ILopez - vFairs Team: Queen of disability let's all hail the Queen named Dean vogel welcome to the stage.
Nadine Vogel: hey everybody, this is my crown yes, the Queen of disability inclusion has arrived.
Nadine Vogel: Well, I want to thank.
Nadine Vogel: Everyone I am so excited for all of you to be here with us for disability matters 2022.
Nadine Vogel: As many of you know, we were hoping to be back in person, but that's Okay, we are here again virtually and we are just.
Nadine Vogel: filled with so much excitement and so much excitement because of all of the content, the amazing speakers and information we're going to be providing to all of you today.
Nadine Vogel: So you may see on your banner that there are some crazy looking clock screaming, and the reason for that besides to just give you all a good laugh, is that this you're seeing is that the time is now.
Nadine Vogel: The time is now there are no more excuses to avoid or be late on issues around disability inclusion and we will be talking more and more about this throughout the next two days, which represents 16 years.
Nadine Vogel: of disability matters now, as you all know nothing happens with events like these, without sponsors.
Nadine Vogel: So I would like to begin by thanking all of our sponsors, first we have Toyota for all of you who may be using or interested in using captioning we have a live captioning.
Nadine Vogel: For this event, and thanks to Toyota it is being presented to you both days full days, please take a look at it, even if you're not someone who needs captioning take a look and see how it works it's really very cool.
Nadine Vogel: Our next group of sponsors on our Ruby sponsors, we have colgate cushman and Wakefield didn't know North America and Frederick medical and medical college of Wisconsin now something I want to mention all four of these companies.
Nadine Vogel: also happened to be members of springboard see for di chief diversity officers for disability inclusion, so these guys walk the talk guys they really do so thank you.
Nadine Vogel: Our next sponsor is up and see who is our gold sponsor providing life changing medicine.
Nadine Vogel: Next, we have our bronze sponsors, which include the American psychological Association for real a Bank of America TAO cigna Diaz to North America fs hsbc Intel.
Nadine Vogel: into it mcdonald's sephora and wyndham I want to thank each and every one of you and with out forgetting anybody, I want to pay special attention to our annual media sponsor diversity MBA and Pam mckelvey yay Thank you again.
Nadine Vogel: You all come together and make this the event that it is for everyone so as many people as are with us, there are folks that couldn't be so we'd like you to really snapchat tweet and post.
Nadine Vogel: Everything you're hearing over these two days, using the hashtag DM na 2022 now I believe every day, is a good day for a good day, but especially today.
Nadine Vogel: So I don't know how many of you are familiar with Michael franti he is a fabulous musical performer was hoping actually to join us in person, this morning.
Nadine Vogel: But unfortunately could not so instead he provided us his video of the performance that he was going to be giving this morning.
Nadine Vogel: The theme is good day for a good day, as is the title of the song Please pay attention to the words the lyrics they are so meaningful and so relevant to the times that we've been going through the last couple of years, all the way up to current so without further ado, Michael franti.
Everybody.
Nadine Vogel: Everybody.
In the was money wrapped in a blanket and put it in a bug could you see that maybe that baby was just listening is you know it's never been easy for everybody agrees.
And I hope you realize when you look into another person's eyes mood today.
Today, would be a very good day.
With a little more a little more laughter little more good vibes less disaster, you know, the day will be a very good day good day de oh.
everybody's in the speeds are coffins fog in the air, going to send it to your coffin class to give you were down there with the dolphins everybody was born.
So everybody is connected.
to disconnect yourself from the drama everybody's finding he'll.
never been every day for everybody.
And I hope you realize when you look into another person's eyes.
Good day.
Today, with a very good day a good day with a little more a little more laughter little more good backs less disaster, you know every.
Day.
Nadine Vogel: Well, I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did, if you don't know Michael franti check out his other music he's just an amazing guy and.
Nadine Vogel: I do think that the message is important and to continue that message, have a good day for a good day is the Reverend mark feller chief executive officer tannenbaum Center for inter religious understanding he's going to share with us a moment of reflection thanks mark.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): Thanks so much again, thank you for all of the hard work that you've been doing all these years into.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): Your whole team.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): and good day to everybody it's a pleasure to be with you i'd like to begin with what's known as the land acknowledgement and intentional naming of this space.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): in which we live in work, part of a broader effort to decarbonize our gathering spaces and, yes, even our virtual gathering spaces.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): I am speaking to you from my home in flatbush brooklyn New York tenenbaums offices are located in Manhattan.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): And we find ourselves living and working and connecting on the ancestral lands of the moon sailor, not a nation.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): We pay respect to the elders past and present who care for this region and we acknowledge that, like so many we have the privilege of resources from seated and unseated land and from the settler colonial system.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): And i'm dropping into the chat for you an interactive map where you might be able to see what ancestral and or indigenous lands, you may be on.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): Both in the United States and in other parts of the world.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): And as the song says, and as the Dean said at the very top of this conference, we are at a time in society where we're asking ourselves some very important questions about who will be as a global community.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): We are diverse by our very nature and certainly as as the focus of this conference, and this time together our ability to navigate life and the world.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): And I invite you to let this time be a time of affirmation and discovery affirm that we are all inextricably interconnected and discover each of our unique roles in celebrating how wonderfully unique We are each of us has something to do.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): In our life experiences we don't always encounter the same opportunities and depending on our particular identities and the places where we find ourselves the playing field may not be level.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): The invitation today and during this conference is to look deeply into the experiences of your fellow conference attendees your colleagues at your work.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): Your families and your communities and when noticing on even access to a fulfilled life ask the question what is mine to do and then begin doing the answer to that question.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): it's always nice to be acknowledged, but the experience of being included is incomparable I asked for all of us to be mindful of our journey.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): When have we been the one who couldn't find a place at the table.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): And when we've been the one not setting a place for another.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): The invitation today is to engage in the work of this conference to build more capacity, so that everyone, regardless of their ability status or other identities, is included, and that may be some of the best work, we can do.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): Many of us are familiar with the golden rule, it is a practice across many traditions to treat others the way we would like to be treated.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): The illusion of separation, though, can sometimes make this very difficult to realize and the invitation today is to begin to practice the platinum rule.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): To treat others the way they would like to be treated in this way we reach out and ask and confirm how would you like to be treated and what can I do to help.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): i'd like to share a short video with you that we created on the platinum rule across a variety of religious and spiritual traditions.
I hope that each one of you will become just.
That you will respect the rights of all men and be more concerned for the interests of others, and for your own.
In the same way you bring back with you, you bring society with you, you bring all of us with.
When the Community is suffering a person should not say to himself, I will go to my own home and eat and drink and imagine myself at peace but, rather, you should share in the communities pay.
honor your mother is God honor your father is God honor your teachers is God and honor the stranger is Scott.
We firmly promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person with respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are apart.
world is sacred and so we seek to live in a sacred way guided by nature's wisdom that our interdependence makes the world better for all life.
within all living beings it's the same the light of the divine.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): And finally I just like to leave you with.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): a poem that is attributed to the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): If there is to be peace on the world, there must be peace in the nation.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): If there is to be peace in the nation's there must be peace in the cities.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors yes, there has to be peace between neighbors there must be peace in the home.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart.
Rev. Mark Fowler (he/him): I hope that you have an extraordinary Conference, and thank you all so much for including me and for taking this moment of reflection with me have a wonderful conference.
ILopez desktop: Thank you, mark that was.
ILopez desktop: beautiful and heartfelt and I hope everybody really thinks about your words so now to the stage for our research session its chief executive officer and publisher diversity MBA pamela kelvin Pam welcome to the stage.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Thank you so very much.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: morning everyone.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and welcome to the 16th annual North America disability matters conference Thank you so much for the gracious invitation and introduction i'm so excited to be here.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and to be able to share with you some of the insights that we have been able to garnish yourselves over the last 16 years, so let me.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Bring the screen forward as we continue wasn't wasn't that a beautiful rendition of how religious helps us foster inclusion and belonging Thank you so much for that Reverend more power.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Okay, can everyone say.
ILopez desktop: Yes, you are sorry.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Okay awesome okay so um you know today, I think it may be, for having me here again to share, you know insights on the pandemic and what the impact of the this.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The the pandemic has been on not just you know people all over the world, but specifically within the Community of persons with disabilities, and you know, I was thinking about you know what can I really share that would be meaningful.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: For this present you know, for today in in the messaging that neediness bringing forward and talking about the time is now no excuses the urgency of what we need to do to accelerate the work that we've been doing.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: For the last many, many decades, so my job today is to share insights that I hope will bring inform you have a broader sense of understanding and validate really information you already know.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: validate and create best practices that you are doing, and then perhaps encourage you to accelerate and do some more bold moves.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And you know that's really what i'm hoping, you know the insights to accomplish today I will have an opportunity, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions also, you will get this deck.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So it's fully loaded with information so i'm not going to go through all of it, but please ask your questions in the chat I will definitely respond to see what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: What information you questions you have, and this is really intended to be a.
ILopez desktop: Pan we lost your audio you went on mute.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Thank you so much that was interesting the technology so and what is happening here, so let me just first give you a sense of the basis of where information comes from.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Diversity mda media has been collecting data that we term as inclusive leadership index.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: For the last 16 years, and thank you an ad for the opportunity to share the 1500 over 1500 unique companies that participate, meaning the only count the organization wants.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: on any given year, we have an average of 600 companies participating 38 industries 67 seven industries, so we have more than 35,000.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Data insights on the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion and talent management how organizations retain advance.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: talent of all kinds, you know 38 stop 30,000 is the average size of our multinational companies 6000 are average size of our regional companies, so this really lets you know that we are large.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Large companies serving so the perspective of the story, I want to share with you today, this this morning is really the insights and some facts on pre during and post pandemic.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: On the impact of the person with disabilities in the workplace, and I will share, I will say this to you honestly, I do have some good news and in terms of what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Companies have been doing, but some of the realities are you know what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Can they do more, and so I thought to share with you give you a sense of the current landscape.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: in the workplace and Community around the pandemic insights on how companies actually never responded.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and accelerated the work that they were doing with persons with disabilities and then post pandemic opportunities that must create long term sustainability for equity and inclusion.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Our organization is going to continue to do, and in fact the way they did when they opened up, you know they started with the pandemic.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So you know, the first portion i'd like to talk about it, the population and workforce insights on people with disabilities, so what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: What we have to understand is the population is a framework by which our talent pool exists and the world is actually the landscape in which we actually need.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: source the pull from so you don't we're no longer just North America will broader than that, as you can see, with the disabilities conference.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So the context in which I want to share some of the population data isn't worldview, so let me just share with you when I was talking I spoke is you know, several years ago, just a few years ago.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Is 615 million today is 1 billion people 50% of the world's population with disability, you see one and seven on the earth now it's one and by.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So you can imagine what that's going to look like, as we continue to go forward and it's something it's also important to notice in the population, because this is, those in the workforce.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know 35% of the US population age 65 has a disability and temple 10.6% of the US population age 18 to 64 has a disability.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But I want to talk a little bit more about you know what does that mean, and why it's imperative to understand this.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Because of the 63.7 people in the workforce only 19.1% are persons with disabilities and employees.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So you like wow 64% of people are in the workforce and and less than 20% of persons with disability now, it could possibly be more.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And we'll talk about that in folks felt more comfortable and safe to fully disclose cuz I guarantee you and I have an ad.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: To put in the chat do you think it's more should probably say absolutely it absolutely is more for generations today in the workforce, people are talking about yeah we've got.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know, five generations in the workforce know there's seven generations in the workforce, do you know boomers baby boomers are.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Now boomers one boomers to millennials are boomers and millennials why millennials to they have segmented the age among those groups so you're really looking at seven generations in the workforce.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then think of this think is the talent code word with some level of identified disability 44% of millennials compared to 37% of gen xers 40.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: More than 40% of boomers couple with the silent generation.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: have a disability in identified in the workforce that's amazing to know that the government is capturing this kind of data who's there, but yet the workforce at any given time.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: does not have a sense of the phone number that's within their workforce that hasn't disability, and so this particular slide is really important, and let me tell you why.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: When you look over here at when we're talking about identity and the dmv a I ally, is the dmv a diversity MBA inclusive leadership index.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And we compare it to the updated data of the 29th of 2016 years census they do every three four years do analysis within their data, so, if you look at.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The overall so we're talking about our overall in index so hundreds and hundreds of fortune 1000 companies who self identifying in the workforce veterans at 3.1.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: persons with disability 3.9 LGBT Q Community 1.1 LGBT Q plus non binary Community 1.1.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So it's imperative that organizations and they get it, but it's optional right now they're all trying to decide what we need to do to really get folks to feel comfortable.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and safer to stop identifying but you know it's critical to do so because look at the population discrepancies that exists.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then inside the workforce, you don't know who's on there now I will tell you this, there are organizations that do an incredible job.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: of capturing who is in their workforce and the end, it is an organizational initiative to be able to have self identification and self disclosure, but it goes back to being able to provide the necessary culture that you want to have knowing because in workforce.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So, then, I just want to talk about a little bit of the target of recruiting and you know the impact of intention, you know what has companies done during the pandemic what are they been able to continue to do and talk about some trends.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And How have they been able to sustain since everything has been going on, so you know it's pretty good news and i'm being pretty focused on personal with disabilities that includes veterans with disabilities and includes.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: LGBT Q I plus non binary community with disabilities so it's a large group.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: We did break it out, and you have that data to provide to you, but I really wanted to share with you, so, if you look at the intentional recruiting efforts that companies are doing, where 82%.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: of companies have intentional recruiting 81% of companies have internal disclosure programs that are optional, you can self identify.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But then you go back and you look at over the past three years who's actually been hired the percent of hiring Now let me be honest and share with our transparent and share with you.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That you know a lot of organizations actually animals i'm almost 50% of companies do not track their hiring.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: With the organizations for persons with disabilities, so that's a huge opportunity to track if you're sourcing that talent targeting that grew.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Why aren't you tracking and converting the higher conversions so some of them are doing better don't put goodness okay so there's two points here one of the good news is that you know it's been pretty constant the numbers, if you look at their down course from.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: In terms of 4.4% and 3.2 to 3.8% in 2021 but i'll tell you the activities didn't slow down during the pandemic.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Organizations you know they continue to do that, but when you look at this level of activity that companies are doing and they're they're doing quite a bit you talk about the.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The efforts of targeted recruiting you look at who's doing who's doing the recruiting you know, just a quick data point.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: 84% of recruiters are white Americans and, within that 71% of them are are women and of that 67% or white women and and then so you really talking about.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: With the identity opportunities and the relational opportunities that these recruiters have and are necessary to have expanded.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: awareness and training, because we're not going to change, you know the makeup or who's doing the recruiting so it talks about the urgency of making sure that we have a comprehensive platform for that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then you have dedicated recruiters for persons with disability more than 60% companies have dedicated recruiters and they're targeted for the purpose of going.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: deeper and wider broader to find this talent partnering with er geez creating all type of systemic programs, but the reality is.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And the targeted recruiters not all I mean just think about this, a lot of the targeted recruiters aren't necessarily.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Have that dimension, mostly veterans are in some cases, ethnicities are but not most of the time, so you having a dedicated targeted recruiter that focuses on you know targeted recruiting.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But yet they're not out that dimension it makes it a little you know a little tougher, but you have to do, but that's just a reality.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The other thing that I wanted to just share with you and we talk about training what when I am happy to see the 71% of companies.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: have really enhance their exposure for visible disabilities and that's huge to see because that used to be five years ago about 20%.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So to see him not to say that is accurate or right but to you know that's when a Dean comes in, but to be able to say Okay, how do we.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: share and get our recruiters comfortable with having some level conversation around invisible disabilities, the other one is pts awareness among veterans.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: that's another really huge growth area for us it's to see the 62% of the companies are literally.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: moving towards helping you know with the legislation with all different types of ways that they can increase the awareness, for the recruiters.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then the bias with person with disabilities and we're talking about very specific kinds of training.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know that's increased along with you know the bias training unconscious unconscious bias training within the marketplace among companies which is.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know around 80% and then mental health, which is you know you think that's pretty low at 23% by guarantee you next year it's going to be much higher but.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: This is really we're talking about training, specifically for your recruiters not just organizational wide before your recruiters so that's that's pretty much the landscape of.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: what's what's been happening what those are the Trans population, a person with disabilities, has increased.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: A bit more of the population within North America has increased the world's population has increased so.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: it's becoming more and more of you know, a business imperative to ensure that we identify persons with disabilities within the workforce is that we're talking about mirroring our Community, with the workforce that we have, then, as you can see, the opportunities are here.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And so.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The next portion I want to talk about is the acceleration companies stepping up during covert establishing, believe it or not us the best practices, I will tell you Oh, my goodness.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: When you think about what happened with the heightened awareness around social justice and racial injustices.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: It was incredible right with George Florida, and many others that we can sit here in name, not just in the African American black communities, but among.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The Hispanics Latin Latin X communities around Dhaka immigration and just families that are dealing with what they had to.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: suffer and then, in addition to that you know the Asian community, and you know the hate crimes and things that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: They all of a sudden we're having to to publicly air and and deal with, so we were having you know, having all this racial.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And strain around systemic racism that existed in our in our our society, and we know how it's manifested through institutional racism, but here we are, you know in this pandemic.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And yet we have the world's largest I don't think you can even call persons with disabilities, the minority anymore they're the world's largest population in terms of workforce and we're companies.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Their awareness definitely was hiding, but they had to pay attention.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: They had to no choice because, at the height of the codec 19 we had worked from home, whether you wanted to or not i'll find the industry's right that were required.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know, healthcare and other very specific, you know manufacturing industries that had to show up for work, but for the most part, the majority of the workforce was working for home.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And so we have to hold so disabilities that have physical, where you can see, and commendations workforce and workplace knew about these folks and then you have those you know that invisible disability.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That you didn't know someone was stabbed or day or they're suffering some some level of mental and physical disability.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Have a lack of awareness, because maybe they weren't comfortable enough and sharing but nonetheless the group with the invisible disabilities, with the ones that got missed the most and that's the reality.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So 62% of employees do not share their disability in the workplace, because why because they must feel safe to reveal you like okay well Pam that's not new right it's not new information, you know about this, but the numbers still really hot.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And that's what's significant about this, so what would happen, you know companies they did gain heightened awareness, they had no choice and and yet be ignorant, not to not to.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Not to be aware that 67 of persons with disabilities wanted disability friendly environment at home right 73% of persons with disabilities want flexibility to work at home.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: 70% of personally disability line opportunity for career growth from home and 100% of companies identify persons with disabilities in their onboarding process from referencing accommodation requirements.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But now, since the pandemic, now more than 25% product provide an option to share so by law 100% of organizations, you know they're offering.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The opportunity, but only 25% are now becoming more comfortable and that's the greatest opportunity to train our recruiters is right there on that front line.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: so quickly, and this deck is available for you, but the top 10 best practices that happened is.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: For our Community investment.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: I mean increase Community investment off the chain, particularly in healthcare they invested in wraparound services.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And the good news it included with persons with disabilities, not it wasn't because of that, but the heightened awareness around it.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: included the persons with disability, the enhanced partnerships that occurred in organizations were more strategically aligned with with companies and organizations key performance indicators.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: partnering with actually Community agencies, I mean triple quadruple the investment dollars to provide real time service.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And connection to the communities in ways they never have before the expanded benefits to all employees definitely including personal disabilities what was specific about person with disabilities, that was.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: noted is particularly a coverages to that they've enhanced coverages that they normally have that will be secondary or tertiary in some cases for benefits new persons with.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: disabilities and people were asking that companies actually included a platform to ask.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Where they didn't capture their information visible disabilities and even certain accommodations where they did provide and maybe things change they actually were asking.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Because they're showing empathy during this period, showing compassion during this period.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then Oh, my goodness the work the remote workplace opportunity that occurred was incredible I mean I can name.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: organizations, but I will tell you it was crossed the marketplace across industries where they actually created.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: home remote workforces at home, providing technology, providing you know, making sure the Internet, making deals with the providers to ensure that the connectivity, it says.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: I mean the the work and the effort that organizations did during the pandemic, to ensure that their persons with disabilities, that required certain accommodations can work remotely and be productive they did it and guess what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: They were persons with whatever disability, you want to name were productive that were affected, they were able to do this is incredible what the outcomes are.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: that's the goodness I.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: I also to just make a note there's there's other news to go with that, but I will also tell you the target of recruiting efforts enhanced for persons with disabilities internships are truly dedicated.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know sourcing on college campuses I mean it was been so heightened and driven.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And and creativity and innovation, from the year employee resource groups were hiding me significant the employee resource groups for.