio Alger
Association of
Distinguished
Americans, an honor
extended to singularly
accomplished
individuals in
recognition of their
achievements in the
face of extraordinary
challenges.
TERRENCE R.
SIMMONS
Chief
Executive
Officer and
Managing
Partner of Simmons
Associates, Inc., a
nationally-known
resource team located in
New Hope, PA. The
firm has provided
consultation and
training services in
Human Resources,
Organization
Development and
Workforce Diversity to
Fortune 500
organizations for more
than 20 years. During
that time, Mr. Simmons
56
has made a series of
innovative contributions
to the field of Diversity
and advanced the stateof-the-art by developing
Vectors™, Wall
Analysis™, Diversity
360™ and many other
concepts. Mr. Simmons
works very effectively
with executives,
assisting them with the
development of a
strategic process for
Diversity, including the
development of a
vision, a realistic
definition, a powerful
business case, short and
long term objectives,
metrics and measures,
an accountability plan
and a system for
continuous
improvement. His
“Diversity Guru™”
articles have provided
inspiration and a
specific behavioral
model for many CEOs
and other executives
who want to leverage
diversity to achieve
business success. Mr.
Simmons is the primary
author of The Next
Phase, a diversityrelated program which
helped Merck &
Company, Inc. win the
OFCCP’s first EVE
award for voluntary
EEO/AA efforts. This
program was later
marketed by Harbridge
House, Inc. and has
57
been effectively
implemented in over
125 major
organizations. Mr.
Simmons is the writer
and producer of many
videos related to the
topics of diversity,
equal employment
opportunity and
eliminating sexual
harassment. Titles
include “Pieces Of The
Puzzle” and the award
winning “Twenty
Questions”.
fight against crime,
having spent 35 years
protecting New Yorkers
as a prosecutor, judge
and devoted public
servant. As an Assistant
District Attorney,
Snyder was the first
woman to try both
felony and homicide
cases in the New York
County District
Attorney’s office under
Frank Hogan and
Robert Morgenthau. In
1983, she was
appointed a Judge on
the Criminal Court of
New York City,
followed by the New
York State Supreme
Court and the Court of
Claims. Judge Snyder
JUDGE LESLIE
CROCKER
SNYDER
A nationally
recognized
leader in the
58
presided primarily over
the highest level “A-1”
multiple defendant
narcotics felonies, drug
gang, organized crime,
and “white collar”
criminal cases. She has
presided over the trials
of New York City’s
most violent drug gangs
and the “Carting” or
“Garbage” case, which
led to the reform of the
private sanitation
industry in New York
City. While on the
bench, Judge Snyder
adopted a public school
for ten years to provide
students with a handson introduction to the
legal process. A
committed community
advocate, Leslie is a
board member of the
Kips Bay Boys’ and
Girls’ Club, the John
Jay College of Criminal
Justice, D.A.R.E., and
the holistic
rehabilitation program
Abraham House. She
has appeared on
numerous television
news and documentary
programs and has been
profiled in several, such
as “60 Minutes.” She is
a legal consultant for
“Law and Order” and a
legal analyst for NBC
News and its cable
affiliates, as well as
Court TV. Leslie
Crocker Snyder is the
59
author of “25 to Life,”
and is
currently a partner at
Kasowitz, Benson,
Torres & Friedman
LLP.
60
venture now covers 42
offices throughout the
nation (along with
3,000 employees). CSD
offered services like
interpreting and TTY
repair in 1975, and
today operates the
telecommunications
relay service for 31
states nd provides a
nationwide video relay
service, along with an
array of human
services. From serving
only Sioux Falls, S.D.
in 1975 to the entire
nation today, CSD
looks forward to
serving you. “Some
people see things as
they are and ask,
“Why?” I have always
DR. BENJAMIN J.
SOUKUP, Jr.
Founder and
Chief
Executive
Officer of CSD
(Communication
Service for the Deaf),
— the largest human
service agency for Deaf
and Hard of Hearing
individuals in the
world. CSD opened its
doors on Nov. 18, 1975,
in Sioux Falls, S.D,
with the South Dakota
state legislature
providing funds,
matched by South
Dakota Association for
the Deaf (SDAD), to
help create CSD. What
began as a one-person
61
chosen to see things as
they could be and have
asked, “Why Not?” In
the thirty years that I
have been committed to
serving the Deaf
community, I have
learned that regardless
of your circumstances
— one person CAN
make a difference and
dreams always do come
true if you remain
passionate about
achieving them.”
