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While Georgia is experiencing record-low unemployment and a growing workforce, there still remain many barriers to employment for residents with various disabilities.

According to the Institute for Workplace Skills & Innovation, one in four adult Americans live with a disability and experience unemployment rates nearly double the general population.

Nicholas Wyman, president of the Institute, and Sara Hart Weir, former president of the National Down Syndrome Society, recently co-authored a report outlining how employers can make their workplaces more inclusive and explaining why it’s in their best interest to do so.

Play story:

https://www.wabe.org/disability-advocates-say-improving-inclusivity-makes-good-business-sense/

As we emerge from Covid-19, we have a chance to rethink outdated hiring processes and reach out to an under-represented population.

Authored by Nicholas Wyman – November 12, 2021, for Chief Executive.

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This past October marked the 76th observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which celebrates the contributions of Americans with disabilities in the workplace. NDEAM prompts employers to re-evaluate their personnel policies and make an extra effort to hire and retain people with disabilities across the entire spectrum of jobs.

NDEAM’s 2021 theme was “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion.” As we all know, the Covid crisis hit employers and employees hard, with numerous business shutdowns and ensuing layoffs. But those layoffs affected people with disabilities much more harshly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 in 5 workers with disabilities had been dismissed from employment as of March 2020, compared with 1 in 7 in the general population.

Even before Covid-19, people with disabilities were more likely to unemployed. The employment gap between people with and without disabilities was a staggering 47% prior to the pandemic—only 19.3% of people with disabilities were in the workforce, compared to 66.3% of people without a disability.

Why are people with disabilities consistently unemployed or under-employed?  There are numerous reasons. One is an outdated perception of their capabilities. Many employers believe people with disabilities can’t do the job without significant assistance.  But this is not the case.  The accommodation most people with disabilities require on the job is modest and low-cost, and there are numerous resources available to help employers, including the federal Job Accommodation Network.

But perhaps an even greater barrier than employer perception is the web of outdated laws and policies that limit the ability of people with disabilities to earn a living wage.  For those who require federal assistance with necessary medical benefits, there is an upper limit on how much they can earn before they lose those benefits—and the limit is well below a livable wage. Extremely capable people with disabilities can find themselves trapped in poverty because they can’t afford to lose medical support.

As we emerge from Covid-19, however, we have a chance to rethink outdated hiring processes and reach out to this under-represented population. We have a chance to widen the talent pool and take advantage of everything people with disabilities have to offer. For the benefit of our employees, communities and even the bottom line, we can make hiring people with disabilities a central goal of every Human Resources department.

IWSI America believes with some planning and consistent follow up, workforce policies can easily be changed to include more people with disabilities. We’ve outlined detailed steps employers can take in recruitment, retention and reward in our recently released report: “Ready, Willing and Able: Why It Pays to Hire People with Disabilities,” but I’ll summarize a few key points below.

Recruitment. Recruitment is the first opportunity to reach out to people with disabilities, and you need to make sure your processes are not unintentionally screening out this population.

• Ensure your websites, digital tools and job postings are accessible and use Universal Design

• Use accessible technology platforms (such as Zoom) when meeting people with disabilities and local support groups to promote job opportunities.

• Consider working with school districts to design an educational pathway compatible with company labor needs.

• Build relationships with Think College organizations (which help students with disabilities get career-ready).

Retention. Most employers can improve retention of people with disabilities by making sure their workplaces are accessible, providing inclusive training for the entire workforce, and assigning a coach or mentor to employees with a disability.

• Develop an organization-wide strategy for disability employment.

• Create customized workplace accommodations for individuals, and also develop a company-wide policy for accommodations.

• Ensure your on-boarding process is inclusive.

• Develop company-wide training on inclusion and disability awareness.

• Deploy flexible work arrangements.

• Make sure employees with disabilities can access leadership and career development opportunities.

• Use a formal mentoring and job coaching system.

Reward. Employers can rethink their rewards systems (pay and promotion) so employees with disabilities can be fairly rewarded for good work without adverse effects on necessary federal and state benefits.

• Help employees with disabilities choose between the company package or public benefits (e.g., Medicaid or Social Security).

• Be flexible with the hours of employees who receive public benefits so they don’t lose necessary federal and state assistance.