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The leading internal champions in the organization that we're driving connection and belonging and I will share this with you that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You saw the results of less than 3% of hot or less than 4% of hires with all this effort to make sure you engage your community and folks with disabilities, but on the other hand.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know, on the reality side, the numbers didn't change.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So the expanded technology to leverage virtual hiring is now become you know is no wasn't leading practice at one time, now it is you know the practice is becoming the practice, particularly with leveraging Ai.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And all the enhancements and I did put here the update of websites, making them more successful I will tell you a decade ago my conversation with a D.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: oftentimes or you know, I just want them to do the simple things just the just the simple things you know so that folks that are looking for them can find them.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know, be be the blind, whatever that disability is so I will share with you that was one of the major.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: anomalous one of the number one things companies did was updated their their websites why because important virtual land.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Of instill that was your calling card and so yay they doing they actually did it, I mean, and it was something like about 70% of companies, they did something to enhance it.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then the enterprise wide initiatives on mental health awareness, the investment in the gap.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And the the employee the employee assistance services, the hiring of more therapists the significant Lee enhance.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And efforts around you know self identification to talk about improving the self image and the advocacy that self advocacy creating that environment.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So if you can imagine, all these things couples and I know i'm highlighting them don't have the time to go really deep, but all of these things couple together and organizations doing three or four of these things.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Oh, my goodness big celebration of what that could be and it's just it just blows me away, but here I just wanted to point out just a couple things, and these are.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: there's hundreds of hundreds of examples of companies did in the Community and workplace, but some of the very specific things I want to share with you.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: is like, for example, more than 250 million was invested in communities with agencies that specifically focused on eliminating equities.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and assisting diverse populations and populations with disabilities that were in hard to hit neighborhoods to recover both health.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and economic impact in the Community, and you know and then wraparound services were provided around permanent housing for persons with disability and other special populations companies are literally Finally, looking at.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: wraparound services that they tended to provide a leading practice to veterans for providing those comprehensive I now call them wraparound solutions because everyone needs that and that's where they went to.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: is providing wraparound solutions to their toys, because they created foundations were they were organizations, and this is more for the entire workforce.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But what they were doing was funding their cells so employees happy access, where they have the gap in their income to have income to survive doing pet there.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then they provided technology accommodations for employees, I put this on here again, because this was huge I mean because companies, made a significant investment in making this happen.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So that I just wanted to highlight that again and then around targeted recruiting and just want to highlight a few things here.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Because it's important to know what organizations are doing so the skill based interviews is something that's popped up that we're finding.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That really allows for true talent identification but literally focus on persons with disabilities and actually the younger.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: professionals to organizations that really started to like we want to hone in and remove the obstacles and really find out where all of the contributions.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: A person with disabilities, can make a recording and when you say differently abled oh my God that is so true that's they finally were getting what they needed to do.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and adding disclosure on the online applications option, so that the tracking system when you're applying you can feel comfortable and in option opting in.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Which is great we're seeing a tremendous increase and we're also seeing some organizations out there, helping companies be able to do this in a non have a safe way.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then I will the weather leading practices, I just want to share with you is interviewing pals where you know one it only 23% of companies are doing diverse in a panel.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But the leading companies are ensuring that there is a slide for persons with disabilities, because.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know On one level and don't misunderstanding that on one level persons with disabilities, people with disabilities, which you know because i'm a Dean, you know i'm going to be in that class and she talks about the new menopause.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: A data research is that you know is that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Whether you're at one hand on one level companies and organizations are saying oh here's a targeted group here the target I didn't agree with person with disabilities, but then, on the other hand, when it comes to advancement in management leadership roles.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The group is thrown in with everybody else, and so, when you're looking at, for example, diverse slaves and you talk about you know at females and.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: females that are diverse and then generally ethnicities and the LGBT Q.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: I am veterans and you don't have a place for person with disabilities, well then, you really still don't have a fully comprehensive diverse slate.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: If you're not going to allow for all identity if we're not going to call it out in advancement, why are we calling it out at all.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And what right, why are we saying Oh, we want to do these things, yes, we got to provide accommodations by law, but we know that's not just it.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: We have to create the full inclusion, but I tell you with the heightened awareness companies didn't do that with the courageous conversations that they had.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: They did do that they were able to actually do that, so I ended up adding some more you know key special programming that companies did to that, I think you know you could take this page back to your organization's and say how are we doing this, how can we enhance this part of work.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So I now you know, I hope, basically and sharing and talking about the top 10 and they're actually just thousands of things that organizations did, but when you look at couple of the top things that was happening during the pandemic.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The workplace the workforce receive the same level heightened awareness as what was happening in the Community, now the the focus for a person with disabilities.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That stem from the black experience only happened because the employee resource groups and the other.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: advocates within the org that the the organizations and companies were able to bring forward the issues that were you know that we're still me.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then, because you have to work at home and because organizations had to make sure that accommodations were provided me they have to they could have laid them out that they didn't.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: For the most part, and those of you that did have this experience you know I you know be curious to know you know what was positive and what in what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Was it What was it and what the barriers were but the good news is that they did it and they know how to do.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Organizations they were intentional about it, they didn't care about the the.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The viability of it, they wanted to they focus on the desirability they focused on what they want the outcome to be, and so they met the challenge so companies met the challenge they stepped up and did what they needed to do.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: During the pandemic so now, you know to me the bigger challenge is, can you sustain.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: post cold it the urgency of now no more excuses, you know, keeping pace with the best practices that were created, so this is what I say that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: I say Okay, you know what why don't you just do it, so you created and maintain you created enhance what you had already existing in your workforce to try to have a psychologically safe place.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So that you weren't so folks weren't living in a compliance culture i'm saying well let's keep them active let's keep that level of investment going.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: don't change it, because you know that's work that's a continuum that has to continue, and not just investment in the existing EA PS, and what have you.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But the conversation don't just have your courageous conversation that what you have around work habits around you know.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: habit around with folks feel that's required and what they need and letting the folks with disabilities and other different identity sweet those.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and equally as important, I think, when you look at your engagement surveys and you're getting you're getting 9% great satisfaction will look at the 10%.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You probably see groups that you want to keep leaving because of that so taking a different lens.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And then the individual responsibility if your organization don't know that you have your employer don't know that you have a disability, be disciplined visible.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Then it's your duty, as well as their duty to accommodate you know it's not their duty it's if they're uncertain that it doesn't exist, it is the responsibility that the the hiring people.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Those folks are trained and are sensitive and have the level of empathy to understand when someone has the courage to share that they have this disability.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know and creating an environment to accept differences to mitigate covering you know this is hard.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: This is hard, no doubt about it, it is indeed a journey and one that we have to continue that's why I really love that beautiful messaging that was presented.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: With Reverend Fowler because here you are taking the premise of religion and that saying hey we're all human we all want the respect and the.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know the desire of each other to make sure we have a great place so just accept, who I am regardless of what it is you don't have to agree that have aware, you know, continue to do that work.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And that's why I say you just have to do it and you put so many resources forward to making that happen, you know and then providing the disclosure programs and training, you know the excuses and maybe i'm right there with you when you talk about no more excuses and it's around.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know, when I think about it, the excuses are right well you know we can make it optional we can't.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Well, I will tell you some of the best in class companies they got around that and when I say got around that I mean they were able to.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: create an environment in their onboarding process and their application process in their partnerships with their er geez to give folks on the front end to self identify.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And particularly to fully disclose, even if they have an invisible disability, because they make people comfortable.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And they have to understand the messaging that you bring us an organizational line message that you have to bring forward it's not just the very you know you know, not a very.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Initiative specific initiative one and done, if you will it's a message and initiative that has to happen over time, because at the end of the day, it's.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: People people going to change right you're going to change and at some point you're going to have a disability and you're going to be the one that wants to make sure, everything is there and protected.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And so, when I think about what are the best practices for authentic engagement at some point.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: As much as we want to believe that we're going to be in compliance and or or stay authentic in the workplace, the reality is.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: We are only going to bring so much and part of ourselves to work and we call that that's the covering they talk about they call it simulation.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: They call it all, whatever they want, but I tell you anyone with the true difference in a dimension of who they are they're going to have a level covering.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: they're they're going to come to work and they're going to show up the way they are, and who they are, and a part of.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Their authenticity it's not going to be shared within the workplace so so that's that reality and we need to just face that, but what we want people to do right, the reality is that we want people to feel safe.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: At the end of the day we want people to feel safe and be able to bring it forward.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And the implicit bias training is still doing that make sure you have the behaviors aligned to organizations been doing this, you know we have about.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: 29% on for very specific persons with disability training adequate training is up 70%.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: i'm creating a safe space during the onboarding process asking the optional optional questions companies about 80% so that's huge to see that level of growth over the last five years.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So definitely continue to do it, but before you know it started to happen because of the pandemic and you created a narrative.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That organizations can feel like they can talk about we created a narrative that allow them to be able to ask about and folks feel safe.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: I will say this still opportunities for people function and our managers are people managers to understand the differences between self identification full disclosure.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And what the value of that is but we've seen about 19% of companies really step out and do some very unique things very differently to really gauge and what.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You need to do what you need to know to help others feel comfortable and and you know that that is.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Something that I just think about what some of the folks of what some organizations have done to help their people managers not feel stressed, but feel.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: encouraged was really taking them away off site and doing some training in and then coming back with the new perspective in energy.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And so we have seen very have you know a great deal of specific training for all employees.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: On the facets of disabilities that impact employees about 49% increase and what the good news is around this is while training is the number one way of engagement now organization have to look like, how do we turn take what we know the knowledge that we've learned.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: turn it into a ritual that now changes that behavior so becomes a habit.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And so the good habits it's what you know what's happened that's what happened during the pandemic organizations, created a ton of good habits.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And now, with these habits, how do we sustain them and that becomes the good news, so what I have for you guys be open to questions is the call to action you know.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: What is the one or two things you can take away to initiate to drive change this this deck is available for you happy to provide all the insights to you my information is there, so you'll be able to.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Do that call me to reach out email for any questions, but I will tell you it's the you know what one or two things can you even take back and do a deeper dive in just go back into further understand what are we doing and what can we do better.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And so, with that i'm getting now open up for any questions.
Nadine Vogel: So Pam.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: and her comments.
Nadine Vogel: This is needing a couple of things came in here one is concern is that companies have short memories, they are in such a rush to go back to normal quote pre coven they're forgetting how people with disabilities can really make for great employees.
Nadine Vogel: And if you have any thoughts on that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: yeah I will tell you they do the one of the that that's so on point, because one of the big frustrations.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That i'm that I am seeing is still a couple things.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Coming from senior leaders as well that they want to have the.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: On one level the hybrid workplace but on another level, they want folks back in the office well without looking at the potential consequences of what they provided at home.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: For people and how productive they were at home and now to say okay even we want you to come back into the office from a hybrid perspective causes stress, because you have created a scenario where some of.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: them still traffic transportation getting back the time it takes to commute all these different things and it's so that this that's very real.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And some organizations are creating policies and doing requirements, and unfortunately what may happen and we're seeing a little bit of happen.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: With the disability community but, but what may happen at an.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Even greater level is you know this Group joins the great migration of women that are leaving the workforce, they actually leave the workforce and go to the company that's going to be more flexible.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And and more considerate of their work conditions and my thing is if you've invested right to which they did they really did.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: If you invested in the technology so that your personal with disabilities, can have the great accommodations to be highly effective highly effective employed Why change that circumstance.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Why not just continue to engage and maybe you know, create more of a monthly come in the office to just engage with people.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: But that's the new level of flexibility that organizations have to define and have to decide and I and i'm sad that there's that they're struggling with this, I really am I thought wow this is really one of the boat practices, but the companies that are getting it.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: they're doing their thing.
Nadine Vogel: Right well so to.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You to expand.
Nadine Vogel: Another comment was that they really liked the idea of specific you know PWD bias, training, but relative to the comment that also that you just need is you know.
Nadine Vogel: These practices that that you're showing that you know top tier companies are doing, are the fully integrating them, or are they more they're doing a one off check the box, because if it's.
Nadine Vogel: not really integrated.
Nadine Vogel: Then what's going to happen.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: yeah so both right.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: So those organizations and i'll be honest with you, it really tells you the reporting level of the chief diversity officer where that where that chief diversity officer has that flexibility and that high level of influence they're becoming integrated and that's where the group of.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: person, you know people with disabilities, that are working remotely have been able to change but part of a part of their strategies, where it's been integrated where they're saying whether rehabbing reverse their whole communication strategy.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And thing okay that's where the website, accessibility and and that's a really huge nugget and investment and they're looking at communications organizational why so that's happening, those are checking off the box that's real that's very real and so you.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You know I.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: like to say about those that are checking off boxes are doing, but the other kinds of things that companies have done to fully integrate are the.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: they've done it with the benefits and the enhanced flexibility and childcare eldercare and expand services personal disabilities, now I don't know how long that will be, but they definitely expanded those services, for you know at least over a year.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: or two, so you know so so it's both, and I think it all has to do with the commitment, and I say when a company a CEO makes the pledge that's all good however what's the resources and the investment behind that plan.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And that's the difference between checking the boxes say we did these three things are integrating, and I say that's the question for the br geez and Dr g's to ask you know this was great during the pandemic.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: We believe that these certain practices really increase our ability to engage more effectively and be more inclusive, we feel more equity was was shown so we would like to keep these things going and express that in such a way, you know that it's accepted.
Nadine Vogel: Well it's interesting Pam that you brought up the er geez and br geez because yesterday.
Nadine Vogel: We had over 100 people, as you know, participating in springboards disability be or disability brg leadership development summit.
Nadine Vogel: And one of the things for those of you participating today that we're not there that we talked about was the impact and the importance.
Nadine Vogel: Of the big leaders to speak up speak for speak about you know, often the br geez of talking about allies, but they're talking about you know how to be allies for each other, this is really about being allies for each other by.
Nadine Vogel: Yes, educating the company.
Nadine Vogel: On what their needs are, and I think that that's that's what you're speaking to, and I think that that's so important.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: yeah you so right, so you know, and I know you know you hear like diversity fatigue you've heard those phrases.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Maybe I will tell you that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You can't get it can have the fatigue when you're in a place to educate.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: You have to be a continuum right and doing it you almost have to it is tell him tell him tell him again, but if you frame it in a way of you know what the desired outcomes are in.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: The organizations are truly saying we want an inclusive equitable and belonging culture and that's our desired outcome.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Then we look at what's viable, you know So what is it going to cost for us to continue to do these things, then the reality becomes into the feasibility.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: What piece what number what levels of these where we spend to do it, but i'm telling you that's what the voices for the br geez are there for is to continue to educate and to present the plan, and you know, taking what's desired to to actually to what is feasible.
Nadine Vogel: it's rate rate, so we only have about.
Nadine Vogel: Two more minutes left, but another.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: question.
Nadine Vogel: How do you expand services for people with disabilities within benefits, without discrimination against all others, and do you have examples you can share so you know, one of the things i'll speak to this is that, just as a reminder and Pam I know you.
Nadine Vogel: I heard you say this all the time as well, when we talk about equity, it is not about treating everyone the same.
Nadine Vogel: it's about giving.
Nadine Vogel: everyone the same ability to be successful, so when we talk about benefits we just structure it in that way, so we delivered it as under the umbrella of equity.
Nadine Vogel: As a person as opposed to everybody, you know gets the same thing that there are options, so, in the minute we have left is there anything else you want to add to that.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: yeah you're absolutely right and it's a great question, yes, so what they done within the existing benefits that they are already providing they just enhance them.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And, and they enhance what they were already doing for persons with disabilities, they.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: expanded what they were already you know what they hadn't done and just put out more information, so they were basically.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: taking their existing policies and so there was no discrimination, and it was amazing you're absolutely right, it was about creating equity.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Among other employees and that was the easiest area.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: That companies did, and they did a lot of expansive things, not just for personal disabilities but where was needed about among underrepresented groups and I definitely would include persons with disabilities and underrepresented groups and not let it just be the ethnicities.
Nadine Vogel: yeah I do and for the person who asked that question, or if anybody else has similar questions you know, please feel free to follow up with me directly, or with Pam more both of us.
Nadine Vogel: Absolutely, we partner, a lot together on these issues, so we we both be happy to help you so so Pam we have about a minute left any final words of wisdom for our folks.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Absolutely one thank you ladies for this opportunity to share the current inside the presentation is in the resource Center available, I will say just take one nugget one that you can own.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: Personally, individually, that you can initiate and take another nugget that you can go share with the team and others and just present the ideas.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And if you don't have it, or if it can be better to share the idea of the possibility and be bold, you know now is the time to be both we're in the day, the urgency of now.
Pam McElvane, She, Her, Diversity MBA Media: And we're in a date days of being bold and so I say just do it, and so thank you all for for being here or this early this morning and and listening and thank you again once again for the opportunity congratulations, my colleague there's another 16 years.
Nadine Vogel: Thank you, as always, can you rock so thank you very much, and I think now we'll turn it back over to ease that.
ILopez desktop: alrighty That was a lot of fantastic information and just a lot to take in and process but amazing Okay, so now we're on to but you look so good challenges with invisible disabilities and to the stage founder President and chief executive officer.
ILopez desktop: invisible disabilities association Wayne connell.
ILopez desktop: And joining him our panelists chief executive officer and founder project sanctuary heather ale neuro diverse communication specialist a Tuesday consulting TIM Goldstein and executive director namib palm beach county Florida marsha Martina welcome to the stage.
ILopez desktop: Give us a second as we get everybody over.
Wayne Connell: hello, this is Wayne.
ILopez desktop: hey Wayne I have you on screen.
ILopez desktop: we're just bringing everybody over.
Wayne Connell: I know some of the people, I think I have a hard time getting into the to the event so well well hi how.
ILopez desktop: Are you, I would say our entire team.
ILopez desktop: Your entire team, I should say.
Wayne Connell: To marcia I don't think marshes made it yet.
ILopez desktop: Does she may get she's probably transferring over.
awesome.
Tim Goldstein: Well, the important part is is my audio working, can you hear me wave.
Wayne Connell: Good to see ya.
ILopez desktop: There you.
Wayne Connell: Good morning, Tim.
Tim Goldstein: Good I was it was driving me crazy when you're in the other mode it doesn't look like your microphone is working and i'm panicking here.
ILopez desktop: We keep you on silence for a.
ILopez desktop: Second alrighty we have everybody on screen marsha you're on mute if you want to unmute and heather you're on mute also.
Nadine Vogel: As TIM.
ILopez desktop: There we go.
ILopez desktop: All right, can I just get a sound check from heather and from marcia.
Heather Ehle: Good morning, how are you.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: You got in.
All right.
ILopez desktop: All right way, and this is all yours.
Wayne Connell: yeah I tried the backdrop, by the way, and I couldn't do it so sorry I.
ILopez desktop: don't have to worry about the worry.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: I had a younger person come and help me.
ILopez desktop: yeah alright guys.
ILopez desktop: All yours.
Wayne Connell: yeah hey thanks everybody i'm very excited about our panel today for but you look so good, my name is Wayne canal and i'm the founder President CEO of the invisible disabilities association.
Wayne Connell: And I actually am the founder president of a dish resource group called a disability advocates network very excited to be with you.
Wayne Connell: So what has been a look so good, you know it's a phrase shared with people living daily with illness pain and disability, but what does it mean and imply it often brings a sense of misunderstanding.
Wayne Connell: and disregard and even prejudice know join this awesome panel of experts that we've been able to put together.
Wayne Connell: And you know as we learned about the positive impact of validation belief and acceptance in the workplace and beyond.
Wayne Connell: You know our panelists today are going to provide insight and practical advice and there's a mental health veterans support neuro diversity curbing a caregiving and invisible disabilities so we're joined today by marcia Martino from nami hi marcia how are you today so great.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Well, thank you.
Wayne Connell: And then heather really from project sanctuary, thank you for joining us heather.
Heather Ehle: Thank you for having us on.
Wayne Connell: And then TIM Goldstein from A to Z consulting and thanks so much TIM for being part of this.
Tim Goldstein: hey, thank you for having me.
Wayne Connell: yeah so I wanted to kind of just jump in a little bit and i'm going to have you guys kind of introduce yourselves and tell first tell us about the organization that you're involved with.
Wayne Connell: So heather if you want to go and start share a little bit about project sanctuary with us and then why, why are you, you know it's a veterans organization and why are you personally supporting veterans.
Heather Ehle: So as a registered nurse during the first Gulf War recognized our families were not being taken care of they would come to our waiting room, it was mom dad two kids the whole family trying to find answers trying to find support and help and 15 years ago.
Heather Ehle: We were all very aware of 911 we were all very aware of our how many deployments and how many families were affected and as a nurse, I really just wanted to write a big check to an organization that was supporting military families and there wasn't one.
Heather Ehle: I live in the beautiful state of Colorado.
Heather Ehle: year round, recreation and I pulled together some experts and some teams and said, how can we better serve these families, so we do a six day therapeutic retreat retreat for the entire family.
