vFairs Team: Good morning, and welcome to the 2022 disability matters North America conference and awards live stream it's day two So if you weren't here yesterday.
vFairs Team: let's welcome to the stage chief executive officer springboard consulting she's the Queen of disability inclusion let's all hail the Queen may Dean vogel welcome to the stage.
Nadine Vogel: Hello hello, the Queen has arrived, yes, the Queen of disability inclusion is here.
Nadine Vogel: I want to welcome everyone, as I said, to D to have disability matters North America.
Nadine Vogel: conference we had over 170 173 people in attendance yesterday between individuals participating folks getting together in their conference rooms, it was a great day lots of amazing content.
Nadine Vogel: Great questions interactive and we just know that today is going to be just as great and maybe even better, so what I want to do is get us started by announcing.
Nadine Vogel: Next year, we are committed, no matter what we are committed to coming back together in person for disability matters North America 2023 now, if you look at the image and wondering how many of you may know where we are going but let's play the video and then i'll come back.
Nadine Vogel: Yes, we will be in charleston South Carolina now charleston is the named number one destination by so many magazines by so many travel bureaus it's known for so many areas.
Nadine Vogel: It has lots to offer, we will be having our event in the historic downtown area of charleston.
Nadine Vogel: And because of all of this, we will be sending information out very quickly.
Nadine Vogel: To each and every one of you to ensure that you register and probably most important get your hotel room secured right away, so we look forward to seeing you April 25 to the 27th 2003.
Nadine Vogel: To 200 oh my gosh 2023 in charleston South Carolina so now on to our sponsors, we want to thank Toyota Toyota has been.
Nadine Vogel: For the two days are captioning sponsor For those of you who either need captioning or interested in seeing what it's all about you have this as an option, right here for the entire two days, thanks to Toyota.
Nadine Vogel: Next, or Ruby sponsors cody cushman and Wakefield to know North America and freighter medical college of Wisconsin and something I want to mention all four of these companies.
Nadine Vogel: Really walk the talk, they are all members of springboard see for di which is chief diversity officers for disability inclusion.
Nadine Vogel: Our next sponsor is up MC with life changing medicine they are gold sponsor.
Nadine Vogel: And for our bronze sponsors, we have the American psychological association guerrilla Bank of America TAO cigna Diaz to North America F is hsbc Intel.
Nadine Vogel: into it mcdonald's sephora and windham and they also want to know if that into it is another one of our see for di members.
Nadine Vogel: As anyone who has put on an event of this nature, you know these events do not happen without the incredible support of our sponsors, so I want to thank each and every one of you.
Nadine Vogel: With one additional sponsor who is our media sponsor diversity MBA they serve as our media sponsor a year in and year out, so thank you once again.
Nadine Vogel: Now, because we have so much content to share we asked each and every one of you to snapchat tweet and post hashtag.
Nadine Vogel: We want you to share the information with everyone out there, and for those that are not here, let them know how much they're missing.
Nadine Vogel: So to kick off this fabulous day we're going to begin with a video, this is a mesmerizing dance performance, there was for the Paralympics handoff ceremony, it was choreographed by sonic West.
Nadine Vogel: As part of this handoff ceremony for not only the Tokyo Paralympic Games and also for the upcoming 2024 games in Paris.
Nadine Vogel: choreographer was worked with 128 performers in this dizzying performance focus solely on arms enhance the French dancer and choreographer has become known for what he calls limb centric performances so let's play the video.
vFairs Team: alrighty and to kick off our day the first session the postcode landscape implications issues and return to work to the stage.
vFairs Team: Senior thought leadership marketing manager for guardian stephanie cockle Yiannis and joining her is second Vice President enterprise content for guardian Jean lanzone welcome to the stage.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Hello Thank you so much for that wonderful introduction wonderful to be here and what an incredible video that was.
vFairs Team: It was we love that so much, we have to play it twice.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: I can certainly see why.
vFairs Team: yeah and now we're waiting for gene to join you.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: He should be in in a moment, but in the meantime Thank you so much.
vFairs Team: Wonderful to be here, no, thank you to thank you for you, for participating hey gene.
Gene Lanzoni: hi there you go.
vFairs Team: perfect, we can see you, we can hear you and i'm turning it over to you.
Gene Lanzoni: I just want make sure i'm sharing my screen so.
vFairs Team: yeah.
Gene Lanzoni: Do that I also want to make sure that there's an audio so and again.
vFairs Team: I can hear you yeah.
Gene Lanzoni: Okay, now, but the audio for the video that we had.
Gene Lanzoni: Okay sorry association so just want to make sure that's going to work.
Gene Lanzoni: Some don't need to do advanced share them.
vFairs Team: it's the advanced share make sure to click sound at the bottom right it'll say share sound.
vFairs Team: Great sounds great.
Gene Lanzoni: Okay.
vFairs Team: And if you want to hit share, we could take a look and see.
vFairs Team: yep go into presentation mode.
vFairs Team: And you're.
vFairs Team: Good.
vFairs Team: All right, beautiful okay See you in a little while.
Gene Lanzoni: Well, thank you, with that, and thank you may Dean, I love the Crown the Queen of disability inclusion indeed.
Gene Lanzoni: So it's great to be here with you all today and with stephanie my colleague from guardian we're delighted.
Gene Lanzoni: To have an opportunity to talk about this very important topic, one that i'm sure is near and dear to all of you.
Gene Lanzoni: Given that you're at this conference right disability inclusive it in the workplace, so specifically we're going to examine the implications of the pandemic through the lens of individuals with permanent disabilities and.
Gene Lanzoni: During our time together today we're going to share a closer look at persons with disabilities, who are in the workforce, how they differ from those.
Gene Lanzoni: without disabilities and the impact that the pandemic has had on their mental wellness and overall well being and the kind of support.
Gene Lanzoni: That they're seeking from employers in terms of benefits policies and resources and we'll close with some key takeaways from the past couple of years.
Gene Lanzoni: ways to attract and retain workers with disabilities, by creating a more inclusive culture embracing the learning and applying it, not just for workers with disabilities, but actually we'll talk about.
Gene Lanzoni: How many of the things that we've learned during the pandemic and some of the advantages of a remote workforce or of hybrid work will apply not only to people with disabilities, but too.
Gene Lanzoni: Many workers, but before we dive in a little background on guardians interest in this topic.
Gene Lanzoni: And the research insights that we're going to be sharing with you today, first of all guardian is proud of its justice equity diversity and inclusion initiatives or jet I as we refer to them.
Gene Lanzoni: Are jetta activity has really accelerated, especially in the last seven years, we have a diversity Council, it has now led by an executive team and our head of our general strategy.
Gene Lanzoni: has been involved in establishing more than eight employee resource groups to help improve.
Gene Lanzoni: The support that we provide to various communities across guardian, including women's leadership network black employee network lat next LGBT Q family caregivers and.
Gene Lanzoni: One of our latest er geez equal enabled.
Gene Lanzoni: that's our era G for workers with permanent disabilities simultaneously while we've been at this general strategy we've also been publishing research and creating more content related to work for us well being dating back to 2012.
Gene Lanzoni: But during the pandemic naturally we focused even more closely on trends related to mental physical and emotional wellness which led us to examine.
Gene Lanzoni: Codes impact on workforce well being in a report that we published in January titled mind body and wallet but just before the pandemic we published another report workforce.
Gene Lanzoni: A report that delves into work for segments that have historically been underserved long before the pandemic from an HR policy communication and benefits perspective in terms of lack of inclusive it so during our talk today will be drawing on insights from both of these reports.
Gene Lanzoni: And over the last 10 years our research identified for specific segments of the ux us workforce that we're really not feeling.
Gene Lanzoni: As the workplace culture policies benefits and communications were really as inclusive as they needed to be.
Gene Lanzoni: And we're not really meeting their specific needs and those segments are the four that you see here working caregivers which represent 9%.
Gene Lanzoni: of full time workers So these are the individuals who have remained in the workforce caring for an elderly or an ill.
Gene Lanzoni: Relative friend etc there's also single working parents, and these are 9% of today's full time workforce, and these are parents of dependent children under the age of 18 that's 9%.
Gene Lanzoni: Workers who identify as LGBT Q plus represent 8% as of our latest study and then those with disabilities, representing 4% of the workforce.
Gene Lanzoni: So combined the segments account for about 18% of the full time work force in America were about 20 million workers so that means within any given employer population about one in six workers.
Gene Lanzoni: Probably fall into one of these categories our workforce 2200 report takes a closer look at each of these segments and offers insights and perspectives on ways employers can better meet their needs.
Gene Lanzoni: Especially in today's increasingly diverse and remote workforce, but this morning we're going to focus on the 4% of persons with disabilities.
Gene Lanzoni: The special talents and characteristics that they bring to the workplace their needs and preferences and how the pandemic.
Gene Lanzoni: has impacted their well being now, before we move on, I have a quick question for our audience, I think you can use the chat to answer this one, this is not a polling question.
Gene Lanzoni: So feel free to just type your answer in or just feel free to think about it for yourself, you don't have to necessarily type an answer in but does your organization know what percent of its workforce has a functional disability impacting physical mobility eyesight hearing mental health.
Gene Lanzoni: Just think about that if you'd like to type it into the chat that's fine, but the answer for most of you is probably no.
Gene Lanzoni: Right, for a variety of reasons, including privacy, but.
Gene Lanzoni: Even organizations or teams that think they know are probably not counting a substantial portion of their workforce, whose disabilities are not obvious right not easily observed cognitive problems hearing or eyesight, for example.
