Disability Awareness: Working with People with Disabilities

Learning Outcomes:

• Prepare to welcome people with disabilities into their workplace
• Interact with people with disabilities
• Identify and overcome barriers in the workplace
• Use respectful, appropriate, acceptable language in any circumstance
• Understand what their company can do during hiring and interviewing
• Understand what job accommodation is and how it applies in their workplace

Overview:

"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone." - Martina Navratilova

People with disabilities represent a significant and largely underutilized resource for businesses. Many disabled persons are underemployed or unemployed. As a result of advocates for diversity, as well as a shrinking labor pool, employers are taking a serious look at hiring and retaining people with disabilities. This two-day workshop will give supervisors, managers, and human resource consultants tools and tips for creating a diverse workplace.

Defining Terms

• What the Terms “Disabilities” and “Stereotypes” Mean
• Finders Debrief
• About Stereotypes
• Some Common Phrases and the Stereotypes Behind Them

Misconceptions and Realities

• What is Misconceptions
• Realities

A Business Case

• Why Companies Should Hire People with Disabilities
• Getting Into It
• Summary

Dissecting Labels

• Giving Your Words Some Thought
  • Why Labels are Inappropriate
  • How They Can Make People Feel
• ground rules
  • Respectful
  • Using Appropriate Language
• Being Practical
• Mingle with Me

Accessibility

• Physical Access
• Attitudinal Barriers
• Case Studies

The Cornerstones of Diversity

• About the Cornerstones
• Four Cornerstones of Diversity Development
  • Knowledge
  • Understanding
  • Acceptance
  • Behavior

Encouraging Diversity by Hiring

• Two Key Hiring Issues:
  • What Can the Company Ask
  • What Can the Candidate Expect?

Using the STOP Technique

• When Someone is Behaving in an Inappropriate Manner
  • The Four Steps
• Role Play

Communication Essentials for Disability Awareness

• Ground Rules to Get Started
• Respecting Confidentiality
• Preparing Documentation
• Where to Find Good Resources

Communication Styles

• The Advantages and Disadvantages
  • Dichotomies in Theory
  • Dichotomies in Action

Critical Conversations

• Introductory Elements
• Getting the Conversation Started
• Taking it One Step Further

How Do We Make It Happen?

• How Far Do You Go in Accommodation?
• Value of Job Shadows