62
WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
arts and educational
programs for people
with disabilities in the
U.S. and around the
world. She is cofounder of the
Disability Funders
Network and of the
Youth to Work
Coalition, Board Chair
of Washington
Grantmakers, past
president of the Affinity
Group on Japanese
Philanthropy, and
serves on the boards of
the Human Interaction
Research Institute and
the HalfthePlanet
Foundation and on the
Diversity Advisory
RAYNA AYLWARD
First executive
director of the
Mitsubishi
Electric
America Foundation,
which was established
in 1991 and is based in
the Washington, DC
area. The Foundation is
dedicated to helping
young people with
disabilities to lead fuller
and more productive
lives. Previously, Ms.
Aylward was the
international director of
Very Special Arts, an
educational affiliate of
the John F. Kennedy
Center that promotes
63
committee of the
Council on
Foundations. She was
appointed to the first
Consumer/Disability
Telecommunications
Committee of the
Federal
Communications
Commission.
and training to leading
organizations in the
U.S., Canada and
Europe for over 25
years. A broadly
experienced leader, Mr.
Callender has been
featured at the
International
Conference on Cultural
Diversity as well as the
IQPC and Linkage
Conferences and has
authored articles such
as “Hold the ApplauseGaining Middle
Management Buy-in to
the Success of Your
Diversity Initiative.”
His facilitation
experience includes
Diversity; Leadership;
Managing Cross-
BARRY
CALLENDE
R
Managing
Director of
Business
Delivery with Simmons
Associates Inc., an
internationally known
resource management
consulting firm that has
provided consultation
64
Cultural Differences;
Human Resource
Management;
Preventing/Eliminating
Sexual Harassment;
Conflict Resolution and
many other
leadership/management
topics.
restaurant chain where
he soon rose to a
management position,
with responsibility for
the hiring, firing,
training, scheduling and
motivating of staff.
What C.J. learned
formed the foundation
of his broad
understanding of how
employees contribute to
a business’s bottom line
in ways that go beyond
the stated requirements
of a job. Later, C.J.
spent more than a dozen
years running the sales
department of a national
convention and trade
show business. Eager
for the challenge of
working inside a fast-
CJ
COOLIDGE
Challenging
business
owners to
think creatively about
the impact their human
resources practices can
have on their profits is
C.J. Coolidge’s passion.
C.J.’s business
principles were formed
early, at a national
65
growing,
industryshaping
enterprise, C.J. went to
work for Administaff
and swiftly became one
of the company’s most
successful consultants.
he has been for the past
11 years. Most recently,
he was named Senior
Vice President of
Information Services.
ELLA CRAANEN
Ella Craanen
has 18 years of
experience
working as a
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Professional for private
and public sectors. In
her current capacity as
the Regional Marketing
Coordinator for VESID,
a state agency part of
New York State
Education
Department, she
coordinates
JOSEPH CRAIG
Joseph Craig
has called Los
Angeles home
for 15 years
since Paramount
Pictures moved him
from Houston, Texas to
work in the Marketing
Department. After
competing 4 years (of a
total of 8) he then
moved on to Nielsen
NRG (National
Research Group) where
66
marketing efforts for
the Long Island Region.
She chairs the Long
Island Working
Partnership, bringing
business, government
and community
agencies together to
create employment
opportunities for people
with disabilities. Ella is
responsible for
organizing and
overseeing the National
Disability Employment
Awareness Month –
NDEAM event on Long
Island, and the annual
training event, the
Winning Edge, at
Hofstra University, for
the professionals in the
field of vocational
rehabilitation.
MILLIE DES BIENS
For most of Millie’s 26
years with IBM she has
been in Human
Resources holding a
number of jobs such as
personnel assistant,
employment manager,
and for the last 14 years
as a program manager
in Global Workforce
Diversity. She is
program manager for
People with Disabilities
and the Mature Adult
worker. ENTRY
POINT! is the awardwinning internship
program for
undergraduate and
67
graduate students with
disabilities who are
majoring in science,
engineering,
mathematics, computer
science, and business.