• Encourage employees with disabilities to use ABLE accounts to save resources without jeopardizing benefits.

Employers can also look beyond the workplace and support larger initiatives aimed at making it easier for people with disabilities to access engaging, well-paid work. Right now, there’s a bill in Congress to eliminate sub-minimum wages for certain people with disabilities. Reforming this outdated practice is long overdue, and should be supported by anyone interested in a more inclusive workforce.

We’ve all had a tough 18 months, with businesses shut down, employees laid off and now the need to restart and re-staff. But crisis can bring opportunity. Let’s use this opportunity to employ people with disabilities in meaningful, challenging jobs and make sure they thrive in those jobs. Individuals, companies and communities will all reap the benefits.

Authored by Julia Brodsky and published on Forbes.com

The Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation America (IWSIA) is a non-profit organization promoting workplace equity, advocacy, education, and job training for the most underemployed segment of the United States – youth and adults with disabilities. IWSIA recently released a free, public report Ready, Willing and ABLE – Why it Pays to Hire People with Disabilities examining the current state of job training and employment for people with disabilities in the US, along with recommendations for improvement. I met with Sara Hart Weir, Senior Associate at IWSIA, former President and CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), and a co-founder of the CEO Commission for Disability Employment, to discuss the report. Ms. Weir has been involved with advocating for the needs of the disability community for over two decades. In particular, she led an effort behind the passage of the landmark Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act), enabling tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities.

Julia Brodsky:  Please tell me more about your ABLE Act efforts and how the IWSIA report is tied to this act.

Sara Hart Weir: The ABLE Act, passed in 2014, was a prominent bipartisan solution to allow families to save for their loved ones with disabilities beyond what is provided by Medicaid and Social Security. I was truly honored to successfully lead that effort on Capitol Hill. The legislation, co-sponsored by 85% of the entire Congress including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jim Jordan, was supported by 78 Senators and 381 Representatives. On the heels of the ABLE Act, we launched #DSWORKS, the NDSS employment program, and began to partner with companies from Main Street to Wall Street to push disability apprenticeship, training and hiring. In partnership with IWSIA, we have been leading efforts on workforce development for underserved and underrepresented disability populations. Through the IWSIA report, we offer best practices and strategies for companies to support disability training and hiring processes. We need to shift the focus from educational credentials to skills and talents since many of those we advocate for may have a limited academic background but possess unique gifts that they can bring to the workforce. 

JB: So, what do you presently see as obstacles to implementing those programs?

SHW: We need to overcome multiple obstacles. While every company is talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), many companies leave people with disabilities out of the conversation. We need to ensure equitable compensation for disabled workers by finally revisiting the wage regulations of 1938 and pushing for systemic reforms to change the way people with disabilities are rewarded in the workplace. The regulations on employment and assets for people with disabilities haven’t been revised since the mid-1960s, further contributing to a vicious cycle of poverty. We need to create a national system of disability programs to achieve greater mobility for individuals with disabilities to move across state lines, increasing their job opportunities. For any of this to happen, the community needs to get engaged: job coaches, business leaders, CEOs, heads of human resources (HR) departments, and of course, special needs educators.

JB: Quoting the IWSIA report, “Schools can help prepare students with disabilities for work through vocational education and school-to-work transition services, but those students also need direct work experience and engagement with employers.” Could you please elaborate on the possible paths students can take to achieve this?

SHW: Seventeen percent of the students about to enter the workforce are on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). That’s one out of every six graduates. We can’t afford to leave another generation behind. When these students come out of the high school system and start transitioning into community-based support and services, we need to do our best to ensure they can access competitive, integrated employment and equal pay, just like we do for every other student in our education system. We need to focus on the appropriate individualized training in the classroom, in the community, and at the workplace. When it comes to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a lot of workplace support comes in the form of dedicated mentors and job coaches. And when you give individuals with disabilities a chance, any misconceptions that exist about them are put to rest. 

Apprenticeship partnerships are also the cornerstone of what we do at IWSIA. The changes to the work environment brought about by COVID-19 have left many people with disabilities even worse off than the general population. The situation is more urgent than ever. No matter who you are, we believe you must enter adulthood with a set of solid skills and comprehensive support along the way. A good apprenticeship program allows individuals with disabilities to achieve their dreams.