Heather Ehle: we're a little bit different in that we have mental health licensed professional counselors recreation therapists social works it's a full team approach.
Heather Ehle: We do some recreation, we do some classes, we teach these families tips and tools.
Heather Ehle: And I am so passionate about it, because these are the most phenomenal families they're resilient they want to do better they're living with post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, it does affect the whole family.
Heather Ehle: And they want help they're seeking us out, they want to do better, they want to have a better standard for their children and they're taking their mental health very seriously and I can't imagine serving a better group.
Wayne Connell: awesome Thank you so much, and I know you're just not in Colorado anymore right, I mean you guys are all over the nation right.
Heather Ehle: Correct were in eight states were from Seattle to make our program more.
Heather Ehle: accessible to everyone, not everyone can travel so Seattle Texas Maryland North Carolina and Georgia, as well as Colorado.
Wayne Connell: awesome Thank you so much heather well marshes welcome love to hear about nami what's you know what nami is about, and why you got involved with nami.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: nami is the largest mental health grassroots organization in the country, there are about 800 nominees around the country i'm in Florida, there are about 25 here.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: The thing about nami that's different is all of our programs and services are delivered by someone either with a mental health condition or a family member.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: So we don't have clinical services we do connect people to clinical services, we certainly encourage people to access clinical services.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: But you know when someone is having a problem with their mental health, they may have an hour or two hours of appointments a week there's a lot of life outside of that and so.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Our we have support groups and education programs for people with mental illness and then.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: we're pretty unique and that we offer them also to family members, so we have support groups for family members and for people living with mental illness run by people with mental illness and by family members and.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And we have education programs that they teach someone with a mental health condition.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: The best way to take care of themselves so it's really very empowering, how do you work with professionals, how do you adapt your life in a way to keep yourself healthy and out of the hospital.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And then for family members, how to communicate with someone, maybe, who has a thought disorder, how to be supportive of someone but let them have some autonomy so really.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: it's a game changer the family to family many, many times we've had the feedback that it's a game changer for people nominees.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: support groups and education programs are developed on a national level, so if you went to a nami support group in Florida.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: or in Texas or California, the structure would all be the same, and the same with our educational programs there evidence based or best practice and they are taught we're taught to teach them with fidelity.
Wayne Connell: So why did you get involved marcia.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: I got involved i've worked with people with disabilities, my my whole life but uh I have a family member a son, who.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: started having mental health issues, as often happens in late teens and early 20s and I already knew of nami because we had worked with them, you know and with the.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Disability group I was working with, and so I called them for help and got some resources, ultimately, on my husband and I took a family to family class which.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: was so I you know worked in mental health and I thought i'll go to this i'll check it out when I signed up the one I signed up for was 12 Saturdays in a row, and I thought.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: We work, a lot of hours i'll make it to some of them after the first class it's like man, we revolve our life around, making it to those classes.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: It rather it's very, very empowering for family members so ultimately I taught a class, then I was on the board became the executive director just sort of roll with it.
Wayne Connell: Well that's awesome Thank you so much for being here today, so TIM tell us all about your journey and what's A to Z consulting.
Tim Goldstein: Well, you know that's a that's a darn good question you know my journey is is I wasn't actually diagnosed as having autism until I was 54.
Tim Goldstein: So, through the you know vast majority of my life I just didn't understand it will say I didn't understand people very well and wasn't necessarily very good at interactions that weren't logic based interactions.
Tim Goldstein: Were A to Z consulting comes in, is i've done over the years i've done quite a bit of it consulting, which is the field that I work in and actually I do work for Google these days.
Tim Goldstein: But I do my you know if these kinds of things through my own company of katie marketing or you know A to Z consulting they're kind of joined together.
Tim Goldstein: But those actually were a big help for me, because one of the challenges that often asked autistic individuals have is we lose jobs pretty quick.
Tim Goldstein: And it's not that we're not skilled, but we somehow violate one of those tribe rules of the company that nobody even tells you, as a rule, and we don't know it's a rule and next thing we know we're out the door.
Tim Goldstein: Which means you have a spotty job history, so I came up with the wonderful conclusion that a I already have a company B i've already done most of my work for the company.
Tim Goldstein: So instead of saying I worked for a company ABC and D we gaps in between, it was real simple I worked for A to Z consulting my own company and guess what I have different clients that came in went.
Tim Goldstein: So it was kind of a roundabout way of solving two problems first off, how do you just take care of the business and if you're doing business, you know.
Tim Goldstein: Consulting those kinds of things, and you know, setting up your own company certainly a good way to go, but it ended up being an amazing benefit once I found out, I was autistic of using it to again just.
Tim Goldstein: Not I mean I guess cover you'd really say cover my job history up with it looking continuous for a whole bunch of years instead of being broken up into little one year chunks and such sure.
Wayne Connell: Well, thank you so so i'm gonna share a little bit about invisible disabilities to and that you know.
Wayne Connell: Even though I get the joy of leading these other amazing people today and this panel, you know I want to share, about that too so.
Wayne Connell: So invisible disabilities association now I founded it back in 1996, and the reason for the founding of US my wife, who at the age of 27 in 1991 was diagnosed with primary progressive Ms and in 92 diagnosis of lyme disease which we can trace back to when she was 14.
Wayne Connell: And in 1996 she coined the phrase invisible disabilities, because we'd park and accessible parking people would scream at us you're not in a wheelchair there's nothing wrong with you.
Wayne Connell: Having no idea that she was in pain from head to toe and brain fog and a whole host of other things, and then able to work and so wants the organization as interesting marshy talked about as a grassroots you know we're very much a grassroots organization.
Wayne Connell: You know, from the beginning, we launched it with a you know volunteers, and I mean we actually have one employee right now even our executive director, and so, but we're changing.
Wayne Connell: Changing the vision around the world of what disability really looks like and it's not all just about a wheelchair it's really about.
Wayne Connell: The impact of people across the board and and visible symptoms, is what invisible disabilities really are and.
Wayne Connell: And those those things can be limiting and misunderstand stood in you know we talked about ptsd mental illness and autism all those things are invisible that.
Wayne Connell: And they're all in your head, by the way people I go it's all in your head, well, it is, in my head right and a lot of cases so that's what we we do, and so.
Wayne Connell: we're, in fact, our symbol right now is the symbol that we're using the change the perception we're actually in two states Alaska in Colorado already are that symbol, can now be you can.
Wayne Connell: Voluntarily have a put on your driver's license and if you needed to in a situation where you need you know, maybe an officer somebody that to take a second look and think differently about the conversation.
Wayne Connell: And what's really exciting is about two weeks ago we just got into the Congress.
Wayne Connell: The disability ID act of 2022 so which will actually provide funding for all the States who want to do that so very exciting.
Wayne Connell: But really what we're about is what I like to say is we're kind of the front porch you know you guys are doing incredible stuff and we want to point people your way and that's what we love to do an invisible disabilities, so let me dive into some more questions here really.
Wayne Connell: So so heather one are really the biggest issues facing veterans and if we want to think about the workplaces well well How does that you know what does that impact having.
Wayne Connell: On veterans you know, obviously there's transition there's there's you know dealing with with illnesses so, but what do you think.
Heather Ehle: Oh today's event trends differ from veterans of past areas like Vietnam in that we have better equipment and kevlar and medical standards so that they lived through so many roadside blast and live through so many.
Heather Ehle: horrific things, and then the tempo of the deployments they were stacked I mean we've seen veterans and families have gone through four to eight to 12 deployments and so some of the post traumatic stress can be layered over time.
Heather Ehle: So, most of our veterans Oh, and the va does a.
Heather Ehle: All bless the va but sometimes they label our veterans as unemployable which they didn't believe that there are unemployable and that they're not.
Heather Ehle: Oh, and I have to prove them wrong and i'm like well, if you think you're unemployable come hang out with us volunteer for.
Heather Ehle: A few retreats and let's see if we can't put you in charge of logistics or cooking or something else, because they still have value.
Heather Ehle: That they still can be employed, but just with a organization that that understands and so when it comes to employment.
Heather Ehle: Yes, they may have a few more medical appointments they may need to take time off to go to their va appointments and to do some other things.
Heather Ehle: But they're they're so amazing and resilient and they take their jobs, so seriously, they want to do a good job they love to work themselves up the ladder, but I think just giving grace.
Heather Ehle: To any employees and just accepting where they are and asking how can I be a better employee What else do you need so that I can support you in the workplace, so that you can perform and be successful and feel good about it.
Wayne Connell: Well, you know I think about what you guys do is with your retreats where it's not just the spouse that's involved, you know it's the extended family, and if we think about it, nowadays, know as we come, you know.
Wayne Connell: we're not really postcode we're kind of still coming out of this whole thing, but this whole new world of changes that we all felt we all felt anxiety, we all felt, you know fear all these different aspects but.
Wayne Connell: The work life balance is really coming to a lot more into focus, right now, and I think about you know with the veterans and and and the necessity of.
Wayne Connell: The family around that because going back to work and you're being in the military now you're going back to work, how does that you know the retreats what's that impact on you know the family, saying hey we think you can do it too right we think you can make that transition.
Heather Ehle: So we never shut down for coven we we took a few weeks off in April and we're back at it may simply because mental health was at the forefront, and it was not it was it it's another layer stress for our families.
Heather Ehle: What we find the most challenging is we actually employ a lot of military spouses who are active duty and are constantly being moved and PCs and.
Heather Ehle: Having to pick up.
Heather Ehle: Their children and their families, continue to work and then move as well, which makes it really, really challenging and stressful.
Heather Ehle: And then conflicts like Russia and Ukraine has everyone on point it's a trigger, we have to remind our families, please turn off the TV, please take a mental health break take care of yourselves.
Heather Ehle: it's this constant where we're honored again to be able to help these families navigate through active duty through veterans.
Heather Ehle: that's a lot.
Wayne Connell: awesome Thank you so marcia obviously you know the mental health aspect we just talked about that with coven and that impact and.
Wayne Connell: You know, and how is that impacting people really in the workplace, I mean think about it i'm you're trying to figure out.
Wayne Connell: You know each day how to just make it through the day and now you got to go into an eight hours and go work hard and those things and.
Wayne Connell: Sometimes you know you get the you know you may get a benefit of being able to work from home, but sometimes we're gonna problems aren't always the best thing right sometimes you need people, so you want to talk about that a little bit with nami and what your thoughts are.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: yeah well i'm like heather we didn't close down, I was here every day.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: 20 phone calls, and I think that in a sort of positive aspect, it made.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Their responses of anxiety and depression much more talked about in society.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: it's perhaps I mean I think one of the biggest barriers to getting help is stigma and and maybe it reduce the stigma I bet because we're sort of all in the same boat in this really anxious and depressing situation.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: People on average have symptoms for 10 years before they get help.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And that is.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Those can be 10 really, really hard years for people and and and the barrier is stigma, you know I should be strong enough I should be able to do this myself.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: I don't want to you know i'm not crazy, you know I mean it's just the stigma around getting help is is really pretty daunting.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And I think working from home, it was kind of good and bad for some people, I mean I think one of the issues that comes up and probably.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Maybe not brought up a lot in the workplace, but having a huge impact is the illness of family members, so when we have kids who are in their late teens and early 20s and they're starting to exhibit symptoms.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: It usually takes a period of time for that person, especially with a serious mental illness.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: It takes time well, first of all, you have those years that they have symptoms and they don't get help, but then, when they they're so symptomatic that you have to reach out for help.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: The time to stability it takes a while, and I know for myself when my son was ill, I was very challenged to you know you're.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: If you've never lived with someone with a mental illness, you can in your wildest dreams imagine what it's like but you know it's like.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Having a newborn times 20 you know I mean a newborn that can walk and drive and you know I mean it's like you know you're not getting sleep you're constantly vigilant.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Try worried, for their safety worried, for your safety and then you have to go to work, you know, so you know it's not necessarily just your own mental health, but your family members mental health that impacts someone's ability to work too so.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Getting it out there and talking about it it's one in five people as a mental illness and when we think of that we're thinking of schizophrenia and.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: bipolar disorder we're not thinking of Depression and anxiety which are the two most common mental health conditions and they impact people's ability to work but we're not talking about that because right.
Wayne Connell: Well, you know it's interesting right, you know says with invisible dispose we've been talking about these issues too right.
Wayne Connell: it's not something i'll just snap out of it, you know it's it's you know you're just feeling bad or whatever now.
Wayne Connell: A lot of its neurological we think it's psychological it's neurological which is not something you just snap out of it, just like with ptsd I mean it just you know, there has to be really a brain intervention that takes place.
Wayne Connell: for things to change in those areas, but I agree with you, totally on the caregiving piece of it, you know.
Wayne Connell: that's a big part of the workplace to you know I mean I work for company has been very.
Wayne Connell: gracious on you know I mean times I go to take my wife to the doctor whatever and there's many times i'm sitting in the parking lot with my laptop.
Wayne Connell: On the steering wheel working away why she's in the in the doctor's visit, and so it really is.
Wayne Connell: But how our company's going to know, unless we share and so really it's it's continuing to, and this is one of the things that you know invisible disabilities is trying to do is is to bring that understanding.
Wayne Connell: That it's okay and safe right and even you, you mentioned some things like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder those things, we still have misconceptions about those and misperceptions about those and we we think we know you know.
Wayne Connell: it's just like with my wife people always ask what she in a wheelchair it's like well, not on a regular basis, but a wheelchair is not an indicator necessarily have the.
Wayne Connell: intensity of the illness, it just means that she person does have the use of their legs, although walking is very hard for her and those things, but you would know that so.
Wayne Connell: it's it's about this it's really about a spectrum and i'm going to i'm going to really push this over the 10 here because really that aspect of.
Wayne Connell: When you cut talk about neuro diversity, I like what 10 calls a neuro distinct right we're all unique.
Wayne Connell: And, but there is a spectrum so TIM talk about autism in the in the in the workplace, because it is a little bit different it's autism is not necessarily something where there was a trauma that happened, it was how.
Wayne Connell: I you know you grow into it in some sense right So if you want to talk through that debbie Thank you.
Tim Goldstein: sure you know first thing to say, is you know I work in the tech industry so for the most part, when i'm working with other artists that are in the tech industry we're talking about.
Tim Goldstein: A group that's at the higher interaction ability of you know autism is a spectrum disorder which means there's a whole variety of different potential traits it.
Tim Goldstein: Potential you know strengths and any individual is going to have a different combination of those challenges.
Tim Goldstein: But if you want to get really down to what I think is the real challenging key when you're in the workplace is we communicate very differently.
Tim Goldstein: And I think that's really the big challenge you know when you look at autism, unfortunately, we often look at it by the diagnoses that were developed around children.
Tim Goldstein: And when you look at adult autistics guess what we don't normally sit there and flap our hands, which is one of the things that they look for for children.
Tim Goldstein: It really comes down to it's it again, the way we communicate, if you think, just imagine you're you're in a room.
Tim Goldstein: And it's filled with people that are from a different country that has a very different culture and has a different language.
Tim Goldstein: And you know a few of the words of the language, because you tried to study, but you know them by the dictionary they know and, by the way, culturally, all those words mean, and you know the you know overall strength and the emotions and all those kind of things tied in behind those words.
Tim Goldstein: that's what it's like being autistic because we use what is what we see is the correct word, because the dictionary says that's the word, but sometimes for very often you find out that that word was not appropriate, from an emotional standpoint.
Tim Goldstein: Even though technically if you go look in the dictionary there was nothing wrong with it word it was actually the exact word to describe it.
Tim Goldstein: But you give an example, we tend to be blunt I say brutally blunt is a you know autistic trait that's fairly common.
Tim Goldstein: I say it's a human traits just more common among logistics and we might be in a meeting and just say you know.
Tim Goldstein: You cause that problem, or you broke that thing or you know, whatever it is you're working on.
Tim Goldstein: without doing, the more you know we'll say neuro typical and what we're trained as a new management of you know, giving some positive praise pointing to the area we need to work on and then wrapping it up with some positive you know and.
Tim Goldstein: We dispense with all that and just go straight at it.
Tim Goldstein: here's the problem, what are we going to do.
Tim Goldstein: And that causes huge huge amounts of problems because we're not seen as fitting into the tribe because we don't know the rules.
Tim Goldstein: And you know when you don't know the rules of the tribe the tribe starts worrying and wondering about you are you safe to be around, are you, you know actually.
Tim Goldstein: Pulling toward the same things, so I think for me that's the where the biggest area of challenge comes up and what i've seen in you know again people in the in the tech industry, I work with.
Tim Goldstein: it's generally their communication that causes the problem and it could be verbal it could be written i've even had managers contact me about.
Tim Goldstein: Performance reviews that were put in by peers, but they hadn't be autistic peers, and when you read it, it was very blunt and very direct and did not sound very nice about the person.
Tim Goldstein: But if you just sat down and looked at the dictionary definition, they were actually saying this person was quite capable is really what they were saying, but they didn't say it in a way that was sensitive to everybody right.
Wayne Connell: Well, you know, a big part of what you're talking about is heather did you have a comment or.
Heather Ehle: No, no, no i'm just agreeing with everything he's saying.
Wayne Connell: Well, you know, a big part of this is really the I think is we're all talking about is when it comes to the workplace is about.
Wayne Connell: Education right we talked about prejudice or stigma, you know, Chris marcia you guys nami has the best commercials on the planet, overcoming stick and I just love it.
Wayne Connell: You know, that is, you know and that what's interesting is that came out years before coven which is pretty crazy, it was perfect timing, but you know really this this aspect of a stigma or or prejudice or those things is it's.
Wayne Connell: we're not you know we like to say, we like to believe people and invisible disabilities and believe them so when somebody shares their story with you, and they share what.
Wayne Connell: Why, they are the way they are and what what works for them it doesn't work for them and we turn around and say something like you know.
Wayne Connell: Oh, I know I understand or you know I can relate or i'm tired to or whatever, all those statements we'd like to make.
Wayne Connell: Like oh yeah I got a friend who's got you know Ms and they run 30 miles a day and they're 80 years old and so yeah I get him, you know, whatever those things are we, you know it's it's the education piece so.
Wayne Connell: As we think about this, we have a few more minutes and we'll take some questions from the audience, but like you know.
Wayne Connell: Talk about education, you know where you guys were about when education what what's one thing that you could educate somebody on that would help overcome some of that stigma or prejudice or those things just jump right in whoever wants to take it so.
Tim Goldstein: Well, I guess i'll jump in oh go ahead, no you.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: say the incidence is there it's one in five so and the problem is because of the stigma.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: If you're one of the one in five, and you can hide it there's every motivation to do that.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: So you know, I agree that that if someone says something listen to them and you know some of our constituents have taken to I want to talk to you i'm not asking for you to solve my problem, I want to talk about it, because people right away our inclination is, how can I fix this for you.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Right, and you know we're talking about chronic illness here you're not going to fix it.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Or you know, so you know, but we can help people have a good life that's for sure and and I think that the more people who speak up.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: You know i've been treated for depression for 30 years and and very.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Thank God very successfully so with just a simple antidepressant and there's so much treatment resistant depression out there i'm grateful that's not me.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: But I would never say to someone Oh, I have a mental illness, but I am one of the one in five So when I started working here.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And we're talking about sort of the one in five, and no one and i'm thinking I should put that out there, I have not missed a day of work in 10 years literally I worked all through coven me and my dog.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: At our office, but you know i'm a good mom i'm a good wife i'm a good employee, but I have a mental illness and it's.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Right, and I think that if we put that out there it's all it's so many of us don't pretend you don't you're not dealing with so.
Wayne Connell: You know what's interesting about the.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Diabetes or cancer.
Wayne Connell: Right, I always like to say, the most abnormal people are people who run the ironman triathlons or climb mount Everest Okay, the rest of us are normal seriously.
Wayne Connell: And when I think about, that is, you know you mentioned so here's one in five you know disabilities is the largest minority group in the world, you know 15% of the population, not.
Wayne Connell: You know 50% of the people in America have at least one chronic illness right so there's all these statistics that seem overwhelming but guess what that is part of our life and we if we allow people to share.
Wayne Connell: and understand that that's what life is about, and there are very few people.
Wayne Connell: that are truly 100% quote healthy, you will be credited this industry that even makes us all bad right.
Wayne Connell: Well, there must be something wrong because you're not doing something right, and you, you know because of the health industry that says you're perfect here, if you do this thing right but it's not that way.
Wayne Connell: These are all part of life, this is what shapes us.
Wayne Connell: This is what makes us unique you know what makes you know, Tim unique and what he does.
Wayne Connell: I mean there's stuff that TIM can do that I can't do where other people can't do but there's stuff that I may be able to right, so its uniqueness of the diversity of us so heather you were gonna say something about the education piece.
Heather Ehle: Yes, and you know, Tim and marcia just right on I love this panel, so thank you all.
Heather Ehle: But we, we see it within our families, yes, our primary goal is to help people understand their post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.