Founded in 1996 by the
American Association
for the Advancement of
Science, ENTRY
POINT! meets the
talent and diversity
goals of the private and
public sectors by
identifying, screening,
and placing students in
productive and
challenging positions.
Students are recruited
and selected for
internships at IBM,
NASA, The National
Institutes of Health,
JPMorgan Chase, Texas
Instruments, and the
Northwest Fisheries
(NOAA).
RENEE GRIFFITH
Chief
Executive
Officer and
Founder of
Zephyr-TEC Corp. has
established a national
reputation in the field of
speech recognition
software and digital
dictation. She has been
a featured speaker at
national and local
conventions of
organizations involved
in ergonomics,
disability, safety and
risk management and
68
more recently human
resources. After
becoming disabled in
1991 with
DeQuervaine’s disease,
she utilized speech
recognition software to
start Zephyr-TEC, now
an industry leader
specializing in speech
recognition training,
implementation,
integration and support.
Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.)
The project is based at
the Employment and
Disability Institute,
NYS School of
Industrial and Labor
Relations, Extension
Division, at Cornell
University. Ms.
Haenlin-Mott has vast
experience in
developing and
providing training and
technical assistance to a
variety of organizations
including educational
entities, State and Local
government, employers,
businesses, unions, and
disability organizations
on various aspects of
ADA and disability
ANDREA HAENLINMOTT
Project
Director for the
Northeast DA
& IT Center,
which encompasses
Federal Region II (New
York, New Jersey,
69
related legislation. She
specializes in
employment and human
resource management
and has expertise with
the interaction of
regulations with
workplace systems
including, ADA,
FMLA, EEO laws,
discrimination and
other state and federal
regulations.
Howard has his Masters
in Rehabilitation
Counseling from
Virginia
Commonwealth
University. He has been
involved with a number
of projects and
programs which
provided training as
well as technical
assistance to businesses,
community
rehabilitation programs
and state rehabilitation
agencies. Currently, as
the Business Liaison for
the VCU-RRTC,
Howard coordinates
activities with the U.
Chamber of Commerce,
VCU Business
Roundtable, American
HOWARD
GREEN
Faculty
member at
VCU- RRTC
for 14 years, previously
worked 18 years for the
Virginia Department of
Rehabilitative Services.
70
Staffing Association
and SHRM. In addition
Howard currently
serves on the Board for
the Virginia BLN.
handles both ADA and
accommodation cases,
specializing in
providing
accommodation ideas
for individuals with
cognitive and
neurological
impairments. Suzanne
graduated from West
Virginia University
with Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees in
Education. She holds
teaching licenses in two
states and is certified in
learning disabilities,
mental retardation, and
behavioral/emotional
disorders. She is
pursuing a doctorate in
Educational Leadership,
focusing her study
SUZANNE R.
GOSDEN, MA
Human Factors
Consultant, national
speaker, and
educational trainer for
the Job
Accommodation
Network (JAN), an
international
information and referral
service sponsored by
the US Department of
Labor’s Office of
Disability and
Employment Policy. As
a consultant, Suzanne
71
efforts on social justice
issues in employment
and education. Suzanne
began her professional
career as a Special
Education teacher in
Virginia and has long
been an advocate for
students with special
needs. She teaches now
for the Industrial and
Labor Relations
graduate program at
West Virginia
University.
specializing in
disability, diversity, and
public policy. Clients
include Bank of
America; Cingular
Wireless; Microsoft;
AOL; Macy’s West;
COSD; PBS
documentary Freedom
Machines; MEAF;
DFN; PAX-TV;
Nickelodeon; Kennedy
Center; and
Mattel/Toys “R” Us
Becky® (Barbie®
friend who uses a
wheelchair). Nielsen
NRG is EIN SOF’s
market research
provider. Hartman is
VP of Development for
NSCIA and is
spearheading their
TARI SUSAN
HARTMAN
President,
EIN SOF
Communicatio
ns, a strategic
marketing/PR firm
72
Business Advisory
Committee; she
consults with the
National Retail
Federation; AP
Stylebook; Academy of
Television Arts &
Sciences; TV, film,
documentary, and ads
regarding casting,
portrayal and
marketing; co-authored
Making News. Her
1989 My Left Foot
promotion launched
disability-marketing
campaigns. In 1979,
after employment
discrimination during a
temporary disability,
she established SAG
Committee of
Performers with
Disabilities, was
founding executive
director of Media
Access Office, chaired
the Communications
Subcommittee of the
former PCEPD, is a
founding member of the
YWC, and is fluent in
ASL.
