Employing People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesRehabilitation, presented a Gallup survey of morethan 1,000 parents/guardians of adult children withintellectual disabilities. The findings were dismal:LForce,” published in the Journal of VocationalIndividuals with IDD are“The results indicate a troublingly low employmenta talent segment thatrate for adults with ID and a puzzlingly low numbercan make a real impactwho are even in the labor force.” What’s more, theon moving people intoreport concluded that the employment outlook forthese individuals was unlikely to change “until newthe labor force and intoways are found to meaningfully incorporate thiscompetitive jobs.With an estimated 673,000 U.S. children onLpopulation into the labor force” (Siperstein, 2014).the autism spectrum alone, the population ofFederal involvementintellectually disabled individuals approachingThe U.S. government has taken a step towardworking age will continue to be a talent sourceimproving the employment opportunities affordedlargely untapped by employers (Heasley, 2014).to individuals with intellectual and developmentalWhat counts as employment?disabilities through its Section 503 ruling. TheAnother aspect to consider is the kind of setting inwhich people with intellectual and developmentaldisabilities are employed. Historically, this hasbeen heavily weighted in workshop-type settingsthat are separated from mainstream workers andpermitted to pay less than minimum wage. Thistalent segment needs to move into fully integratedjob settings at fair wages. The Association ofPeople Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE) definesnew guidelines, effective in March 2014, callfor employers who are federal contractors orsub-contractors to allot 7% of their workforceto individuals with disabilities. Contracts withsheltered workshops don’t count toward that goal,except in cases in which workshops are undercontract to train employees with the understandingthat those trained will be hired at full compensationonce they are qualified.employment as “working in an integrated jobAdditionally, support and resources are availablesetting in the workforce at competitive wages (atfor states via the U.S. Department of Labor, Officeleast minimum wage) and benefits, and whereof Disability Employment Policy, which createdemployees with disabilities work alongsidethe Employment First State Leadership Mentorothers who do not have disabilities, and haveProgram. Washington was appointed as a mentorthe same opportunities to participate in job andstate, with Iowa, Oregon and Tennessee namedsocial activities as other company employees. Inprotégé states to advance integrated employmentaddition, employment means being self-employedas a first option for individuals with significantin entrepreneurial business ventures driven bydisabilities.individual interests and talents.”Institute for Corporate Productivity 5

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesIt's more than theright thing to doLeaders of organizations who have never hiredStrategic integration of D&ILevel 4 - Business51%Overallindividuals with intellectual and developmentalHPOsdisabilities might assume that they know why otherLPOs65%33%firms have done so. They might also assume toknow how those experiences played out. They’dLevel 3 - Talentlikely be wrong.Overall10%From a social perspective, hiring individuals withHPOs10%LPOs8%intellectual and developmental disabilities is theright thing to do. But according to i4cp research, italso makes good business sense. This study foundthat by hiring people with IDD, organizations havegained dependable, motivated employees whoOverallHPOsemployers create inclusive cultures that attractLPOsproviding employment to people with IDD; theyimpact business goals and culture.Strategic diversity and inclusionpays dividendsIntegrating diversity and inclusion (D&I) as partof an overall organizational strategy is a criticalfirst step. Twice as many high-performanceorganizations (HPOs) address D&I at the highestlevel of overall business strategy. Low-performanceorganizations (LPOs), on the other hand, arefive times more likely to address D&I only as acompliance strategy.2xLevel 2 - Social Responsibilitydeliver observable business benefits and help theirdesirable talent pools. The benefits go beyondHigh-performanceorganizationsaremorelikelyto address D&I atthe highest level.13%11%6%Level 1 - ComplianceOverallHPOs12%5x5%25%LPOsNot explicitly nsaremorelikelyto address D&I atthe lowest level .14%if they addressit at all.9%28%Source: Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)This integration has a strong positive correlationrelegates D&I as simply part of its complianceto employee engagement (.27**). In fact, morestrategy, there is a strong negative correlationthan one-half of organizations (52%) that takewith engagement (-.22**). Not surprisingly, nearlythis strategic approach to D&I report high/veryhalf (48%) of these employers report that highlyhigh engagement levels in at least 81% of theirengaged employees account for 60% or less of theiremployees. Conversely, when an organizationrespective workforces.6 Institute for Corporate Productivity

