ATWiki
ATWiki is an encyclopedia on assistive technology (AT). The intended audience
of ATWiki includes all assistive technology users, relatives and caregivers
of those that use AT, rehabilitation professionals, educators, and researchers
in AT.
Business Leadership
Network
The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) is the national organization
that supports development and expansion of BLNs across the country, serving
as their collective voice. The USBLN recognizes and promotes best practices
in hiring, retaining, and marketing to people with disabilities.
Maryland Business Leadership Network (MDBLN):
Voice: (866) 624-3502
Email: bln@suntrust.com
There is currently one active BLNs in Maryland.
Eastern Shore Business
Leadership Network (ESBLN)
ESBLN includes all the counties on the Delmarva Peninsula. The goals of
ESBLN are:
- Provide employers the opportunity to access prescreened job ready
candidates.
- Decrease the number of people with disabilities who are either unemployed
or under employed.
- Provide employers information about best practices, disabilities,
support services, and incentives. to facilitate employment, training
and retention of people who happen to have disabilities.
- Identify, develop and/or sponsor events and activities which support
the mission.
- Increase general awareness of people with disabilities as valuable
employees, entrepreneurs and consumers in our communities
The ESBLN's video presentation, ABILITY
MATTERS, is now available for viewing online. While there are many recruitment
methods, this video showcases an example of how and why businesses should
recruit qualified workers from an often underestimated labor pool –
people with disabilities. The results of recruiting from this population
include finding employees who typically have equal to better attendance,
higher retention rates, and lower recruitment costs. This program also
shows how one company plans to change and improve their training process
for all new employees based on their experience with working with people
with disabilities. This 14-minute program was locally produced and edited
by Jackie Gast, Director of the ESBLN and Salisbury University Intern
Communications major, Marc Gast.
View ABILITY MATTERS online.
Disability
Etiquette: Tips for Interacting with People with Disabilities
This booklet is for individuals with or without disabilities. It provides
basic tips to keep in mind when interacting with individuals with disabilities.
Disability Specific Fact Sheets
Disability specific fact sheets have been developed to serve as quick reference
guides on the following disabilities: Alcoholism
and Drug Addicition, Autism
Spectrum Disorder, Deaf/Hard
of Hearing, Down
Syndrome, Learning
Disabilities, and Mental
Illness.
Each fact sheet gives a brief description of the disability, accommodations,
and resources.
EARN
The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) is a free service
that connects employers looking for quality employees with skilled job
candidates. Discover what employers across the nation have learned: hiring
people with disabilities is a great business strategy!
Employer’s
Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome, from Forward Motion Coaching.
Today the prevalence of Asperger’s Syndrome is estimated to be as
high as 1 in every 250 people in the United States. Chances are you’re
working with or have worked with people who have Asperger’s Syndrome.
This guide is divided into three parts. The first explains what Asperger’s
Syndrome is and the specific strengths of “the Asperger mind.”
The second explores common challenges that these individuals face in the
workplace, while the third section explains what employers can do to create
work environments that are conducive to success. www.forwardmotion.info.
Employment
and Individuals with Disabilities: A Guide for Businesses
A comprehensive guide for business that covers that following topics:
Six step process for integrating people with disabilities into the workplace,
Communicating with and about people with disabilities, Getting Started,
American with Disabilities Act, Accommodation Resources, Veterans, Tax
Incentives, and Additional Resources. Request
a hard copy of Employment and Individuals with Disabilities: A Guide
for Businesses.
Employment
Law Guide
This Guide describes the statutes and regulations administered by the
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that affect businesses and workers. The
Guide is designed mainly for those needing "hands-on" information
to develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies
for businesses in general industry.
employmentincentives.com
This website has information about the financial incentives available
to businesses to make their worksite accessible, website compliant and
hire indivdiuals with disabilities.
Fact
Sheets
In an attempt to answer the most frequently asked questions about employment
as it relates to individuals with disabilities, a series of facts sheets
and a brochure were developed targeting businesses. The National Education
Center developed these fact sheets for the Maryland Department of Disabilities
& the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The following is a brief description of fact sheets and brochure designed
for businesses. To view a specific fact sheet/brochure in its entirety,
click on the file type of your choice (pdf or text). You may receive hard
copies of these fact sheets by submitting a completed Business
Order Form to the Maryland Department of Disabilities.
- Accommodations (pdf
or text)
– This fact sheet discusses tips for accommodating employees and
customers with disabilities and key definitions.
- The Business Case - Hiring Individuals with
Disabilities (pdf
or text)
– This brochure provides information on why hiring individuals
with disabilities is good for business.
- Disability Employment Law (pdf
or text)
– This fact sheet discusses federal and state laws that protect
individuals with disabilities from discrimination in the employment
and job application process.
- Quick Tips: Job Seekers & Employees with
Disabilities (pdf
or text)
– This fact sheet offers guidance interacting with, hire and welcoming
individuals with disabilities into the work place.
- Resources for Reasonable Accommodation
Requests (pdf
or text)
– This fact sheet is designed to answer the following questions
for businesses: Where can a business learn more about assistive technology
or how to acquire a worksite assessment? Where can a business get an
employee handbook converted to Braille for an employee who is blind?
How does a business arrange for an interpreter for an interview with
an individual who is deaf?