Gene Lanzoni: So stephanie let's discuss and describe this population, a little bit further, and how they contribute to the US Labor force.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Absolutely Thank you so you know we're we're talking about people disabilities in the workforce and this team was indicating.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: it's not always obvious, we can go on to the next slide.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: wanted to talk about there's there's roughly about 19 million working age adults in the US, who have what's called the work disability, so a physical or psychological condition that impacts their ability to work.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: and have those more than three and 10 work at least part time employment rate, as you can see, among people with a disability, has risen slightly over the past several years it's roughly in line with with those without a disability.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But overall it's true that individuals with a disability are much less likely to be employed compared to those with no bus disability.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And of course we all are certainly somewhat familiar with the Ada the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that's intended, of course, to ensure that.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: People who are qualified with a disability, have an equal chance of getting a job and performing it well and succeeding in it.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And the law requires that reasonable accommodations be made for those with disabilities.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But the fact that, as you can see, on this slide only about 2.5 million workers with disabilities are employed full time.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: indicates that there are still significant barriers to work for many individuals with disabilities and then employers could do more to provide more adequate accommodations and be more supportive and flexible.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: I want to clarify one thing that the Guardian data that you see on this slide and that you'll see throughout the presentation.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: is based on workers with a disability, who are employed full time and have employee benefits.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And, and that, unfortunately, does not apply to most working adults with a disability in the US most are employed on a part time basis.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So we're talking about a minority of workers with a disability and ones that are likely or to have higher overall well being than others with disabilities, because they are able to work full time.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But still a really important demographic one that I think we can all agree we'd like to see increase in the workplace.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So there are some important takeaways for inclusive it here and just quickly speaking of demographics, you can see in this table and the lower left.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: That except for veteran status and college education levels, there really aren't major demographic differences in 2022 between full time workers with disabilities and those without.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But our results, interestingly in 2020 were different, notably workers, the disabilities had substantially lower overall household income.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: were less educated in terms of a college degree by a greater percentage gap and also we're older so again just two years later, you can see that some of those gaps have reduced.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Without giving away too soon, this echo some of the data you'll see later on in our presentation that the pandemic had some really positive impact on people with permanent disabilities.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So i'd like to if we can go to the next slide gene and gene alluded to this a little bit, I want to talk about who we're talking about when we talk about individuals with a disability.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Many times our perception is that it's like people on the left and obvious physical characteristic that indicates, they have a disability.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But it's obvious it's often about what you can't see when it comes to disability, you may not know if someone sitting next to you at work has a disability for privacy reasons.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: but also because many with disabilities remain invisible with them, because they don't want to be public about that they don't want the stigma that unfortunately.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Many times associated with it, they assume people won't think of them as capable or hard working which isn't the case.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But disability can also have implications for mental wellness and feelings of inclusion in the workplace overalls when we recognize.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: That our world was not built for people with disabilities, you look around and realize, there are so many physical spaces, for example, that aren't accessible.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Over time, that can lead to feelings of being ostracized feeling like you don't belong and that's why by some measures overall well being is lower.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: among individuals and permanent disabilities, so making the workplace as inclusive as possible goes far beyond following the letter of the law of the Ada it's about making everyone feel welcome and included.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So right now i'm going to bring some additional voices into this conversation we're going to watch a video in a moment that's adapted from a panel moderated by a doctor ferran neocon la me.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: If you're not familiar with Dr O 's we call him here at guardian, you really I think ought to be he's the director of student accessibility and accommodation services at the University of Michigan.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And an assistant professor of family medicine physical medicine and rehabilitation and neurology at the University of Michigan school of medicine.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And he has a fascinating life story at the beginning of his third year of Medical School he unfortunately experienced a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And after surgeries and intense rehabilitation he now navigates the world in his words as a.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: wheelchair user and a committed advocate for individuals with disabilities he's a friend of guardian, because he was a client of ours of Guardians at the time of the accident, he had a disability policy through the company.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: and has been very gracious and generous and how he's talked about how guardians disability insurance policy helped him during the recovery, but here, he is asking workers with disabilities, what they wish, their employers knew so let's take a look.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: disability is ubiquitous it does not discriminate based on race or gender or ethnicity or socio economic status, it is something that many, many more people are affected by then, you know.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And so I don't want people to think about disability, as the small minority of people that you have to do something special for because if you acknowledge that by valuing disability by valuing diversity you're truly valuing everyone.
Why should you hire people with disabilities.
We are hard workers and very good at solving problems and we're not afraid to speak our mind when we see process improvement that could benefit the company and as a makeup more inclusive and diverse.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: We are really, really, really, really good at Problem Solving Problem Solving you know, and I would say, I know, in my day like I have to think 20 steps ahead of everything that i'm doing, because you know things, for example, like I if I drop my cell phone on the floor it's gonna take me.
Gene Lanzoni: 20 minutes to pick it up so i'm really good at not dropping myself.
I looked at disability as just another aspect of an individual's life it's it's another aspect of diversity, and I think we we all see the benefits to having diverse staff.
People who have different life experiences different perspectives and and the richness that can bring to the organizations that when we're working together.
You know, many of us historically lived in in organizations or communities or environments, that are not necessarily built for us, and so we really do have to think ahead.
And we have to be flexible and we have to be able to adapt on the fly so i'll talk for a moment about why you might want autistic employees.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: We sometimes have a bad rap because we may not make a lot of eye contact or the way we act may seem a bit different.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But one of the defining traits of people with autism is an ability to focus and that hyper focus.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: has benefited me a great great deal at work it's actually shocking how much work I can accomplish in a small amount of time because of this.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: That means that i'm already when I see a problem going to think in an innovative way that might not otherwise be represented by people in your workplace what should employers them know about the disabled employees.
And that just glad to be back.
And to be treated with respect, and as an include a member of your community.
The having that communication to be able to ask and and see what your employee needs and sometimes you know.
Getting asked just kind of takes the burden off of you, as the person with the disability to have to make that initial.
You know if you need an accommodation, or something to have to make that initial ask I think accommodations and working with any employee it's a process and it's a relationship right and.
I think people just have to remember that and again have patience ask your disabled employees what works best for them, they tend to know they might not always but often they'll have a good idea.
And remember you generally do not need to know their specific diagnosis, I actually can't think of a time anybody's ever needed to know my specific diagnosis.
Because I can communicate what I need, and you know, without you knowing and I encourage you all to have the same sort of humility to acknowledge that.
Even as you're trying, you are still going to get it wrong, you are going to then find out things after that you've messed up, but if you have.
An honest and open approach to wanting to include everyone, then you will be on the right path and realizing that the illusions that you think you're creating just for disabled people are likely things that many other people can benefit from.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Great so as we heard in that video so eloquently loyalty strong work ethic.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: adaptability Problem Solving these are just a few of the attributes of workers with disabilities, that they can bring to the workforce.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Who wouldn't want to include as many of them as possible in their organizations, these are obviously very desirable traits.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So how do we begin to ensure that our organizations are inclusive enough to recruit and retain these talented workers i'm going to hand it over to gene now who's going to discuss the way coven 19 impacted the workforce and especially individuals with disabilities.
Gene Lanzoni: Thank you stephanie and Yvette we're going to do our first polling question here we have a few polling questions, we want to intersperse in the next 30 minutes here, and this is the first one.
Gene Lanzoni: So if we could bring that up.
Gene Lanzoni: There you go did your company change how or where employees worked as a result of the covert 19 pandemic so implementing remote work flexible schedules, etc.
Gene Lanzoni: So if you could say just indicate, yes, no or not sure did your company change how or where employees worked as a result of the pandemic.
Gene Lanzoni: An event i'll rely on you to tell me when we've got sufficient response, and when we can take a look at the results.
vFairs Team: Hoping a few more people answer but it looks like it stopped so we're going to end.
Gene Lanzoni: Everybody did.
Gene Lanzoni: Yes.
Gene Lanzoni: As expected, so you know that would be true for.
Gene Lanzoni: Most organizations right and our workplace benefits study revealed a similarly large proportion of employers across the US implemented remote work flexible schedules.
Gene Lanzoni: And more have now moved to hybrid work arrangements with employees splitting your time between in person and remote, but the fact.
Gene Lanzoni: that the vast majority of workers were all remote, especially during that first year of the pandemic, we can all remember those early months and even through the end of 2020.
Gene Lanzoni: Depending on your job, your home situation your personal preferences, whether you were full time remote remote work or we're not it could have been a blessing tore it could have been a curse.
Gene Lanzoni: And I think, for you know different people they had different kinds of experiences and people definitely bought more pets and adopted pets and.
Gene Lanzoni: Our pets enjoyed much of the pandemic as probably as much as some of us did, and my dog learned how to type two as a matter of fact, but for workers with disabilities, many have said that the pandemic was a game changer for them and for their career.
Gene Lanzoni: More than one in four workers actually said that actually more than one full time worker said that coven 19 negatively affected their emotional health over the past year and more than two and five report.
Gene Lanzoni: Lower physical activity during the pandemic, so the pandemic exacerbated challenges for certain members of the workforce.
Gene Lanzoni: For example, workers who relied on professional caregivers to tend to sicker elderly relatives and, of course, those already struggling with anxiety or depression.
Gene Lanzoni: And our research found that in 2021 and also just last month when we conducted the latest wave of this research that coven.
Gene Lanzoni: is still the leading cause of stress among all working Americans have said it was their top source of stress and rank it higher than other common life stressors like money and finances work responsibilities.
Gene Lanzoni: personal health issues and the economy so what's also interesting is this was true for workers across all demographics to well household income to high married and single gen Z through baby boomers.
Gene Lanzoni: And at the height of the pandemic nearly one in three Americans lost their job as we remember were laid off had their hours reduced last.
Gene Lanzoni: Income due to the coronavirus and the financial stress contributed to worsening mental and emotional stress, in fact, all dimensions of our workforce well being index declined in 2020.
Gene Lanzoni: Including self reported physical health, but some good news, just two months ago our latest findings.
Gene Lanzoni: show an uptick in overall well being among full time workers, maybe not surprisingly, the emotional wellness scores are still lagging a bit.
Gene Lanzoni: In terms of rebounding but the slight improvement isn't really being felt equally for all Americans, first of all, only those still working full time are experiencing this recovery for those still.
Gene Lanzoni: underemployed or unemployed they're struggling quite a bit with emotional, as well as financial wellness.
Gene Lanzoni: So what do you think this trend looks like for workers with disability well interestingly, for people with a permanent disability their self reported well being pre pandemic versus 2022 has improved faster.
