Advancing Equal Employment Opportunities and Creating Inclusive Workplaces

Eight Webinars [each 1.5 hours]

Employment First 101
Job Development: The First Steps
The ADA, Employment and Disclosure
Seeing Community and Building Connections with an Employment Lens
The Truth About Employment and Social Security Disability Benefits
“Building Intentional Culture” – How to foster a welcoming workplace
Sharing Your Story with Confidence in the Workplace
Large Employer Initiatives and Public Sector Employment

Description

The Southeast ADA Center, Georgia APSE, and Washington Initiative for Supported Employment (WISE) are working together to promote Employment First in the state of Georgia.

“We believe that everyone has abilities to contribute and that their work should be recognized and rewarded with fair pay, creating inclusive workplaces. We believe that employment enriches and adds meaning to every life, and that workplaces and communities are enhanced when they embrace differences.”

Source: APSE National – We Believe

This eight-part webinar series will build awareness of Employment First. The series will feature a variety of topics for supported employment providers, vocational rehabilitation professionals, self-advocates, and families. Each webinar will embrace APSE’s vision, mission and values, and provide tools and resources that can be used to advance equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Vision: All people with disabilities have competitive employment in an inclusive workforce.
Mission: To advance employment equity for people with disabilities.
Values: We believe everyone can and should work, and have the dignity of determining their career path.

Source: APSE Mission, Vision & Values

Archives [Parts 1-8]

Part 1: Employment First 101

Presenters

Julie Christensen, APSE – Director of Policy and Advocacy

Erica Belois-Pacer, APSE – Professional Development Director

Recording (April 23, 2019)

Transcript

Part 1: Transcript (PDF)

Presentation

Post Test

Part 1: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5BJv8N4L5izbLnv

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 1: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0V43xHBFBCP7BSB?id=part1

Part 2: Job Development: The First Steps

Presenters

Jenny Crook, WISE – Program Manager

Debra McLean, WISE – Senior Program Manager

Charly Walters, WISE – Program Manager

Recording (May 28, 2019)

Transcript

Part 2: Transcript (PDF)

Presentation

Post Test

**To receive credit, must be registered, attend the entire webinar (live or archive), attendance verified, and Post Test completed.

Part 2: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-test-2

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 2: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-eval-2

Part 3: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Employment and Disclosure

Presenters

Barry Whaley, Director, Southeast ADA Center

Pamela Williamson, Assistant Project Director, Southeast ADA Center

Recording (July 23, 2019)

Transcript

Part 3: Transcript (PDF)

Presentation

Post Test

Part 3: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: /bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-test-3

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 3: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-eval-3

Part 4: Seeing Community and Building Connections with an Employment Lens

Presenters

Emily Harris, WISE – Program Manager

Debbie Moore, WISE – Senior Program Manager/Rotary Partners for Work Coordinator

Description

This webinar will explore the value of building community relationships and networking with an employment lens. From your neighbor to your grocer, family members to airplane seat mates, local community groups to business meetups- job leads are everywhere!

Recording (September 24, 2019)

Transcript

Part 4: Transcript (PDF)

Presentation

Post Test

Part 4: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: /bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-test-4

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 4: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-eval-4

Part 5: The Truth About Employment and Social Security Disability Benefits

Presenter

Carolyn Wheeler, Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky – Project Director

Description

Advancing equal employment opportunities and creating inclusive workplaces will require people with disabilities, employment service professionals, and family members to take the initiative to understand the truth about the impact of income on Social Security Disability benefits and other means-tested programs. Too many times there is an unwillingness on the part of all parties involved to make the effort to get the facts and instead make decisions based on assumptions, ignorance and fear. This webinar will provide a an overview of the two programs, SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), the impact of income on both benefits as well as a guide to the resources available on-line to anyone who is willing to take the time and make the effort to understand this very important matter.

Recording (October 22, 2019)

Transcript

Part 5: Transcript (PDF)

Materials

Post Test

Part 5: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: /bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-test-5

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 5: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-eval-5

Part 6: “Building Intentional Culture” – How to foster a welcoming workplace

Presenters

Cesilee Coulson – Executive Director, WISE

Jaimie Laitinen – TA and Training Director, WISE

Morgan Cain – Operations and Communications Coordinator, WISE

Description

When unhealthy organizational norms are not addressed, they can inhibit the effective recruitment and retention of a diverse team. Having a team with different experiences and narratives can broaden an organization’s perspective and allow them to support a wider range of individuals, families, and businesses.

Individuals at all levels of an organization can affect their organization’s culture by the ways in which they interact with their teams. In this webinar, participants will be given tools to examine and reflect upon their own organizational culture. We will also discuss strategies to address unhealthy norms, as well as ways to intentionally create new and healthy ones.

Recording (November 19, 2019)

Transcript

Part 6: Transcript (PDF)

Presentation & Materials

Post Test

Part 6: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: /bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-test-6

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 6: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-eval-6

Part 7: Sharing Your Story with Confidence in the Workplace

Presenter

Joel Slack – President, Slack Consulting, LLC & Founder, RESPECT Institute of Georgia

Description

Joel Slack will provide an overview of the RESPECT Institute of Georgia, a program designed to help persons with disabilities construct and present their stories of lived experience – so they are able to effectively self-advocate in the workplace. The philosophy of the RESPECT Institute, the training experience, the benefits to the participants and the impact RI stories have on all stakeholders will be presented. One or two RI Graduates will share their stories or share how they were able to utilize the RI experience to disclose a disability or request a special accommodation in the workplace. Finally, Joel will discuss how RI stories can reduce stigma in the workplace.

Recording (January 21, 2020)

Transcript

Part 7: Transcript (PDF)

Presentation & Materials

Post Test

Part 7: Post Test (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-test-7

Evaluation

Your feedback is important to help determine the effectiveness of this webinar in meeting your needs and to guide planning for future webinars.

Part 7: Evaluation Form (link opens in a new window)
Link: bit.ly/equal-employ-opp-webinar-eval-7

Parts 8: Large Employer Initiatives and Public Sector Employment

Presenters

Susan Harrell, Assistant Executive Director, Washington Initiative for Supported Employment; Wise

Keri Siekowski, Human Resources/Supported Employment Program Supervisor, Kitsap County

Brian Collins, Senior Manager, Real Estate & Facilities – Microsoft Corporation

Gillian Maguire, Microsoft Supported Employment Program Manager, CBRE

Ryan Farrow, Supported Employment Program Manager, CBRE/Nike Account

Description

Large Employer Hiring initiatives can open the doors to lots of opportunities for supported employment positions, in a variety of departments and with a variety of duties. Join in this webinar to hear from representatives from some large public and private sector employment initiatives, at a variety of stages of development. We will examine:

How these models may differ from other supported employment job development models
How these models addressed potential issues, utilizing strategies that allow for continued successful development
The way in which these employers developed their structure to allow for sustainable development to achieve a scale that makes significant impact
Amazing (and unexpected) ways in which workplaces and the community benefit from large supported employment hiring initiatives.

When you create demand for hiring individuals into supported employment positions by engaging the employer in creating a model appropriate for their culture and environment, it changes the way in which services are engaged to support these efforts, and the benefit of these efforts. This webinar will provide information about the amazing efforts which are taking place, which may impact hiring initiatives in your community as well.