- Tax Incentives/Credits (pdf
or text)
– This fact sheet reviews the federal and state tax incentives/credits
available to help businesses cover the cost of accommodations for employees
with disabilities and the cost of improving accessibility of the business
for employees and/or customers with disabilities.
- Workforce Solutions: Finding Job Seekers with Disabilities
(pdf
or text)
– This fact sheet highlights resources that are available to assist
business fulfill its workforce needs.
The following are fact sheets published by the Department of Labor, Office
of Disability Employment Policy for businesses.
ForEmployers.com
This website provides straightforward solutions and information that address
everday human resource issues as they relate to current or future employees
with disabilities.
Hot Topics for Business
Hot Topic: Strategies for Addressing
Mental Health in the Workplace
Hot Topic: Ready, Willing
and Able...
Hot Topic: Mental Health and
the Workplace
Hot Topic: Emotional Intelligence
and Employee Retention
Hot Topic: Developing
the Workforce of Tomorrow
Hot Topic: Talent
Outside Traditional Groups: Individuals with Disabilities and Older Workers
Hot Topic: Diversity
in the Workplace
Hot Topic: Behavioral
Interviewing as a Successful Retention Tool
Hot Topic: Strategies
for Improving Healthcare Worker Retention
Interviewing and Hiring
People with Disabilities
Maryland WorkFORCE Promise offers a series of free eLearning courses and
web-based tools for professionals in disabilities services, their clients,
and the businesses with whom they work. The learning objectives for this
course are:
- Describe the legal framework for interviewing and hiring people with
disabilities.
- Identify appropriate techniques for conducting an employment interview
with people with disabilities.
- Explain the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for pre-employment
testing and processing of employment applications.
- Describe the major employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
- Give examples of reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.
- Identify obstacles to workplace accessibility and recognize appropriate
remedies.
Job Accommodation Network
(JAN)
JAN is a free consulting service designed to increase the employability
of people with disabilities by: 1) providing individualized worksite accommodations
solutions, 2) providing technical assistance regarding the ADA and other
disabilitiy related legislation and 3) educating callers about self-employment
options.
Job
Coaching Services and Benefits to Businessess and People with Disabilities
This fact sheet explains what a job coach is, the services and supports
a job coach provides, the benefits to a business and more. It is funded
by a grant with the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities and the
VCU-RRTC.
Library
A library with training materials of videos, CD-ROMs, and books has been
compiled. The libraries are tailored to businesses as well as individuals
with disabilities.
Maryland Workforce
Exchange
If you are looking to expand your business in Maryland, Workforce Exchange
allows you to browse an applicant database for potential employees, post
multiple job openings on-line to attract today's top talent, research
current economic and local job market data, and obtain information on
assistance programs that can help your business grow.
National Resources
Information on National Resources
National
Survey of Consumer Attitudes
A national survey of consumer attitudes towards
companies that hire people with disabilities resulted in all participants
responding positively towards companies that are socially responsible.
92% of the respondents felt more favorable toward businesses that hire
individuals with disabilities. The participants also had strong positive
beliefs about the value and benefits of hiring people with disabilities,
with 87% specifically agreeing they would prefer to give their business
to companies that hire individuals with disabilities.
Reaching
out to Customers with Disabilities: An On-Line ADA Course for Businesses
The US Department of Justice has designed an interactive online couse
to educate small business owners about their obligations to, and the benefits
of serving, customers with disabilities.
Tax Incentives/Credits
Information on tax incentives and credits
Telework
Loan Program
A program of the Maryland Assistive Technology Program (MD TAP) / Maryland
Department of Disabilities.
WHAT IS TELEWORK?
Telework is considered paid employment, either full-time or part-time,
that is regularly performed, in whole or in part, at a location other
than the employer’s customary office or place of business, including
the worker’s home or a telework center. With portable computers,
high-speed telecommunications links, and ever-present pocket communications
devices, many employees today can work almost anywhere at least some of
the time. According to MD TAP, benefits to business include:
- Teleworking allows a business to attract and retain the most forward-thinking
employees who can work from anywhere at anytime utilizing the most technologically
advanced devices to complete that work.
- Teleworking reduces employee lateness and callouts caused by long
commutes, congested highways, and unrelated family/life issues.
- Teleworking decreases business overhead costs by reducing required
space and utilities costs.
- Teleworking helps retain employees who may otherwise leave, often
in cases of spousal job change or economic, familial changes at home.
- Teleworking retains an aging workforce, keeping the most knowledgeable,
skilled employees in service.
- Teleworking helps reduce urban congestion and smog, contributing to
a healthier environment.
- Teleworking ensures a constant workforce in spite of unforeseen emergencies
causing customary places of employment to shut down.
Visit MD
Tap Telework webpage for more detailed information about this program
and how businesses benefit from establishing teleworking policies and
positions.
Worksupport.com
Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center on Workplace Supports and Job Retention. This project studies those
supports that are most effective for assisting individuals with disabilities
maintain employment and advance their careers.
- Business,
Disability and Employment: Corporate Models of Success
A sketch of 20 companies sharing best practices in recruitment and hiring
of people with disabilities and in employees returning to work after
acquiring a disability. Companies represented include Alaska Airlines,
Bank of America, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Fred
Hurtchinson Cancer Research Center, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Medtronic,
Pitney Bowes, and Port of Seattle.
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