Gene Lanzoni: And at levels well above average just last month again a significantly higher percentage rate their emotional physical and financial wellness as excellent we're very good.
Gene Lanzoni: So we see a very different story here.
Gene Lanzoni: And why might that be well one important reason is that the massive shift toward remote work as we referenced and a more flexible scheduling model that.
Gene Lanzoni: Millions of organizations have adopted for public health reasons have greatly benefited workers with disabilities in fact telecommuting and flexible scheduling were.
Gene Lanzoni: Two accommodations that workers with disabilities had been requesting for years prior to the pandemic unfortunately many employers were hesitant to grant those accommodations at the time.
Gene Lanzoni: Maybe didn't feel it was a viable model for them, or for other reasons, but the pandemic really turn things.
Gene Lanzoni: On their head and this trend, did not go unnoticed by the media headlines ECHO our guardian research findings that the pandemic.
Gene Lanzoni: made working life easier for a number of workers with disability, no longer where workers with a disability at a disadvantage guardians er G equal and able.
Gene Lanzoni: Really, even that even rang true for for them as well with many workers with disabilities, which was heartening to see because employee engagement and job satisfaction, naturally, improved.
Gene Lanzoni: As a result, and a study from cnbc showed that nearly eight and 10 workers.
Gene Lanzoni: with disability say that their employer has done a better job supporting them since the pandemic started, so it really.
Gene Lanzoni: level the playing field in many ways for remote workers who are not typically in the office and unable to join meetings in person.
Gene Lanzoni: I think all of us can kind of relate to the fact that it's not easy, being the only person on a conference call.
Gene Lanzoni: In the old days are now on a zoom or teams call where everyone else who was on site is able to share stories about what they did over the weekend or share coffee and lunch together.
Gene Lanzoni: more easily jump into a conversation and be heard during a meeting so communication collaboration having a voice in a meeting became more equitable with everyone being remote and that has been huge for workers with disabilities.
Gene Lanzoni: Now we want to note that, despite this overall improvement and well being and, in particular, mental wellness workers with disabilities are still disproportionately likely.
Gene Lanzoni: to suffer from stress anxiety and depression compared to workers without disabilities and our study found that they're more likely to be furloughed or laid off from jobs which caused even more stress for some.
Gene Lanzoni: but also because, despite the Games living with a disability still present significant barriers to full inclusion in the workplace and.
Gene Lanzoni: Even in broader society and, over time, this leads to a sense of isolation and vulnerability 24% of people with permanent disability say they're worried about their personal security.
Gene Lanzoni: and safety compared to only 14% of those without a disability so over time, that may contribute to why their self reported mental health is worse.
Gene Lanzoni: This is my friend Marianne and she has two boys with developmental disabilities Sam and James Sam is higher functioning and actually recently graduated college at the age of 24.
Gene Lanzoni: During the pandemic and he began working for the College remotely after graduation, and he loved his job he was very proud to be working and to be bringing home a paycheck.
Gene Lanzoni: And the family celebrated at a phillies game, but now everyone is going back to the office and First it was on a part time basis, but now moving toward more of a full time basis, and while the College is willing to allow Sam to work remotely.
Gene Lanzoni: he's stressing about being the only one who will be remote and how well, he will be able to do his job and communicate and really socialize with those.
Gene Lanzoni: from his team, so the re entry to a physical workplace is likely going to cause increased stress and anxiety for many workers, not just those with a disability, but.
Gene Lanzoni: It could be even more detrimental for those with a disability, something for employers to keep in mind.
Gene Lanzoni: As we think about return to work strategies and communication plan so that's a segue into talking a little bit more about how workers with disabilities are feeling about the workplace so stephanie take it take it from here.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Exactly yeah No thank you gene if we go to the next slide it's interesting to see this change.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So from 2020 to 2022 there's been almost a 20% increase in employees with disabilities who say that their employer cares about their well being.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So that's that's a wonderful obviously a very positive trend.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And it's true for the wider population as well that we've seen this trend, more workers they feel that their employers care about their well being overall.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And we can't ignore, especially for the the community of people with disabilities, excuse me, the role of the pandemic here.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: You know this was the pandemic was a true inflection point for organizations in terms of how they view employee well being.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And we're forced to really reconsider that employer employee contract, there was already a mental health crisis and I don't think crisis is too strong a word before the pandemic but covert exacerbated it, as we all know.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And more employers were forced to face the fact that, if they hadn't already supporting employee well being goes so much farther beyond providing health insurance, providing a 401k.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: it's about supporting the whole person mental well being as well, not only through benefits, but through establishing an open and caring environment.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Where people all people, but especially people with disabilities feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And this can be done in so many ways that go beyond benefits, but if we go to the next slide to.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: there's one you know one dimension is carrying one way that that manifests itself is through having a flexible and empathetic culture, so we see here to that between 2020 and 2022.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: among individuals with disabilities there's been substantial growth very positive trend, but again let's look at this it's 42% still below half.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: of workers with a disability, so we need to look at what flexibility and empathy look like.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And of course we can't paint everyone with a disability, with the same brush and say this is how people with disabilities, you know, this is what they look for in an employer, but thinking back to jeans example has personal his friend Mary and her son.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: You have to look at what are the reasons someone might want to work at your organization period here, we had an individual with a disability, who.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: proud of the work he was doing now, though, that he's the only one again it's like organizations are reverting back to the old way that status quo of how things were pre pandemic and I think if you're an individual with a disability and you see that there's.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: These accommodations were made for everyone, during this time, but now await you're the only one who's still receiving them How does that make you feel.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Does that make you feel like you're really like your employer is truly flexible and empathetic.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Not necessarily so organizations just shouldn't be asking an individual with a disability, what they feel they need to be successful, they should be asking you to everyone that way it truly becomes part of the fabric.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: of an organization, so that everyone feels that their employer is flexible and empathetic and if that's modeled consistently it does help build empathy.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: If we go to the next slide the logical conclusion, if you feel like you're cared for, if you feel like your employer is empathetic.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: The result is greater loyalty so employers, employees, excuse me, especially with a disability, half of them say.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Now, in 2022 that if it were up to them they'd stay at their jobs for 10 years more that's huge, especially in the era of the great resignation.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And here again we've seen the substantial increase line percentage points and only two years.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And those who strongly agree that their employer is making adequate accommodations for workers with disabilities.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: They found that they are twice as likely to prefer to stay with their employers for at least 10 years.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: compared to those who don't feel supported it's additional guardian data that we have so again that's another important dimension, why people want to work.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: When it comes to disability and people with disabilities, unfortunately, there is often a perception misperception or an assumption.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: That they don't want to work or that they want to use their disability as an excuse not to work again that's not the case, most people do want to work disabled or not.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But employers must ask themselves, especially if they're encountering some resistance or anxiety among their workforce around returning to a physical workspace.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: What is it about their work environment and work culture that may be impacting this.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Again, the majority of people with a disability are not using their disability as an excuse, so what might be pushing anyone away from the workplace, we really recognize that.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Everyone has a diversity of abilities and experiences and then try to make a culture and climate, where everyone again feels comfortable bringing their whole selves to work, regardless of what that looks like more people will feel more comfortable and want to work in that environment.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So if we move on i'm going to turn it back to Jean to look at some ways that you know, having seen know how these attitudinal shift have occurred.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: How can we keep that going.
Gene Lanzoni: If thanks stephanie yeah and there's more to what employees with disabilities need to thrive.
Gene Lanzoni: Then just telecommuting and flexible scheduling obviously let's take a look at some of the other key dimensions of workplace inclusive city and what is true.
Gene Lanzoni: inclusive it look like so when it comes to inclusion specifically inclusive policies and work arrangements and benefits that are designed for workers with disabilities there's still.
Gene Lanzoni: A lot of room for improvement and there's a gap and this gap has actually gotten wider.
Gene Lanzoni: A gap between employer perceptions and the reality that employees with disabilities experience most organizations actually think they're doing well.
Gene Lanzoni: When it comes to providing appropriate accommodations and support for individuals with disabilities, perhaps you organizations feel the same way.
Gene Lanzoni: might be worth asking your workers, especially those asking everyone but being able to identify somehow in a self reported way those with disabilities and see if they would agree.
Gene Lanzoni: So for many employers, maybe they have ramps or accessible restrooms or other Ada required accommodations but that's not the same.
Gene Lanzoni: As promoting an inclusive culture that seeks to hire and retain workers with disabilities and that's obvious, because only about one third of workers feel their employer is doing a good job at accommodating the needs of workers with disability.
Gene Lanzoni: Despite the progress made with regard to the telecommuting and flexible work schedule is due to coven the disconnect between employers and workers with a disability again.
Gene Lanzoni: is not getting any better over the last couple of years and that could be because, as we saw in those earlier slides for many organizations are returned to the workplace.
Gene Lanzoni: means a return to the old ways of operating pre pandemic is stephanie mentioned back to normal isn't going to work and many employees with disabilities fear that the gains they've made in workplaces lucidity will be lost.
Gene Lanzoni: In addition to workplace policies like flexible work and telecommuting workers with disabilities want more inclusive benefits.
Gene Lanzoni: Much as we saw with mental health financial wellness has improved during covert among workers with disabilities to.
Gene Lanzoni: But it's still lower overall then workers, but no disability and while it's troubling that more than four and 10 full time workers with.
Gene Lanzoni: Benefits say that they are living paycheck to paycheck it's even higher among those with a disability, more than half say they are living from one paycheck to the next, trying to just pay the monthly bills and make ends meet.
Gene Lanzoni: And again, these are full time workers as a result.
Gene Lanzoni: they're even more reliant on employee benefits to help provide financial security for themselves and for their households nearly six and 10 workers with disabilities.
Gene Lanzoni: Say they'd face financial hardship if it weren't for those insurance and other financial benefits.
Gene Lanzoni: That they receive through work so it's important that benefits programs be as inclusive as possible and the offerings as wider range as possible as well, so, then I think we're going to our next polling question here, if you don't mind.
Gene Lanzoni: And we want to find out which of these resources there's your organization provide.
