Strategies for Recruiting and Accommodating Staff With Disabilities: MIUSA

It is often assumed that people with disabilities are unemployable. People with disabilities possess a wide range of abilities. International development organizations are making changes and adjustments to work environments in order for qualified candidates with disabilities to participate in the job application process and to perform essential tasks in various projects and services. Accommodating qualified individuals with disabilities does not require a great amount of time and expense. There are many useful resources available for organizations to accommodate people with disabilities. The most effective way to identify an accommodation need is to have the individual with a disability identify their needs.

Reasonable accommodation includes making modifications to ensure that qualified people with disabilities have the same benefits and privileges of employment as staff members without disabilities.

Strategies to provide workplace accommodations

• Identify limitations that impact the ability of the individual seeking accommodation to perform essential job functions
• Collaborate with staff, volunteers, and interns with disabilities to identify workplace accommodations that are needed.
• Consider the types of equipment that are used or needed for disabled individuals to
  complete the task.
• Provide the most appropriate accommodation not only for the individual with a disability but also for the organization.
• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of the accommodations.

Examples of Types of Reasonable Accommodations

• Modify work schedule
• Create part-time positions
  
• Acquire equipment
  
• Modify work station (i.e. Raising the height of a desk)
  
• Make existing facilities physically accessible (i.e. accessible parking, handrails, ramp)
  
• Modify policies and training materials
  
• Provide interpreters and readers
  
• Offer flexible leave options
  
• Provide accessible transportation options
  
• Restructure jobs
• Reassignment to a vacant position

Resources

AAPD American Association of Persons with Disabilities
1819 H St. NW suite 330
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (800) 840-8844
TTY: (888) 712-4672
Fax: (202) 457-0473
E-mail: aapd@aol.com
Web: www.aapd-dc.org

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a non-profit, cross-disability organization that advocates for the rights of disabled Americans. AAPD strives to further the productivity, independence, full citizenship, and total integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of society and the natural environment. Reducing poverty and unemployment are integral to their programs. See www.joboptions.com to post jobs.

ADA Information Line- Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section - NYAVE
Washington, D.C. 20530
Tel: (800) 514-0301
Fax: (202) 307-1198
TTY: (800) 514-0383
Web: www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

The U.S. Justice Department of Justice provides information on general and technical assistance regarding the ADA. A toll-free ADA Information Line allows organizations to ask about ADA requirements, order free ADA materials, and obtain information about filing a complaint.

ADA Technical Assistance Program
Tel/TTY: 800-949-4232

ADA Technical Assistance Program is a comprehensive resource for information on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Careers and the disAbled
1160 East Jericho Turnpike
Suite 200, Huntington, NY 11743
Tel: (631) 421-9421
E-mail: info@eop.com
Web: www.eop.com

CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine is a career-guidance and recruitment magazine for people with disabilities who are at undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels.

disABLEDperson, Inc.
Web: Disabledperson.com (http://www.disabledperson.com/recruitability.asp)
E-mail: administrator@disabledperson.com

The mission of disABLEDperson.com is to reduce high unemployment rates among people with disabilities. disABLEDperson.com offers a targeted recruiting site to connect proactive employers with qualified applicants with disabilities. The website provides recruitment tips, accommodation information, and general information on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC)
Tel & TTY: (800) 949-4232
Web: www.adata.org/dbtac.html

Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers provide information, referral, technical assistance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act in effort to create greater employment opportunities and better accessibility for people with disabilities. Call the toll-free number to receive the addresses and telephone number of your local DBTAC.

Disability Rights Education Defense Fund inc. (DREDF)
2212 Sixth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: (510) 644-2555
TTY: (510) 644-2555
Fax: (510) 841-8645
E-mail: dredf@dredf.org
Web: www.dredf.org

The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF) is a national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance, and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities.

EARN Employer Assistance Referral Network
Tel: 1-866-EARN-NOW Fax: (703) 820-4820
E-mail: projectearn@birchdavis.com
Web: www.earnworks.com

EARN is a national toll-free telephone and electronic information referral service designed to assist employers in locating and recruiting qualified workers with disabilities, as well as provide technical assistance on general disability employment-related issues.

HireDeaf.com site
E-mail: info@hiredeaf.com

HireDeaf.com site provides a highly resourceful and dynamic exchange between opportunity seekers and employers.

Hire ThisAbility
DVR, 730 Simms, Suite 105
Golden, CO 80401
Tel: (303) 462-6760
Web: www.hirethisability.com

Hire This Ability advocates hiring qualified individuals with disabilities and increasing awareness of employers on strategies to recruit, hire, and retain persons with disabilities.

Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU)
2323 S. Shepherd, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77019
Tel: (713) 520-0232
TTY: (713) 520-5136
Fax: (713) 520-5785
E-mail: ilru@ilru.org
Web: www.ilru.org

Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) is a national center for information, training, research and technical assistance for individuals with disabilities to live independently. ILRU publishes a listing of independent living centers in each state of the United States and the provinces of Canada.

