MassBLN and Other Events Around the State
June 2004
Marie Trottier from Harvard University has been elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the US BLN (Business Leadership Network). Please join us in congratulating Marie on this achievement and offering her our support during her tenure as she represents both Massachusetts and the Northeast region of the country. Marie serves as Disability Coordinator for Harvard University, co-chairs the Massachusetts Governor's Commission for Employment of People with Disabilities, and is a member of the Business Steering Group for the MassBLN.
Katherine McCary, Chair, USBLN Steering Committee recently announced the USBLN Executive Board as follows:
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Region
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Member/Employer
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Commitment
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North Central
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Karen Quammen, Medtronic
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1 year
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Midwest
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Nancy Spivey, Northern KY Chamber of Commerce
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2 years
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Mid Atlantic
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Katherine McCary, SunTrust
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3 years
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Northeast
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Marie Trottier, Harvard University
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2 years
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Southeast
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Beth Butler, SouthTrust Bank
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1 year
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Rocky Mountains
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Sheridan Walker, Hire Potential
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1 year
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West
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Michelle Maybaum. Qualcomm
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1 year
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US Chamber of Commerce, Center for Workforce Preparation is represented by Cathy Healy, who serves in an ongoing capacity as a member of the USBLN Executive Committee.
June 18, 2004
MGH symposium addresses disabilities in the workforce
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) believes that approximately 70 percent of people with disabilities currently are not employed in the workforce. How to determine a concrete number and lower this statistic was the topic of discussion June 9 when W. Roy Grizzard, Jr., EdD, the first assistant secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, visited the MGH. Grizzard, who has retinitis pigmentosa, a disability that left him with 10 percent of his vision, is responsible for advising the Secretary of Labor on issues surrounding the employment of people with disabilities. He works with all agencies within the Department of Labor to increase opportunities and reduce barriers to employment for adults and youth with disabilities.
Grizzard addressed MGH employees and community leaders with his presentation "Employment: The Great Equalizer for People with Disabilities" in the O'Keeffe Auditorium. He spoke about the issues the ODEP is addressing and how it is making an effort to encourage larger companies to be open and accepting of potential employees with disabilities. "People with disabilities encounter barriers," said Grizzard. "We want to tear these barriers down. I encourage the MGH to join us in meeting this challenge and partnering with the ODEP."
The program ended with Oswald Mondejar and Carmen Vega-Barachowitz, co-chairs of the MGH Council on Disabilities Awareness, thanking Grizzard with a gift for coming to the MGH. The MGH Council on Disabilities Awareness, which sponsored the event, was created to assure that the MGH is a welcoming and comfortable environment for all individuals with disabilities. To help further this mission, Grizzard also met with senior administration and members of the MGH Diversity Committee later in the day to discuss how the MGH can continue to address these issues.
The event also was sponsored by the MGH Office of the President and co-sponsored by the Association of Multicultural Members of Partners, Human Resources, Community Benefits, the Multicultural Affairs Office and Patient Care Services.
October 21, 2003
Governor Mitt Romney and The Governor's Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities presented awards to 16 leading employers in Massachusetts, and the Michael W. Muther Special Recognition Award to Hans Toegel.
2003 Exemplary Employer Awards received by:
Apex Healthcare Services, Inc.
Brigham & Women's Hospital
Central New England HealthAlliance
Cintas Corporation
Clinical Science Laboratory, Inc.
Cooper's Dairyland, Inc.
Hallmark Health
MA Department of Correction
Old Country Buffet
Price Chopper Supermarkets
Santoro's Ace Hardware
Schlager Company, Inc.
Super Stop & Shop Company, Inc.
UnumProvident Corporation
Willow Laboratories & Medical Center
Worcester Art Museum
The 2003 Michael W. Muther Special Recognition Award was presented to Hans Toegal.
About the Michael W. Muther Special Recognition Award
The Award is named for Michael W. Muther, the Chair of the Commission from 1976 to 1996, whose exceptional leadership reflected the force of his personality, his integrity, his commitment, his kindness and his warm sense of humor. The Commission presents this award annually to individuals who exemplify Michael Muther's spirit.
About Hans Toegal
Mr. Toegal has been a member of the Governor's Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities since 1996. Since that time, Mr. Toegal has been an active member of the Commission's Exemplary Employer Awards Committee.