Gene Lanzoni: To employees with disabilities, but I think we can broaden that and just say which of these resources this organization provide in general.
Gene Lanzoni: And again, many of them will be beneficial to employees with disabilities, but many of them as we've talked about will be relevant and important to all your workers.
Gene Lanzoni: So, which of these do you currently offer telecommuting flexible work schedule telemedicine prepaid legal services paid family leave.
Gene Lanzoni: Health concierge services.
Gene Lanzoni: And in this case it's multiple choice so select as many as apply.
Gene Lanzoni: And we'll share with you some findings in terms of what workers with disability say they would value.
Gene Lanzoni: And Yvette whenever you're ready.
vFairs Team: Yet, but looks like they just stopped so.
Gene Lanzoni: Lots of these, in particular so flexible work schedule telemedicine paid family and medical leave great so all of these on the rise and that's good to know Let me close that out.
Gene Lanzoni: Because workers with disabilities yeah again prior to the pandemic, they were asking for many of these things right.
Gene Lanzoni: But again ramps accessible restrooms and ergonomic workstations were certainly becoming more common but employers had.
Gene Lanzoni: really not done much around restructuring jobs or adjusting work schedules or implementing telecommuting, and many still don't provide readers interpreters or.
Gene Lanzoni: Many don't make web content accessible for those with disabilities, we only began at guardian adding closed captioning to our webinars just a couple of years ago, so in 2018 only half of all employers said that providing such accommodations.
Gene Lanzoni: For workers with Disabilities was a priority for the organization, but that has been changing, and again in March of this year 67% of employers.
Gene Lanzoni: say they provide support and accommodations for workers with disabilities so that's a significant increase just during the pandemic.
Gene Lanzoni: And that's great news for workers with disabilities who are of course hopeful that work arrangements and benefits that offer virtual options, especially, such as telecommuting and FLEX work.
Gene Lanzoni: also paid parental leave.
Gene Lanzoni: If these are benefits that will be made permanent or expanded beyond the pandemic that would be big for workers with disabilities other services such as concierge.
Gene Lanzoni: That we had on the screen before telemedicine and tele dentistry virtual legal counseling behavioral health resources that are all that also have a virtual option.
Gene Lanzoni: These all naturally have great appeal to workers with disabilities, many of them became available during the pandemic, the question is, will employers continue to make those available.
Gene Lanzoni: Will they make them a permanent fixture of their benefits program moving forward these policies and benefits that.
Gene Lanzoni: did become more commonplace during the pandemic, they can be real game changers for workers with disabilities, a holding on to what worked well.
Gene Lanzoni: And embedding those into your organization will be important if you do intend to attract and retain talent from this very important Community so stephanie is going to wrap us up here and bring us home with some thoughts on how to lean in to the pandemic learnings.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Yes, so we're going to make rash going to hear from Dr O again about some things to keep in mind outlining how organizations can think about moving forward after kovats so we can go on to the video.
Just look at what has changed in your workplace over this past year, you know that you think you want to go right back to where it was before, but before you return to the status quo.
Speak to your staff and your employees ask them which elements of this remote environment and of this pandemic period, do they feel as though should be kept.
Because I could give specifics, for every different organization, but it's going to be specific to the individuals within your team.
That will determine how you are best able to accommodate and provide inclusive environments for the people that you work with.
And so that may seem like sort of a cop out answer but it's because of the more I think about this it shouldn't be a specific answer that I say today.
It should be specific, based on who you have and what their needs are within your organization and trust me many people will have their opinions as to what worked.
And this is the opportunity that leaders have to then listen and actually then recognize that, in order to retain those talented staff that you have it would behoove you to then listen to some of the things that will continue to allow them to then want to return to work and do so.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So Yvette if you don't mind just to take us into our last slide here, we have our final polling question, if you could pop that up that would be fantastic.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And that is does your organization have a specific strategy in place for recruiting workers with disabilities, so if you can just take a second to to click on the button that best describes your organization's experience that would be great.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And i'll leave it up to event to let us know when we're going to move on.
vFairs Team: Okay, good stuff now i'm going to share.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Three to see that that most people either have one in place or are currently developing one that's fantastic news because if we move on to the next slide, unfortunately.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: that's not the norm, so it follows that if, yes, if you're attending a conference about disability, maybe more committed to it, which again is fantastic I may be preaching to the choir here.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But i'm, in fact, our data shows, only one in eight employers have a designated strategy in place.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: that's got to change, you know thinking about workers, the disabilities, as we know, as we've heard through this to the presentation they're talented individuals who have so much to offer.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And we want to make sure that they continue to feel supported you know in this as moving forward.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And as we heard Dr Jose again survey your employees ask them what worked and what didn't and what they'd like to keep from this remote environment and from this this period of code.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Again it's it doesn't feel good if you've perhaps been an employee with a disability, who was requesting some of these accommodations prior to coven.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And maybe we're told that it's not viable know when you really need you to be here and then.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: coven did prove that we could all work successfully and productively remotely and with flexible schedules.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: To then say well now we're all just going to scrap that and go back that doesnt sit well so again, if we want to really be serious about recruiting and retaining.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: You know these talented workers that's really how we need to think differently about it.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And then, finally, you know implement these flexible at work policies for everyone, regardless of status with a disability.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Again, these are things that benefited lots of workers, and it really shouldn't be up to individuals with disabilities necessarily to be outing themselves or feeling like they're if the onus is on them to to make these demands so.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Again it's it's really important that we have these these measures in place.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: And that this that's truly becomes part of the fabric, like I said earlier, of your organization that we keep what what worked.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: This doesn't just benefit workers with the disabilities benefits everyone, and even if you're a worker who doesn't have a disability or you know.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: thinks it doesn't apply to mirror workers or with a disability or such a small minority, first of all, unfortunately, at some point, one in four.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Individuals will develop a disability, at some point in their working lives, so it's going to apply to a lot more people now whether we know it or not.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: But also these principles of inclusion can be applied to any population when we're talking about diversity equity and inclusion strategy, whether we're talking about.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: Women or employees who are of a different ratio or minority background again this or LGBT Q employees as Jeanne was mentioning earlier.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: When you have policies in place that support everyone everyone feels supported and it's not like well we're just doing this for xyz person or population.
Stephanie Kacoyanis: So again, these learning is um i'd love to answer a few questions I know we're almost coming up on time, but if anyone does have any questions gene and I are happy to to listen and hopefully answer them now.
Gene Lanzoni: I think we are going to make the slides available right so that.
Gene Lanzoni: After after today we'll make sure that you have copy of these, and if anyone would be interested in leveraging any of the insights and data from this presentation to help within your organization's we'd be happy to make that available.
Nadine Vogel: And this is me do we do, we have just a couple of comments come in one was that your jet I the jd everybody loved that.
Nadine Vogel: I thought that was really cool.
Nadine Vogel: And the thought about two comments, relative to having this kind of research must really enhance the work of your diversity team of your dead I team, because they have hard facts that they can rely on.
Gene Lanzoni: yeah well and stephanie doesn't even know this, but I got an email from our head of HR this morning who we have a page that we just set up on our website that has all of our jedi content.
Gene Lanzoni: And she just sent me a very nice note this morning, saying that she thought it was fantastic and it's definitely helpful to her in her efforts to continue to promote jedi within guardian So yes, that is true.
Nadine Vogel: Very cool well, thank you, you bet.
vFairs Team: alrighty Thank you stephanie Thank you gene that was amazing lots of information good information to take in will move you off screen and then we're going to start moving our.
vFairs Team: panelists for our next session so we're moving into the state of the Union for the healthcare sorry for healthcare and disability.
vFairs Team: And, first the stage we're going to bring up our moderator Vice President chief diversity officer for good health and dress Gonzalez and then we're going to bring up human resources director for for health.
vFairs Team: Juan Gonzalez and he's one was always my God one bonds us sorry we're having a moment this one.
vFairs Team: This morning, and following him his director Community engagement photos and the district are saying.
vFairs Team: And following Andy will be director emerging markets and inclusion filtered deaths Johnson Vice President and chief medical officer population health and medical education for fraud and the medical college of Wisconsin is mark loads welcome everyone to the stage.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Good morning.