MICHAEL L.
HECHT
Assistant
Commissioner
for NYC
Business
Solutions, in the NYC
Department of Small
Business Services.
NYC Business
Solutions is a broad
73
Cinema.” Mr. Hecht
began his career as a
strategic management
consultant, working for
Marakon Associates in
North America,
Australia and Europe.
Mr. Hecht holds an
MBA from the Stanford
Graduate School of
Business, where he was
a member of the Public
Management Program,
and an undergraduate
degree in Race
Relations from Yale
University, magna cum
laude.
initiative to create a
more hospitable and
viable business
environment for the
200,000+ small
employers operating in
New York City. Prior to
that, Mr. Hecht was
Director of Business
Development for the
Food Bank for New
York City, where he
specialized in
developing business
partnerships with the
corporate sector. Before
entering his nonprofit
work, Mr. Hecht
founded a conglomerate
of restaurant venues in
San Francisco,
including the awardwinning “Foreign
JENNIFER SHEEHY
KELLER
The
President’s
74
appointed Special
Assistant for
Employment to the
Assistant Secretary of
the Office of Special
Education and
Rehabilitation Services
(OSERS) and Acting
Deputy Director of the
National Institute on
Disability and
Rehabilitation Research
in the US Department
of Education. Jennifer
came to OSERS from
the Presidential Task
Force on Employment
of Adults with
Disabilities where she
was Senior Policy
Advisor. She recently
completed a detail as
Associate Director in
the White House
Domestic Policy
Council, implementing
the President’s New
Freedom Initiative and
advising on policy
issues of interest to
people with disabilities.
Prior to her work on the
task force, Jennifer
served as Vice
President of the
National Organization
on Disability and
Director of its CEO
Council.
75
presentations on topics
related to the
employment of people
with disabilities,
including workshops at
the National
Association of Colleges
and Employers (NACE)
National Conference
and the Federal Dispute
Resolution (FDR)
Conference. Ms.
Kravitz has been with
ODEP since 1992. Prior
to joining ODEP, Ms.
Kravitz was the Special
Emphasis Program
Manager at the David
Taylor Research Center,
U.S. Department of the
Navy, in Bethesda,
Maryland.
BETSY L. KRAVITZ
Senior Program
Specialist at the Office
of Disability
Employment Policy
(ODEP), U.S.
Department of Labor
(formerly the
President’s Committee
on Employment of
People with
Disabilities). As part of
ODEP’s Employment
Initiatives team, she
serves as co-manager
for the Workforce
Recruitment Program
for College Students
with Disabilities. She
also manages ODEP’s
Public Service
Internship program. She
has made numerous
76
development initiatives
for the City through
recruitment and
targeted customized
training initiatives.
LISA LAUDICO
Assistant
Commissioner,
Business/
Workforce
Partnerships for the
NYC Department of
Small Business
Services. In this
capacity she is charged
with developing
relationships with large
employers and
managing outreach to
community based
organizations,
economic development
agencies, business
associations and
training providers. Her
organization connects
workforce development
and economic
ANN
MCDERMOT
T-KAVE
Established
the Community
Relations function for
OSI Pharmaceuticals in
September of 2001. She
brings to this role her
eight years of
experience as Director
of Human Resources at
OSI Pharmaceuticals, a
leading biotechnology
company focused on the
discovery, development
and commercialization
77
of high-quality
oncology products that
extend life and improve
the qualify-of-life for
cancer patients around
the world. Ann builds
partnerships with local
organizations that
increase OSI’s visibility
with local businesses,
academic institutions
and community-related
organizations. Ann was
instrumental in creating
the Lab Assistant
Training Program at
Abilities Inc. over
thirteen years ago. She
served as co-chair for
the program’s Business
Advisory Council for
ten years and continues
to serve on Abilities’
BAC Executive
Committee. She has
earned awards from the
Governor of the State of
New York for
establishing the lab
assistant training
program at Abilities,
Inc. and a
Rehabilitation Award
from New York State
for hiring people with
disabilities.