Heather Ehle: But you would not believe, how many times, one of our counselor sits a family's down and says we believe your child has autism.
Heather Ehle: You might want to have that tested or looks at a spouse and go guess what you also probably have post traumatic stress that childhood event, you live through that you've successfully put in a box.
Heather Ehle: So I think the more we can talk about.
Heather Ehle: Our mental health and our capabilities and acceptance and reduce that stigma and let people know that there are choices there's.
Heather Ehle: Health there's organizations, you know take that in a compress it for 30 years i'm right there with.
Heather Ehle: You I haven't missed any work and I will take mine to the day, I am not going to be depressed again.
Heather Ehle: But there there's help, then you can lead lead a wonderful healthy life just asked for it.
Wayne Connell: You know I think a big part of this too is is really you know, especially in the workplace is, we need to have people to top share truly what's going on in their lives, you know because it.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: You know I always think about model.
Wayne Connell: disabilities everybody has a story right, and when you talk to people about invisible disabilities, you know first five minutes are like I don't know what you're talking about I don't know anybody.
Wayne Connell: And then within five minutes or they're naming off 20 people that are in their lives they're like Oh, my goodness, you know you're right, and so it really needs to start at the top.
Wayne Connell: And for people say you know it's Okay, you know it's okay if you're a caregiver.
Wayne Connell: it's Okay, if you know I mean if you have a family member that's dealing with mental health issues or ptsd or you yourself, or even.
Wayne Connell: Because once we start to do that and understand that.
Wayne Connell: You know, we think, oh there's Ada there's hipaa and there's all these crazy things that impacted but the reality is.
Wayne Connell: Is that yes, you do have to be able to perform the job that required that's an Ada says, no matter how much accommodations you get you still have to perform the job and we understand that.
Wayne Connell: And some people are not able to and they're disabled right they're not able to work and that's okay to do we don't need to go blame them and say we'll get I get off the couch and go work well if they're not able to work.
Wayne Connell: Then they shouldn't be treated like they're bad as well right and that's, we have to do with it all the time.
Wayne Connell: And visit, but this bill is my my wife would love to work multiple college degrees and she hasn't been able to work, since he was 27 you know and it breaks your heart every day when people go all you're lucky you don't have to work.
Wayne Connell: No, and I for.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: family members, when they have a loved one especially their like adult child with a mental illness.
Wayne Connell: yeah.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And like you're enabling they're lazy and you know I say who wants to there is so much motivation in life for 20 some year old to have a job get out of the House buy a car, you know go to work like Why would someone pretend to be second stay in their bedroom every day.
Wayne Connell: So.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Your parents could support them because they're lazy i'm like that makes no sense at all.
Wayne Connell: yeah and it's like oh my God.
Wayne Connell: all the time.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Right and the parents are beaten up for being you know be enabling a lazy kid.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And it's like really that it just makes no sense.
Wayne Connell: Right well I agree so um do we have any questions needing or from the audience at all that.
Nadine Vogel: Yes, so we um two things as someone someone candid commented and said D stigmatization i'm not sure if that's a real word, but the stigma.
Nadine Vogel: Is what is needed.
Nadine Vogel: Someone else and people tend to disclose only when or if an accommodation is needed, what do you, what do you all think about disclosing even if you don't have a need for a workplace support of some type.
Wayne Connell: So I want to address that the whole accommodation issue first thing is is they don't even disclose that they need an accommodation.
Wayne Connell: yeah I want to start there and the reality is they need to feel safe to be able to do that first right, and the only way that's going to happen is education, the company with Tommy says it's okay.
Wayne Connell: it's part of life, you know, some people speak Spanish, some people have a disability, I mean seriously, they need to it needs to really be.
Wayne Connell: I mean our our organization's mission statement is I mean our vision service called invisible no more.
Wayne Connell: I mean that everybody's in the same stop treating people differently, so we need to make that first and then yeah you know if you're in a group, you know get involved in an er gee you know you guys.
Wayne Connell: put on a big event yesterday, but with the yards, and I mean is, you know from of the year to hear a dish.
Wayne Connell: it's a place for people to talk about it, and you know what there's like well, what happens if my bosses in there well that's okay.
Wayne Connell: You know, so your bosses in there and your boss now knows about it, and your boss says you're a great employee, why should it change, you know, we need to understand you know, we need to.
Wayne Connell: For people to understand that there's all these people in the workplace, that are actually living with disabilities.
Wayne Connell: or mental health issues or whatever it is, and we don't know about and they're doing their job great, so why would we think that all of a sudden, they would change it once we know what they're going through it shouldn't change you guys just thoughts.
Heather Ehle: yeah and you're right on that it's it's goes both ways so many times veterans won't say or advocate for themselves hey.
Heather Ehle: This desk arrangement is triggering my post traumatic stress, I need to be facing this way, instead, so people aren't walking up behind me.
Heather Ehle: So we we try to empower our veterans and our families to advocate for themselves and speak up, but also as an employer.
Heather Ehle: To look at our employees or our one on ones and say how can I best support you in your role What else do you need that may that may open the conversation to hey I can't sit with my back to traffic, I need to move, and you know, hopefully that's for everyone.
Heather Ehle: Whether they have a disability or not invisible everyone should be given that opportunity to be heard and.
Heather Ehle: felt valued by their employers.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: think twice about asking for a different chair, because this one makes their backache but they would think twice about saying.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: You know i'm having sleep issues, which is a very common issue with mental health i'm having sleep issues, can I adjust my hours to come in a half an hour later, you know, because you know that's.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: I mean it's just you know that what people are willing to ask for physically and what their small accommodation willing to ask for cognitively or mentally is very different.
Wayne Connell: yeah we haven't made it safe, I mean.
Wayne Connell: TIM I think about you know I think about how many people at my company right have autism that probably nobody knows right, I mean we're tech companies well like you mentioned and.
Wayne Connell: And i'm sure that's the case and it's like and they might need a you're right marcia most accommodations they say are super simple accommodations they don't cost anything.
Wayne Connell: And a lot of cases they don't cost it's an adjustment of the schedule it's a.
Wayne Connell: You know, as heather mentioned, we have a big cubicle farm and if somebody needs to be near a restroom and they say I need to be closer to the restrooms and put them close to the restrooms but.
Wayne Connell: Sometimes I will tell you it's a four week or two month deal to be able to move right or do the simple accommodation, because of all the tape and not believing in why it's going to go to someone's home facilities in HR and blah blah blah so kind of crazy so TIM your thoughts.
Tim Goldstein: yeah well, I would say that you know the whole idea that awareness is the you know where we have to start if for sure.
Tim Goldstein: But I think that doesn't go far enough simply being aware that there's autistic individuals at your company at my company, you know any of our companies.
Tim Goldstein: isn't enough, you need to be able to identify that oh my gosh I actually work with an autistic individual and gosh i've worked with that person for 10 years hmm that's why they're a little quirky, but I still like them.
Tim Goldstein: And that's the part we're missing is we're missing pointing out or I say, making comfortable enough and safe enough, the old psychological safety we're back to dei again right.
Tim Goldstein: Making enough psychological safety, so people can actually say hey i'm i'm autistic and then everybody goes well they're pretty normal they do a good job I guess autism, is what I thought it was.
Tim Goldstein: And it makes all the difference is that an example I work on the training team nowadays we're a global group it's one of the few totally global groups that's managed by one manager.
Tim Goldstein: whole world and we have a another individual on the team that is autistic and he was on the team for a couple years before I joined, but he never told anybody.
Tim Goldstein: When I come in, I believe in telling people right up front, because that way when I make some kind of artistic thing comes out.
Tim Goldstein: hey better they're worn then it's a surprise, but what he actually said in a meeting we had the other day was when I came along, and actually said I was autistic to everybody that gave him the comfort to be able to say that also.
Tim Goldstein: And now, everybody knows he's autistic so what's that mean well good that's where we have to go the step beyond awareness to understanding what's it mean it means he thinks processes and proceeds differently.
Tim Goldstein: So you just have to say hey did you get it no I didn't get it it's like how about this.
Tim Goldstein: Communication again.
Wayne Connell: Right, so a couple things I want to say, too, is is that one if you want to learn about what some of these living with and.
Wayne Connell: ask them they're the experts, you know we always think we know where the armchair quarterback Oh, I know all about autism, you know.
Wayne Connell: Tell me about right versus hey I don't know what ptsd is i'd love to learn, you know I want to be an ally, I want to be afraid, I want to learn those things so that you know that's a big part of it is that that learning.
Wayne Connell: But it's also about like I said it's back to this whole thing of it, starting at the top down in companies that really need to show from the from the top down, you know.
Wayne Connell: We did an event, with a the Bureau of land management and one of their main managers was at a you know, one of the panelists afterwards and.
Wayne Connell: And, and he shared that when people would shake his hand he would have this nerve disorder that would literally shoot a an incredible pain into his head so bad that it would make him like double over and everybody's like.
Wayne Connell: he's like that's why I don't shake your hand.
Wayne Connell: And, of course, the whole group was like Oh, my goodness, wait, you know they just thought he was like the most rudest person and eating carry anything about anybody below and so.
Wayne Connell: that's where that understanding you're right it's about the individual person and you want to learn about the people around you, you know if you're a manager it's about your team right, you know.
Wayne Connell: we're all caught up in the Ada and hipaa that's you know we don't want to violate people's things, but the reality is, we also have to work together and we have to understand that may be why.
Wayne Connell: You know, in an email why somebody is it immediately they don't say hey Good morning, they just say this is the next thing, and I put your name interesting.
Wayne Connell: Maybe that's just how they operate, and you need to learn that that's Okay, and they don't mean think that you're a horrible person they're trying to you know you know Director or something like that so i'm.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Not a free program if you go to the nami website.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: there's a.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: Whole stigma free program that's for businesses and and many local nominees are willing to bring that in lunch and learns are a great thing they really bring someone in they give a presentation and Oh, by the way, i'm someone who's living with you know.
Wayne Connell: Whatever I do.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: And that can really be helpful as well.
Wayne Connell: awesome so so marsha what is the what's the website address for for.
Marsha Martino, NAMI Palm Beach County: nami nami.org.org.
Wayne Connell: awesome and heather, how can we get Ahold of you.
Heather Ehle: I am project sanctuary.us awesome.
Wayne Connell: awesome and TIM I think it's.
10 goldstein.com.
Wayne Connell: awesome.
Tim Goldstein: yeah we call Steve vai COM it's easy to remember.
Wayne Connell: There we go.
Wayne Connell: Well i'll tell you, you guys have been amazing you know the subject is always you can go for hours on this subject, but I hope we we hope some.
Wayne Connell: Some professionals in the workplace don't understand that no education awareness empathy.
Wayne Connell: validating listening all those things that those skills we think we need learn well when it comes to say almost as disabilities it's really something you have to hone in on.
Wayne Connell: And remember that people are have value as heather you said.
Wayne Connell: we're all valuable and remember that first row and part of the human race together and we're not lesser because we're dealing with something that might impact our lives.
Wayne Connell: So I really appreciate you all, and thank you so much for being your name, thank you for allowing us to be part of this.
Nadine Vogel: Thank you so much.
Nadine Vogel: That was extremely impactful and we will turn it over back to event.
Wayne Connell: Okay, thanks everyone bye bye.
Tim Goldstein: alrighty thanks.
ILopez desktop: Wayne thanks heather thanks TIM thanks marcia and now we're going to have a really big surprise so we're going to have a fireside chat with Muhammad master coin.
ILopez desktop: he's the founder of vessel but, more importantly, he was a pro footballer wide receiver so we're excited to have him and joining them for this fireside chat is Vice President global diversity equity and inclusion for coca Amal if you gene Kelly, which is he's always a pleasure to have.
ILopez desktop: Gentlemen, can I hear you just to make sure that I can hear your voices.
Mo M: Yes, are you doing.
ILopez desktop: Alright, so i'm going to turn it over to you, to the while the crap bye.
bye.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Muhammad Muhammad Muhammad.
Mo M: So so.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): i'm doing great man i'm i'm even better that i'm having an opportunity to further our conversation that we had not too long ago, but this time, and you know, for the benefit of of all so um you know I want to just tell everyone that Mohammed and I met.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Not too long ago, and absolutely my pleasure, had I had to curb my enthusiasm, so I didn't keep them on the phone all day, but the The thing that we are all in you know in for a treat.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): With is the breath and the scope of this young man um you know I I can't imagine how someone as as young as you is as accomplished as you and frankly you're my idol bro.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And I want to talk about why that is everyone it's we're going to turn it over to Mohammed in a second to talk about.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know, to introduce himself to you what I really, really want for a llama to do as he did with me.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): is to kind of tell your story and and and and the genesis of your journey in your way and and and and and how you would want us to hear it, because that is what fascinated me, you know you're an athlete you're a scholar you're a gentleman who is all about.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): making sure that the change that needs to happen happens in a manner.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): That is productive for everyone, and that was something that I was really I took from just the spirit of our conversation and we're going to share that here.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): So what I want to do that with for everyone is is to introduce this this fine young man who is going to have a conversation with me after he spent some time talking about.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): um you know just the journey right, because this is a journeyman this this tellers young but he's had a journey and we want to hear about it, and we also want to talk a little bit about.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Your business and and and the things that you could potentially do to help all of us in corporations and society and and hopefully further the relationship with you, with all of us so i'm gonna turn it over to you well.
Mo M: Then, thank you, thank you so much for it was a pleasure to just getting to know you know, beans amazing.
Mo M: This whole conference and initiative is super amazing to me and I always start at my genesis.
Mo M: i'm Liberian i'm first generation born American and why that's significant to me, is because my family actually came.
Mo M: To America to escape a civil war and so some of the things that i'm wired to do.
Mo M: is almost like hereditary from being resilient and overcoming adversity.
Mo M: And some of the principles that they instilled me with and I always start there because we have companies that are hundred years old 50 years or.
Mo M: However long they've been in existence and sometimes we'd like to use modern day, is there a reference point when, in reality, if we go back to the genesis of why they were even invented in the first place, we can pull insights and trade off of that.
Mo M: And so being born in America grew up in these dual cultures of you know, being American but culturally in the House be in Liberia and what that allowed me to do is actually have this outside inside view and that's where my love of psychology came from what I studied in undergrad.
Mo M: Most of my parents played soccer and I don't know if they thought soccer and football, which one was which in America.
Mo M: Where they gave me an opportunity to play football, which led to university of Georgia playing football there being a second round pick in the nfl.
Mo M: And then the most interesting thing happened is when I retired I was kind of lost honestly.
Mo M: And I went into the world of finance and could tell I was kind of out of place because i'm a person that low psychology on the performance and I couldn't really exercise that muscle.
Mo M: And how me and they didn't connect it is, I became an mtt if you see by this prosthetic device here at an ATV accident in 2017 and it really just changed the trajectory of my life.
Mo M: Because it made me sit and actually wrestle with who I was as a person.
Mo M: Where I wanted to go, not just haphazardly like we sometimes do, but actually just sit in wrestling say what is the impact that I want to have moving forward in this tension.
Mo M: Was that a higher degree, because my first real job was the nfl, and so I want everything in life to kind of feel this dynamic that was that.
Mo M: And and be able to perform and play at that high level, and so that was the reason for going back to school started with Harvard.
Mo M: In their alternative executive MBA program i'll be finishing my master's in industrial organizational psychology in August.
Mo M: And the reason for that is I found that if you want to play at the highest levels and perform at the highest levels you just don't do that just because you actually got to put intentional work in.
Mo M: to figure out how you deliver value and what are the whatever domain that you're in.
Mo M: And so that pushed me into the world that i'm in now change management and that's a fancy term for really people management and talent management and performance management.
Mo M: We like to think that we can just solve business through financials and design and we forget that there's people of all various backgrounds that have insights and input.
Mo M: To make the systems go and the more we service those people, the higher the outputs are and so it's truly a pleasure to be here with everyone it's truly a pleasure.
Mo M: to be here with you anyone could have been in a seat there's so many talented individuals, and so, hopefully, we have a wonderful time today.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Alright, so now I can't wait now because i've got you know, a bunch of things that have crossed my mind that that we didn't get a chance to talk about the other day, the first thing, frankly, is something that makes me, you know I wonder different people have different experiences.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): With change right and and and your initial really serious, I believe.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Experience with with a change that.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know you had to move forward with right.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Was was the change in the need to change your career right, I mean the need to to think about.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): something other than what you have been focusing on I think I remember that the term that you use that you know your your job was to track football.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Right and and and and and the change and the change rather stop suddenly and I guess, the first thing that I would want to ask you is for us and those individuals that will inevitably face some type of major change in their life, you know what What was it that made you.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Be so positive about.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): The fact that you know you're still here right and what are we going to do now what What was it that that guided you there and then who who and what.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): helps you to kind of to kind of get to your stride.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Because I mean it's a stride I mean you, you know the great schools you're going to him and the whole idea of your strategy about what you're going to do for the remainder of your life that's important because some people might need that type of guy I know I did.
Mo M: yeah I like to tell things in stories and then just kind of pull out the parallels, and so I ended up having 12 surgeries and so you see we're all friends here so i'll make it even more intimate and so I used to track footballs for living in the thing that made me me was.
Mo M: My hands that's no longer my left hand is you know gone and so i'm sitting in the hospital.
Mo M: 12 surges in and I keep hearing cold blue.
Mo M: Never spent extended time in the hospital, so I don't know what this code is, and so they check my blood twice a day, just to make sure i'm not developing any infections or anything let's say 3am 3pm.
Mo M: And so 3am one morning X the nurse, so what is called Blue mean it's just that every time you hear that call to my dad.
Mo M: And what I would do multiple times a day, as I have my IV machine, I have my gown on, and I make loops around the hospital and you'd see a room that was robust with people in there.
Mo M: And then the next day that room will be clean, as if nothing had existed, and so I had this Epiphany.
Mo M: Was 30 at the time, my great grandma lived in tissue is 96 my grandma is 95 now she probably has another 50 years how young she moves.
Mo M: And so i'm like I may have only lived a third of my life and so was the most dynamic third.
Mo M: lived already or will this next two thirds be even more dynamic and so when you think about it from that perspective, like are the companies that everybody's represented out.
Mo M: Have they had the best years in this first third of the way well this next two thirds be just as dynamic.
Mo M: But then you sit and you Russell and you say well i'm actually still in the hospital going through this trauma.
Mo M: And so you have to sit and understand like what are the things that are actually taking place we can't gloss over like there's major problems that we all have in our organizations in our life that we have to give the time.
Mo M: And once we address those things we have a clear mindset, we can then go develop and then get back to what we want to become.
Mo M: And if you remember, I started by saying I always had this outside D when just because of how its raised i've always been fascinated with performance.
Mo M: And so, theoretically, I haven't changed what i'm interested in how it manifests itself just change.
Mo M: And I think people get really scared of thinking man, I have to let this thing go versus diving deeper into themselves and say how can I explore these interest in these things that I do at a high level.
Mo M: And it just may look a little different but because i've developed the backbone and the foundation for it, I can walk into it a little easier.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): But that's that's so interesting and so telling for me I just learned something, and that is there's a process and the process.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Is is is you know it first starts inside you and you have to adjust right and because that was some of our conversation before is adaptation and trying to.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Get you know, in the in the context of this conversation companies corporations people organizations to to to to literally go through a process of change that's going to happen, no matter what right the constant is change.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Right, and so we as corporations, sometimes really struggle with with with how to change, you know we're 220 years old and and and it's like you know we can't do things for 220 years.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): In a row that the the challenge, though, and this is, I guess, where you start to come in for us.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Is you know how do we do that, how do we get corporations to understand something you said earlier, you know we're we're people you know we consist of people, and you know we all know that there's a huge population of individuals who who are underutilized and.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And, and we as corporations are having a little bit of a challenge, trying to figure out how to incorporate them so some tell us a little bit about some of your some of the work that you do, and in terms of trying to help some of these corporations to.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): One visualize it and then to to actually do something about it in terms of change.
Mo M: yeah honestly, a lot of companies don't even know the business that they're in it, they don't know.
Mo M: What they're trying to serve and they've been come really good at delivering products, but they don't actually know the business that they're in, and so we kind of step back and say what are we fundamentally.
Mo M: Trying to do not necessarily, how do we get there because that's going to change and sometimes people.
Mo M: are scared of change because change is a big thing and I typically use the word evolution, because if I told everyone.
Mo M: That was able to move to hey go to the bathroom right now that's a destination that's manageable we do it every day in some capacity.
Mo M: But if I were to tell everybody hey let's go run to your nearest airport, everyone would kind of be like whoa i'm not in marathon shape or Whatever the case may be.
Mo M: But there are marathon runners that can jog to an airport and there's people that are wheelchair bound that can be pushed to the airport Whatever the case may be.
