Managing Disability Inclusion, National Service and Volunteerism

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Serve Idaho Conference

www.SERVICEandINCLUSION.org

Toll-free hotline: 888-491-0326 (voice/TTY)

Sampling of Training and Technical Assistance Topics: • Values That Guide and Current Best Practices on Inclusion• Disclosure• Outreach, Recruitment, and Retention• Legal Responsibilities• Reasonable Accommodations• Accessibility and Universal Design Specialized Topics• Developing a Collaborative Action Plan for Inclusion• The History of the Independent Living Movement• Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities• Disability Inclusion in Culturally Diverse Communities• Tips and Tools to Assist Senior Citizens to Live Independently

You will demonstrate knowledge about a manager’s legal

responsibilities related to including people with disabilities.

You will create a service and volunteer environment and

culture that embraces diversity and people of all abilities.

You will develop and implement recruitment, management and

retention strategies that increase the participation of people with

disabilities and ensure their quality engagement.

• What experience(s) have you had in the past with inclusion of people with disabilities?

• What are your “burning questions” about inclusion of people with disabilities?

Mingo!

Who are people with disabilities?

“Disability” as Defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act &

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)• A physical or mental impairment that substantially

limits one or more major life activities• A history or record of such an impairment• Being regarded as having such an impairment, even

when no limitations exist• Someone who has an association with someone with a

disability

“Major Life Activity” is Anything an Average Person Can Do with Little or No Difficulty

Major life activities include, but are not limited to:

“Substantially limits”

…unable to perform, or significantly limited in the ability to perform, an activity as compared with an average person. Factors to be considered are:

1. Its nature and severity2. How long it will last or is expected to last, and3. Its permanent or long-term impact, or expected

impact

Disability Facts

• 19.5 million people, or 9.9% of Americans have a disability.

• 198,000 people in Idaho have a disability, that’s approximately 14% of the population of your state.

• In the US, about 34.7% of people with disabilities are employed, compared to 71.9 % of people without a disability.

• From the 2009 American Community Survey (Conducted by the US Census Bureau)

People First Language• The key is to use “person first”

language because people with disabilities are human first and have a disability second

• For example…– “A person who is blind” instead of

a “a blind person”– “A student with epilepsy” instead

of “an epileptic” – “A boy with an intellectual

disability” instead of “a retarded child”

Most often, it’s best to call someone by

name, not by a label.

Disability Laws

How do the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

impact your program?

Intent of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 & the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Ensure non-discrimination against people with disability

• Ensure equal access and opportunity

“No otherwise qualified disabled individual in the United States… shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Rehabilitation Act Applies to:

1. Federally conducted programs2. Federal contractors and

grantees3. Federally assisted programs

• The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in:• Employment• State and local government• public accommodations• commercial facilities• transportation• telecommunications.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Why is Inclusion Important? - What do YOU think is the most important

reason to be more inclusive of people with disabilities?

- Share your reason with your group. - As a group, combine your reasons to create

a 30 second (or less) “sound bite” to explain why disability inclusion is important to national service programs.

Recruitment and Outreach

ImagesImages

WordsWords

FormatsFormats

Recruiting a diverse pool of volunteers

• Think about what you say in your recruiting materials

• Think about the images you use in your recruiting materials

• Think about what formats you use to recruit your volunteers

What you say

“Qualified individuals with disabilities and those from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. We provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals and conduct all activities in fully accessible settings.”

“We are an equal opportunity program or organization.”

WordsWords

The images you use• Include pictures of people with disabilities in

your recruitment materials• Communicate to students with disabilities that they will

be valued members of your team• Communicate to others that your organization values

the contribution of all volunteers.

ImagesImages

The formats you use

• Ensure that your materials can be accessed by individuals with a varied array of abilities

• Electronic files can be printed larger, emailed to interested students, read by screen reader programs, etc.

• Have your videos captioned (or caption them yourself in YouTube!)

• http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=100077

FormatsFormats

Example Outreach Materials

In your small group, look at the outreach materials on your table.