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesFINDING 1Companies hire people with IDD for businessreasons and are rewarded with business benefitsOrganizations may be proud to say that in hiringpeople with IDD, they are doing the right thing.They may also feel positive about hiring workerswith IDD to support their diversity and inclusionstrategies, public image and corporate socialresponsibility strategies. But top companies pursuethis path for solid business reasons, and thedividends they realize are solid business benefits. Supporting the culture of the organization:When the leaders of an organization behave in amanner consistent with the firm’s stated values, itreinforces those values. Supporting and modelingthe organization’s culture is the top reason citedin this study overall for hiring individuals withintellectual and developmental disabilities—andHigh-performanceorganizations are37%more likelyto hire people with IDDbecause they aregood talent matchesfor open positions.Reasons organizations hire people with IDDPositiverelationshipto marketperformancePositiverelationshipto addressingD&I at abusinessstrategy level70%It supports our organization's culture64%It supports our diversity and inclusion strategy62%It's the right thing to do57%50%We have found good talent matches for open positionsIt supports our corporate social responsibility strategy47%Internal advocacy from employees with involvement in the IDD community43%It produces measurable or observable business benefits41%It supports our public image30%It supports our talent acquisition strategy14%Federal or state incentives14%Federal or state contracting requirementsSource: Institute for CorporateProductivity (i4cp)Institute for Corporate Productivity 7

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilitiesit’s one that differentiates high-performancereflective of high-performance organizations. Whileorganizations (75%) from lower-performing ones57% of overall respondents cited it, two-thirds (67%)(58%).of high-performance organizations (versus 46% oflower-performance firms) point to employing this Finding good talent matches for open positions:talent segment as a very real part of their hiringThis reason for hiring people with IDD is alsostrategy, resulting in matching talent with jobs.Michelle’s StoryMichelle, who has intellectual and developmental disabilities, also uses an electric wheelchair. Herinterests include working with children and visiting one particular shopping mall. While Michellecouldn’t work in daycare to read to children or pick them up, she was able to visit her favorite mall everyweek. She knew where the pet store was, JCPenney’s, Spencer’s, everything.Easter Seals’ assistant VP of workforce development, Carol Salter, went to the mall to look for ideas fora possible job for Michelle. A global coffee retailer had a kiosk there. Salter approached and asked ifthey would consider bringing on a staff member if it would make the store more money. Employeesof the other stores in the mall often couldn't get free to visit the coffee retailer, so why not add adelivery service? The store employees were willing to consider the idea. Salter registered with the statevocational rehabilitation services and had a tray built for Michelle’s electric wheelchair, complete witha bolted lock box and cup holders. The pair took several weeks and went to employees in every store,introducing Michelle, saying she was going to work at the coffee retailer and deliver orders. Employeeswould need to deposit exact change. Salter sewed a coffee store apron to the back of Michelle’swheelchair, and she was ready to go.Michelle became an employee of the coffee retailer, receiving benefits for part-time work, and expandingher social network. People in the mall knew Michelle by her first name. And the coffee retailer mademore money. Patrons started adding more than exact change, so Michelle earned tips as well.After two months, Salter noticed that between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. there were few incoming coffeeorders because most mall employees were taking lunch. So she thought, why not use Michelle’s slowtime to deliver lunches from the food court? Michelle also began working for the mall’s food courtassociation. Each food court vendor chipped in to pay Michelle to deliver lunches to workers for thosetwo hours each day. A light was installed above each store to alert Michelle when an order was placedfor delivery.This success spurred Salter to go to other malls to broach the concept. “Now we have to find peoplewith motorized wheelchairs to fill the spots.”8 Institute for Corporate Productivity

