PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: VALUED MEMBERS OF THE

21ST CENTURY WORKFORCE

Helping Tennessee business grow in the 21st Century

GOALS:

Increase employers’ awareness of hiring people with disabilities

Address key concerns and support needs of employers

45+ state departments & advocacy

organizations committed to employment

efforts & shared resources

Changing the employment landscape…

Today we will tell you …..

• Why hiring people with disabilities makes good

business sense

• Examples of companies who have benefitted

• How we can help you do it easily and well

New Realities in the Workforce System

Many of the nation’s leading companies have recognized the “Business Case” for hiring jobseekers with disabilities and have established disability recruitment initiatives.

The Business Case for Hiring Jobseekers with Disabilities

•Equal or better reliability and retention rates •Equal or better safety records, job performance ratings, job assignment flexibility •Require equal amount of supervision

Employees with Disabilities

•Reduced costs •Improved morale and productivity throughout the company • Leverage customer loyalty to favored employees

Employers •People with disabilities are 1/5 of U.S. population •Command $220 billion in spending •Prefer businesses that employ people with disabilities. •Will repeat support to community invested businesses

Customers

The Business Case for Hiring Jobseekers with Disabilities

Source: Disabilityworks, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

Labor market projections • Shortages are coming • Non-traditional sources of

labor include people with disabilities.

Acquired Disabilities • Accommodate and retain

experienced and knowledgeable employees who acquire a disability.

Incentives • Benefit from state and

federal incentive programs and

• Comply with new OFCCP regulations.

Companies that are Leading the Way

Companies with disability employment initiatives include: Pepsico Best Buy Manpower Motorola Walgreens AT&T Lockheed Martin Walmart Microsoft Sears/K-Mart American Airlines Lowes Banana Republic SunTrust IBM Booz Allen Hamilton

Profiles of Success

Successful employer partnerships to recruit, train and retain employees with disabilities include:

Walgreens Project SEARCH

Profile: Walgreens

Video Walgreens

Walgreens Models in Tennessee

AT&T in Memphis Walgreens REDI sites in retail stores

throughout the state Tennessee Rehabilitation Center at

Smyrna has a “mock” Walgreens store

Profile: Project SEARCH

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital began to train jobseekers with disabilities to meet a business need for qualified, reliable support staff in its Emergency Department.

Replicated in > 300 licensed sites in the US, the UK and Australia in multiple business sectors

Project Search Video

Project SEARCH Tennessee

Project SEARCH has been operating at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt for several years with an excellent hire rate. In 2013-2014 2 adult programs were opened in Knoxville; one at The University of Tennessee Medical Center and the other at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.

Project SEARCH Tennessee

A School-to-Work collaboration between Clarksville Montgomery County Schools and Project Search at Veterans Plaza County Government Offices in Clarksville has been successful for 3 years, including a café.

Eight school-to-work Project SEARCH programs in hotels

hospitals and colleges are in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Memphis, Jackson, and Maryville with more scheduled to open around the state.

The Message from Walgreens and Project SEARCH

When we teach the way people learn,

people can learn to do all kinds of work

successfully…

and its great for business!

We Can Help You Do This Well

National Research Tells Us that YOU:

Need a single point of contact to

coordinate hiring and training

Need supports for recruitment, training

and job retention to your industry

standards

Need Just-in-Time technical assistance on

workforce and disability-specific issues.

partners are here to help!

To Access Employees with Disabilities

Video of Hire Me

Regional Corporate Connections

• Join a local/regional employment group

VR Business Employment Consultant

• Be or get a business mentor to successfully employ persons with disabilities.

American Job

Centers • Any size business can

hire!

Visit www.TennesseeWorks.org

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Contact

Lynnette Henderson, PhD

TennesseeWorks, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

Lynnette.henderson@vanderbilt.edu

615-936-0448