• What makes these materials inclusive?

• How could you distribute this in an alternative format?

Making Your Materials More Inclusive• At your table, discuss your own organization’s

outreach and recruitment methods. – What can you do to make your outreach efforts

more inclusive?– How can organizations work together to make

recruitment more inclusive? – What resources do you need to make your

outreach more inclusive?

Inclusive Recruitment =

A Larger Pool of Talented Applicants

Access and Accommodation

Universal Design, Building Inclusive Teams and

Determining Reasonable Accommodation

What is Access?

There are five different types of Access programs should think about…•Architectural•Programmatic•Technology•Communication•Alternate formats Think outside the box…

What is Universal Design?Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design

For example…

Curb cuts: used by people using wheelchairs, but also parents pushing strollers, bicycles, travelers with rolling luggage.

Closed-captioned television: initially developed for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but found in gyms, sports bars, and for watching T.V. at home. Curriculum Transformation and Disability.

Funded by U.S. Department of Education. Project #P333A990015. Copyright 2000.

Building an Inclusive Team Environment

Building an Inclusive Team Environment

Responsibilities of Stakeholders: Creating an Inclusive Service Environment

• Please work with others at your table. – Discuss what each type

of stakeholder can do to make the service environment more inclusive.

– Fill in your worksheet

BoardBoard

Program StaffProgram Staff

Executive StaffExecutive Staff

Volunteers Volunteers

MembersMembers

Service SiteService Site

Accommodations

Accommodations

“Accommodations” are technology, services, and changes in policy, procedures, and the built environment that enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions or to equally participate in events and programs

- According to the Job Accommodation Network approximately 80% of accommodations cost less than $600 and more than 50% of reported accommodations cost nothing.

Think About Accommodations for…• Interviews

– Discuss only accommodations the candidate will need to participate in the interview

• Performing the essential functions of the position– After you offer the position – When someone discloses their disability – Possibly when the member/volunteer has a performance

issue.

• Participating in other program or team-related activities

Tips for Providing Successful Accommodations

• Develop Written Policies and Procedures• Train all staff to recognize and respond to an

accommodation request• Have a process for Determining Effective Accommodations

(and community resources to help)• Monitor and Update Accommodations• Make sure volunteers know accommodations are availableAdapted from “Five Practical Tips for Providing and Maintaining Effective Job

Accommodations” from the Job Accommodation Network (www.askjan.org)

Examples of Accommodations

“Because I’m blind doesn’t mean that I’m not intelligent, and it doesn’t mean that I can’t contribute. Because I need some accommodation or help in some areas, doesn’t mean that I don’t have a lot of tools that I can use in general society. I can read and write and think and do physical labor probably as well as the next person given the appropriate tools.”

-Steve Hoad

Former AmeriCorps member with Maine Conservation Corps

Examples of Accommodations

“I am considered a low vision person so reading is very difficult for me…I have a special reading glass at home but I wouldn’t bring it in because it’s difficult. I read with one eye. I don’t want the kids to realize that I am that disabled. that’s part of my problem maybe. Because they don't see me as that. I am the grandma that has to be read to. So, they read to me.”

-Ruth KofflerUnion-Snyder Foster Grandparent Program

Examples of Accommodations

“I work with AmeriCorps Service for 1 year. I have no interpreter. I only need an interpreter for meetings. I don't need that for work. I just write a note with some members and I taught some members some basic sign language like: "work, breaktime, what, where, why, toilet, see you later, bye, and hi". I can read lips a little bit, not long sentences just two or three words.”

-Kevin PachioHoopa AmeriCorps on Native Lands

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Case Study Guiding QuestionsWhat is the request? What are the questions?

What information do we have and what information do we need from the person asking the question?

What knowledge do we have regarding this request and what resources do we need to identify?

Based on the existing information, what are our recommendations?

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Click to edit Master title styleContact Information:

National Service Inclusion Project888.491.0326 [V/TTY]

NSIP@UMB.EDU

www.SERVICEandINCLUSION.org