Mo M: And what we forget to understand that those people have trained and exercise that muscle to be able to go that distance when you're talking about a 220 year old company, they have an exercise that muscle and so it's going to take time.
Mo M: And so what I typically do is shorten the destination like okay let's just get to the bathroom first and then we'll get out the front door.
Mo M: And then we'll get to the near stop sign and then we'll cross the street and then we'll do this and then we'll do that, and this is happening over time.
Mo M: But what you're doing is you're building positive momentum to a thing that you don't fundamentally understand.
Mo M: And then, once it's time to run that marathon it's not as daunting anymore, because not only have you make progress towards some destination.
Mo M: Is that you have this clear goal in mind that you're trying to tackle event versus when you start out you're like I don't even know if I can get here, if I can get there, if I can get there.
Mo M: And all those things service distractions to actual progress, because what you're doing is detracting versus working.
Mo M: you're subtracting versus working, and so we try to figure out how can we get active as soon as possible and then how can we measure this along the way, tied into the overall picture of where you're trying to go.
wow.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): that's deep and that's very, very poignant, because if we think about the fact that we, you know.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): predominantly in this conference, we come to this conference we work with the Dean, we work with people like yourself to as representatives and as leaders within corporations organizations and and usually it's because either we're in a company that is really, really.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): committed to to to utilizing every facet of the Community to be better or we're in a company that maybe isn't.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): as committed as we would like, for them to be, and here we are trying to be allies and trying to get the appropriate information to to go back and and hopefully make some change in our company.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): From your perspective, though, you know you you you entered into the realm of change and.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): I guess, my question is, you know how do you how do you make your mark, how do you how do you get into some of these corporations or some of these.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): situations where you can actually try to school so folks on how to make some change and and, frankly, what to do right because it's easy to talk about change, but probably probably the reason we don't do it so really we don't know what to do so.
Mo M: talk.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): A little bit about you know how how you make those connections and how you go about some of the work that you do, whether it's a corporation, a community or whatever.
Mo M: yeah most of my work coach through word of mouth like someone has known someone that i've worked with and they're like hey you know go work with mo in his team.
Mo M: And what's interesting is that give a lot of grace, because you have people that understand.
Mo M: How to do finance they understand marketing manager and operations, they understand supply chain.
Mo M: But they've never actually been taught this and so it's a fear of how do I put these pieces together i'm used to working with this type of person i'm used to doing this thing at a high level.
Mo M: I don't actually know how to do this, and so what we do you know the typical you come in and you measure things you do focus groups to get an understanding of what's happening.
Mo M: But what I actually like to do is just snapshot things as they're happening in real time and i'll give you an example.
Mo M: There was a company that had merged together they were reintroducing the different digital strategy allocating huge amounts of money to it.
Mo M: And i'm sitting there i'm talking to the CEO and he's trying to like figure out something on his iPhone can't figure out that phone.
Mo M: calls the assistant she's mid 20s flash do it give the phone but and the guy says the damn iPhone and I don't see what has happened is like what just happened, I was like you have this person that's digitally fluent they understand the user experience they.
Mo M: understand how other people in this demographic on a connect with it, they understand a lot of this digital strategy.
Mo M: They can't get it from point A to point Z but neither can you and so like bring her back in and so she's beautiful brilliant and i'm asking them.
Mo M: Do you think that she just developed that or do you think that's already been dormant in there, she just happened or hasn't had a way to express this she's probably like playing computer games, or something.
Mo M: Because she's not fully engaged, but then, if you zoom out you probably have tons of other people like that in your organization that also have the same capacity to add value here.
Mo M: And so you're going to bring in external people that may mess this up because they don't actually know the company culture and what they're trying to do.
Mo M: And how to do it is you know secondhand versus this firsthand institutional knowledge that could really be extracted.
Mo M: And then, what you do is you give the opportunity back to the leader for them to take ownership and them to lead.
Mo M: versus me coming in and saying you need to do xyz you just show them in real time, this is something that has already happened, this is a positive experience that you already have.
Mo M: And if you truly look around your organization, you could snapshot things all day long of people, adding value it just isn't being categories right and so you're able to really transform the organization from the inside out versus random insights that may or may not connect anything.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Okay, so now, now the tough part right because the tough part is um you know you can't explain something that made it sound so so very easy.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): right but it's like we know that and and we all work wherever we are in the corporations or you know different.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): areas of society or organizations companies, and we all face or come across the resistance and the folks who are.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Frankly mired in whether it's the culture that they think is the company or the you know or or we talked about this whole idea because I remember you asked me, he said, why is it that.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): leaders and companies don't don't just don't they don't get it like they don't see the different qualities that people bring.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): That are you know, maybe not what they know that could actually move the company forward, how do we deal with these folks.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): How do, how do we go back to our organizations right because we're all you know you my job is to try to convince people.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know that this is the right way and it's productive and we can be better, and we can change and revolution revenue revolutionize how we do things, instead of just making products.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Is there is there, something that you see as a button or a no no silver bullets, but is there a process or procedure that you, you know you see the person is not on board and you try to help them get there because that's a really important thing for us it's changing.
Mo M: So we do a lot of.
Mo M: Training around these things and not as a plastic like societal issues, but like these are business problem like this is how.
Mo M: This is how not including this person becomes a business problem because.
Mo M: Now you 50 year old CEO you're competing against a company run by somebody that looks just like this that's eaten market share up.
Mo M: And you can either say we're going to continue to do it this way, or you can realize that you actually have people like this in your organization that think very similar and so how can you.
Mo M: set them free to compete.
Mo M: head on head.
Mo M: And so I think competition is a brilliant motivator I think showing success is a brilliant motivator I think training once again because.
Mo M: A lot of people resist doing things because, out of fear, because they don't want to look like they're incompetent or whatever, and so we kind of strip that away, we talked about it a lot.
Mo M: us as athletes we practice more than we play in in the professional world everybody's just playing no one's actually developing and so what you're having is a generation or a demographic or segment of people.
Mo M: That just do it fundamentally different that you do it because they've had more REPS at it.
Mo M: And so, if you try to replicate that without practicing or without bringing the talent in that has a similar skill set there's no way that you can do it.
Mo M: And, once again, a lot of that fear comes from I don't know how to do it.
Mo M: or i'm in a position of comfort I don't want to rock the boat and so you kind of have to strip away some of those things that are hindrances, so you can actually get into it.
Mo M: And the quicker that you can show progress, the quicker that you can at least get somebody to listen, not necessarily that.
Mo M: they're ready to jump but it's like, if I can create progress in momentum and then make it seem like you're the hero, at the end of the day, then you get everything that you want.
Mo M: You get the recognition, you get the growth, you get there, everything is not my job to come in and say.
Mo M: You know we've given you this answer is my job to say you and your team.
Mo M: have done this brilliantly.
Mo M: If anything it's i'm trying to transfer ownership as quickly as possible to say you theoretically can solve all these problems in house.
Mo M: But you just have to organize it in a way that allows you to perform.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): yeah there's positive reinforcement right we all like that and and it it it actually makes us think about how we get more of it right, you know, like you know what when we have some successes.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You show us, you know what's considered in that in that vein and we start to to address some of the things or be more open to addressing some of the things.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): there's a there's a question that I or thing that I want to approach well you know we've all come out of a pretty tough last two to three years.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): But what what i've tried to do is i've tried to find any silver lining.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): To.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): To to what we as corporations have gotten out of spending the last two to three years at our House and having it disrupt.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): disrupt our companies, because there are some companies that one have have frankly growth because I met there are some companies who were formed.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Because of it um you know and then there's some companies that have gone down the tube because of it right and and I guess what I would want to ask is how do you see.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): The impact on people with different abilities that the last two to three years you know, has has had.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know how How have they either grown or have more access, if any, because I wonder, you know I see us making more utilization of people with different abilities, now more than ever.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Because of the fact that they people have skill sets that we don't untapped and now we see, we need them in a virtual world and and they're helping us to soar so, can you tell me what that landscape, in your opinion, has has has looked like over the last couple years.
Mo M: Coming up I answer it backwards.
Mo M: Okay, for companies, what it's given them is an opportunity to take risk.
Mo M: mm hmm and what I mean by that is, people are asking you to do these things they're asking you to be more inclusive they're asking you to bring more talent and they're asking you to.
Mo M: diversify your products to modernize your products and modernize your experience and so.
Mo M: On that outside and talent they're inviting you to go do these things, and even if it's clunky people going to give you more grace because they say at least they're moving in the right direction.
Mo M: And now, what that means for talent that has different abilities.
Mo M: It gives them more options for the companies that are actually taking this charge to be able to move around more people talk about the great resignation.
Mo M: And what that basically means is people have more access to opportunities that fit their skill set no longer are there hamstrung by I have to be here for whatever reason.
Mo M: And in some regard is company's fault, because they haven't always respected to tell it in the way that they should they haven't even always included people.
Mo M: And so now if you're on the outside and you say hey I have this condition, whatever it is, in this company is making away from me or this company isn't making a way for me.
Mo M: I can go where my time talent and treasure that I actually respect it, so I can add value into this particular organization.
Mo M: Or, I can do it myself, because the barrier to entries in some cases are lower than they've ever been and so, if i'm a company i'm looking to say.
Mo M: How can I take the risk that I need to take once again to exercise this muscle, so that not today, but in year 2345 when we really see how all this stuff shakes out i'm more.
Mo M: More aligned to where I need to.
Mo M: Be with the understanding that a lot of people won't do it.
Mo M: And so i'm just creating this.
Mo M: This larger divide in between who's going to be able to really perform and who's going to be looking out in the wind and saying what happens.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): When I asked a very blunt frank question.
Mo M: Go ahead.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): We make are we making progress.
Mo M: That really.
Mo M: Honestly, not really.
Mo M: Because what we're what we're doing is we are talking about it a lot and we're figuring out different ways to talk about it, but when it actually comes to put an action into place and really putting resources into place there's a lot of organizations that either don't have.
Mo M: Dedicated resources or people or established departments to tackle certain things there's people that they only want to check the box on certain areas.
Mo M: there's people that are like hey I did it this way i've had conversations with people who were.
Mo M: they'll ask the generic question or they'll do the generic thing, and once it's time to take the next level they're like you know, like I don't I don't have time to do this, I got so much other stuff.
Mo M: And it's almost seen as a hindrance than another opportunity to perform the athlete and me everything goes back to performance, you know, unless you're doing just.
Mo M: charity work and even that you're supposed to perform at the highest level, the weather, the College it, and so, when you people see people just organization separate these things.
Mo M: And we're still having these challenges, so it's not really I don't see it difficult to fix because if you're truly trying to get the best talent.
Mo M: across the board, you have to find these things in different areas different regions different demographics different skill sets different whatever.
Mo M: And so you, you really can onboard these things it's not really a shortage of talent it's just what talent, are you actually, including in the talent pool that you deem you know meaningful.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): yeah yeah yeah and you know we all have we gravitate towards to people who are like us and who look like us and what have you, but I don't know my experience has been simply.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): That we can we certainly are talking about a lot.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Okay, and and, as you said that doesn't necessarily make progress, I think, part of the challenge that any of us have in D and I or allies within the businesses.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Is what is it that that we need to do to prove to people that there are some amazing skill sets out there.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): That we want to bring into our organization and need to bring into our organization frankly to remain competitive, you know I know that that some of the companies that i've talked to.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): They find themselves in competition with with with the younger generation in terms of you know they're a big old giant company, but they're you know picked apart by smaller companies, you know.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): New Generation folks who are doing things in remarkable ways, with people that have alternate alternate alternative and different skills and.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know I guess the challenge that we have is how do we get it from moving so slowly, I mean at least we're talking about it now right more but, but the fact is, is that we have to, as you said, perform.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Right so so you know, can you tell me about you know, like, for example, if you walked into home depot and you saw a certain set of things.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know who would you talk to to try to get those things to change, other than the folks that you talked about, and what approaches, would you.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): ask people to become more open minded with I mean this is about dollars and cents to them, I mean it's a challenging question because I can but but i'd love to hear your perspective.
Mo M: i'm.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): How do we move from top to action, how do we get people to realize that this is imperative.
Mo M: i'll give you another story last summer really around this time we're an nba nba playoffs that's why I remember.
Mo M: i'm over one of my former teammates house, one of my great friends and so about eight o'clock and his son comes downstairs 8pm.
Mo M: And it sounds like that I want to go swim and it looks outside and you say hey it's dark will do it tomorrow.
Mo M: And so i'm sitting there i'm like many kids four year old he knows how to swim and he's like yeah you don't know how to swim now.
Mo M: Because I will you do if your daughter falls in the pool and i'm I got a call you you're gonna get it he's like don't work like they come over here tomorrow.
Mo M: i'm gonna teach you how to swim and how you gonna teach me how to swim and he says i'm not going to let you die first point i'm not gonna let you die.
Mo M: And so next day comes beautiful sunny day out, you know 80 degrees light breeze perfect for him and the conditions and so he says hey come to the House.
Mo M: And so we got to the House and his four year old son is jumping at the bottom of the pool he pulled his goodness toys out all that good stuff.
Mo M: So he's like you gotta jump in i'm going to save you i'm going to save you and so long story short, he has me jumping.
Mo M: In after 30 minutes this guy's taught me how to swim and then he looks at me says now, you know how to save yourself two fundamental thing.
Mo M: i'm not gonna let you die now you notice yourself.
Mo M: And so, he could have easily let that moment pass and say hey i'll just push it along to the next person hey maybe it ends up well for him and his daughter they ever get a slippery situation.
Mo M: And instead of just talking around that issue, the first moment that he got a chance to make sure that I didn't set up a different failure point.
Mo M: Then he took advantage of being able to train me and teach me and it took time away from him and his family, but he doing this as a meaningful thing to help someone.
Mo M: That he valued and all that stuff and then he says hey now, you know how to save yourself, and so, if i'm ever in the wild or ever tasked with doing something.
Mo M: I can then go swim and save myself and maybe if any pray to God nothing ever happens to anyone, and I love, but i'll be able to jump in and do that, so I tell this whole round about stories.
Mo M: Leaders they can talk about it and they can push it down the can have someone else, but if you're truly trying to save your company and not let it die.
Mo M: You have to jump into action right now, and if you're talking about talent that may or may not be in position to succeed, you have to help them save themselves, which ultimately saves the company.
Mo M: And so that's why the challenge of yes, we can talk, we can talk, we can get information, but until you actually jump.
Mo M: In the pool and jumping in with someone and get involved and understand that it's going to be a there's going to be a challenge, I didn't know how to swim organizations don't know how to do something.
Mo M: But the more that you do it, and the more that you practice it, the more that you get involved, and you have your leader, support the resources through time and effort, then everybody understands how to save themselves.
Mo M: And so that's what I would probably say is you get in the deep end with people and understand that they don't know what to do.
Mo M: You don't know what to do, but you make it through, if you have the right leadership.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): wow that's powerful man and I appreciate you telling it that way, because I think that resonates with people because frankly it really does.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): affect us that becomes you know we get fatigued trying to make that change and so it's great that we have people like you join the fight and we're happy and to.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Have you as a resource to work to work forward with what I want to do, though, is, I want to take a little bit of time and i'm sure that there are some folks out there.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Who might want to ask you something or ask us something is there, or do we want open up open up.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): A little bit so that we can administer open the floor up is not enough.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): To do more questions that people have so let's see.
Nadine Vogel: Absolutely, so if you have come in.
Nadine Vogel: With some or comments or questions so first one says change management is feared by many, especially when it comes to change management relative to people with disabilities communication is key, but we need to ask the right questions first what would those questions be.
Mo M: wow well.
Mo M: what's what's interesting.
Mo M: There was an ad agency, and we were going back and forth between like what do we call the term disabilities different.
Mo M: And it's so vast like you know i'm an mpt some people they have hearing differences and people have visual differences, I mean fit with my hand, some people don't have legs.
Mo M: Some people have things that we don't even know what the call, and so I think it's really difficult to just kind of group these things into one bucket because there's so much variance within.
Mo M: versus more so getting a a framework of how to approach different people, and when you look at it like that it's you may have me and eugene are different, you know, like, even though we both present as black males.
Mo M: we're all humans on here, and so we truly got a chance to get to know people have differences and that's the challenge when.
Mo M: You don't have enough of that difference within your organization, because every time you see it it's going to be awkward because you haven't really gotten enough exposure to that thing.
Mo M: And then, once you start to get exposure to it, you lock in that institutional knowledge, so that people understand hey.
Mo M: If i'm in a situation like this, or if I have a person that is dyslexic or if I haven't person that has this.
Mo M: I need to work around these challenges differently and I can't just assume that we're all coming to it like I am I think I told you about the the.
Mo M: workshop I did for Microsoft, where we were on teams, but someone gave me a shout offline and says hey i'm visually impaired, and so I wouldn't be able to see this video.
Mo M: And so it had to be redesigned in a way that they could engage with this workshop, and I could sit back and say all ministers and inconvenience or.
Mo M: wow this person has just given me the ability to enhance this experience, not only for herself, but for everyone across the board.
Mo M: And so the more of these inputs that we get from people to have different challenges it actually has.
Mo M: An impact to make us better and deliver better products and so you're actually trying to welcome these things.
Mo M: And it's not going to be, you know hey we get it first take it takes repetition, but the more that you get it, the more that you know how to respond.
Mo M: Even when it is in a black and white, you know this, how I saw it last time, so this is i'm gonna say it again, is never going to present the same, but you get an understanding and you just continue to make progress and get comfortable.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And mo one of the only thing that I would add to that right, because what you said is absolutely right um.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): It doesn't just happen right, I mean we have to get our organizations to create an environment in a culture where people will even tell you.
Mo M: there.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): is something different about them or that there is something that they you know, would like to have help with, and I think you get that help they can help you.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): um and and I think that you know, sometimes companies make the mistake of trying to jump to that right like when we do these.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You know these big campaigns to self identify and we expect people to just just because we say or just because we asked for you to check a box and it's like if there's a climate that you have to create.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): so that you can get people to trust you yeah and certain things that you did they don't feel it's advantageous for you to know yeah.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): The only thing I would add to that is that you know we can't just get there, we had we had to try to build that culture, so that people are much more comfortable speaking.
Nadine Vogel: So so.
Mo M: i'll address that in real time, so I know they do and I got comfortable with you, I never take my prosthetic device off is something that is kind of like my shield because they're still.
Mo M: You know it doesn't always feel comfortable, especially when you're in settings, but the fact that, like I know exactly what the deans trying to accomplish here.
Mo M: Have a good rapport with you, it makes it a lot easier to say i'm going to bring myself here like I don't feel uncomfortable in any shape or form any capacity, and when you give people that type of space and that type of comfort.
Mo M: you're able to you're able to work through these things they're able to bring their full self and that's what you want to that's where these rich insights come from and it's just a better experience for everyone.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And maybe you were gonna say something.
Nadine Vogel: yeah so another another question came in that you know so mo how How do we move past this talking we all talk with each other, we talk at each other and how do we actually create action, not the check the box action, but action that really makes a difference.
Mo M: yeah and and that's actually why that practice portion is so important, like we don't you rarely see someone.
Mo M: Do something in game that they haven't had exposure to prior to like I have to say you don't perform in the moment of truth, you perform in practice and so actually carving out time where.
Mo M: You can give people stretch assignments and see how it turns out, and you can refine it and you can refine it from there and then there's going to become a point in time when you actually need to do that.
Mo M: In you can beta test certain things and certain departments and figure out, can we scale it up.
Mo M: it's not hey we come in day one, and we transform everything, because if you approach it like that, typically you don't even know the problems that you're trying to solve.
Mo M: And so, if we can continue to figure out these pockets, that would give people a chance to say.
Mo M: They didn't How would you tackle this, I know I normally start the meeting and i'm the one that's doing all the talking, but I want you to take the floor.
Mo M: And i'm not going to do that on the spot, I may send you the information, a week in advance, and so, then we get to how do we design these experiences, how do we design these jobs.
Mo M: To be most effective and efficient and so it's it's not talking it's actually design and structure that has to be put in place.
Mo M: So that it supports the initiatives that you're trying to implement, because if you just transform everything and there's no support on the back end.
Mo M: Things are just going to crumble through the cracks and then you give people the opportunity to say, well, we tried it failed and it didn't fail it didn't have the support and structure, to begin with, and so it was just kind of doing.
Nadine Vogel: So we have one more question that came in and we have just a couple minutes left it says, why do employers need to know.
Nadine Vogel: Why can't they be universal open minded to help everyone where they don't have to drill down well you don't have to drill down to saying specific unless something specific is truly needed so kind of this concept of universal design why can't we get there.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): i'll just.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): i'll jump in real quick and give give you know my very small two cents and then we'll let will answer um because.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): To be honest with you one size is never going to fit all there are always going to be nuances about what people's situation or sensitivities.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And it's going to be very, very important, you know, two people can have the same on paper situation right or diagnosis.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And the way that they are experiencing, it is very, very different and so it's going to be important for us to appropriately allocate resources to where they're most.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): helpful to people and most supportive to people by simply you know see if we can get some granularity as to what their concerns are so that that's just my take as an HR executive.