Mr. Toegal has worked in state government for 27 years in a variety of capacities. First, as a Staff Psychologist at Belchertown State School, he worked with people with mental retardation and physical disabilities. Much of his work involved helping individuals and staff learn to better understand each other and their respective needs. Good communications was always a critical feature of this learning.
Then at the Department of Public Health, Mr. Toegal managed the program to license and certify all hospitals, nursing homes and mental retardation facilities. He not only regulated these programs, but stressed the importance and benefit of improving standards of care, for not only the people who lived in them, but also for staff.
Mr. Toegal then spent a significant amount of time as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Social Policy at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. In that role he was instrumental in bringing together the various disability agencies to strategize on program innovation and development to improve service delivery to people with disabilities.
Finally, at the Department of Mental Retardation, Mr. Toegal has focused on advancing greater employment opportunities for people with mental retardation. This has entailed how to best utilize all available resource such as; career centers, public vocational rehabilitation and natural supports. Mr. Toegal continues to project manage interagency efforts to streamline and improve employment systems for people with disabilities.
October 16, 2003
Ability Awareness 2nd Annual Seminar Series: Matters of the Working Mind
On October 16, 2003, Resource Partnership, in collaboration with the Central Massachusetts Business Leadership Network (Central MassBLN), presented a second in a series of business outreach/education lectures entitled Ability Awareness.
Ability Awareness, a lecture series offered by Resource Partnership to and for businesses throughout Massachusetts, is designed to highlight the hidden and largely untapped labor pool of people with disabilities. This year's theme, by surveyed demand of the employer community, was Matters of the Working Mind. A panel of presenters gave a comprehensive overview of how companies can successfully integrate and work with employers who have mental health and cognitive disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression.
This year's lecture was hosted by UnumProvident Insurance Companies in Worcester, Massachusetts. With almost 70 employers in attendance, many major companies were represented, including UMass Medical School, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, UPS, Fallon Community Health, Citizens' Bank, and Olsten Staffing.
The 90-minute program featured guest speakers from The Adult ADHD Center, UnumProvident, and the Worcester Art Museum, which included a compelling personal testimony, demonstrating the talent, intellect, and skill that can be found in this underemployed labor market of people with disabilities.
September 16, 2003
Ability Awareness 1st Annual Seminar Series: Responding to Employee Mental Health Concerns
On September 16, 2003, Resource Partnership and Citizens Bank sponsored an enlightening and engaging seminar entitled "Responding to Employee Mental Health Concerns", the first in an Ability Awareness Series organized by the Greater Boston Chapter of the Massachusetts Business Leadership Network. Nearly 60 employers learned practical solutions, which were presented from three different points of view. Dr. Fernando Rodriguez-Villa of McLean Hospital shared the clinician's perspective on mental health in the workplace. Andrea Piraino Stidsen, founding director of Partners HealthCare's Employee Assistance Program, outlined ways for managers to effectively address employee performance. Linda Gordon, Vice President, Production, of the Mental Illness Education Project, Inc. spoke from personal experience, giving numerous examples of the accomplishments of people with mental illness despite the oppressive stigma. Although time was tight, small groups participated in an interactive session using case studies stimulated discussion and creative problem solving around reasonable accommodation. The seminar finished with resource tables and extensive networking, allowing employers to address their needs around mental health issues in the workplace.
June 2003
ADA Business Connections Meeting
Go beyond charity or even "doing the right thing" by both hiring people with disabilities and marketing your goods and services to customers with disabilities, and your business will be rewarded. That was the message delivered by speakers at an ADA Business Connections Meeting held in Cambridge May 9th. Convening over lunch at the Inn at Harvard, business leaders and government officials shared case examples and best practices to create a more inclusive business climate for employees and customers with disabilities.
Ralph Boyd, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office welcomed the audience and pointed out that Americans with disabilities have a combined discretionary spending of about $220 Billion, three times the spending power of American teenagers. "There is an expanding consumer market of 54 million people with disabilities," said Boyd "including baby-boomers with an interest in universally designed products." Boyd described how people with disabilities are now demanding products that are well-made and user-friendly and they are willing to pay for such quality.
Glenn Mangurian, who is a partner in a consulting firm and uses a wheelchair, spoke of the market opportunities for companies that practice good corporate citizenship. He described two examples of companies marketing products to people with disabilities that were able to expand their customer base by including often-overlooked populations, such as aging baby-boomers and the elderly. "There are ample business opportunities for those who clearly define a target market based on the differing life experiences of those with disabilities," said Mangurian.