vFairs Team: Good morning.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Thanks so much event for that a welcoming and setting the stage here for us.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: For those of you who are joining us here and risk Gonzales again as event mention Vice President and chief diversity officer for freighter and the medical college of Wisconsin I have been now with the health network.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: For about seven years, actually, it will be seven years in late June, and certainly I am bring here my colleagues.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: From the health network and hopefully we'll be able to share a little bit about our.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: equity diversity, inclusion and anti racism strategy here, but certainly focusing on our disability inclusion strategy for sure, so we are delighted to be here, as my colleagues actually are joining me here, let me set the stage.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: here for us this morning, as part of you know, this state of the Union, so afraid in the medical college of Wisconsin For those of you who might not be familiar with us, we are an integrated health network in southeastern Wisconsin.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: We actually are have eight hospitals, including the academic medical Center and then we have over 50 health centers that are also part of the health network, we are about 15,000.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Employees about 2500 you know providers that certainly take care of our patients.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: In in southeastern Wisconsin and they would say actually now we're expanding, so I don't know that southeastern Wisconsin actually covers.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Our eight or so counties, where we actually have a footprint so that's who we are and this morning, I am delighted again to be joined by one been.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: On decreasing desk Johnson and Dr mark loaded so thank you all for you know for joining us, and thank you here for my colleagues.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: For joining me so in terms of this morning session, I have the easiest job i'm just going to set the stage i'm going to actually ask a couple of questions.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And my colleagues are going to be the ones answering those questions, but before we go there, I just wanted to provide a couple of data points that have become really important for us.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Right freighter and the medical college of Wisconsin as it relates to our equity diversity inclusion strategy and what really has informed our disability inclusion strategy, specifically, and one of the things that we have learned is that companies hire people.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: With intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: For business reasons, and they are rewarded with business benefits right so it's not only about the right thing to do, there's actually business is a business imperative for us.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: I know that all of us right have heard about the great resignation over the last few years, and so the question is how do we turn the great resignation into the great opportunity.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: For us as a workplace of choice that's really what we have done here at freighter we're doing I freighter and the medical college of Wisconsin and then certainly also guided.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Based on the quadruple certainly you know issues that we have confronted as well over the last few years right starting with a pandemic.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: The economic uncertainty, there was also mentioned earlier, certainly when you add the Community unrest, on top of that, and then the mental health or well being.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: of not only our workforce, but the community at large, so that really has been front and Center for us, and so we wanted to make sure that we were looking through all of those lenses.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: The other piece, that is important is that we have learned that the profile of a worker with intellectual and developmental disability research, like that of an ideal employee.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: What do I mean by that they are extremely dependable they are engaged they're motivated they have some of the best attendance.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Attention to work quality is it you know critical for them and high productivity so Those are some of the things that I know Andy and one will be speaking to some of those.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Particular efforts, later on, and then positive reactions from employers about nearly three quarters of a survey that was actually conducted by the Institute for corporate productivity.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: showed that hiring workers, again with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has been a positive experience and nearly one third of those same organizations, said that the experience actually exceeded their expectations.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And so we're going to talk a little bit more about that as well, later on, and then challenges are fewer than expected and resources are greater than anticipated.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: I think Andy will be able to illustrate that with some of the efforts that we have underway with project surge i'd freighter and what we have learned there in terms of.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Not only the lessons learned, but some of the critical things that have become a cornerstone for our particular workforce development Program.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: is greater than the medical college of Wisconsin and then the last piece that I just want to weave in here because it's actually the piece that Dr loaders as our content expert here.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Who actually receives population health and health equity, will be able to put in perspective is that we know that people with disabilities have experienced.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Multiple overlapping layers of health care discrimination during the pandemic and certainly there's been a myriad of issues that we have heard that we have experienced right that have have been documented, quite frankly, some of those things actually.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: I would actually categorize under access to personal protective equipment for example coven 19 testing ability to.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Having close to visitation policies, for example, and accessible vaccination and vaccination prioritization.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: as well, and really what that work and tails in terms of addressing those needs, again in our case, as a health network for the communities that we serve right and certainly keeping in mind and considering.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know how critical it is to ensure that our staff.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: feel valued that certainly they have all the materials and equipment that they need right to do their work effectively so we're going to talk about all of those things here and so i'm going to actually.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: start with desk Johnson, so the way that is actually going to work this morning is i'm going to have little kind of fireside chat conversations with each one of our speakers here are panelists.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And then we're going to open it up for questions, towards the end but feel free if you have any questions feel free to put them in the chat box, we will be actually monitoring that and I might be able to actually pick up some of those questions.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Along the way so desta welcome to as our first panelist here tell us a little bit about the role your role at freighter and then certainly if you can put in perspective for us what is freighter in the medical college of wisconsin's equity diversity and inclusion strategy.
Dessa Johnson: yeah Thank you so much, Andreas and good morning everyone it's an honor to be.
Dessa Johnson: here with you today.
Dessa Johnson: i'm delighted to be able to to have this discussion so for me and my role i'm a director of emerging markets and inclusion that freighter health.
Dessa Johnson: In my role really focusing on the strategic and key partnerships that we have the areas that we collaborate across the workforce.
Dessa Johnson: With really a heightened emphasis in the marketplace so I support our Community engagement efforts our supplier diversity efforts.
Dessa Johnson: And I have the good fortune of also partnering with Dr Lotus on this call around our population health and health equity efforts.
Dessa Johnson: So, as it relates to our equity diversity and inclusion strategy andres.
Dessa Johnson: Essentially, I would say the way we make the most of you know, is our individually uniqueness among people and cultures and systems.
Dessa Johnson: That drive innovation and delivery culturally and linguistically competent and, most importantly, equitable care.
Dessa Johnson: I think for us at freighter and health, what I want to share is that ED and I is really for us embedded and woven into the fabric of our health network.
Dessa Johnson: We collaborate across key areas in partners such as our staff recruitment retention and engagement and for us that's really key and in creating a culture of dignity and respect.
Dessa Johnson: As I mentioned earlier, our focuses providing culturally and linguistically competent care for all afraid of health, and we really value and celebrate the wealth of diversity.
Dessa Johnson: that's reflected again across our health network in our patients their families, our staff members and the diverse communities, we serve.
Dessa Johnson: So a way that we demonstrate that and our efforts is we are driven by a diversity Council so we're led by top freighter and health executives.
Dessa Johnson: Are ED and I efforts are supported also by our diversity action teams and our diversity action teams at freighters specialize in two distinct areas.
Dessa Johnson: Those are exceptional care which focuses on patient care, and then we have extraordinary people, which is another area of focus and that is on our staff our internal workforce.
Dessa Johnson: Additionally, i'll say that we have five highly engaged employee led business resource groups and they help us execute on our initiatives and deliver tactics around our a dni strategy to all aspects of the organization, we truly feel our br geez are an extension of who we are.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: fall, thank you for that thorough explanation and putting in perspective, the overall strategy here.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: tell us a little bit more about specifically what is freighters on the medical college of wisconsin's disability inclusion strategy because there's actually.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: work that is being done under that particular pillar or dimension of diversity, so if you can put that in context, because I think that that will really set context here for some of the other fireside chat conversations that will have this morning.
Dessa Johnson: yeah absolutely so we're really part.
Dessa Johnson: proud of our disability inclusion strategy.
Dessa Johnson: We focus really on integrating our employees with unique abilities into our freighter family.
Dessa Johnson: So what that means is we do hold our leaders accountable, we encourage inclusive behavior throughout our our health network.
Dessa Johnson: And we're really intentional and purposeful in our efforts so to give you some examples of how we do that, and how we execute on that strategy, we have on our careers website, we offer direct line to a dedicated team that we have in place.
Dessa Johnson: That helps prospective candidates apply for positions throughout our health network our talent delivery team has led efforts.
Dessa Johnson: With website, accessibility and usability and I will also say that we're thrilled to share we're adding and abilities brg in the coming year and that further demonstrates our commitment to disability inclusion.
Dessa Johnson: Another key element of our strategy is that at trader health we collaborate with multiple Community organizations.
Dessa Johnson: which help us identify opportunities for people with unique abilities and their perspectives and experiences.
Dessa Johnson: And will we really strive throughout those partnerships to leverage and provide tools which will help our employees grow and succeed in the workplace.
Dessa Johnson: So I want to share with you a few of our key strategic partners today that helps support the disability Community again my esteemed colleagues.
Dessa Johnson: That have joined me on this panel will be speaking to these in more detail, but just high level wanted to share.
Dessa Johnson: Of course, our partnership with springboard consulting so starting there.
Dessa Johnson: we're also proud to partner with disability in Wisconsin and the chapter here locally is really focused on promoting people with all abilities in the workplace and marketplace.
Dessa Johnson: So we were named freighter health was named a best place to work for disability inclusion for the third year in a row, and we earned a top score on the.
Dessa Johnson: Disability equality index, and that was for our commitment to disability inclusion people practices and.
Dessa Johnson: And I will say we've also one of the inaugural employers with disability in Wisconsin and this chapter and we created.
Dessa Johnson: We help them to create and launch and we provide financial support and assistance, I also will share that one Banda who's on the panel today he does serve on the film affiliate board of directors for disability in Wisconsin and he'll speak more again to that partnership.
Dessa Johnson: we've also actively partnered with project search so today in our organization we've hired excuse me we've hosted 66 individuals and we've hired 14 I know Andy will be expanding on the specific specifics of this, but I just wanted to share that as something we're very proud of.
Dessa Johnson: We also have a partnership in place with mind shift, and that is a local organization that has a primary focus and placing individuals on the autism spectrum.
Dessa Johnson: So we have had successful play placements in our sterile processing department and we're also currently looking at opportunities in our supply chain and our it departments.
Dessa Johnson: We have a partnership with best buddies so we sponsor their annual friendship walk which is supporting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Dessa Johnson: And we'll be continuing to explore programmatic efforts that can be leveraged moving forward there and then Lastly, we do have a partnership with good friend.
Dessa Johnson: Which is a local organization that's primarily focused on neuro diversity.
Dessa Johnson: And although i'll say we're at the beginning stages of this partnership, we are looking at exploring what we can do programmatically to provide neuro diversity, training and education to our leaders in our internal workforce.
Dessa Johnson: So that's a lot and I do want to allow time for my colleagues to share some of the amazing work they're doing in the space as well, but.