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilitiesimplementing its first Project SEARCH internshipmodel in 2006. “We considered the center arecruitment vehicle from day one,” said MitchMorgan, leadership development program manager.LFifth Third Bank was crystal clear on its reasons forOrganizations withstrategic D&I seek aThe philosophy behind launching the program wasdiverse and inclusiveto bring talent into the organization. The bank hasworkforce that reflects26 staff members who are alumni of the Projectits customer base and theexceeding expectations. (See the case study Fifthcommunity at large.Third banks on workers with IDD on Pg. 21)Dividends realized from hiring workerswith IDD can impact the bottom lineLSEARCH internship, and they are all meeting orin turn, can translate into a better bottom line.Walgreens, a Fortune 50 company and employerThe positive impact on the workforce is broughtof more than 180,000 workers, has shown thatabout in two ways: hiring individuals with IDDstrategic diversity and inclusion (D&I) in general,adds highly motivated people to the workforceand employing individuals with IDD in particular,(which can lead to increased productivity) andreturns benefits to the company on multipleit promotes an inclusive culture that appeals tolevels. The largest drug retailing chain in the U.S.,the talent pool organizations want to attract. TheWalgreens has found that employing individualsimproved customer satisfaction realized can lead towith IDD has contributed to higher productivity inbetter sales and customer retention. The enhancedits distribution centers, lower absenteeism, higheremployer brand can translate to a better image inretention rates, and increased customer loyalty,the community.among other benefits.Steve Pemberton, divisional vice-president andchief diversity officer said, “Because of ourTop 5 benefits realized57%investing efforts in employing individuals withIDD at the retail locations, customers often tellus that Walgreens has become their pharmacy ofchoice.” (See the case study Walgreens builds asustainable model for employing people withIDD on Pg. 23)The addition of workers with IDD to anorganization’s talent pool has a broad and positivethree-pronged impact: it affects the workforce,the customer base and the community. These,Positiverelationshipto addressingD&I at abusinessstrategy level47%44%Addition of highlymotivated employeesInclusive cultureattractive to ourtalent poolsImproved customersatisfactionImproved communication34% between/across cultures34% Enhanced employer brandSource: Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)Institute for Corporate Productivity 9

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesThe State of Wisconsin declared 2014 the “Yearaddress, as was Project SEARCH, which was citedof a Better Bottom Line” to raise awareness ofas a key resource strategy for getting people withthe value and contributions of individuals withIDD into the workforce. February was declareddisabilities, including veterans and students, in the"Better Together Month" in Wisconsin in honor ofworkplace. Walgreens’ diversity in hiring initiativethe contributions people with disabilities make towas mentioned in the governor’s state of the stateWisconsin's businesses and communities.FINDING 2The profile of an employee with IDD reads likethat of an ideal employeePicture the following job posting:Seeking employees who aredependable, engaged in theirwork, and motivated—employeeswith great attendance records,¾ or moreof employers rate workers withIDD as good to very good onmost performance factors.strong attention to work qualityand high productivity.Ratings for employees with IDD89%Dependability88%Engagementemployees with IDD strongly on such factors.87%Integration withco-workersThese work traits carry a positive impact that goes86%Motivation84%AttendanceThis is the profile of an individual with intellectualand developmental disabilities. In fact, aroundthree-quarters or more of those surveyed ratedbeyond that of the employee with IDD. It alsohas an effect on co-workers and managers. Coworkers are more productive when surrounded bydependable, motivated workers; job satisfactiondeclines when surrounded with no-shows, latearrivals, and disinterested colleagues. Managerscan spend more time on producing business resultswhen they don’t have to confront workplace issues10 Institute for Corporate ProductivityPositiverelationshipto marketperformance79%74%59%Work qualityProductivityAdaptabilityPercent answering good/very good.Source: Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesBarbara’s StoryBarbara Torres was one of the first hires made of individualswith intellectual and developmental disabilities throughthe Best Buddies International Jobs program at Holland& Knight. That was 19 years ago, and she’s still there today.Partner Robert Friedman says there’s a three-person staff inthe hospitality area; Barbara plays a key role there, preparinglunches for meetings, stocking the service kitchen on eachfloor, and stocking the main kitchen. “There’s a significantamount of work and a consistent flow of duties with littledown-time. Barbara knows what she’s doing, and she’s doing agreat job,” said Friedman.In the beginning, the idea was not so completely accepted by everyone; there were still somemisconceptions about individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Friedman recalls thata supervisor didn’t want Barbara serving lunch to a meeting of senior management in the conferenceroom and sometimes heard about others taking advantage of Barbara’s friendly, good-natured manner,necessitating a reminder that mocking a person's disability is offensive.“Barbara has a talent for remembering names. In Holland & Knight’s Miami office, there are about100 attorneys and 100 staff members, and she’s knows them all,” said Friedman. Barbara works about18 hours per week, Tuesday through Friday. When a new task is assigned, a Best Buddies job coach isavailable to help, but Friedman says Barbara doesn’t need major coaching. Here’s how Friedman sumsup how Barbara favorably compares: “She’s outlasted a number of supervisors and co-workers in thehospitality positions.”(See the Holland & Knight case study on Pg. 22)such as disengaged employees or performanceintellectual and developmental disabilities into itsproblems.workforce, according to partner Robert Friedman.Law firm Holland & Knight has realized multiplebenefits from integrating individuals with“They are doing a great job and fulfilling a need inour organization.”Institute for Corporate Productivity 11