Marie Trottier, Harvard University's Disability Coordinator talked about her experience having worked in the international corporate community as an international budget analyst and how she had to deal with the obstacles and prejudices she faced as a woman and a person of short stature. "Living with a disability is a unique life experience for each of us," said Trottier, "and the impact of technology and the Internet has enhanced our options and choices." She spoke of her strong belief in the concept of universal design, and the need for buildings, services and products to be designed inclusively from the start. Businesses need to bundle their goods and products, and market creatively to all consumers, according to Trottier.
The ADA Business Connections Meeting is one of a series of forums that will be held around the country, according to event organizers.
December 5, 2002
Nursing Grand Rounds presentation
The MGH Human Resources Department was well represented at the December 5, 2002, Nursing Grand Rounds that focused on, "Hiring Individuals with Disabilities." The presentation, cosponsored by the PCS Diversity Steering Committee and Oswald Mondejar , Human Resources manager, was part interactive exercises, part slide show, and part opportunity to reassess our misconceptions about disabled individuals in the workplace.
The session began with an informal game of Tic-Tac-Toe that was really a springboard for discussion with questions like, "What are four reasons businesses are beginning to focus on disability in the workplace?' and, "True or False: a person with schizophrenia is always considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act?"
Presenters, Kathleen Petkauskos and Vincent Licenziato, of Resource Partnership, proved insight and information about some common issues that arise when employing individuals with disabilities.
Often, individuals with disabilities require special accommodations in order to perform certain work-related tasks. "Providing accommodations does not mean lowering standards," said Licenziato. "It's not expecting less of someone; it's just thinking about different ways to accomplish a task at the same level of quality." As an example, he offered the situation where a person might not be able to lift a parcel to transport it; but she might be able to drag the package, accomplishing the same objective.
Petkauskos added that making tasks and facilities accessible to all doesn't necessarily mean making them accessible for one specific person. Frequently, accommodations intended for a single person benefit the larger population (such as curb cuts, which were intended to help people in wheelchairs, but which are also of service to people with baby carriages, bicycles, skateboards, etc.)
Petkauskos and Licenziato described a number of advances in technology that are making it easier for individuals with disabilities to function in the workplace (software that renders typed text audible through special headphones, technologically enhanced wheelchairs, etc.) Said Petkauskos, "The most important factor in successfully employing individuals with disabilities is ensuring that people have what they need to do their job well. Not unlike what every individual needs.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, an individual is qualified for a job if he or she meets the skill, experience, education, and other job-related requirements; and with or without a reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the job.
For more information on hiring individuals with disabilities, call Oswald Mondejar at 6-5741, or contact Resource Partnership at 508-647-1722, ext 12.
November/December, 2002
First Central Mass Business Advisory Council Lecture Panel Held
Ellen McCann, AVP and Counsel, Worcester, recently spoke as part of a lecture panel on "Blindness: Living, Working, and Seeing" in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Her presentation sought to provide a better understanding of legal requirements as they relate to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) legislation.
The panel was sponsored by the Resource Partnership and members of the Business Advisory Council of the Resource Partnership. The Central Mass BAC is the Worcester Chapter of the Massachusetts Business Leadership Network. UnumProvident belongs to both local and state chapters. Massachusetts Business Leadership Network (MassBLN) is an employer-led endeavor that offers participating employers resources for recruiting candidates with disabilities, information on disability employment issues/topics, recognition for best disability employment practices, and exposure to an untapped market for goods and services. The MassBLN works collaboratively with community organizations via the Resource Partnership and the Massachusetts Governor's Commission for Employment of People with Disabilities.
October 28, 2002
Governor Jane Swift and The Governor's Commission on Employment of People with Disabilities hosted the 2002 Fourteenth Annual Exemplary Employer Awards Ceremony at the State House.
The 2002 Exemplary Employer Awards were received by:
The 2002 Michael W. Muther Special Recognition Award was presented to Edward P. Mangini.
About the Michael W. Muther Special Recognition Award
The Award is named for Michael W. Muther, the Chair of the Commission from 1976 to 1996, whose exceptional leadership reflected the force of his personality, his integrity, his commitment, his kindness and his warm sense of humor. The Commission presents this award annually to individuals who exemplify Michael Muther's spirit.
About Edward P. Mangini