Dessa Johnson: Thank you.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Thank you so much so that was actually phenomenal Thank you so much for the work that you lead.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: but also for putting in context all of those great partnerships that we have, and so what I want to do now is take a little bit of that deeper dive so Andy I want to go next to you.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: I know that desk reference you know the partnership that we have.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Here, and we have had enough for a number of years, so if you can actually put that in perspective for us in terms of project surge and talk a little bit about you know how the pandemic actually also impacted.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Our efforts here and that strategy, and yet how we have been able now to double down on those efforts, so if you can speak to the workforce workplace.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know dynamics and implications and certainly we haven't been able to reap those benefits there.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: That that would be really great and for all of you who are in the audience know that Wisconsin is one of those states that, where people actually come here if you're not from here.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And we age well within the state, so this is actually a state where people actually you know there's very little movement, quite frankly, or growth.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know, in our state and so it's one of those states where it's very challenging sometimes in terms of building that pipeline.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: within your own community and so we've had to be very creative and innovative in our approach to do that because there certainly.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Not a lot of folks who are actually coming to Wisconsin necessarily even though we're starting to see some growth, particularly around some of our diverse communities.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: But certainly Andy if you can take it away here tell us a little more about project search and certainly if you can put in perspective, how coven.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know, certainly impacted some of that and some of the lessons learned and leading practices that you certainly have have gained from from that experience.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Absolutely thanks andres and good morning everybody thanks for this opportunity to share our inclusion efforts around individuals with disabilities and.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: It has been an absolute pleasure for me the last eight years to be involved with our project search efforts within freighter medical college of Wisconsin.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: We have to have our hospitals that have been hosting this program our flagship hospital being favor for your hospital is on the eighth year.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And our West bend facility, which is a 70 bed Community hospital, this is the fifth year in the Program.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: This has been a great opportunity, on a lot of fronts, to be able to provide meaningful internships and, more importantly, work force development opportunities.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: For individuals with varying abilities and skills and you know this has been a fantastic journey with our Community partners that support this as well as.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: The state of Wisconsin that holds the contract with the Department of workforce development and vocational rehab and I will say that our leaders and staff.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Really embraced this from day one, when we launched this and have been pivotal in really the quality and process improvement along this journey and it hasn't always been.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: The smoothness and obviously throw cove it into where things you know disrupted, a lot of our lives, but this has been one of those initiatives and one of those programs that.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: You know, every nine months, and when we start and ramp up a new group of talented individuals and leaders get excited the staff get excited because of the warmth, the personalities, the you know impact of work and having additional.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Individuals i'm sure everybody is dealing with some of the pan debt pre and post pandemic related issues around Andre Smith mentioned the great resignation.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: You don't have enough people to do the jobs out there, and so, to be able to have up to 12 willing individuals help out.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: and learn about what careers are out there and what opportunities success it's really it's really foundational Lee heartwarming and so we've really taken a hands on approach in regards to how we facilitated.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: These relationships and if you're not familiar with the project search model we have typically it would be about a.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: nine month program and interns would have anywhere between 10 and 12 weeks to do three rotations in hopefully will be an area of their choice.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And we've been very fortunate about the opportunities at some of our campuses around that and our main campus and milwaukee.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: We have nearly 30 departments that will support a project certain turn our Community hospital, we have about 14 to 16 and it's just amazing what skills and talents are brought.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: To the table, and you know a lot of things and what we learned early on, is you know we just kind of thought about Okay, some of the low hanging fruit for us is food nutrition services environmental services, some of the.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: ingredients stations and that sort of thing, but when we really peel back the onion we have individuals and direct care access areas we have individuals in our pharmacy.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: We have individuals that are working in biomedical engineering, which you know, is a whole other level that I will never understand but appreciate what those.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: What those individuals can do, but really from the standpoint of knowing that there are so many things that and so many talents that looking outside looking deeper.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: At our operations our mission related functions and our patient care we've been really amazed at what our interns have been able to do and so.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: That was one of the big teachings early on, because we narrowed down, and you know, trying to get off with maybe eight departments early on and all the sudden in three weeks.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: We have a project search instructor saying you know intern Joe he's already completed and has mastered this job What more can we do to go deeper and so don't offer those opportunities.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And really be inclusive, in that, in the way of which we all live, work and learn and we got some interns that have had literacy issues, and so, how do you incorporate.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: New operational models to support that such as utilizing pictures color codes.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: We had one intern in particular that was helping with changing over rooms and we're all I can't begin to understand all the different ways of the.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: protector loaded until the measures of care provisions, the outpatient clinic I don't know what color means you know to change over the room when there's consulting with the attacker and that sort of thing.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And really getting them integrated and I think the most special thing is when they interact with our patients that brings a smile to their face and that standpoint of.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Looking at how we are really inclusive with how we, you know how we live our mission our values in those type of areas and in delivering patient care how we interact with.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: each other as as staff and leaders and providers has really been special and so really having that integration into whatever that operational care or.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Services structure in which they're supporting they're a member of the team, and then the goal for us is obviously to be up to offer employment.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And to look, I think that was one of the struggles early on and Andre says perspective we add to unfortunately put a hold on project search during the pandemic.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And we were able to just relaunched in January, it gave our really multi disciplinary team that opportunity to take a step back and say.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: What can we do to make sure that we have that experience, where we have job opportunities, we can we can streamline the process for them in the application, I mean if an onsite they've gone through everything we've done they've had all the clearances.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: let's not make them have to go through our website, or some of those other channels to become employed and let's look at on the spot hiring.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And those are the things that we put into best practice now that's going to help us move forward, you know, obviously we'd love to be able to have every intern have a.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: A role upon commencement but it's also a win for us if they can also work within the healthcare field, or some other area that is in critical need.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: In southeastern Wisconsin and so looking at some of those barriers and challenges and say.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: let's open a door let's look at different shifts maybe would it be better to have somebody who can work a rush hour of 10 to two o'clock.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: at certain department or service area within the facility person is trying to say, well, I can't have that this individual cannot because of scheduling or whatever issues transportation.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Work a full eight hour shift but hey I can get them three days a week for four hours let's go outside some of those tradition traditional staffing.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: matrices and figure out ways in which we can incorporate them into our operations and.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: One of the last things i'll just talk about is, this is a phenomenal leadership development opportunity for emerging staff, a lot of times, we find that our leaders for those individuals that have a passion for this level of work.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: eagerly volunteer to say hey I want to work with in turn actor, let me be that host for that sponsor and those relationships are long lasting even after.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Employment they may work somewhere else in the facility, but those things are a forever changed moment and.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: it's just been a heartwarming program and i've been so blessed to be able to be part of this these last eight years, and really excited to see where we continue to grow this program moving forward.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: it's wonderful Thank you so much Andy for that a thorough explanation overview of not only project search but.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Really, the partnership with freighter in the medical college of Wisconsin and how you know what we have learned right in with how we have.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: leverage and grown the program over the last eight years quick follow up here before I actually go to one next.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Can you speak to the uniqueness of our program typically project surge tends to be to this for the students who are actually just graduating right and transitioning from high school.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: into the workforce, our program is actually a little bit unique from that perspective is really more targeted to adults right tailored for adults who are chronically.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: have been underemployed or unemployed, for that matter, can you speak to that and how that really has again helped us to your point earlier to really address the great resignation right or or need to continue to.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Look, for great staff highly engaged staff when it coming to the workplace and certainly add value.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Yes, absolutely one of so a lot of the project search programs will team up specifically what maybe a specific.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: school or school district, and it will be obviously great partnership, a little bit more narrow and focus.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: We have obviously real time opportunities that we need to employment as soon as possible, and some of these critical to fill roles.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And so, with our hosting partners, we have two phenomenal nonprofit organizations on that host and then underneath one of our University of Wisconsin schools that provide the credit.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: For this program we really wanted to make this a situation that upon commencement we'd be able to be in a workforce in workplace readiness.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: immediately and so we're one of the few programs out there, that that offers this for.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: young adults and we've had interns as old as 40 years old, that have come through our program, and so it really speaks to the level of.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Wanting to navigate the market and know that we have some phenomenal school districts that are doing this, what could differentiate ourselves and.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: Those certain healthcare know how regulated things are, and there are certain rules that you have to be at least 18 years of age.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And so we wanted that as our cut out to say you know what we want to be able to experience all those level of operations amongst our facilities so let's.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: let's not have any barriers that may prevent that Oh, instead, to be able to partner and look at those opportunities so that they can, if they want to work in a nursing capacity we've had individuals.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: On to become a cna and eventually a nurse but let's do those things to really get them engaged into the excitement and opportunities that exist with healthcare careers.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you Andy you're doing amazing incredible work and it's really neat to be able to partner with you and see how this program has continued to grow and.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Not only serve our interns but certainly meet a need that we have from a workflow perspective.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Also drive that phenomenal patient experience at freedom in the medical college of Wisconsin and certainly also allowing them to have.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know a great experience you know meaningful employment within freighter which actually then adds to the whole notion of Community and economic vitality, so thank you for everything that you do there.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: appreciate it so folks as I actually transition to one if you have again any questions or maybe something that you would like our panelists whether it's desktop or Andy to clarify, please put it in the chat box, again, I will be monitoring that.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: As we go here continue with our panel, but what I want to actually go to you next.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know I know you were multiple hats so let's start with your had from an HR perspective you're the HR director site director for freighter hospital.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: that's our academic medical Center we have at least 5000 maybe a little bit more, I actually lose Count of how many staff members, we have afraid afraid your hospital I know it's actually.
Juan Banda: Probably a.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: little bit more than a third at this point for the entire health network, can you tell us a little bit about you know what disability inclusion means and why it matters so much to freighter you know wearing your hat.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know, as an HR side director and then I will actually ask you a different question worrying some of the other hats that you wear as a B or D leader and also certainly wearing your head for disability in.
Juan Banda: yeah so first of all, under this thanks I think the reference to wearing hats, as appropriate, as you see i'm kind of challenged with not having any hair, so I think the the need for heads is appropriate, but.
Juan Banda: I will jump in on this and then would be glad, as you as some top questions so first of all thank you on to this, and thanks everyone i'm very appreciative and grateful for the opportunity.
Juan Banda: to join today and to build on your comments on this and the great comments from Destin Andy about our holistic and integrated approach.
Juan Banda: That we're driving towards as part of our disability inclusion strategy so few little background about myself i'm a native of southeastern Wisconsin been in human resources, my entire career i've had the great privilege of working in a variety of industries, including.
Juan Banda: agribusiness energy utilities and kind of found my home in in health care about 10 or 15 years ago so.
Juan Banda: You know, when I think about this important work quite honestly i've always had a level of connection.
Juan Banda: With regards to this space, when I was in high school my last year of high school, I was asked required as a student to to two years as a special project i'm not sorry two years to two weeks as a special project.
Juan Banda: We all volunteered in the Community as as high school seniors, and so I chose to spend my two weeks working as a volunteer at a school serving children with special needs, and that really just opened my eyes my passion to the importance of this work.
Juan Banda: During my health and human services leadership career journey i've worked with two human services firms which provide.
Juan Banda: Support for individual the special needs and one of the unique experiences actually one of those firms is an employee owned or an Aesop firm so that's really neat to see an employee on firm in that space.
Juan Banda: And then finally at a personal level, I have a niece who has a disability and she's a young adult and she's currently finding her way.
Juan Banda: into the workforce, and so I have a very personal connection to the importance of this work.
Juan Banda: and rescue your point i'm the HR director at the freighter hospital campus we're the only level one trauma Center in southeastern Wisconsin freighter health overall has about just under 14,000 employees and about 7700 of those employees are on the freighter hospital campus.