Mo M: And I would actually take this like take it out of disability like people that are tall need different accommodations for.
Mo M: people that are short.
Mo M: Women may need different combinations than men, some people like to wear blue some people like to wear green some people like to drive trucks and people like to drive cars and people like.
Mo M: Even if you deem a person absolutely normal there's no universal rule for how they fit in and we like to create this separate category for people that we have labeled entitled as having a difference, or a disability, when, if you look at anyone in the world.
Mo M: you're going to see variance in how they wear their hair how they wear their clothes what foods they decide to eat, and then we say, well, these people need special accommodations which is not actually true is just we have.
Mo M: accommodated them in the way that we accommodate other people that we deem normal.
Mo M: And so it's, not even a normal or disabled thing it's just what are the things that people need to succeed across the board and we've done a better job of accommodating certain needs and not all needs.
Mo M: And, in reality, when you combine it all needs it transfers to say, well, these people actually needed this stuff to that we deem normal they didn't know it, because they were stuck in their ways of holding on to the past.
Mo M: And so we are focused on disability, but if we zoom out we start to realize that everyone has these needs in differences we just title and different for our own comfort.
Nadine Vogel: So I hear you saying since about people or people it's about the labels that we place on people, we got to get out those labels, because the labels are what creates the stigma and then we believe the stigma.
Nadine Vogel: We believe what we hear right so well I just mo Thank you Thank you so much eugene Thank you that I love you, you know that.
Nadine Vogel: I will just share with everyone that the first time, though, and I met, it was was on a zoom call is a while ago we were going to be presenting together and truly I think we were into the call about five minutes and I said no, I love you.
Mo M: I love you too.
Nadine Vogel: And eugene Well he already knows it he's like my old boyfriend so he knows.
Nadine Vogel: Maybe.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Maybe I want to say one thing because i'm and thank you, I want to thank you for introducing me to this wonderful brother, because, as all of you can now see.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You draw energy from people like this, you you you you wise it up from talking to people like this man and and I hope that the people who have had the time to hear him.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Will will take the opportunity, if possible, or create the opportunity for for him to help them or to have a conversation, because the conversation is really all I need right.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): I said i'm going to Atlanta just have a conversation, because you you grow from it right, and you get a perspective of a of a person who has seen frankly a lot more than me, and this is, you know early age, so.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Thank you, well, I appreciate what you, you know, help us with today, hopefully, we will always have you a part of our disability matters family.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): And everybody, this is a resource, please use them.
Nadine Vogel: Absolutely i've seen this, this is what disability matters is about right bring amazing people with amazing ideas and background, so that we can share with all of you, what we already know.
Nadine Vogel: that people like mo are out there and need to and you need to work with them so with that we are going to break for one hour for lunch, so it is now 1245 Eastern we will all be back at 145 Eastern so check your clocks don't be late, we got some really cool things coming up this afternoon.
Nadine Vogel: Everybody.
ILopez desktop: Thanks Muhammad thanks eugene that was impactful I hope everybody listen, no.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): I can't wait to talk to you again.
He is over.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You didn't send me your number yet.
Mo M: Oh, let me i'm gonna do right now.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Man I need it, I don't want to lose touch with you.
Mo M: is coming right now.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): You did a fantastic job man, I appreciate that.
Mo M: Thank you so much.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): Okay, I hope you I hope you enjoyed it, this is this is fun stuff man.
Mo M: hey I love.
Eugene Kelly (He Him His): My job.
Nadine Vogel: Hello everyone and welcome back, we hope you enjoyed your lunch break.
Nadine Vogel: We are now going to enter into the second phase of day one of disability matters with a really exciting presentation, this is a mesmerizing dance performance.
Nadine Vogel: which was for the Paralympics handoff ceremony, it was choreographed by sadek Wharf now as part of the closing hand of ceremony, it was specifically for the 20 Tokyo Paralympic Games and what will be the 2024 games in Paris.
Nadine Vogel: Mr walk has worked with about 128 performers in this amazing performance, which is going to focus solely on arms enhance.
Nadine Vogel: This French dancer and choreographer he's become known actually for this, but he refers to as limb centric performances, so I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, video, please.
ILopez desktop: alrighty so we're going to kick off our afternoon with our marketplace session and to the stage is director up MC disability resources Center Ashley Mullen arrow.
ILopez desktop: And joining her is chief diversity and inclusion officer for cole's Michelle banks chief development officer morgan's inclusion initiative is brooke cairney welcome to the stage.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): hi everyone.
ILopez desktop: is trying to get brookville Dover.
I don't see bro.
ILopez desktop: Give us a moment.
ILopez desktop: Sure, just to make sure we're not missing her.
ILopez desktop: And, ladies, we may need she's not on, so we may need a moment, if you would like to start, we can see you, I can hear you and we will do our best to get her on as quickly as possible.
ILopez desktop: Oh there, she is.
ILopez desktop: that's quick.
ILopez desktop: Can we do a sound check just to make sure i'm Michelle you're on mute just wanna make sure I can hear you.
Brooke Kearney: Hello.
ILopez desktop: Excellent okay we've got everybody thanks so much it's all yours.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Everyone, my name is Ashley melon hero it's a pleasure to join you as the moderator for the disability matters marketplace session and joining you from my office and Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, where have.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): The privilege to serve as the director for the pmc disabilities resource Center for the patient focused Center for the pmc health system.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): and proud to be a part of you can see, as we are sharing a new era of healthcare excellence throughout Pennsylvania originally in New York and Maryland and in locations around the world.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): With our core values is getting dignity and respect for all patients visitors guests and staff members and sharing expression accessible health care for our patients is my team priority.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Today, disability matters is honoring to more fabulous organizations, for their efforts and meeting the needs of people with disabilities in their respective fields.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): This award is in consideration of a company's programs and initiatives to focus on outreach communication and marketing products and your services to consumers for individuals who either have a disability themselves.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): or for those who may care for or supporting individual with a disability.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Without further ado let's hear from this year's award winners about the initiatives that brought them to the disability matters stage we're going to start with introductions first let's introduce Michelle beings chief diversity inclusion officer for calls.
Michelle Banks: hello, how are you a pleasure to be here.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): kitty who's the chief development officer for morgan's Wonderland and we're going to push it inclusion initiative.
Brooke Kearney: Hello happy to be here.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Congratulations on your awards i'm going to start off with just asking both of you to to give us a little bit of a background on your initiative and your organization Michelle did you want to start.
Michelle Banks: Sure, first of all, I just have to say thank you again, it is really an honor and a privilege to be invited by diversity matters.
Michelle Banks: And, with all that being said, I think the highlight of my day, I have to say so far as obviously not being able to or being able to.
Michelle Banks: engage with you all, but also just i'm impressed with my ability to create the virtual background, so I just want to make sure that I call that out, because that was a big one of the day.
Michelle Banks: Also, a little bit more about me, I am the chief diversity and inclusion officer at kohl's department stores.
Michelle Banks: I have been with the organization almost 14 years now, and when we think back to some of the things in the organization that really.
Michelle Banks: We feel are really fundamental to our values and some of our new initiatives that we're most proud of the adaptive clothing line is it, so I am so excited to be able to share a little bit more detail with you all on that today.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Timothy.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Would you like to go next.
Brooke Kearney: yeah sure, so my name is brooke kearney and i'm the chief development officer for morgan's inclusion initiative which is.
Brooke Kearney: The nonprofit organization that supports all things morgan's Wonderland and i'll let Michelle go and do her presentation and I have a few slides to walk through a couple things to tell you about our organization and what we do so i'm happy to follow Michelle Michelle Lee.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): terrific.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Michelle.
Michelle Banks: All right, should I jump right on in.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): let's hear your story.
Michelle Banks: i'm going to share some slides here with everyone and, hopefully, I can engage you all, with some some fun that we've pulled together for the group, so let me work on my.
Michelle Banks: Technical abilities again can everyone see that.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): you're doing great.
Michelle Banks: awesome alright so again really honored to be a part of joining us today and talking on behalf of the clothes team.
Michelle Banks: about our adaptive clothing line I will tell you that it calls again, we really do hold ourselves accountable to understanding and embracing diversity.
Michelle Banks: And differences across the organization and we really are looking for always unique ways to make sure that we embed what our customers and associates needs are and to our offerings on a day in, day out basis.
Michelle Banks: We all really hold ourselves again accountable to understanding and acknowledging unique needs.
Michelle Banks: Experiences abilities and perspectives and we make sure that we put forth our efforts to ensure that we're not only listening, but, listening with intention.
Michelle Banks: So again, really honor today to be recognized by disability matters as an honoree in the marketplace category and so now i'm going to talk to you a little bit about our adaptive clothing line.
Michelle Banks: So obviously we're a retail organization, so we have to apply the fact that not only do we look at diversity equity and inclusion is the right thing to do.
Michelle Banks: But there's definitely a potential there in terms of selling and buying power so really quickly some statistics here when we think about the overall.
Michelle Banks: disabilities of individuals out there in the world today there's about 41 million in the US population that have disabilities.
Michelle Banks: Within that kind of just scrolling across the screen here there's about a $64 billion potential apparel addressable market share.
Michelle Banks: That we really want to make sure that we're embracing.
Michelle Banks: With that being said last year alone, there was still only $1.3 billion spent so when we think about individuals with disabilities, we definitely have acknowledged the fact that there's an opportunity to be able to offer.
Michelle Banks: clothing That again is accessible and we'll talk about that in a second, but really pulling again, that is something that is trans transitioning from season to season, etc.
Michelle Banks: And so we really kind of put our heads together with our internal and external teams to create offerings so what I will tell you is cole's adaptive launched in 2019 and our kids department for back to school.
Michelle Banks: we've expanded that sense to young women's and also in our jammies assortments during the holiday season.
Michelle Banks: And then i'm also proud to say and i'll show you a quick snippet towards the end that we also have taken on the sponsorship role of one way of dreams fashion show we were the sponsor last year in September of 2021 we're proud to say that we're going to be the sponsor again this year.
Michelle Banks: We do currently carry adaptive and four of our private label brands, again we introduced it to jammies for the family, this year, which was our fifth in house brand.
Michelle Banks: And then, when we think about adaptive in terms of the overall expansion, this is an online assortment today the good news, again, is that we do have offerings in kids as well as in young women's, but we will be doing a full expansion into adult in the fall of this year.
Michelle Banks: we're a little too fast here.
Michelle Banks: Go back one really want to take you on a quick journey like How did this all begin, I think this is some pretty cool trivia here.
Michelle Banks: And we do something in our organization called we're listening, we listened to our teams very intently and an intern actually brought this initiative to us in 2018.
Michelle Banks: And with that being said, we then put our heads together with some of our internal teams to determine again what was really going to be the most authentic approach if we were going to have adaptive offerings.
Michelle Banks: So, with all that being said, we launched our in our kids line again and Back to School of.
Michelle Banks: And really with the mission to again, ensure that we were fulfilling on you know options for all customers and all families.
Michelle Banks: Some of those challenges that we had kind of coming out of the box, are you know thinking about really building on knowledge of the different needs and how to provide solutions that were appropriate.
Michelle Banks: What we did was again we tapped into our internal designs designers as well as again a lot of our associates that had children's with disabilities.
Michelle Banks: With That being said, some of the other trials were really around looking and trying to figure out, what are the right garments so we tested in some hospital environments and really wanted to verify functionality.
Michelle Banks: And then, lastly, if you can imagine we really had to make sure we were educating a lot of our manufacturers on what we wanted these garments to kind of engineer and look like.
Michelle Banks: And again functionality was really the kind of core of how we were looking to ensure we were appropriate.
Michelle Banks: And then, when we think about some of the successes, some of the successes were is that we.
Michelle Banks: Really acknowledge that customers who were shopping for adaptive clothing they shopped almost two times more on our call site than our traditional customer.
Michelle Banks: They placed double the amount of orders they spend twice as much, and then the customer sentiment around our product was that they also buy multiple items as well, and they want to come back for more.
Michelle Banks: So, with all that being said, i'm going to Now let me hear from a couple of the individuals on our teams or technical designers as well as some of our artists.
Michelle Banks: Life changes pretty quickly there's definitely an adjustment to learning how to be a special needs parents caring for my daughter sometimes feels like all everything is harder than it is for other people find something.
Michelle Banks: that's one less thing to worry about knowing that we can actually create a product that's going to help is really just a dream.
Michelle Banks: it's a great feeling, to know that there, including children, like my son and that he can feel and look like all of his peers that makes my work so much more meaningful now.
Michelle Banks: With it being adaptive it makes it so much more amazing the impulsivity is very important to me, all of these kids.
Michelle Banks: Have a great sense of pride when they're able to do all this stuff by themselves completely fulfills on our promise to empower families to lead fulfilled lives I don't think there's something more we could do that hits that on the head more than our adoptive life does.
Michelle Banks: Life changes pretty quickly there's definitely an adjustment to.
Michelle Banks: So I think that's pretty cool again when you think about kind of the influence to know that some of that influence came from our associates inside of organization that's pretty exciting.
Michelle Banks: We get a lot of customer testimonials i'll read just a couple of them here to you that really kind of stand out to me.
Michelle Banks: is one of them is the first one, where someone said, you know my son can pull up his pants on his own for the first time since he can hook his fingers into the belt loops which I thought was pretty amazing.
Michelle Banks: And then the other one here is the holes aren't weird or awkward they're from medical access and this individual son has a feeding tube in their stomach so it's great to again have that accessibility.
Michelle Banks: When we think about our product, this is a four of our excuse me five of our in house brands, so we do carry again adaptive and jumping beings so tech here in sonoma and then also again in our jammies for the families so we've got casual, as well as athletic assortments.
Michelle Banks: And then we also have footwear and so stride rite is actually offering us one design, where we have removable inserts to allow for the braces to fit we have sensory friendly toys and then it was really fun this year as well to see our adaptive Halloween costume one as well.
Michelle Banks: From a customer standpoint, I think the thing here again that really stands out to us as the convenience so being able to shop online and I have the hassle of going into stores is something that's been a benefit.
Michelle Banks: Some of the additional kind of offerings that we have we really again wanted to focus on fabrics that were sensory friendly, as well as closures so abdominal access with diaper friendly access was really popular.
Michelle Banks: Easy dressing, so the hook and loop closures are definitely again a really comfortable, as well as the larger neck openings with a reinforce about loops to make sure again dressing is easier.
Michelle Banks: From a seating standpoint, we offer higher waistlines and provide versatility and comfort over diapers or even in wheelchairs and then against sensory friendly so flat and external scenes they're heated seal tags so they're they're comfortable against the skin.
Michelle Banks: And lastly, what I will say is again really excited that we were the sponsor of the runway of dreams fashion show, I will tell you.
Michelle Banks: Even from personal experience, last year, there was a little bit of a kind of tissue going on in the company about how many of us will be able to attend in September.
Michelle Banks: And so, this year it's so amazing to see the outpouring of care and concern and really again just supportive the adaptive clothing line.
Michelle Banks: I already have my ticket to the runway of dreams fashion show this year, and again I know a lot of the other individuals in the organization do as well, so this again with something really exciting to see and i'm excited to share it with you.
Michelle Banks: All of these kids have a great sense of pride when they're able to do all this stuff by themselves, knowing that we can actually create a product that's going to help is really just a dream come true.
Michelle Banks: One way dreams, we are really excited about the fashion show he's kept calls holes here ready to go for these kids that we modified and built to their needs to make them feel confident beautiful.
Michelle Banks: As my ultimate pleasure to tonight show and welcome you are 2021 runway of dreams fashion revolution.
Michelle Banks: season amazing models modeling.
Michelle Banks: As well as other brands, but we're really proud of the product tonight if you're a parent or a loved one of anybody who has special needs, you know I feel like.
Michelle Banks: And the ability to actually allow them to come to an event like this, or or just your day to day lives represent themselves in an authentic way.
Michelle Banks: it's incredibly hard work, we spent a lot of time and energy, making sure that all the details are modified to meet the kids and.
Michelle Banks: we're going to make sure that you're comfortable that they feel good and beautiful.
Michelle Banks: That they can also look like all the other kids they don't want attention drawn to them, they just want to be like everyone else, and I think to see.
Michelle Banks: Our clothes coming down the runway and things that my team and I worked so hard on to make sure that they were just perfect is so exciting I can't even express.
Michelle Banks: And, with all that said again, I just have to say i'm really so proud and so inspired by our teams so excited to be able to receive this recognition from you all today.
Michelle Banks: definitely going to continue to share with them that you know the product and the offerings that they have put out there and again how thoughtful they are is definitely resonating so that's adaptive by coles.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Am so blown away by all the work that you've done as a woman, with a disability and a wheelchair user, this is amazing, you know as a little kid the what struck me in your presentation was the adapted shoe that would fit over the braces.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): It just reminded me whenever my younger sister was able to get tennis shoes and I couldn't because I had the orthopedic shoes that were attached to my braces and the first pair of tennis shoes have ever bought.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): That, I was able to wear just I still remember them sell your your presentation struck a chord and thank you so much for the work that you're doing.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): And I guess one question I have for you, and is there a plan to take this into maybe professional clothing as a woman in it, who uses a wheelchair.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): I was even struggling today with with my outfit that I chose and so i'm anxious to see you know what's in the future, and like even with the with the jammies line or the adapted features, also in the adult pajamas or they just in the children's if I missed it I apologize.
Michelle Banks: No you're fine actually I need to clarify that, and I think it's a good question so with That being said, I will find out for sure and get back to you on if the offerings for.
Michelle Banks: children's and jammies for the families, also in the adult line if it wasn't in the fall of last year will be this year because we're expanding into adult.
Michelle Banks: And I think that's a great question around having professional clothing as an option as well.
Michelle Banks: Since we're launching and fall of this year it's not something that I think is so unheard of, because we're also launching it in our in house brand which is sonoma which does offer some casual, as well as professional offerings so i'll take that back.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): yeah.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Thanks right questions.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): yeah I think yeah one of your comments, was that those who are purchasing from you are buying in multiples and I can tell you just from my own experience, if I find something that does work well with my you know my wife selling in my wheelchair I do buy multiples and so.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): I am all about your line I love it.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Congratulations in this is definitely.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Recognition deserved.
Michelle Banks: Thank you very, very much we take back all of your feedback.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): From.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): yeah like to share with us about work in Wonderland I know I know.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): you're excited to share and we're excited to learn i'm familiar with your with your amusement parks and I can't wait for everyone to hear about them.
Brooke Kearney: awesome Thank you so much, and again to echo what Michelle said, thank you for this honor and allowing us to be able to spotlight what we do.
Brooke Kearney: And then just also a shout out to Michelle because cole's volunteers that come out to our park are usually.
Brooke Kearney: Some of the best volunteers that we get all year that work hard we've just had some out last week, I believe, so we appreciate our calls family too, and I love our local stores and look forward to connecting with you further on a corporate level as well, so thank you so much for that.
Michelle Banks: lovely Thank you.
Brooke Kearney: you're welcome i'm just confirming, you can see my screen share.
Brooke Kearney: The perfect alright so again, my name is brooke hearing, I am the chief development officer for morgan's inclusion initiative and morgan's inclusion initiative is the sort of parent nonprofit for what is morgan's Wonderland so let me start at the beginning.
Brooke Kearney: Our namesake is Morgan hartman and she was born to Gordon and Maggie hartman here in San Antonio Texas, and at the time Gordon.
Brooke Kearney: was one of the largest home builders in the area, so there's a lot of developments around here that he helped create and develop and after as Morgan started growing up.
Brooke Kearney: They decided they wanted to spend more time as a family and so he was able to sell his business to create a foundation, because he knew him and his wife wanted to.
Brooke Kearney: support those with disabilities in our Community well that next year Gordon Maggie were on a trip with Morgan and Morgan was trying to play with some kiddos in a pool right and some of our.
Brooke Kearney: kiddos and adults, you know verbal skills and communication skills are still developing it so she tried to initiate play.
Brooke Kearney: With some of the other kids and they just really reacted very negatively and ran away and did not engage in more Gordon and Maggie said that that was really the tipping point where they said Okay, we need to do something in San Antonio Texas, that will be a place to.
Brooke Kearney: honor those with and without disabilities and create a barrier free place where we can kind of all make memories right.
Brooke Kearney: So what was initially at the at the concept in 2006 was just going to be a sort of a large outdoor playground kind of public playground has now turned into now a collaborative.
Brooke Kearney: collaboration of four separate 501 C three nonprofit organizations and i'm excited to walk through those with you but we'll start at the beginning with morgan's Wonderland.