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesFINDING 3Workers with IDD meet or exceed expectationsNearly three-quarters of survey respondents saidthat employing individuals with IDD has been apositive experience or even one that exceeded theirAmong high-performanceorganizationsfullyexpectations. How many HR initiatives have beenrolled out that can lay claim to such praise? In fact,among high-performance organizations, fully onethird said the experience exceeded expectations.Only one in four respondents indicated thattheir organizations found support needs to begreater than anticipated or had a mix of positiveand negative effects. We examine some of thechallenges (and perceived challenges) organizationsmight face and present recommendations tocircumvent them later in this report.The expectations of employees of Fifth Third Bankwere surpassed when Collin Biddle began workthere. There was understandable trepidation at firstsaid the experience ofhiring workers with IDDexceeded expectations.Employers of people with IDDreport a positive s and made a positive statement about the8%value of hiring people with IDD. This young man’sspecial abilities exemplify the kind of attention todetail and focus that many workers with intellectualand developmental disabilities can bring to theworkforce. (See Collin’s Story on Pg. 14)It has been a positiveexperience that exceededour expectationsIt has been a positiveexperience50%on the part of both Collin and his managers, but inquick time, his level of productivity impressed his/31It has been a positiveexperience, but supportneeds were greaterthan anticipatedIt has been a18% mixture of positiveand negative effects1%Don't knowSource: Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)Employees with IDD thrive in manycapacitiesand maintenance work top the list of jobs heldAppropriate positions for individuals withby workers with IDD. The fact that “other” madeintellectual and developmental disabilities coverthe top 10 list with 11% of respondents selectinga broader spectrum of jobs than most peopleit shows that companies are going beyondexpect. The i4cp survey asked about 15 typesstandard thinking about how workers with IDDof specific occupations as well as “other.” Officecan contribute to organizational productivity. In12 Institute for Corporate Productivity

Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesTop 10 employment categories among workers with IDD64%Office work (clerical, data entry, etc.)58%Facility maintenance (janitorial, cleaning, general maintenance)40%Facility maintenance (groundskeeping or landscaping)33%Food preparation, bussing tables or service27%Materials management19%Customer-facing (retail)18%Patient care (healthcare)17%Piece work (line or manufacturing)11%Transportation11%OtherSource: Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp)fact, the “other” category is connected with moreresource organizations can give. Easter Seals’strategic D&I programs, which may indicate thatAssistant VP of workforce development Carol Saltermore mature organizations are thinking creativelysays, “I want to find each person’s passion andto discover roles for workers with IDD or using jobdevelop a way to turn that into a positive impactcoaches to help carve out pieces of jobs that callon an employer’s bott

research study proves that people with intellectual disabilities are changing the landscape of corporate cultures in positive ways, and that these individuals' skills and abilities can't be overlooked any longer. I challenge corporations worldwide to hire people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. With