Our monthly webinars/phone conferences called, TUESDAY TALKS, are a great way to start your engagement with Disability:IN Pennsylvania and involve others from your organization.  TUESDAY TALKS allow companies from across the state and country to quickly learn about a valuable resource or success story related to the employment of people with disabilities. These monthly phone calls are currently provided at no cost to the attendees and are scheduled on the second Tuesday of every month from 12-1 p.m. EST.

 

During TUESDAY TALKS, businesses are able to have discussions with their peers about topics that address: ideas for accommodations; ways to improve recruitment and/or retention; ideas for becoming a company of choice for employees and customers; strategies for compliance; financial incentives available to businesses; and more!

 

Just email Disability:IN Pennsylvania to receive the full list of upcoming topics scheduled for TUESDAY TALKS this year and receive the connection details.

 

Past Topics Below.  Click on Topic Name for Link to Recordings.  Contact Disability:IN Pennsylvania  if you need an alternate format to follow the presentation. Recordings after April 2018 are already captioned.

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RECORDINGS FROM PAST YEARS ARE ARCHIVED HERE: 2020 , 2019 , 2018 , 2017 , 2016 

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• January, 2019-  CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITIES - ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WORK- We started the year with thinking about the possibilities for accommodation/inclusion. This can be a BACK TO BASICS session for individuals who are new to accommodations or can be a great 'brainstorming' session for others that need new ideas. Christine Keyser of Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories was a big contributor to this discussion! Thanks so much, Christine.

 

• February 12, 2019-  SIMPLE STEPS TO HELP MANAGERS FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE HIRING AND MANAGING EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITES - Our speaker was Deb Russell,  President of Deb Russell, Inc.. Deb has experience working for Corporate America, supporting a Workforce Board, collaborating with the national Disability:IN organization (previously USBLN), and consulting with businesses as a private consultant.

 

• March 12, 2019- LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT THE RECRUITMENT OF VETERANS AND MILITARY PERSONNEL- Our speaker was Slater Waltz.  Slater joined SRS Distribution Inc. as the Veteran Recruiting Program Manager in January 2019 and spent the last three years building the corporate military program at Schneider Electric. Mr. Waltz’s outreach program earned Schneider Electric  “Veteran Friendly” and “Military Friendly Employer” recognition awards. Prior to moving to TX in 2016,  he spent 10 years in various Human Resources positions in Pennsylvania ranging from Recruiter to Human Resources Business Consultant. An eight-year veteran of the US Marine Corps himself, Slater also participates in veteran groups around the Dallas/Fort Worth area, is an active Mentor for Allies in Service, and has been invited to speak at several national military conferences.  To access the PPT used by Slater, CLICK HERE

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• April 9, 2019- The Disability Equality Index (DEI) and Key Updates-  DEI is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN. Developed by the DEI Advisory Committee, a diverse group of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates, the DEI is a national, transparent, annual benchmarking tool that offers businesses an opportunity to receive an objective score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, on their disability inclusion policies and practices. This tool is an aspirational, educational, recognition tool that is intended to help companies identify opportunities for continued improvement and help build a company’s reputation as an employer of choice. Our speaker was Becky Curran, Director of the Disability Equality Index (DEI). In addition to several years in the Entertainment Industry and as a Public Speaker, Becky spent three and a half years working in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) & Diversity department at Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the world’s largest entertainment union.

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• May 14, 2019- Thermo Fisher Scientific Neurodiversity Pilot - this employer shared information about a Pilot program they are beginning to hire people with Autism in CA.  Pammi Bhullar, Senior Manager, Global Diversity & Inclusion was the speaker.

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• June 11, 2019- UbiDou2- An Option for Face to Face Communication-  Anna Hanson, Communication Access Advisor, at sComm was the speaker.  Anna covered other options for communication as well and shared how the UbiDuo2 was different.  sComm's mission is to shatter face-to-face communication barriers and empower deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, and hearing people with communication barriers to interact with each other anywhere, anytime.

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• July 9, 2019- Vet Success-  This program aims to help Veterans, Service Members, and their qualified dependents succeed and thrive through a coordinated delivery of on-campus benefits assistance and counseling, leading to completion of their education and preparing them to enter the labor market in viable careers. There's a directory of campuses involved across the US.  Gail Hrobuchak, MEd, CRC, LPC, the Vet Success on Campus Counselor at Harrisburg Area Community College, was our presenter. https://www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/vsoc.asp 

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• August 13, 2019- Creating a Culture of Inclusion and Opportunity for Veterans with Disabilities. Our speaker was Cal Quinn, CEO of Bancroft Capital ( https://www.bancroft4vets.com/ ). Bancroft Capital is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) operating an Institutional Broker-Dealer and Investment Advisor. Bancroft is founded upon a commitment to service – service to our clients, service to our country, service to our veterans and first responders who have sacrificed on our behalf. They have a training program that gives two opportunities to veterans, first responders, and military spouses every six months. 

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• September 10, 2019- Building Pathways to Find Diverse Talent- A representative from Autism2Work Practice, at Computer Aid, Inc (CAI) , led the discussion. Autism2Work helps pair qualified candidates on the autism spectrum with carefully matched jobs in IT and business operations. CAI manages not only the recruiting, selection and training of autistic team members, but also the cultural integration, on-the-job supervision, skill development and performance management. CAI is also ready to help you implement the required support structure to recruit, select and train the right people for your team. 

 

• October 8, 2019- Using Disability Friendly Language in Job Descriptions, Postings and Invitations Our conversation shared some examples about language choices that could be keeping diverse candidates from applying or participating in events or training.

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• November 12, 2019 - Job Accommodation Network’s (JAN) Workplace Accommodation Toolkit - A representative talked about new resources available for improving your company’s accessibility and accommodation practices.  Additions for this refresh included a drawer of tools for IT Professionals responsible for digital accessibility; the Solution Showcase - short videos of various technology solutions that can be implemented as effective job accommodations; and a new role-play video depicting the performance management of an employee with an opioid addiction.  The Toolkit also includes actionable accommodation policies and processes from leading businesses; forms, training presentations, and role-play videos; and best and emerging practices for creating a disability-inclusive workplace across all phases of the employment life cycle. As a result, it is an invaluable resource for recruiters and hiring managers; supervisors and managers; reasonable accommodation subject matter experts; technology professionals; and employees with disabilities and their allies. 
  Check out the toolkit at ... https://askjan.org/toolkit/The-JAN-Workplace-Accommodation-Toolkit.cfm    

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• December 10, 2019 -  Disability Related Info and Practical Strategies for Inclusion - Stacy Kyle, Project Director for Disability:IN Pennsylvania, led a discussion which covered: What constitutes a disability and what is required by law? ; Data: number of employable individuals with a disability and the most prevalent disabilities; How do you make the selection process accessible and how can HR or a manager be proactive in doing this?; and Best practices for creating a "safe space" (inclusive environment) for employees with disabilities.

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