Disability Awareness
Fear/Stigma
Training
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I.
Myths, Facts, & Fears
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True or false?
Directions: Decide whether each
statement is true or false.
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1. There are nearly 153,000
people with disabilities in
the United States.
False. There are over 49.7
million—21.3 million of
working age!
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2. A total of 37% of people
with severe disabilities are
unemployed.
False. Most experts place
the number between 66%
and 73%.
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3. Hiring people with disabilities
tends to drive up insurance and
medical costs.
False. Dole Foundation, DuPont,
and Chicago Business Leadership
studies all concluded that insurance
and medical costs do NOT rise.
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4. Employees with disabilities
have 2.4% more absences
than other employees.
False. A 30-year DuPont
study showed that workers
with disabilities had fewer
absences.
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5. People with disabilities
have lower turnover rates
than their non-disabled
coworkers.
True.
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6. Aggregate annual income of
people with disabilities is
$1 trillion.
True. And $220 billion goes
toward discretionary
spending.
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7. Workers with disabilities don’t
perform as well as their nondisabled coworkers.
False. A 30-year DuPont study
concluded workers with
disabilities tended to have
above-average performance.
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Fears on the Table
A “Time to Talk” Activity
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II. BusinessDisability Community
Partnerships
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Hiring people with disabilities
makes good business sense!
 Large, untapped labor
pool
 Good performance
 Lower turnover
 No impact on medical
& insurance costs
 Reduced recruiting
costs
 Fewer absences
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 Good safety record
 An ethical, socially
responsible thing to do
Biz Benefits
 Reduced Recruiting
Costs
 New Customer Niche
Group
 Reduced Training Costs
 Increased Brand
Loyalty
 Reduced Turnover
 Tax Credits
 Other Incentives
 Increased Diversity
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 Improved Community
Relations
 Risk Reduction/ADA
Compliance Support
Business “New World”
 “Brand Partners”—Walgreens, CVS,
Best Buy, TIAA-CREF, Hyatt, Starbucks,
Bank of America
 Labor Market Realities
 Diversity Niche Market
 Customer Niche Market
 Staffing Industry
 We got “next”
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III. Discussing the
Disability Community
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Disability Types
 Physical Disability
 Cognitive Disability
 Intellectual/Developmental
Disability
 Sensory Disability
 Psychiatric Disability
 Acquired Disability (TBI/SCI)
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Disability Etiquette
 Smile and be friendly.
 Use a normal tone of voice.
 Talk to the person with the disability—NOT to
his aide, coach, or sign language
interpreter.
 If talking with a person in a wheelchair,
sit or kneel to be at eye level.
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Disability Etiquette, cont.
 Do not refer to a person's disability unless it is
relevant.
 Use "disability" rather than "handicap" to refer to
a person's disability.
 When referring to a person's disability, try to use
"people first" language.
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Disability Etiquette, cont.
 Avoid referring to people with disabilities as
"the disabled, the blind, the epileptics, the
retarded, a quadriplegic,"
 Avoid negative or sensational descriptions
of a person's disability.
 Don't portray people with disabilities as
overly courageous, brave, special, or
superhuman.
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Disability Etiquette, cont.
 Don't use "normal" to describe people
who don't have disabilities.
 Never say "wheelchair-bound" or
"confined to a wheelchair."
 Never assume that a person with a
communication disorder (speech
impediment, hearing loss, motor
impairment) also has a cognitive
disability, such as mental retardation.
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Supporting the Interview
 Visual supports
 Social stories
 Talk less
 Give wait time (use silence)
 Keep it concrete and straightforward
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Interview Tips
 A handshake is NOT a standard greeting for
everyone. When in doubt, ASK the person
whether he or she would like to shake hands with
you. A smile, along with a spoken greeting, is
always appropriate.
 Speak directly to the person with a disability, not
just to the ones accompanying him or her.
 Don't mention the person's disability, unless he or
she talks about it or it is relevant to the
conversation.
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Interview Tips, cont.
 Treat adults as adults. Don't patronize or talk
down to people with disabilities.
 Be patient and give your undivided attention.
especially with someone who speaks slowly or
with great effort.