Brooke Kearney: It so in 2008 We broke ground here in San Antonio Texas we're actually in a query and you can see the kind of the back there of where the query was and so that's one of the cool things about where we are, is that we're we will revitalizing.
Brooke Kearney: Using land that otherwise would not be able to be used, and so we started building in 2008 and in 2010 we had no idea what to expect but 5000 people showed up at our door on April 10 of 2010.
Brooke Kearney: And it's just not stops it's been so we're extremely grateful and morgan's Wonderland.
Brooke Kearney: we've trademarked and stand behind the term ultra accessible, which to us means taking what is Ada and going above and beyond, so that includes financial.
Brooke Kearney: barriers that includes sensory barriers, all the way to physical accessibility barriers and so you'll see throughout these pictures different ways that folks are able to interact.
Brooke Kearney: We have an entertainment team, just like any other theme park would, but our entertainment team, about half of our staff our folks with disabilities and as Michelle said to actually leave you to to.
Brooke Kearney: representation really matters for us right so when we're able to allow folks who have different abilities in different disabilities, to be able to.
Brooke Kearney: own their space it just creates beautiful opportunities for the Community right, so we also our volunteer program is is a vibrant program for folks with and without disabilities and lots of just different interactions opportunities.
Brooke Kearney: we've got several you can see up at the top here, this is my favorite pictures we've got a full Shakespeare crew that we have out in the park.
Brooke Kearney: And about half of those folks have disabilities to so my friend gave right here, and my friend Leah both have down syndrome and they act alongside to professional actors that are in our Community, to put together Shakespeare.
Brooke Kearney: And it's really cool at jade was out the other day and I gave you in your lines and he to be or not to be it's just really cool he's he always brightens the day.
Brooke Kearney: But you'll notice, you know we have things such as wheelchair swings we have a 25 different rides and attractions.
Brooke Kearney: At the park and everything is accessible if everything was specially made and crafted and again to reiterate one of only two nonprofit we're going to being parks in the country and the only ultra accessible theme park that's meant for creating these barrier free memories for the Community.
Brooke Kearney: So again, like I said we opened in 2010 so now we're entering our 13th season and we've seen.
Brooke Kearney: Over 1,000,001.8 million guests, which closer to 2 million now from 122 different countries across the world and we work with a lot of wish making agencies.
Brooke Kearney: And organizations to get people here internationally across the country to be able to come, for the first time to a place where.
Brooke Kearney: Someone can walk in and not have to be concerned about what they bring with them right whether that's mentally emotionally physically financially.
Brooke Kearney: we're committed to making sure that those barriers don't exist, and so you can see up here we have a train and you'll notice there's different spots all of our.
Brooke Kearney: rides are you're allowed to be able to stay in your wheelchair we're not asking you to transfer out or transfer into something else.
Brooke Kearney: we've continued to make those designs and that holds true with everything else that we're doing that i'll get to in a moment, but.
Brooke Kearney: that's one of the coolest things is, if I have a friend that's in a wheelchair, and I want to go hang out with them and go around the park I don't want to have to sit separate from them right I don't have to sit.
Brooke Kearney: and not be able to ride with them and make those memories and with our carousel you can ride right along with folks and be able to get the same sensation of the up and down it's just really, really awesome.
Brooke Kearney: we've won several awards within the amusement industry and then, most recently we were named one of time magazine's most 100 places to visit and we're really excited about that.
Brooke Kearney: Here, just a quick little review of what someone said, and this is, in our welcome Center and it's just really cool to be able to see how families come in and embrace and what we have.
Brooke Kearney: And we like I said we're in San Antonio Texas, and for those of you that are familiar with Texas weather, especially South Texas, whether it's pretty warm.
Brooke Kearney: And so, as we were open as we're open for several years, the feedback that we got from the Community was where's the water we're hot in the summer it's you know it's hot we want water.
Brooke Kearney: And so we spent several years developing morgan's inspiration island which opened in 2017 and again it's the first ultra accessible splash park.
Brooke Kearney: And everything in this park is able to be accessed by folks of all abilities in different areas.
Brooke Kearney: We have each splash pad is different, we have a heated splash pad for folks that are unable to regulate body temperature or need that type of warmed water we've got dropped buckets and different paths that are accessible in their own different ways right but everybody can.
Brooke Kearney: capitalize on one of the coolest things and my favorite thing about morgan's inspiration island is that we have a wheelchair valley system, and this is.
Brooke Kearney: super cool because we thought okay well we're going to make a waterpark for folks but if someone's coming in in their everyday chair.
Brooke Kearney: We all know that water is extremely destructive and the last thing we want is you to put your everyday chair well what if also what if i'm an adult with maybe a disability, such as cerebral palsy live independently.
Brooke Kearney: use a electric wheelchair to get around and then I asked you to go to the waterpark with me, but then I have to be pushed around right.
Brooke Kearney: We want you to retain that level of independence, and so what we did is we created three different types of waterproof wheelchairs and so when a guest comes in, at no cost to them.
Brooke Kearney: they're able to come to us check their everyday chair and then they're able to use one of our three types of chairs and we have.
Brooke Kearney: A Conde chair, which is kind of a tilton space kind of stroller almost chair hustling we also have a key mobility chair that's sort of a traditional push chair.
Brooke Kearney: Then also we have our pneumatic little chairs and so these were developed with the University of Pittsburgh there's only 11 in the world, when we have 10 of them here in San Antonio Texas, and these.
Brooke Kearney: wheelchairs our power chairs power directly through air, so there is not an electrical component on these chairs, so if you independently, are able to utilize.
Brooke Kearney: A electric chair to get out and about in the Community, we will help transfer you say free into one of our our pneumatic chairs and you're able to scoot around and do everything independently on your own.
Brooke Kearney: These wheelchairs can go actually fully submerged underwater so it's just a really neat.
Brooke Kearney: opportunity to be able to see, especially a lot of our adults that come that have never been able to interact with the water features and things and definitely before so really, really neat.
Brooke Kearney: We also have a fun little boat ride, and you can see, one of our guests on the back so again, we put you, you get to retain and stay in your means not having to transfer out.
Brooke Kearney: At like some other locations in this boat actually did win an award at the time.
Brooke Kearney: Because of our way that we load in and out and it's got a hydraulic system that allows you to roll on right, and then it lowers you into the boat so again.
Brooke Kearney: we're all at the same level i'm at the same level as my peers if i'm using a wheelchair and reliable to interact and ride together so just just some really neat stuff.
Brooke Kearney: Really cool picture and again summertime is one of the most oftentimes to be around here because it's.
Brooke Kearney: You can get very stuck in what we do on computers and you know reports and doing King material to go out into the park every day and just see smiles and Laughter
Brooke Kearney: And it really makes it makes a big difference and so morgan's Wonderland was just the beginning and like I said I work for morgan's inclusion initiative, and right now we've got several other projects.
Brooke Kearney: That are working, and you can learn more about asset inclusion starts here.com but we during the pandemic thought it would be a great idea to open a sports park so that was fun.
Brooke Kearney: But we were already well underway in construction with that Park, so we did.
Brooke Kearney: Open this facility during the pandemic and just now really in the past couple of months are we seeing the full utilization and the awesomeness that it is.
Brooke Kearney: morgan's Wonderland for the last 13 years has run a Paralympic style adaptive sports program that has been nationally competitive.
Brooke Kearney: As well as working on some Unified Sports and so now the sports teams have their own place to call home, in addition to our event Center in a gym that we have on site and so you'll notice.
Brooke Kearney: Throughout this sports complex lots of just different features and.
Brooke Kearney: accessibility and encouragement for folks to play together, and so we host a lot of different clinics, a lot of wheelchair adaptive sports clinics and then a lost a lot of Paris sports.
Brooke Kearney: And those with visual impairments as well we've got all wonderful stuff that we'd love for you to learn more about and again, and I feel dimension at the beginning, but at the core when.
Brooke Kearney: The heart mckinley created our organization hit their their commitment to the Community was at anybody, with a special need or disability would never have to pay to come here right.
Brooke Kearney: So it staying true with that if anybody walks into our park or rolls into our park and indicates that they have a disability, then.
Brooke Kearney: We allow those folks into our parks for free and that's primarily.
Brooke Kearney: fundraising that's primarily my role so every time everybody walks in the door it's a cost us about $31 every time a guest comes in and so we're consistently raising.
Brooke Kearney: Hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to continue to allow that at no cost, and as we continue to expand to try to meet the need.
Brooke Kearney: There is no shortage of that need with us and so along that line with mortgage Wonderland sports any.
Brooke Kearney: Adult or child who has a disability, of any type is able to participate in our sports programs for free utilize our facility.
Brooke Kearney: A good participate in one of our 13 different sports and it's all about just.
Brooke Kearney: Trying to pave the way for people to not have to who already are worrying about other types of things and things in their life let's just level the playing field remove the barriers and let's all just do things together right.
Brooke Kearney: And so really proud of morgan's Wonderland sports and then we have morgan's Wonderland camp, which is a separate nonprofit that I.
Brooke Kearney: I still oversee all of that development so we're all a conglomeration but allows us to fundraise separately and keep financial separate so that's pretty cool.
Brooke Kearney: But morgan's Wonderland camp is here in San Antonio Texas just right on the outside of town and we're 102 acre ultra accessible.
Brooke Kearney: Summer camp style camp where we can sleep up to 525 people a night at this camp and looking to be able to serve about 10 to 12,000 campers throughout the entire year year long.
Brooke Kearney: went on average other camps in the Community, which are great are only able at size to serve about 2020 500 for an entire year.
Brooke Kearney: we've built this to scale to be able to serve as many people as possible and so you'll see it's it's huge it's beautiful brand new.
Brooke Kearney: We have a challenge course in rockwall when you're able to stay in your wheelchair and traverse this challenge course next year friends, so in this.
Brooke Kearney: photo that you see here you'll see one with the two tracks and then you'll see another one, so you and I, as friends can go do this challenge course together and each of us gets to do it.
Brooke Kearney: In our way possible and everything is super adaptive and we also have over here you'll see our zip line.
Brooke Kearney: That is even accommodating for anybody that has a ventilator or trick or oxygen is able to get on this zip line.
Brooke Kearney: Back behind it there's a box, that we can connect everything to so there really isn't a person that can't get on this zip line.
Brooke Kearney: we're also able to control the speed of the zip line so depending on focuses core control and different other abilities and needs were able to do it slow or we can do it pretty fast, and I think it's pretty fun if you're able to do it pretty fast.
Brooke Kearney: And then we've got fun different water isn't a lazy river and everything again with our chairs, that we have at the park and i'll transition to Morgan tonally camp to using that technology.
Brooke Kearney: And so the again in line with our mission of inclusion folks with disabilities, do not pay to come to this camp we fundraise and try to underwrite that.
Brooke Kearney: But in addition, we do have partner camps that come and use the facility so even folks like cole's that wanted to do a corporate retreat could come and.
Brooke Kearney: rent out our facility alongside another camp that's going on and that's the versatility of the campus why we made it that way, and we also offer some direct services like family weekend camps.
Brooke Kearney: Where we're bringing in the entire family together for them to make those memories, for the first time in this outdoor recreation space.
Brooke Kearney: And again, that kid without adult that has a disability is at no cost to them and, and then we highly highly underwrite the cost of this so again.
Brooke Kearney: consistently thankful to the Community that supports us and can we continue to grow.
Brooke Kearney: And then right now right outside my window, I see the last project but it's the next project because Gordon every day comes up with something new.
Brooke Kearney: That we get to figure out how to build that we're very grateful to be a part of it is our multi assistance Center at morgan's Wonderland, and this is 160 5000 square foot collaborative healthcare facility.
Brooke Kearney: The concept here is that everything is under one roof and connected through a navigation platform.
Brooke Kearney: focused on the social determinants of health, and so we are focused on not only the health outcomes and access to physicians and doctors, but we have.
Brooke Kearney: Multiple over 30 different nonprofit organizations that will office space in here, including food banks are public transportation system.
Brooke Kearney: State funded opportunities housing assistance, etc, so that when families come in we're serving their whole full need to them and again.
Brooke Kearney: This the navigation service where someone is assigned a person to walk through their healthcare journey with him he's assigned to them at no cost.
Brooke Kearney: It we're just very proud, and this will open hopefully we'll be moving in and around July or August this year so stay tuned for some really cool announcements, because this space is pretty revolutionary.
Brooke Kearney: And, as I As I conclude, I always just love when talking to groups to conclude with one of my favorite quotes from one of my most favorite people with Maya angelou and you know she said.
Brooke Kearney: i've learned that people will forget what you said and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel right, and so we all know that words and actions are intentional.
Brooke Kearney: But it's that feeling of inclusion and that feeling of accessibility as why we do what we do every day and that's our goal, and everything that we have is to make everyone feel that they're a part where the invalid.
Brooke Kearney: we'd love for you to follow us on social media and to stay up to date with us and we'd love to i'd love to connect if you have any additional questions are interested in support in any way.
Brooke Kearney: But we're just very grateful for this community and our local community and look forward to hopefully hosting you guys out a visit in San Antonio anytime you're available.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): and
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): i'm blown away by all the different parts that you have, and all of the different opportunities that you've created for families and people with disabilities it's amazing.
Brooke Kearney: Thank you, that was my nutshell version, because I could I could talk to you for two hours about everything that's going on, so thank you for talking so.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): yeah I wish we had two hours to talk to both of you.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): I have so many questions and comments and I do know i'm familiar with the new chair, that is, that your waterpark.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): They actually know brandon baffler.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Who created it and he's.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): A power wheelchair user himself yeah he was one of our students so who so excited to see it everybody in Pittsburgh has really proud of that.
Brooke Kearney: Yes, we're very proud of it, too, and we shot back from the rooftops So yes.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): yeah it's so cool to see one of the technologies being used.
Brooke Kearney: In the afternoon.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): But i'm.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): excited about the sport camp.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): The sports facility as a hand cyclist and.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): More avid adapted athlete.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Just wonderful wonderful things coming from your organization again so well deserved this recognition is is totally well deserved.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Thank you for all that you're doing.
Brooke Kearney: Thank you, I mean we were started off the dream and a family to allow and to create a safe space for these memories and we've been able to grow into.
Brooke Kearney: This tremendous.
Brooke Kearney: mission, and we would not be able to do that with our Community support from individuals and foundations and corporations so again.
Brooke Kearney: to interview that continue to support our mission, thank you for continuing that Michelle, thank you for what you do, because that only makes our impact larger right as a collective impact.
Michelle Banks: same to you brooke I have to say outstanding job i'm sure you saw me taking a lot of notes and thank you for acknowledging that we've supported you with most cares but um I think we can do better than that.
Brooke Kearney: would love to have that top Thank you.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Have about one minute left, are there any questions from the audience that we can address.
Nadine Vogel: So Ashley, and this is needy night there were just a couple of comments that came in, someone said it morgan's disability is not a special need, but rather it just is wow.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Someone else.
Nadine Vogel: Someone else was giving kudos to the adaptive clothing line and calls to say you know not able to know at this point if there was pushed back or not, but the fact that it was achieved again another wow.
Nadine Vogel: So kudos to both of you guys oh my gosh.
Brooke Kearney: Thank you it's an honor so please feel free to connect with me and on back on the shelf connect with either invest and.
Brooke Kearney: we're happy to continue to answer questions or guide you in a way, because again this movement of inclusion.
Brooke Kearney: accessibility and representation.
Brooke Kearney: will not happen without every single person that's on here today and every person we come into contact with so tell somebody who didn't know about the clothesline and tell somebody who didn't know about morgan's Wonderland help us spread this mission.
Michelle Banks: Thank you so much welfare.
Effects act to you.
Ashli Molinero (She/Her): Meeting, thank you.
ILopez desktop: Thank you so much, I appreciate it Thank you Ashley Thank you Michelle and thank you brooke and now we're moving into our next session governmental regulation and implications in a postcode world.
ILopez desktop: And we're bringing to our virtual say stage supervisors trial attorney us equal employment opportunity Commission emc and Prince Beatrice biscardi Andre and principal objection Lewis Eric J Salzburg.
Welcome to the stage.
Just make sure that we have.
ILopez desktop: here's the truth, I can see you Beatrice can you unmute so I can just check your your sound.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Does that work.
That works.
ILopez desktop: and
ILopez desktop: I just need Eric if you could turn on your video, you should be able to.
Eric Felsberg: yeah it says that I can't because the host has stopped.
ILopez desktop: Because I stopped it of course because that's just how that goes.
ILopez desktop: We did share on here.
Eric Felsberg: And I have to do the background to.
ILopez desktop: got it.
ILopez desktop: There you go, you should receive a prompt to start your video.
Eric Felsberg: It worked.
ILopez desktop: yeah.
hold on a second.
Eric Felsberg: Now, I just have a promise.
ILopez desktop: Sure, and you don't have to I mean I mean you don't have to, but if you click your start video there's a carrot that points up yep.
ILopez desktop: It should say choose virtual background.
Eric Felsberg: I do not have that option.
ILopez desktop: and not to worry.
ILopez desktop: Do not worry about.
Eric Felsberg: All right.
ILopez desktop: I can see, you and I can hear both you so it's all yours.
Eric Felsberg: Alright, great well Thank you everyone, I appreciate the opportunity to be here and Beatrice it's it's good to see you, my name is Eric phillipsburg and i'm a principal with the law firm of Jackson Lewis and Jackson Lewis For those of you, that are not familiar with our firm.
Eric Felsberg: Is a firm that's dedicated to representing employers exclusively in most aspects, if not all aspects of workplace law so i'm happy to be here with you today Beatrice.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Sure, so good afternoon everyone, my name is Beatrice.
Andre.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: I work for the work on the other side, so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: I work for the equal employment opportunity Commission and what.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Our mission is is to investigate claims of employment discrimination.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So that includes anything any protected characteristic that an employee believes they've been discriminated against in the.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: workplace.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: We investigate those and then my job, specifically is.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: For certain cases we litigate those on behalf of the government.
and
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So we were, I think.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: rightfully picked to talk about the regulations that are now.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: bubbling up.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: In this know called postcode but I guess, we are still in this code world.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Though things are changing it's a changing landscape.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And so we hope that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, with the time that we have today that we can.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Just flag, some of these issues and some.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: pointers and thoughts for for everyone to take take with them.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So i'll turn it back to you.
Eric Felsberg: yeah no Thank you so much, I mean I think there's one thing we probably all can agree on and that is that this experience that we've all had over the last couple of years with Kobe.
Eric Felsberg: has really disrupted all aspects of our bold long lives, both at home for those of us that are that are in school, but certainly.
Eric Felsberg: The topic that's closest to my heart and i'm sure beatrice's is the workplace right and.
Eric Felsberg: We you know we all hope right, although recent news, especially where i'm sitting up in New York, we hope that colburn is subsiding.
Eric Felsberg: But you know, certainly the employment landscape, regardless of what happens to cove it ultimately has been permanently altered.
Eric Felsberg: And, and that that is something that we continually see I could tell you in our practice of Jackson Lewis and.
Eric Felsberg: I know Beatrice does as well, which she'll speak about in a few minutes, but you know as as we see the dust start to settle you know, there are a number of novel issues that have arisen.
Eric Felsberg: That government regulation is just starting to address right, I think that the government in large measure is is trying to catch up to where coven.
Eric Felsberg: Is is and has been and where you know, in the future it's going to go.
Eric Felsberg: But certainly you know I don't envy the government in terms of making these regulations because it's you know they're doing their best and and.
Eric Felsberg: But there's you know they have to kind of react to an evolving issue, which is not always very easy to do, but you know it has a.
Eric Felsberg: You know impacted a number of aspects of our of our workplace, the first one, I want that we're going to touch on is this phenomenon that I think a lot of us are familiar with, which is working from home.
Eric Felsberg: Right, you know this has opened up a lot of opportunity, but certainly it comes with its own issues, for example.
Eric Felsberg: You know, and I was there to where you know i'm kind of tapping away on a on a laptop from from my.
Eric Felsberg: From my home which a lot of times was pretty challenging to do when you have kids running around, and you know other things going on, and you know.
Eric Felsberg: The question would arise which is hey you know i'm using, at least in part and and others that have been you know kind of work, you know, working from home over the last you know year or two.
Eric Felsberg: reimbursement for home equipment right employers as a general rule, right and there's some nuances here and there, but they should reimburse for expenses that employees would not.
Eric Felsberg: Otherwise, have incurred right, so their expenses that have arisen that flow from this requirement than a lot of instances.
Eric Felsberg: Where folks are working from home and the question of reimbursement for home equipment arises now not all not always as simple solution to that, but certainly that's an issue that we don't know all need to be aware of, and also how do we define compensable time.
Eric Felsberg: For example, you know if somebody is working from their home and you as an employer, are you making sure that they're stopping and running upstairs and having lunch for for 30 minutes.