Construction workers are far too often overlooked when it comes to mental health outreach and initiatives. This needs to change.

By Nicholas Wyman, CEO IWSI America

Source: https://industrytoday.com/healing-invisible-injuries-in-the-construction-industry/

We think we know a lot about construction workers.  The stereotype typically is that they’re strong, no-nonsense people who enjoy physical work.  Many are athletic, likely to have played high school sports.  And many are armed forces veterans.  This kind of background fosters great traits. Construction workers are often agile, strong, physically resilient, good at teamwork, comfortable playing by rules and happy to follow a chain of command.

But there are downsides as well. Dr. John Gaal, newly appointed Worker Wellness Director at Missouri AFL-CIO’s “Missouri Works Initiative (MWI)” shared his insights on those downsides. He told me that athletes and veterans may be tough on the outside, but can also be struggling with the effects of undiagnosed injuries.  Chief among these is traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by repetitive, low-level head trauma over time. 

TBI can disrupt the brain’s normal functioning, change mental state temporarily, and spawn other negative outcomes such as headaches; motor dysfunction; and sensory, cognitive, and speech issues. Mental health problems related to TBI can take many forms, such as anxiety, depression, and, with veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 

Sadly, John has personal experience with TBI.  A few years ago, his 24-year-old son  died by suicide after a period of unexplained personality changes and depression.  Posthumously, his son was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) brought on by years of head knocks playing soccer and football. So John knows firsthand how subtle the symptoms can be, and how difficult it is for sufferers to get the help they need.

Americans incur up to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) each year. And if sportsmen and vets with undiagnosed brain trauma enter the construction industry, they’re likely to experience additional injury on the job. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says more head injuries happen in the construction sector than in any other sector.

Dealing with that kind of pain and trauma in an industry where toughness is mandatory can result in some very negative coping strategies. 

Research shows blue-collar workers, particularly those in construction, are more likely to smoke, and to be moderate-to-heavy smokers. Blue-collar employees also have a higher risk of alcohol and drug use. Construction workers in particular are the most likely of any occupation to use drugs, including opioids. And shockingly, the construction industry has the second-highest rate of suicides by occupation.

These problems don’t just affect older workers.  The negative behaviors mixed with a macho work culture affect new workers as well. 

John did a pilot study of 49 construction industry apprentices and found that more than one-third said they were often stressed by mistreatment within the program. About the same number said they had anxiety about unsafe job site conditions. They did not report their work issues to peers or supervisors, however, but confided in family or community members. These findings indicate that a significant number of young workers in the construction industry are experiencing unreported trauma and stress.

Something needs to change in the industry. Workers and apprentices need to know they can safely confront mental health issues without stigma or retribution. Many construction companies do have a strong focus on physical health and workplace safety.  But as we’ve seen, they often remain silent on mental health issues.

John has some concrete ideas about how to start.  He believes construction companies should consider:

• An open-door policy with the human resources team to discuss how workplace stress can be reduced
• Keeping current on the latest evidence about work-life balance, wellness, and wellbeing
• Sharing self-care information about stress-management techniques including: 
  • diet,
  • exercise
  • mindfulness,
  • avoiding at-risk behavior,
  • the need for proper rest,
  • cultivating prosocial behavior,
  • developing financial literacy, and
  • learning about alternative pain management strategies 
• Tapping into resilience training through phone apps workers can access when they’re most in need
• Breaking the silence by talking about mental health, including the opioid and suicide crisis in the construction industry, and
• Checking out these excellent websites from the US, UK, and Australia, which aim to debunk the hyper-masculine construction worker image for a more pragmatic one that’s kinder on mental health: 
  • Mates
  • Mates In Mind
  • Prevent Construction Suicide
  • Living Works
  • Man Therapy, and
  • the AGCMO’s Suicide Prevention’s page. 

Some states and industry organizations are already taking steps. In Missouri, where John is based, the state branch of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has funded classes for blue and white-collar workers to become qualified in mental health first aid.  The AGC is also contemplating a pool of peer specialists and community health workers informed about mental health, addiction, and suicide, who can visit job sites on demand.

So while there’s still a ways to go, many safety directors in the sector are beginning to get on board. What about your construction firm? With National Suicide Prevention Week just around the corner (5-11 September), it’s as good a time as any to ask your staff: RU OK?