PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

INTRODUCTION

You have just been diagnosed with a chronic disease/illness ; but, you still need to work. What are you going to do? How can you even begin to focus on what this diagnosis means to you, to your family and to your job? What do you do first? Do you focus on learning about your illness? On what this illness will mean for you long term? On the impact this illness will have on your family and friends? When do you begin focusing on what this illness will mean to your job? How long will you have before you need to tell your Employer about your diagnoses?

These, and the myriad of others that come to mind, are very important, and need to be answered. However, the good news is that the process for you to use when you answer these questions is the same:

WHAT IS YOUR:

¢ CURRENT SITUATION

¢ DESIRED SITUATION

WHAT ARE YOUR "HOW-TO" STEPS TO GET FROM YOUR CURRENT SITUATION TO YOUR DESIRED ONE?

If your immediate needs focus on learning about your chronic illness, or about your symptoms, or about acquiring medical and/or disability insurance for which you are entitled, please refer to the other site locations within this website. Also, the Disabilitykey Workbook offered for sale at a minimal price at this website contains detailed How To steps for you to follow in documenting your chronic illness symptoms; and, in applying for and qualifying for disability insurances for which you are entitled.

If, however, your immediate needs focus on continuing to work while disabled, and/or, continuing to work while on your first year of LTD (Long Term Disability ), this is the appropriate site within this website for you.

DISABILILTY AND WORKING - GENERAL

First and foremost, it is better to complete all of this work early, before the symptoms of your chronic illness keeps you from performing the essential functions of your job.

The general steps that you will need to follow in continuing to work while disabled, when your disability symptoms impair you from performing the "essential functions" of your job are as follows.

  • ¢ DO NOT TELL YOUR SUPERVISOR AND/OR HR ABOUT YOUR ILLNESS/IMPAIRMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK and have a plan to offer them.
  • ¢ Identify your symptoms; complete your symptom impairment matrix; document what you can and can't do; document your peak "energy" times in the day; verify your information with your doctor; get your Doctor to complete an accurate PCE (Physical Capacity Evaluation) form on you. *
  • ¢ Refer to JAN (Job Analysis Network) for information about your disease; print out your disease and your example workplace modifications based on your disease. *
  • ¢ Obtain a copy of your job description.
  • ¢ If your job description does not contain the physical and mental expectations of the job's essential functions, get HR to rewrite the job descriptions to include them; or, we can do it for you for a $25.00 consulting fee. *
  • ¢ NOW is the time to discuss your situation with your Supervisor and HR. THIS is the time to ask your Supervisor and HR about other jobs that could be options for you to perform. *
  • ¢ Between you and your Doctor, decide what you can do, and what you cannot do; and, what you can do with modifications. Again, use the PCE form. Also, compare what you can do with the job descriptions that you receive from HR. Be sure to compare what you can do to the JAN examples. *
  • ¢ With your Dr's input, decide how long you will be able to work. Decide whether to accept another job and continue working, or whether to trigger LTD and continue working. *

DISABILITY AND WORKING - SPECIFIC

If you decide that you need/want specific instructions and guides to follow during this process, we have prepared an "e-book" that provides examples of actual documents, blank forms, and specific "How-To" instructions for each general point where you see the "*" above.

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10/27/2005

Disability Employment Award Winners!! - DOL Announcement

As we continue to explore disability and employment, it is important to search out and learn about successful examples. These can become benchmarks for us to emulate.

The Dept. of Labor released the following News Release about this year's Employment Award Winners, as follows.

(ODEP News Release: [10/26/2005]Contact Name: Kristin Wilson or Peggy Abrahamson Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x7909Release Number: 05-2078-NAT)
Secretary of Labor Announces Seven Recipients Of the Secretary’s New Freedom Initiative Awards
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today that one individual, three non-profits and three businesses have been selected to receive the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Award for outstanding support of employment for people with disabilities.
“Today's New Freedom Initiative Awards recipients have demonstrated great commitment to helping Americans with disabilities enter the workforce and build solid career paths,” said Chao during a ceremony for the winners at the department. “In facilitating the workplace to be more friendly and accessible to workers with disabilities, these employers are also tapping an underutilized pool of talented workers.”
The Secretary's NFI Award recognizes exemplary and innovative efforts to train, recruit and hire people with disabilities and to incorporate into workplaces the principles of President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative.

Introduced in 2001, the NFI is a comprehensive set of proposals designed to give people with disabilities the opportunity to fully participate in all aspects of community life, including employment.

Biographies about the winners are available at www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/nfi05.htm. A list of winners follows:

INDIVIDUAL:
Jim WestallPort Townsend, Wash

NON-PROFITS:
1) Breaking New GroundWest Lafayette, Ind.

2) Center of Vocational AlternativesColumbus, Ohio

3) InspiriTec Inc.Philadelphia, Pa

BUSINESSES:
1) Computer Science Corporation Federal SectorFalls Church, Va.

2) Merck and Co. Inc.Whitehouse Station, N.J.

3) Tec AccessRockville, Va.

Biographies about the winners are available at: www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/nfi05.htm.

Here is the specific information on the Individual Winner, provided so that it might trigger some ideas in you on how you, and those with whom you are close, can create employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

"Individual
Jim Westall Port Townsend, Washington
In 1988 Jim Westall began the Skookum Corporation as a small non-profit business in the economically strapped rural region of Port Townsend, Washington. A special education teacher at the local high school, Mr. Westall realized that graduates with intellectual challenges had no place to work, so he started a company in his garage. Ten workers with intellectual disabilities made jump ropes, the company’s only product. Today, Skookum Corporation has over 500 employees, 75 percent of whom have disabilities, performing a variety of jobs for several different employers.
When the demand for Skookum Corporation’s first product, jump ropes, was insufficient to support the business, Mr. Westall sought advice from local business owners and retirees. They inspired the idea of training high school graduates with disabilities in janitorial services and bidding on local contracts. In 1994, Skookum won its first NISH/JWOD contract with a local Navy base to provide grounds maintenance services. The organization also took over operation of the local county recycling facility, providing an additional 15 jobs for persons with severe disabilities.
In 1996 another JWOD/NISH contract with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard provided jobs for 180 employees who managed janitorial services. In 2002 a JWOD contract with the Army brought another 300-plus jobs providing basic vehicle maintenance services. Skookum was growing from a small non-profit venture into a major county employer, but kept its commitment to providing excellent job opportunities for persons with disabilities and superior services to contractors. Twice the company has won the Governor’s Award for the leading non-profit organization in Washington State.
Under the leadership of Jim Westall, Skookum is dedicated to providing a range of job opportunities and support services. It has provided facilities for a host of non-profit service programs, job clubs, worker support groups, assistive technology projects, literacy training and apprenticeship training. Skookum played a major role in the regional Projects With Industry by providing the onsite services of a vocational rehabilitation counselor, and has worked with the Olympic Workforce Development Council to assure the best possible linkage to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the State Employment Service.
Today, the Skookum Corporation manages several large JWOD/NISH contracts, operates the Jefferson County Recycling Center, maintains its Jump Rope Division, and provides community living support services, vocational support services, employment training, a work motivation program for low income women and a host of other services and opportunities. The company, and its founder Jim Westall, have established a reputation of service and accessibility, and have had a profound impact on the community. Local newspapers have praised the success of the Board of Directors and Chairman Westall, who guided a small company into the county’s largest employer in less than 15 years. The most measurable impact has been in the number of job opportunities provided to persons with disabilities." (Note: red not part of the original quotation; added here for emphasis only.)

If any of you readers know of any other success stories, please let us know about them.

posted by Carolyn Magura at 10/27/2005 0 comments