JOANI
MADARASH
Joani’s
extensive
experience
spans thefields of
professional
development and
organizational training,
78
vocational
rehabilitation, events
coordination, marketing
and overall
administration and
management of staff
and resources. Twenty
five years of her
professional positions
were in the field of
disability-related issues.
Her passion to make a
difference in the lives
of people with
disabilities has been her
driving motivation
within which
everything that she
becomes involved.
Currently, Joani is the
President/CEO and CoFounder of accessLinx
– a full service Multi-
media Production
Company that produces
and coordinates
products and services to
enhance
communications
applications.
ALAN MUIR
Joining the
University of
Tennessee in
1998, Alan Muir
co-founded COSD and
became Executive
Director in 2001 with
Department of Labor
funding. COSD
currently has nearly 400
member entities
including universities,
employers, and US
Government agencies
79
focused on career
employment of college
graduates with
disabilities. Mr. Muir
has presented at
universities, employers
and many conferences
across the country. Mr.
Muir’s previous
experience was with
Chase Manhattan Bank
on Long Island in New
York.
80
1975 to 1983 Mr. Pally
served in various
capacities to the New
York State Senate
Committee on
Transportation and the
Legislative Commission
on Critical
Transportation Choices.
From 1983 to 1985 he
was the Chief Counsel
to the Committee and
the Commission and
played a key role in the
drafting and passage of
such important
transportation
legislation as the first in
the nation seat-belt law,
child restraint law, the
Transportation Bond
Issues of 1983 and
1979, reserved parking
MITCHELL H.
PALLY
Vice President
for Legislative
and Economic
Affairs of the
Long Island
Association since 1992,
Mr. Pally is responsible
for all governmental
and community
activities, and has been
associated with the LIA
since August 1985.
Established in 1926, the
LIA is the region’s
largest business and
civic organization with
more than 3,000
member firms and
organizations
employing more than
400,000 people. From
81
spaces for disabled
drivers and others. Mr.
Pally currently serves as
a member of the Board
of Directors of the
Automobile Club of
New York; Long Island
Development
Corporation; Long
Island Sports
Commission; Long
Island Transportation
Management and the
Long Island
Partnership. He is also a
member of the
Technical Advisory
Group for the NYS
Department of
Transportation Long
Island Travel and
Information Centers;
the Suffolk County
Commission on
Workforce Housing;
Town of Brookhaven
Open Space Council;
Brookhaven Industrial
Development Agency;
Pine Barrens Advisory
Commission; LIE/HOV
Task Force and the
Town of Riverhead
Community
Development Agency.
ROBERT H.
PASTERNACK,
PH.D.
Dr. Pasternack
has over 25
years of
education
experience at the school
district, state, and
federal level. He has
82
been recognized for his
expertise on a number
of education related
areas and has provided
expert testimony before
the U.S. Congress. Dr.
Pasternack most
recently has served as
the Assistant Secretary,
U.S. Department of
Education, appointed by
the President, and
confirmed by the U.S.
Senate. His
responsibilities included
secretariat level
oversight, guidance,
and management
direction for the United
States Department of
Education, Office of
Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services
(OSERS). OSERS
comprises the Office of
Special Education
Programs (OSEP), the
Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA),
and the National
Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR). In
supporting President
Bush’s No Child Left
Behind agenda and the
New Freedom
Initiative, OSERS
provides a wide array of
supports to parents and
individuals, school
districts and states in
three main areas:
special education,
vocational
rehabilitation, and
83
research. By providing
funding to programs
that serve infants.
advocate, administrator
and rehabilitation
professional for over 30
years. In 1991 he was
appointed by Governor
Cuomo as the State
Director of Veterans
Affairs following his
service since 1988 as
the agencies Deputy
Director for Program
Development. While
with the Division,
Peluso developed
partnerships with
federal, State and local
agencies and veterans
groups and advocated
for and facilitated the
development of health,
mental health and
employment programs
to better suite the needs
JAMES R. PELUSO
Vocational
Rehabilitation
Specialist with the U.S.