Juan Banda: You know, as far as this work, and you know the my my great fortune of landed at freighter i've been there three and a half years, one of the things I think that is a great.
Juan Banda: blessing and wonderful aspect of freighter and our mission is that we have an expectation for all of our executive leaders.
Juan Banda: To contribute to the Community and to participate, an external board work so when I joined for a little over three years ago with the sport of view on this, as you remember in your team.
Juan Banda: I was offered the opportunity to represent freighter on the board of directors for disability and earned the Wisconsin chapter of disability in.
Juan Banda: Which which does so thank you for forgiving some of that background, before it's like, as I mentioned, we are one of the founding sponsors of the Wisconsin chapter.
Juan Banda: For and i'm guessing some of you are aware of disability and nationally, but in a nutshell, what we're trying to do as employers in in southeastern Wisconsin particularly.
Juan Banda: is really created an ecosystem that's conducive to employment of individuals with disabilities and we do that by by providing education resources and being kind of a hub for best practices.
Juan Banda: By doing so, the success we've we've seen is that it helps really change the culture around employment of individuals with disability and that starts to drive demand for more and more employment opportunities.
Juan Banda: And then kind of continuation on that value chain once that demand is created what we try to do is we help employers align their talent and.
Juan Banda: strategies with strategic strategic partners so they can build those employment pipelines and then like.
Juan Banda: Death I think you mentioned, we do participate annually in the DTI survey that disability equality index and it's just a great tool and instrument to assess how we're doing, not only in the human resource space, but the holistic nature of the survey.
Juan Banda: Really speaks to things like our supply chain spend and working with companies that are owned by people with disabilities, our use of technology, etc, so it's a really great instrument that how.
Juan Banda: How we're going.
Juan Banda: So, as far as the current state of healthcare and disabilities, and I was unfortunately unable to hear the last presentation, but I think a lot of that was covered based on what I stopped the tail end but.
Juan Banda: And we've we've touched on it today, but it'd be possible to speak about.
Juan Banda: The current environment, the current workforce, you know, without acknowledging kind of those intersecting impacts of the global pandemic.
Juan Banda: And then we've got this major Labor shortage like we've touched on already, which is that intersection of people aging out into retirement.
Juan Banda: The great resignation that was great wage pressure ISM and in particularly in our industry in healthcare even predating the pandemic is just a severe.
Juan Banda: crisis with burnout of clinicians and so.
Juan Banda: We all know it hasn't been an easy journey, the last couple years, but the positive that I think we that I take that we take from that experiences it's really forced us to challenge our thinking.
Juan Banda: To be more flexible with our thinking in terms of how we support employees, for example, during the pandemic and our thought processes on remote remote work hybrid work.
Juan Banda: And it's been a good thing from that perspective and that translates into us being more nimble in terms of how we think about.
Juan Banda: employment opportunities with individuals who have disabilities so.
Juan Banda: kind of the point I think you're you're making Andy, I think, maybe more traditionally the thought would be hey Maybe someone with a disability could work in a lab setting.
Juan Banda: or a sterile processing setting where we sterilizing clean equipment, but.
Juan Banda: We just over the past couple weeks to a month had a specific situation that in when I wear one of those hats that i'm today suspension as an HR director.
Juan Banda: We play someone with a disability in a role and it wasn't working it just wasn't and you have to call it for what it is.
Juan Banda: But then we all came together with frontline leaders with our HR team, and I said well we're could the talents of this individual best be deployed and we actually found an opportunity.
Juan Banda: In one of our kind of a signature strategies, right now, so a couple years ago we launched a guest relations representative or GR our strategy.
Juan Banda: to really create a concert like concierge like experience for our patients, and so this individual i'm referring to is now.
Juan Banda: functioning in one of those roles so again, not only found an opportunity by by really challenging ourselves to be creative with I thinking, but it's a very important strategic facing role that interacts with our patients every day.
Juan Banda: And then my final comment in terms of you know, as we talked about where we're at with our journey, as well as where we're going from here, you know i've just really enjoyed.
Juan Banda: The process and the challenge of trying to think of what else can we do, and you know given today's topic about disabilities and healthcare.
Juan Banda: You know it prompted me to have a recent discussion with our leaders in case management care bad care management and care transition so.
Juan Banda: Suddenly, those are the individuals lots of social workers who help our patients transition out of the Inpatient setting like I mentioned before being the only level one trauma Center in southeastern Wisconsin.
Juan Banda: You know, we deal with patients who have experienced significant trauma sometimes life changing health experiences, whether it be severe spinal cord injuries or going through.
Juan Banda: You know very difficult life threatening experiences with cancer and so.
Juan Banda: Those care transition teams their focus is on moving the patients out of the Inpatient setting or the clinical setting kind of back into their homes and into their environments and.
Juan Banda: Logically, when they're at that point of transition, you know they're not thinking about their jobs right or their careers they're thinking about their health and improving their health, but the conversation I started recently with those care of transition leaders is.
Juan Banda: What happens when those individuals get to that point of saying hey can I resume my old career Do I need to rethink a different career.
Juan Banda: Are we doing everything possible weekend, not necessarily to be an employment firm but point and direct those patients.
Juan Banda: To the proper and appropriate resources to help them on their journey forward, and so I think we're still finding ways to leverage.
Juan Banda: Our vision around employment and supporting not just our employees and prospective employees, but our Community Members, our patients in their journey of employment, so.
Juan Banda: we're not pause there, those are my reflections and comments today, I know I did this, you had some questions but yeah.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Now that after a.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Thank you so much, I think there's a couple of comments here i'm going to do a quick follow up question for you on.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know there's this whole notion right of importance as an employer of choice of not only creating greater accessibility.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: In terms of our website careers, you know careers page right through the website, but more importantly, they use usability of that.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And so I don't want to just limited to technology Maybe you can also provide an you know, an example of also when you know, an individual.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: has already applied, but also now it's boots on the ground right now it's interviewing afraid for a role, how do we make some of those accommodations for that individual.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Just to ensure that we're starting.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: The process effectively for them right and positioning them for success and letting them know based and not in our words but interactions.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: That hey this will be a grid employer of choice for you can you speak to that whether it's on the technology side of the careers page and or in terms of that hiring process as well.
Juan Banda: yeah for sure, and you know, one of the things I didn't mention, but you know kind of where our worlds overlap is I sit on the project search steering committee with Andy so.
Juan Banda: we're sharing experiences and then, by extension, our executive director of talent, is part of that as well, and so it's being very mindful of, whether it be.
Juan Banda: The design of our web pages, where people seek employment in a special assistant say may need.
Juan Banda: The whole interview process, I mean we're very mindful and deliberate about if we need to do something different in terms of how an employee can engage in that employment process.
Juan Banda: That we're providing those supports and be nimble around that and so um it's just kind of in intertwined now with our our our design of our services.
Juan Banda: And certainly we need to be mindful we're always asking ourselves what else can we do, but yeah it's whether it's it's the technologist unable to go through the application process, creating your turn it is.
Juan Banda: And then the at the point of interviewing being sensitive to what we might need to do to make it a fair and equitable experience, up to the point of fire.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you, one that was phenomenal, thank you for speaking and amplifying some of the comments that.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Andy provided in terms of our workforce and workplace efforts so now i'm going to shift a little bit to.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: More of that marketplace Community our patient centeredness or consumer guided experience that we provide someone actually invite Dr Lotus here now.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: To come up and to have a little bit of discussion regarding Dr Lotus talk to us a little bit about you know our health equity strategy and maybe talk a little bit about the.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: intersection between people with disabilities and the work that you're leading, because actually phenomenal work that you're leading actually you've been our thought leader in terms of creating that strategy and getting us under way in.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And while we have come a long way, I think right there's certainly some opportunities as we continue to uncover.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: as it relates to our health equity and then we'll certainly i'll do a follow up question after that but let's start there, and if you can put in perspective or health equity journey and certainly that intersection with people with disabilities.
Mark Lodes: Are Thank you andres and appreciate the opportunity to come and talk about this important work that we've been engaging in.
Mark Lodes: You know I again i'm Dr mark Lotus i'm chief medical officer for population health for free during the medical college.
Mark Lodes: My clinical background is internal medicine adult medicine and aborted in pediatrics, and so I see kids and adults.
Mark Lodes: All the time throughout my clinical career, you know that are facing some level of disabilities, it is common, as you know, this is.
Mark Lodes: This is not is not uncommon to be living with a disability, it is common to be living with a disability and and that end of one and that every patient, you know each patient one, at a time, as I see them in my my active practice today.
Mark Lodes: we're trying to address those and try to break down barriers on an individual basis for each one of our patients.
Mark Lodes: In my role and population health, we take a step back from that right, we take a step back and say.
Mark Lodes: across all the patients that we're treating you know, and we have our active patients that you know see us for let's say our primary care get most of their care in our system, you know we have.
Mark Lodes: You know a little over a quarter million patients, you know that are in this this this cohort that are actively being managed at any one time.
Mark Lodes: And a large number of those patients have barriers to care and so today what i'm going to speak about is how we're using our population health platform and kind of bigger data and approaches.
Mark Lodes: To really improving the care we're providing to all of our patients, but especially to those who have some barrier to care.
Mark Lodes: And that might be a barrier that's based upon you know race and ethnicity, like our five Poc we've created this bypass a kind of concept it's black indigenous people of color but we've also added in our Asian population.
Mark Lodes: we're addressing that group were identifying patients with significant social determinants of health barriers as well.
Mark Lodes: That go across all of our populations and, as you know, many of our patients with disabilities have significant social determinants of health that are impacting.
Mark Lodes: You know their ability to access care, what are the things we're talking about, then when we say okay well, they have a barrier, they have trouble accessing care what do we mean by that like, how do we quantify that.
Mark Lodes: Well, what we're seeing, and I think we see this, I want to stress of what i'm going to just drive Here we see it freighter to medical college.
Mark Lodes: is no different than what we're seeing in the milwaukee market as a whole, which is really no different than what we're seeing regionally and nationally across the US right which is that these groups that have significant barriers to care.