Eric Felsberg: You know, I suspect, a lot of you would say no, how would I do that and there in lies.
Eric Felsberg: Some of the some of the difficulty and you know, one of the things I think we all can kind of recognize is it's very it became pretty difficult to kind of define.
Eric Felsberg: When was the start of the work day and when was the ending of the of the work day right.
Eric Felsberg: You know, most people when they're in the office kind of have a set time that they get in generally speaking and and certainly on the reverse side when they're leaving for the evening.
Eric Felsberg: But when you're at home it's kind of like this continuum where you're just kind of you know, shut your laptop and maybe walk into another room to have dinner, or what have you, you know where does the compensable time.
Eric Felsberg: Line lie so so that that becomes difficult also effective supervision right when everyone's in the office you have a general sense of what everyone is up to what projects they're working on.
Eric Felsberg: How productive they're being right are we seeing work product be produced when folks are working from multiple locations and when you're not all together that becomes difficult.
Eric Felsberg: And, and I think what that bleeds into is the question of effective training and development right, how do we know.
Eric Felsberg: When people working remotely kind of how are they keeping up are they developing as, as you know, in their in their jobs.
Eric Felsberg: Whereas, you know when when you're together it's much more easy easier, I should say right to kind of get your hands around that.
Eric Felsberg: And also loyalty and retention, I think this is um you know I kind of haven't near the bottom of my list, but perhaps probably should be near the top right because.
Eric Felsberg: You know when everybody was working from home, there was a sense that you know you were a bit removed from the workplace.
Eric Felsberg: Right, you know you're not coming in every day and senior colleagues, maybe you have a group that you go out to lunch with every day and that will kind of ended and and, to a large degree, a lot of that has not fully returned and so folks a lot of times will not have.
Eric Felsberg: You know that kind of connection with the workplace, and that is certainly you know become you know become complicated, but certainly there there's a you know, a range of.
Eric Felsberg: regulations that we have to be aware of, and again the ones that we spend a lot of time working with and I mentioned that earlier is.
Eric Felsberg: You know, primarily around reimbursement hours worked who you know, are there, wage our issues that are that are arising and and how do we kind of.
Eric Felsberg: have our employees record time appropriately in it and it's a minefield right because employers could be incurring a liability in the area of wage our and others without even really knowing it right and.
Eric Felsberg: And that's really kind of what we what we want to talk a little bit today but Beatrice with that as a background would love to hear kind of your perspective on that work from home.
Eric Felsberg: topic.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Sure, so I think.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know one one way that I i've i've tried to make.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: sense of of all these evolving and changing issues and landmines, as you said, is is to think of it kind of as that there's all these things going on, but at all times.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: We there's always there's always.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: An overlay.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: there's always the coverage.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Of equal employment opportunity that has always existed and that may look different now, but that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The the law itself and the rules themselves hadn't changed so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: In all of this, so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: As employers are dealing with all the issues that you just talked.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: About they're going to have to implement policies they're going to have to come up with new procedures, whether it's how people record their time or you know if they're going to be putting in place new, flexible schedules of when people have to be.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know clocking in maybe you're going to make them more flexible for folks and in doing so, what we.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: What we want to remind people is the need.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: To continue to offer these equal opportunities to all your.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Employees and for also employees to.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: keep that in mind that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: There is no there shouldn't be an expectation from the employers point of view and from the employers point of.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: view.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: They shouldn't be looking.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: To treat.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: People differently.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Based on any assumptions are stereotypes that they may have about these individuals so i'm going to talk about several of them, and as we keep going, but one of them that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That we've seen you know come up and that the Agency has tried to address, for example, is.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: As you roll out flexible schedules, are you making an assumption that your female employees the women in your workplace.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: are taking on more of these caregiver responsibilities and therefore it's going to be them.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: that are going to be meeting.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: and taking advantage of these flexible scheduling policies so in doing that, are you are you kind of moving to the sidelines your your male employees are.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, it could be some.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: It could be a situation where it just happens to that in your workplace, yes it is mostly the women that are taking advantage of this.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But it could not be and then that's where you're going to run into problems that if you start offering different things to different employees.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: It could be.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You could be doing so to just be trying to help them out.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: For good reasons for benevolent reasons you think but that's where you're going to get.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: In trouble so so that's one thing that we want to.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: kind of emphasize to everyone.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know the same considerations.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The same equal employment opportunities that you were offering.
Eric Felsberg: Before.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: just keep them in mind as you start dealing with all these different issues that are not coming up because of the pandemic of because of.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: coven so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That that that's if there's anything that I.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That, I want to have like the takeaway of today, it would be that.
Eric Felsberg: ya know and that's exactly right, I mean I think there's this perception that you know if if if we're not in the office somehow maybe you know those the Eo related.
Eric Felsberg: rules and regulations, maybe are softened a bit and and and that's where you start to beatrice's point right to to get into a little bit of potentially hot water right and so so that's good all right well so so look, you know after after the pandemic head.
Eric Felsberg: You know, and you know we've been through this a few cycles, it feels like already, but when it initially subsided and and we.
Eric Felsberg: started to all return to the office, the question that often came up was all right, well, what are the considerations about maintaining a safe environment in the office right and.
Eric Felsberg: You know, one of the things that we have to think about is is OSHA right occupational safety hazard administration right, and they have a general duties clause.
Eric Felsberg: That, in large measure just kind of requires a minimum level of safety and employers, you know they're free to take further steps, but.
Eric Felsberg: You know, with with Kobe you know I think a lot of us in the workplace or things like signage right to.
Eric Felsberg: You know about you know, keeping our distance from one another, and you know, maintaining a clean environment, and you know not coming to work when you're not feeling well and.
Eric Felsberg: And the light right I think we've we've all seen that.
Eric Felsberg: And, and as an employer from a from an OSHA perspective, you know our job right as employers is to make sure there are no obvious hazards right and that and that is.
Eric Felsberg: that's our general obligation but, again in the world of coven that's probably easier said than done in a lot of instances, and so.
Eric Felsberg: You know we'll talk a little bit in a little bit about you know how kind of both on the federal level, but also on state and local level.
Eric Felsberg: You know the the governmental authorities have tried to kind of lead us right down a path that to ensure that there is a safe environment and, as we kind of hopefully move on from covert.
Eric Felsberg: You know what is our continuing obligation, what is it that we should be doing to keep to keep a healthy environment for employees and so.
Eric Felsberg: Certainly, that I think right now is is one of the issues that a lot of employers are dealing with, but again Beatrice i'm sure you know, from where you sit you, you certainly have a perspective on this and you know would love to love to hear about it.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Sure, so um again it's it comes from this point of view of.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: of perhaps you know, as you said, because the the employer does feel like they need to keep employees safe when people show up to work as people return to the office.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: How am I going to keep my employees, safe and.
one.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: likelihood that can come up in that, in that context is again making the assumptions about employees so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: let's say that in your let's say before the pandemic.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: for one reason or another, you found out that one of your one of your employees.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: has an has some kind of underlying condition.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That would make them at high risk if they got.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: coven or it could be just simply.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Like you look at your older employees at your workplace, so you start making the.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: assumptions that perhaps.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Well, because of this underlying.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: condition that this one employee had or because of you know.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: This.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: This other employee, you know he's into 70s.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: it's going to make them, you know put them at the high risk population, and so you start assuming that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Perhaps they won't want to return to the workplace, once you open the doors backup.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Or you start assuming that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, going back to the other example of like the flexible schedule as well, maybe.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: As I offer flexible schedules.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Maybe I should offer it to them first.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And then offer it to.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Other you know my younger healthier employees let's say so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, again, the employer might think i'm you know i'm doing a good thing i'm looking out for them i'm trying to keep them safe you never know how how the other how the employees, going to see it right.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know one thing that has come up and in some of the literature is this idea that as, as you have this hybrid.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: workplace, the employees that decide to go back to return they're going to be favored.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know they might get some some benefits and some.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: perks that that folks that are at home.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Because they're not there they're not always talking they're not always in the same meetings they may not get.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So perhaps you know the the employee that has the underlying condition the employee the older employees, they don't want to be left out, they don't want to be just assume that they're going to want to.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, stay home most the time or not want to come in at.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: All so again, this is like an instance where the treat the different treatment of.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Employees again.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: me my in my world it's based on the protected.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: characteristics that you got it you got to kind of keep in mind as.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: As you start thinking about the return to work and how you're going to develop those.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Policies on.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: One thing that I want to point out.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: that's a from you know the American with Disabilities Act perspective.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Is that.
Eric Felsberg: If.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know if an employee does not request the reasonable accommodation so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Once you have you know once once the employer comes out with its with its rule or like you know, say, everyone has to come in three days a week let's say.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: If no one comes to you.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: At all asking for any accommodation, now they don't have to use magic words or special words but.
Eric Felsberg: If.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: If no one approaches.
Eric Felsberg: The employer asking.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: For different treatment.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The law does not.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: require mandate that the employer take action so so really it's.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: I don't know I think it's like a little bit easier on the employer like they don't have to sniff out problems before they're presented to them right.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So you don't have to take any action.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Now, that is, unless and I, I myself like I haven't come across these scenarios, maybe other people have but, unless you believe that the employees would pose some kind of direct threat at work.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, but but um.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: yeah like I said I haven't seen these examiner saying they don't exist i'm sure they do, and in that case the the employer does because it's all about the safety right, we always go back to safety so it's all about the safety of the.
Eric Felsberg: workplace.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But unless that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That employee can come in, do the job safely.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: do the job, then that's it there's no.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: there's no calling for any special treatment at that point.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And so you know, like I said, the most obvious places that I, I see that it could come up now is, at least in.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: This this initial process of bringing folks back to work.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: or developing hybrid schedules.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Now one other like kind of changing.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: landscape that we've seen is that because of coven is that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: things that were.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: prohibited pre pandemic so like pre pandemic if if you would have told me that oh there's this there's this workplace downtown where everyone is they walk in they're asked medical questions about their health condition.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: I would have said, well, that that workplaces going to get sued very quickly, but you know now.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: We have.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: A covert screening so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The you know the employer like as any you know most public places, can now ask about covert symptoms before people walk in.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So that's that's a different, you know that that would be.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: classified as a medical.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: inquiry that would otherwise not be allowed.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But because of covert it's like now, we see it.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Another another thing that would be you know unheard of before is.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: temperature checks right, so you do, you have temperature checks requiring some kind of medical tests.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: covert tests.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: that's something that we never saw before now, you know now because it's because.
Eric Felsberg: it's considered like.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: A direct threat if someone enters the the workplace that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, we know, has coven then now, these things are allowed.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But what we have and everybody, you know.
Eric Felsberg: it's.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know it's.
Eric Felsberg: I think that has been accepted.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But I think what we have to be careful about is that, like.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: We don't want that to lead to other things right so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: In your screening sheet, you might have you know, have you had the fever in the last 24 hours, you know that your normal questions and then you tack on an additional one about you know who knows, like you know what while you were working from home, did you suffer any.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Other injuries or some you know just just a.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: i'm making it up, but um, but we want to make sure is that that that because we are seeing new things in the workplace.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, like that qualifies inquiries and examinations.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That it doesn't go beyond what it's what it's it's it's intent.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So those are how we how we see that again like the equal opportunity in the workplace, like overlay works into these like changing issues that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: we're seeing.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Because of coven and.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: yeah I think the next thing we're going to talk about Eric was.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Talking about changing landscapes, the vaccine mandates, which is.
Eric Felsberg: I was just gonna say it's a great segue into, I think, by far and away the area that we get perhaps the most questions right.
Eric Felsberg: And that is just like Beatrice just mentioned, is the rate the array of government mandates right that we've seen both on the again federal level, as well as on the state and local level, like I mentioned earlier, I you know I work close to New York City and.
Eric Felsberg: That that's been a challenge, I mean employers in the city of New York have been particularly.
Eric Felsberg: While trying to do the right thing had been I think confused at times as to exactly what what mandates in effect and etc and.
Eric Felsberg: I think the challenge arises because case law right as challenges are filed.
Eric Felsberg: You know it evolves right, you know there's been stays, and then the employers are you know, the first is the the mandate, the employer start to do something, then it's challenged as a stay.
Eric Felsberg: The employer than changes their practices and then that stays lifted now they've gone back to the you know the old.
Eric Felsberg: The old for a relatively speaking, way of doing things and so that's been challenging and and, frankly, also the implementation and enforcement practices.
Eric Felsberg: they've been involved evolving as well, so it has really presented a number of challenges, but even beyond that.
Eric Felsberg: And this is the area where we get a lot of questions here at our firm is the legal issues and Beatrice you've mentioned this a couple of times, but is around the combinations right onto the DEA.
Eric Felsberg: Right, we have to be concerned with issues arising under Title seven which you alluded to.
Eric Felsberg: And, as I mentioned right the the federal state and local governments have issued a slew of vaccination requirements right if you just look on the federal level.
Eric Felsberg: Government employees right we've we've all heard about this and the news healthcare providers right if you know at least by us if.
Eric Felsberg: You know healthcare providers there there's a you know mandatory vaccination and you know, on the federal federal level, obviously it doesn't apply just the New York, but you know nationwide but also on the state level for us there's been some additional.
Eric Felsberg: You know mandates, but we've also seen some old you know, OSHA rules around this also rules, specifically for for government contracts right so those businesses doing business.
Eric Felsberg: In some in some manner with the Federal Government right there have been vaccine mandates are applying to those employers as well.
Eric Felsberg: And so, as I mentioned before, some of these mandates have been stated in court, others have been had been litigated litigated and you know some semblance of them.
Eric Felsberg: You know, remain in place again in New York City it's it's been a little bit of a patchwork you know candidly you know, there was a lot of news recently in New York, for example, where.
Eric Felsberg: You know, there was a vaccine vaccine mandate to work right to go to your place of work in the city and there were some professional athletes who had elected not to.
Eric Felsberg: You know, received the vaccine and you know, in theory, when their team came to New York to play.
Eric Felsberg: They were not going to be able to play because they were not vaccinated now that's changed a little bit now and that has created you know some level of confusion and concern, because those folks have kind of a carve out exception but that that that's a decision that the city had made.
Eric Felsberg: But you know the mandates do give rise to a lot of combinations both from a medical I should say.
Eric Felsberg: A combination request, both from a medical perspective as well as from a religious perspective, in fact, if you know you, you know go go online and and.
Eric Felsberg: You know, go on a search engine and search for language to use in an accommodation request that's out there, so you know it's in people are requesting these and it creates a lot of difficulties for employers now.
Eric Felsberg: Beatrice mentioned this a few minutes ago about the idea about when it when an accommodation request is you know kind of comes up the question is.
Eric Felsberg: Does the employer have to kind of go around and and say does this person need an accommodation or ache you know, does this person need a combination, the answer is no right the employee.
Eric Felsberg: has to tell the employer has to make the request is Beatrice mentioned, however, there does not need to be some magic language right they you know they they can use basically whatever language they'd like to convey the idea that.
Eric Felsberg: You know they're they're requesting an accommodation and you know we, as the employer right.
Eric Felsberg: We can't and we don't have to, and we shouldn't make assumptions as to kind of who needs that accommodation feature said had mentioned that a few minutes ago.
Eric Felsberg: Now, a lot of private companies, in addition to what the folks on the federal level, as well as on the State local level.
Eric Felsberg: You know, companies in the private sector have adopted similar vaccine requirements, but those two, you have to keep in mind or also subject to accommodation.
Eric Felsberg: requests and I think is beaches are going to talk about in a few moments, one of the things you have to be mindful of is as these accommodation crestor made.
Eric Felsberg: You may learn certain information about the employee, making the accommodation requests that potentially could give rise to other issues and claims.
Eric Felsberg: Having very little to do with the vaccine and and the accommodation requests around the vaccine mandate to begin with, so it does become very tricky.
Eric Felsberg: And you know employers, I think, are doing their best, but again here I you know, use the term before kind of landmines, the same idea would be is here it's it's it's very.
Eric Felsberg: I would say I don't want to say easy, but you know you can you can get tripped up here, and you know I would not.
Eric Felsberg: Would blame you because I do think it is a little bit of amazed at employers are trying to to manage but Beatrice I am sure, from your perspective there's a lot there around accommodations and I know you talked a little bit about it already, but would love to hear a little bit more.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Sure, so you know.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: With our agency, so the the way folks come to us is that they'll file charges of discrimination.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: With our agency, and then they get investigated so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: What we we you know we were already starting to handle some of these right where there's a vaccine mandate.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The employee claims.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That they.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: They sought an accommodation and.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: It was let's say it was based on.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: for religious reasons and.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: i'm the employer, you know.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: starts working with the employee on this and let's say for.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: One reason another.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Ultimately, rejects it.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: says no you're not you know you're not going to be accommodated you're going to be under the same mandate as everyone else, and so they they come to us so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: How do we looked at it, I mean honestly we.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know, we look at it the same way, we have been.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Looking at religious accommodation requests always right it's this this this this sincerely held religious belief, by the employee did the you know was there was there, an interactive process and also like the the big consideration with covert I.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Think in these accommodation request is the this idea.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Of.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Of the of the risk involved or like.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The the.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The hardship on the employer if they give this accommodation right so it's balancing that the.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The safety.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Measures that the employer is trying to implement through these vaccine mandates.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: With the individual rights of the employee, you know to be accommodated based on religious.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: beliefs so it's it's really fact intensive I mean you know.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: A very like.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: obvious example can be something like.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: If your workplace is where everyone let's say it's an assembly line where everyone's just packed in standing shoulder to shoulder.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Giving one person, you know, a vaccine mandate if you if you're not the kind of employer that can also afford to do like regular testing and so forth, you might say that that that will create a risk in the in the workplace and you just.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You just can't do it because of.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The workplace that you have.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Now that's going to that's much different than.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: A huge spread out warehouse where.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You have maybe warehouse clerks you know scanning boxes and they're all in different corners of the warehouse.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Right, so the idea that you.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: can't accommodate this employees religious beliefs in that.
Eric Felsberg: situation.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know it's it's it's more it's obviously shaky.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So these are the considerations that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Really.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: They just look different but.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But they are the same that we've.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know that we that we, the same way we've always looked at things throughout.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Now, based on that that's the religious.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: accommodation is one aspect of it and there's also.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: accommodations based on disabilities are based on an underlying condition that the employee might.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Have that puts them at risk if they were to.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: To take the vaccine so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Again that's as with anything else that's.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: we're.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Looking at things the same way that we've always looked.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: at reasonable accommodations under.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Now.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Just because it's a little bit different topic, but because we are talking about accommodations.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Under the American with Disabilities Act, the.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: An accommodation request can be triggered by something that is considered a disability right.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So the disability is something that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: affects your life affects your ability to work.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And it's also something that is long term, so it can't be.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The magic words or it can't be minor transitory so.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: one.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And I.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: saw it in the chat.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: A question that comes up is.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Is is coven or long haul coven i'm going to be considered a disability, going to be considered a disability, that you can be accommodated for in the workplace.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And the answer is well, it depends sometimes.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: But it's, but it makes sense right because the idea being that at least.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: kind of what it's where we are right now, but as an agency, and also, I think what.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: The courts are telling us is that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Because coven affects everyone differently.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: It could be a disability, for some, but not for.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Others, so if you have someone that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: gets coven.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: it's like a it's like a cold.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: they're sick for three days, and then they can return to all other activities, you know they're there.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: They can breathe the same they have the same level of energy they're not affected after that the symptoms go away, then they then they would not be considered as having a disability under the American disabilities act now if.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Compare that to someone who has cove ID.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And turns out that a month into it they're experiencing long haul covert symptoms um you know their their breathing is diminished.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Maybe they get the the brain fog and so forth, and if, and if their job you know was you know the Clerk at the warehouse where they got to like keep track of these.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Things and.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And perhaps you know, sometimes like involves lifting.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And now.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Because of their new condition they can't do.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Those things anymore.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: would they be considered as protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, yes.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: there's not going to be it's going to be fact intensive there's not going to be.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: A simple answer to that, but.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: What I kind of just explained, as I think the way that courts are.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That i've seen that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That is starting to shape out is.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: is going to be that some people with cases the long haul cove it.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: will be covered.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: and
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Here again, like I just.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: I want to reiterate the same thing that.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: You know if let's say you find out that one of your employees.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: got coven.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And let's say they've just been out for a long time.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: And you assume their district covering.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: So, again.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: don't make assumptions, I like Oh, they must have long whole coven.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: they're not going to be able to return or maybe I should just put them into an easier position because that's.
Eric Felsberg: You know.
Eric Felsberg: It must be why they were out.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: Because they they just can't come back to this job.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: anymore so again.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: don't don't jump the gun wait till the employee.
Eric Felsberg: returns and.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: and asks for the.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: For an accommodation, if any, if any, is needed um.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: One thing that were.
Beatriz Andre, EEOC: That.