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Hoosiers with disabilities have the highest unemployment rate of any minority. However, one organization is working to change that. The Indiana Business Leadership Network is encouraging business leaders throughout the state to hire those who are disabled. Making excellent employees, the disabled have an opportunity to lead more independent lives with less reliance on state and federal subsidies if they have a job.
At a national level, the BLN is an employer-led endeavor of the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). Initiated in 1994, the program offers a unique medley of service, advocacy and empowerment to a population who has always suffered from persistent unemployment.
Scott Beauchamp a Yellow Cab Indy and actively involved with the BLN said a significant portion of community is made of people with disabilities and overlooking them as job candidates means an employer is overlooking a large number of potentially qualified individuals.
“Hiring people with disabilities working brings awareness and understanding to all employees that a disability doesn’t mean a person cannot be a very productive team member,” Beauchamp said.
Benefits for participating employers include access to important resources regarding disabled employees, information on disability issues and hiring, exposure to qualified disabled candidates, recognition for best disability employment practices and opportunities to interact and learn from other businesses and corporation who supervise employees with disabilities.
Currently there are 43 BLNs in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In 2000, 1,676 employers participated in BLN activities. Today, more than 2,000 employers are making an effort to hire those with disabilities.
One company with a national name is leading the country in a proactive movement to higher those with disabilities who are driven and passionate. Walgreens has formulated a model for employing the disabled like no other. Located in Anderson, South Carolina, a $175 million, 700,000 square foot distribution center has been designed to accommodate just about anyone. Specially equipped with touch screens and flexible work stations, the facility welcomes people of all ability. Not only is the building accessible, it is 20 percent more efficient than any other in the entire company. It is so efficient, that other companies are looking at the Walgreens model, like this distribution center in Windsor, Connecticut.
But the payback goes far beyond profitability.
Randy Lewis, the company vice president, knows firsthand how having a disability can impact leading a normal life. Lewis has a son with autism. Now the question of ‘what happens next?’ no longer haunts Lewis. Aside from efficiency and profit for Walgreens, employing the disabled gives them security and independence, two things taken for granted by the rest of the population.
Lewis said that having a son with autism allowed him to look past the disability and see a person. More than forty percent of the people employed at the DC are disabled and for many, this is the first opportunity they have had to bring home a paycheck.
Oct 182011
With just about as many disabilities as there are people in this world, traveling by air can be tricky. From difficult to navigate check-in systems to narrow aisles and seats, disabled passengers have more to think about than the average traveler.
The Department of Transportation is looking for public input on revisions to the Air Carrier Access Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel.
Over the next two years some changes in airline websites and airport kiosks may help to smooth out some common travel kinks, small steps to more obstacle-free travel.
Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, told MSNBC.com contributor Harriet Baskas that he is pleased with the initial reviews of the act and that air carriers are recognizing their faults when it comes to accessibility for all.
“We are pleased that the Department of Transportation has finally begun to address the issue of inaccessible Web sites and kiosks,” Mauer said.
If the plans are adopted, airlines will have up to two years to update or redesign their websites. While these updates and overhauls are taking place online, the DOT would keep in place “regulations requiring carriers to make any discounted Web-based fares and amenities available — at no extra charge — to travelers with disabilities who cannot use a carrier’s inaccessible website.”
As for kiosks, the DOT plans to use the Department of Justice’s model as an inspiration. Requiring Braille instructions, headphone jacks for verbal instruction and plenty of physical space around the machine, the new kiosks will provide more access to disabled individuals.
The Open Doors Organization, a group working to increase accessibility for travelers, said that 9.6 million disabled individuals take at least one airplane trip every two years. Over ten years, it is estimated that these proposed regulations will cut down on the number of assistance calls over inaccessible websites and will save airlines about $11.8 million.
All of this is great news for you frequent flyers, so here are some travel tips and tricks to help make your flight or journey a little bit easier.
1. Call ahead and try to be as specific as possible when it comes to describing your needs. Not everyone is as familiar with the “lingo” of disabilities as you may be, a little explanation will go a long way.
2. Take a doctor’s note and phone number, you never know when you may need it.
3. Avoid connecting flights, unless long flights make you uncomfortable. The more direct your trip is, the easier it will be.
4. Arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Allow two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international excursions.
5. Check in with your flight attendant before you land to make a plan.
Also, make sure to check out these useful websites and resources when planning your next trip.
Gimponthego.com
disabledtravelers.com
travelguides.org
worldonwheelz.com
Oct 142011
Information from the INDATA Project is now available via podcast! Every Friday, the INDATA Project will release two podcasts featuring new assistive technology projects. The podcasts are available for viewing on the INDATA Project website and on iTunes. The “Assistive Technology Update” is a fast-paced weekly update for AT professionals and enthusiasts. The “Accessibility Minute” is designed for all listeners to provide assistive technology tips and tricks.
| Assistive Technology Update: Agrability (Steve Swain), Wolfram Alpha, Tobii Sono Flex, Ultra Cane, Free , Visual Strategy Templates, iOS 5 voice over, Baja Racer |
| Accessibility Minute: QWERTY KeyboardIf you have trouble viewing these podcasts, please visit the INDATA website. |
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Ana Ganahl is not blind, in fact, she can see just fine. So why is this 12-year-old today’s guest blogger?
Ana can read Braille.
Her curiosity for Braille came from her interest in service dogs; Ana taught herself the simple alphabet using house hold materials. Yes, she taught herself. Ana said she looks forward to having friends she can actually get to know, through Braille, as time goes on, raising puppies and eventually working with service dogs. The following is her story.
My interest in service dogs first piqued my curiosity in Braille as I read stories of dog guides. I also read Louis Braille’s biography which caused me to want to learn more. Using index cards as paper, and a cutting board and sewing needle as slate and stylus, I learned the simple alphabet. My dad took me to the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) in Louisville, Kentucky, where I learned more about the history of Braille and obtained a real slate and stylus.
From then on learning Braille became much easier and faster. I began writing notes to my blind friend at church, Mrs. Stratton. She gave me a book on learning Grade 1 braille and became my pen-pal giving me notes of encouragement and recipes. I was able to borrow a brailler from Easter Seals, then I really took off! I was able to write much faster, similar to 
the difference between handwriting and typing. I was also able to understand the letters better as I wrote them because I was writing them backward.
With the brailler, I continued to write notes and began copying a bible study into Braille for my friend. I also have a budding pen-pal at a nearby college. Soon I hope to have a brailler of my own to finish copying the bible study, copy church bulletins for Mrs. Stratton, write more notes to both friends, and continue learning Braille. –Ana Ganahl, 12.
For more information on the American Printing House for the Blind, click here!