Do You Want to Know?
- How have employers hired individuals with disabilities during COVID?
- What is a Disability:IN affiliate and how do they support these efforts?
- How can you leverage an affiliate to support your placement efforts?
The Employer Engagement for the YES Center webinar on July 28th featured employers from Disability:IN DC Metro and Greater Kansas City who shared valuable insight on their efforts in recruiting, retaining, promoting, accommodation and how they leverage partner relationships for success.
As a business executive I have spent more than 20 years focused on disability inclusion and launching, leading and supporting Disability:IN and affiliates across the US. The organization was born of the understanding that business listens to business and within the disability space, businesses are open to sharing inclusion best practices. I am also an individual with a non-apparent disability, have adult children with disabilities and have been a caregiver for family members as recently as this year so I have both professional and personal perspectives.
The Employer Engagement for the YES Center webinar highlighted the major role employers play in partnering with each other to maximize employment of people with disabilities. Affiliates are local or regional non-profit business led educational organizations associated with Disability:IN, a national organization that supports disability inclusion. Employers join Disability:IN affiliates to learn from each other in order to address disability inclusion in employment, marketing, entrepreneurship and supply chain. An honest business dialog is key to the success of this organization. Utilizing the affiliate network of Disability:IN, directors and employers shared examples of pivoting their typical talent acquisition process in light of COVID.
In Greater Kansas City, Mercy Children’s Hospital of Kansas City applied new technology that enabled recruiters to view all applicants’ individual strengths, preferences, skills and experiences in order to match up ability with a variety of jobs. Both Affiliates in DC Metro and Greater Kansas City have been using virtual technology for interviewing applicants. Additionally, they support internships as a way for both the individual and the organization to test drive the fit. Inclusion Works an organization that supports a more diverse and inclusive workplace, utilizes their staffing firm model to expand employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Did you know that that some businesses rely exclusively upon staffing firms for external hires?
Deloitte, a DC Metro Board Member, shared how building an inclusive workforce by leveraging their Employee Resource Groups representing veteran and disability- often cross-pollinating them with shared outreach activities including those hosted by DC Metro. While neither affiliate places talent, the Greater Kansas City affiliate uses OurAbility for employer members to post jobs expanding outreach to talent with disabilities. DC Metro has a focus on disabled owned entrepreneurs, leveraging both Disability:IN DOBE certification and The Viscardi National Center for Disability Entrepreneurship. DC Metro lists COVID Resources from disability organizations on its website . Each of the 25 affiliates across the US operate independently with a shared mission of disability inclusion. If there is an affiliate in your geography, reach out!
The Hon. Katherine McCary, CEO, Disability:IN DC Metro, Founding chair of Disability:IN (formerly US Business Leadership Network), President C5 Consulting, LLC