Job Accommodation Network
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6080
Morgantown, WV 26506-6080
Tel: 1-800-526-7234 - Accommodation Information
Fax: (304) 293-5407
1-800-ADA-WORK (1-800-232-9675) ADA Information
E-mail: jan@jan.icdi.wvu.edu
Web: www.jan.wvu.edu

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) assists in the hiring, retraining, retention or advancement of persons with disabilities by providing accommodation information. JAN also has a resume database of qualified job candidates with disabilities.

Just One Break, Inc.
120 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
Tel: (212) 785-7300
TTY: (212) 785-4515
Fax: (212) 785-4513
E-mail: jobs@justonebreak.com
Web: www.justonebreak.com

Just One Break is a non-profit organization that offers job placement services for persons with disabilities. Employers are invited to post jobs online through their website.

Monster
Tel: (888) 666-7837
Web: www.monster.com

Monster.com is a website which provides employers with resources on hiring people with disabilities, tools to accommodate individuals with disabilities, and assists find qualified candidates. The website has a resume database and employers are invited to post jobs. The website also provide career-guidance tips for individuals with disabilities who are searching for work.

National Business & Disability Council
201 I.U. Willets Road. Albertson, NY 11507
Tel: (516) 465-1515
Fax: (516) 465-3730
Web: www.business-disability.com

The National Business & Disability Council is the leading resource for employers seeking to integrate people with disabilities into the workplace and companies seeking to reach them in the consumer marketplace.

National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
1916 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 209
Arlington, VA 22201
Tel: (703) 525-3406
TTY: (703) 525-4153
Fax: (703) 525-3409
Email: ncil@ncil.org
Web: www.ncil.org

National Council for Independent Living (NCIL) is a national membership organization to support independent living centers by coordinating advocacy efforts on the national level. NCIL provides information and referral, a speaker's bureau and technical assistance. NCIL works with employers to place qualified candidates with disabilities.

New Mobility
Tel: (215) 675-9133
E-mail: prose@jvleonard.com
Web: www.newmobility.com

New Mobility Magazine and website are valuable resources covering a variety of disability issues. There is a $10 monthly fee for job postings.

Paralyzed Veterans Administration (PVA)
801 Eighteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-3517
PVA National Headquarters
Tel: 800-424-8200
E-mail: info@pva.org
Web: www.pva.org

The PVA website offers online disability advocacy and accessibility publications including "The Air Carrier Access Act: Common questions and answers for wheelchair users".

Silent News
E-mail: info@silentnews.com
Web: www.silentnews.com

Silent News Inc. is dedicated to improve education, employment, and social conditions of Deaf and hard of hearing people. Employers can post job advertisement on the Silent News website.

UC Berkeley Disability Career Services
Career Center
University of California
2111 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94720-4350
Tel: (510) 642-1716
Fax: (510) 643-6120
E-mail: tcd@uclink.Berkeley.edu
Web: http://career.berkeley.edu (click on students with disabilities)

UC- Berkeley has a large population of students with disabilities and a large international studies department.

US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
1801 L Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20507
Tel: (202) 663-4900
TTY: (202) 663-4494
Web: www.eeoc.gov

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)'s mission is to eradicate employment discrimination and to increase knowledge about individual rights under the anti-discrimination laws among the public and employee groups. EEOC provides valuable information for employers including information on the employment of individuals with disabilities with small businesses, and the ways in which employer can comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

US Department of Labor - Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
1331 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 376-6200
TTY: (202) 376-6205
Fax: (202) 376-6219
Web: www.dol.gov

ODEP's mission is to increase employment of persons with disabilities through policy analysis, technical assistance, development of best practices, outreach, education, and constituent services. The website offers extensive resources on issues related to recruiting and hiring people with disabilities.
Also, contact the Disabled Student Services offices of Universities and Colleges

US Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of Equal Opportunity Programs
Tel: (202) 721-0376
Web: www.opm.gov/disability

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) runs a disability website at:
www.opm.gov/disability. This site provides a one-stop source of information for applicants, managers, and human resource professional. Information available at the site includes: training module for managers on reasonable accommodation; new guidance to make it easier for people with disabilities to apply for Federal jobs by obtaining an initial certification of disability; a recruitment brochure for people with disabilities; frequently asked question; an annotated list of Federal agencies with leadership responsibility on disability employment; and update version of People with Disabilities in the Federal Government: An Employment Guide.

Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)
The Office of Disability Employment Policy
1331 F Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 376-6200
TTY: (202) 376-6205
E-mail: infoodep@dol.gov
Web: www.wrpjobs.org

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP) is a resource for businesses nationwide to identify qualified temporary and permanent employees from a variety of fields. The service provides nationwide database of qualified candidates with disabilities who are available for permanent and temporary positions. Applicants are highly motivated post-secondary students and recent graduates eager to prove their abilities in the workforce. WRP is managed through the Office of Disability Employment Policy, which is part of the US Department of Labor.

LISTSERVS:

Black Disabled Listserv
E-mail: blackdisabled@onelist.com
Listserv for African-Americans with disabilities. Employers invited to post jobs.

d-WILD E-mail List Service (California - Women's International Linkage on Disability)
E-mail: cal-wild-owner@lists.best.com
Free international e-mail list service for women with disabilities and women allies.