Department of Veterans
Affairs. Since 1995 he
has worked at the
Stratton Veterans
Administration Medical
Center’s Veterans
Industries program
providing vocational
rehabilitation and
readjustment services to
veterans with
disabilities, many who
have been homeless and
unemployed. Peluso has
been a veterans
84
of veterans and their
families, particularly
those with problems
readjusting from
military to civilian life
and long term care
needs.
with over 7 years
experience. His
background knowledge
in networking and
mainframe systems
provides an edge to
integrate with most
corporate environments
and provide a quality
adaptive solution. His
general computer
knowledge consist of
computer hardware and
software installation,
LAN/WAN design,
installation, support,
communications
transport configuration
support for modems,
routes and gateways,
backup retrievals
service, website
accessibility design. He
RICK SCUDDER
Rich Scudder has 20
plus years experience in
programming with
expertise in computer
access integration for
people with disabilities
with vision or repetitive
motion
accommodations. He
has extensive
knowledge working
with Legacy computer
systems and assistive
technology applications
85
has provided solutions
for a variety of
corporate environments
such as US West,
Qwest, State of Texas
Commission for the
Blind, State of Arizona,
AIC, Thor, Vector,
Charles Schwab, and
Verizon and many
more.
he held various
positions including
Executive Director of
Penn-Mar Organization
in 1985, and in 1994
Chief Executive Officer
of Penn-Mar
Organization. In 2000,
he joined MBNA as the
Director of Support
Services. He is
currently responsible
for all departmental
aspects of the division,
which includes
departmental sites in
Wilmington and
Newark, Delaware,
Cleveland, Ohio, Hunt
Valley, Maryland,
Newark, New Jersey,
Ottawa, Canada and
Belfast, Maine. Mr.
MICHAEL SHRIVER
Executive Vice
President and Director
of MBNA America’s
Support Services
division. He began his
career in the field of
developmental
disabilities in 1977 at
Hope Enterprises, Inc.
Over the next 23 years
86
Shriver holds a Masters
Degree in Special
Education
Administration and has
27 years of experience
in the field of
developmental and
cognitive disabilities.
He is a Rotary
International Paul
Harris Fellow. He
currently serves on the
Board of Directors for
the DFRC, Elwyn
Institute, Governor’s
Commission on
Community-Based
Alternatives for
Individuals with
Disabilities.in
Delaware, and the
Program Committees
for the ARC of
Delaware and Bancroft
Neurohealth.
PAULA GLORIA
TSAKONA
For the past three years
Concordia with Paula
Gloria in the field has
been working
in India, Sri
Lanka and
Kashmir giving
presentations
on Non-Violent
Communication (NVC).
Presently we are also
developing a program at
the MGR Janaki
Women’s College in
Chennai, India to help
establish a prototype
center for
communication and
87
globalization studies.
Paula Gloria has taught
meditation in San
Quentin Prison and
recently presented NVC
to the University of
Kashmir Journalism
Department. Her
experience of the most
difficult social
problems has convinced
her that BLN along
with Non Violent
Communication
techniques can assist in
understanding the
special challenges and
exciting potentials of
the very talented in high
stress environments.
The Third World can
rise above the disability
of not being heard or
seen. The activity of
business, through a
similar skill of
observation vs.
judgment, can help to
meet presently
unarticulated (hence
unmet) needs. Ms.
Tsakona’s present
passion is the founder
of the Association for
the Creation of NonViolent
Communication.
SHERIDAN
WALKER
Vice
President,
Recruiting &
Development,
HirePotential, is a
founder and director of
88
(A•R•C) where she was
responsible for creating
and implementing the
company’s REACH
Program. Ms. Walker
has also held
professional positions
spanning trauma to
post-acute outpatient
treatment. She has been
a treating therapist,
supervisor, program
manager and account
executive, and she is a
featured lecturer
speaking on many
topics related to
physical rehabilitation.
She is certified with the
American Board of
Disability Analysis.
this leading national
consulting and staffing
firm which delivers
end-to-end services to
corporations, helping
them accommodate,
recruit and retain the
untapped workforce. An
expert in the disability
field and a Certified
Therapeutic Recreation
Specialist with 17 years
of broad-based
experience, she brings
her considerable
expertise to
HirePotential. Prior to
founding HirePotential,
Ms. Walker was a
program manager of
disability and diversity
for Alternative
Resources Corporation
89