 Never pretend to understand what a person is
saying. Ask the person to repeat or rephrase,
or offer him or her a pen and paper.
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Interview Tips, cont.
Relax. Anyone can make mistakes. Offer
an apology if you forget some courtesy.
Keep a sense of humor and a willingness
to communicate.
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Interview Process
 Use visuals
 Develop a mini-schedule for the flow of the
interview
 Ensure clear beginnings and endings
 Attempt to block out environmental
distracters
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Theory of Mind
 What if I don’t know that you have a mind separate
and different from my own?
 What if I don’t realize that you are a unique
individual in your own right?
 What if I don’t realize that you have my interests at
heart and want to offer me the benefits of your own
experiences and thinking and ability?
 What if I don’t know that you experience things
differently from me?
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David Letterman's Top Ten
Natural Supports
10. Support Theory of Mind (difficulty with
perspective taking)
9. Talk to the employee
8. Support "sins of the system" (helping employees
learn informal rules)
7. Mentor
6. Provide clear feedback
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David Letterman's Top Ten
Natural Supports, cont.
5. Give clear directions
4. Ensure employees know how to ask for "help"
3. Model (demonstrate how to do tasks)
2. Use "silence"--don't verbally overwhelm
during training
1. Use visual supports
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Natural Supports Websites
 VCU Rehabilitation Training & Support
www.worksupport.com
 Job Accommodation Network
www.askjan.org
 Griffin Hammis
www.griffinhammis.com
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Typical Supervisor Concerns
 Additional supervision
 Loss of productivity
 What if it doesn’t work out?
 Am I stuck forever paying a sub-standard
employee?
 How do I effectively communicate with an
employee who has a disability?
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Supervision Strategies
 Not required to lower quality or standards
for any employee
 Communicate your expectations with all
employees
 Workers with disabilities need feedback
just like other employees
 UPS 3-Year Study of Employees with
Disabilities
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Supporting New Hire
 Help the person learn about personalities
 Provide pointers about informal rules such as
breaks, dress, and coffee
 Teach special work language
 Check to make sure person understood; ask
them to repeat instructions
 Be yourself
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Supporting New Hires
 Introduce yourself and make the person feel
welcome
 Introduce new employee to co-workers
 Show the individual where things are located &
review policies/procedures
 Invite the person to join you and others for breaks
and lunch
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Emotions
 Be consistent with your interactions
 Help to discriminate between good-natured
teasing and when someone is angry or upset
 Explain expectations for jobs or routines
 Help the individual, and yourself, not to
overreact to a situation
 Criticize privately
 Ask person what you can do to help;
suggest a break
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Creating Mutual Respect
 Encourage co-workers to respect the
skills and abilities of all employees.
 Remember that the new person was
hired because he or she has the skills to
do the job
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Social
 Work is also an important social enterprise
 It is important to form valued relationships
 Establish informal employee mentors
 Theory of Mind
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Learning & Remembering
 Act as a peer on an adult-to-adult level
 Use straightforward and concrete language
 Allow extra time to learn procedures
 Teach multi-step tasks one step at a time
 Provide reminders (checklists, symbols, color
codes)
 Simplify task by modifying procedures or
equipment
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Communicating with Placement
Agencies
 Inform the Employee
 Be PROACTIVE
 Take advantage of your resources
 Keep the employee involved
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Strategies
 What has worked in the past?
 What hasn’t?
 How are the same issues handled with
other employees?
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Common Concerns
 Medications
 Difficult to understand person
 Harassment by other employees
 When to seek help from Agency
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Employees with Cognitive
Disabilities
 A cognitive disability is any disability affecting
mental processes.
 People with cognitive disabilities do not
necessarily have decreased levels of work
skills, abilities, or intellectual functioning.
 Possible accommodations: job coaching,
structured breaks, checklists & time tables,
clear and concise directions/instructions.
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Employees with Psychiatric
Disabilities
 Psychiatric disabilities are disorders of the
brain that may disrupt a person’s feelings,
moods, and abilities to relate to others.
 Possible Accommodations: job coaching,
structured breaks, checklists & time tables,
contingency plans to deal with stress.
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