Mark Lodes: Whether it be sth or or race, ethnicity related barriers.
Mark Lodes: Are have lower rates of completion and health screenings they have lower rates of preventative care visits, they have poor control their chronic conditions.
Mark Lodes: And those three things not having their health screenings not getting as high of preventative care rates and not getting their chronic conditions under control.
Mark Lodes: is really solid, resulting in the lazing cancer detection so cancer is being detected later and later in the course higher rates of complications from chronic diseases.
Mark Lodes: and higher susceptibility to infections and infectious diseases and other and other diseases.
Mark Lodes: So, with respect to the pandemic I think it's it's it's you know I don't have to tell anyone who's logged into this, you know this conference that the read this reality played out really.
Mark Lodes: In a central role in the rates of hospitalization mortality from colon we saw that those that that had these barriers and did knocked it.
Mark Lodes: As well as had more chronic disease and did not get their completion and health screenings preventative care of chronic conditions under control and higher rates of coffee complications and death.
Mark Lodes: hospitalizations and all the rest, so we really believe organizationally that this that this is.
Mark Lodes: An extremely important area for organization really in four different areas, the first is that there is no way we're going to nail great quality and outcomes.
Mark Lodes: As a health system without addressing the health inequities that are taking place in these pockets of patient demographics around social determinants disability and and our bypass patients.
Mark Lodes: The second is that we know from data that health inequities costly the urban institute estimated way back in 2008.
Mark Lodes: That in a 10 year period from 2009 to 2018 it was going to cost 330 $7 billion.
Mark Lodes: That just that that inequities and disparities and all the extra classical around with no treating more advanced disease and illness was going to cost that much so, so we got a reason for a value based care initiative to do that.
Mark Lodes: We really think it's a business imperative, because one we're seeing more in our market we're really proud proud of this we're seeing more of our.
Mark Lodes: Patients with social determinants of health barriers and our bypass patients choosing us for their health care because they know we take this seriously and we do great we give great care in this area.
Mark Lodes: To really choose us for their care so we want to build business and our patient base and, in doing this, we think that's really going to afford us.
Mark Lodes: You know, a competitive edge in addition to that, we know that this part of our mission as a Health Organization, that really resonates with our employees.
Mark Lodes: And so you know when employees have lots of different you know choices as to where they know where they go and we know retention rates have been tough and you know getting.
Mark Lodes: folks employed and finding enough workforce has been difficult when you have something like this, you can get your workforce involved in and say you're really in route that having them really feel like they're making a meaningful impact on.
Mark Lodes: Your organization's ability close gaps, for most vulnerable Community communities in the metro area it's a real you know it's a real engagement piece, and I think.
Mark Lodes: We know from the data that that that employees that really feel personally connected to them the mission of their organizations are more likely to be satisfied by their employment and stay.
Mark Lodes: And then, then Lastly, this is becoming external requirement this health, the health equity.
Mark Lodes: You know the the cms and are in a lot of the governmental bodies have historically look just at overall quality and outcomes, but they're starting to look now down at subsets of populations that are the most vulnerable.
Mark Lodes: From a health equity and disparity basis, and so this is really a must do, for most organizations, we feel like we're ahead of the game right now in terms of our evolution in this space compared to the rest of the country.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you so much, Dr Lotus for putting in perspective that overview, certainly the efforts that you are co leading within the health network.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Around health equity and the importance of that right, I mean addressing social determinants of health.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And really understanding the impact that it has in our communities.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: And so, if we did not address it right in the front end we're going to be paying no big bigger price on the back end so great points that you made there.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know quickly, one of the things that I know that you have been involved because you're the diet partner of our VP of Community engagement carry Freiburg and the work that it's being led.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: In terms of those strategic efforts in the Community can you speak, for example, to like the among year one of those events right where we show up actually maybe illustrate the.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: This past weekend there was actually a great initiative with one of the sororities.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Can you speak to that and really the impact that it has in our Community to your point earlier.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Around how we show up in the Community with humility how we're actually attending to the needs of the Communities, because we engage them authentically in dialogue and then ultimately.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: They help us right to co create the right solutions, so we can certainly meet their health needs so maybe you can actually illustrate one of those examples.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: yeah.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: I think, where we actually take other.
Mark Lodes: Other questions yeah Thank you I you know.
Mark Lodes: I appreciate that and I think you know part of the part of the work we've been doing anything you want to highlight that this has been really hard work, you know it's been a.
Mark Lodes: team based effort with our Community engagement teams with our with our HR teams with our with our diversity inclusion teams, as well as you know, we've needed quite a bit of data and connections to significant.
Mark Lodes: Community agencies to really help us to figure out how we best adopt and design some of our interventions.
Mark Lodes: we've really been focusing on our populations that are attached to our health system, you know that we.
Mark Lodes: provide medical care to the patients today and where we have these gaps in care that are occurring and then we've taken a process we've really done a multivariate analysis.
Mark Lodes: of our existing patients and what populations have the gaps so really getting down to is it really racing this is driving it is, it is this more of a transportation issue is this.
Mark Lodes: issue of education is that it's an issue of of you know, adequate ability to access times for care that are convenient.
Mark Lodes: we've been engaging our business resource groups internal to the organization, you and your team have done a great job of putting together a whole host of our African Americans are veterans are you know Hispanic or women.
Mark Lodes: You know br geez that really have been vital to to giving us feedback.
Mark Lodes: we've gotten to our actual patients that have the gaps, you know, imagine that right we reach out actually to our patients.
Mark Lodes: who have these gaps and ask them what are some of the barriers you haven't you know you do, or you were the queue you know that you do for the screening or for this test or this follow up and.
Mark Lodes: You know what which of these following you know interventions or ideas might help what ideas do you have.
Mark Lodes: Engaging our communities and co creating and co designing the efforts, so you mentioned some of the things that we actually have done to you know engage we've got we just had the breast cancer screening that's a good camera roll sorority African American sorority where we brought.
Mark Lodes: women from all over the metro area to you know, in an event to get their breast cancer screening and.
Mark Lodes: made a huge impact, you know in screening rate as a result of that we are sending over 10,000 we have we have over 10,000 patients.
Mark Lodes: That have a health equity gap and not having colorectal cancer screening that's more than year out from their.
Mark Lodes: Their time we don't have enough time we don't have enough access to get them all in for colonoscopies this year we're sending out stool testing, which is works very well for this testing.
Mark Lodes: And we're sending over 10,000 kits proactively to all of these all of the patients with an explanation from their primary care doctor and saying just.
Mark Lodes: Please do this in the comfort of your own home send it into us, and that will satisfy your screening, you know and doesn't require them taking the time off of work is convenient and so.
Mark Lodes: Those are some examples there's many, many more.
Mark Lodes: One of the great things that has happened, out of this is that we're also able to activate our workforce in helping to staff, some of these events and to really be meaningful involved so again thanks for the opportunity to highlight some of those things today.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: appreciate it Thank you so much, the Lotus for that.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Certainly great work critical work for our Community so really appreciative of that.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: couple of comments that came in and then i'm going to do a follow up for you Andy that came in regarding project search, but a couple of companies that have been coming in.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Someone put looking at subsets are key to health, equity, but in all aspects of our lives, thank you for doing that freighter so thank you, that was actually.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: For you, Dr load is based on the comments that you made there around our health equity and looking at our different populations or subsets of our patient base populations.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: There was another comment, one that came in, regarding your explanation regarding people with disabilities, when maybe their skill sets did not match right.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: The current need to in that department right or maybe there's actually other challenges or barriers and the fact that we did not actually dismiss that individual that you use that as an opportunity.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: to rethink our strategy and really plays the individual in a different environment and.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: workplace and function, where this individual now was actually positioned for success so someone actually.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Certainly said kudos for doing that because that's typically what happens, and then the comment that came in regarding project search was someone says wow all in caps.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Project search for adults and so certainly really taken by the explanation there Andy, but the question was was this something that you created.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Or is it something that project search actually offers generally, and there I think referring to the program tailored for adults versus your typical high school students were transitioning into the workplace ending to adulthood, for that matter.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: yeah this was it was probably a hybrid approach really and, at the time with the the partnership that we had this was a gap that they have.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: And so, and obviously from our workforce development of opportunities, was gap for us and so project searches very prescriptive and we have to do a fidelity of an audit every few years.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: But it was it was really both the partnership of us, and then it continued approach with the key stakeholders, the funders I mean certainly this this partnership doesn't exist without.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: The financial backing to having these talented individuals come through so it just happened to be a perfect storm.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: So, to speak and we've just we've leveraged and went with that because we're one of the few in southeast Wisconsin that does it for adults versus those transitioning out of high school.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you and yeah and I believe every call correctly in one of those first audits that our auditor came in and said that we were, I think one of only three a healthcare systems nationally.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: That had this model because For those of you who might not know this was actually a model that started back in the 90s early 90s actually at children's.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Cincinnati children's hospital in Cincinnati Ohio and certainly Andy has taken this program and taking it obviously to new heights so thank you Andy for that work.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: So here's what i'm going to do, I don't think that we have any other questions so i'm going to ask.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: kind of a closing question here to our panel and then I will wrap us up and then turn it over to you in a Dean, an event for the next.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: panelist or keynote here and so i'm going to ask each one of our panelists you know, based on the work that you're leading.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: At freighter right in terms of everything that you explain and certainly we could have been here, probably the whole day explaining the strategy and all the grid work.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: What would be one pearls of wisdom that you would like to leave as a key takeaway for our audience today so i'm going to start with.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: let's start with you one what would be the pearls of wisdom that you think would be important for anyone who might be kind of maybe early or maybe some we're kind of in that middle stage of their journey.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: equity diversity, inclusion and Jesse jed I heard the acronym dead I earlier so using that acronym that you think would actually be catalytic to continue to propel their strategy to move forward.
Juan Banda: I guess one thing we haven't covered if there's a lot more allies out though than you think case in point.
Juan Banda: And refreshing myself on my experience in high school I look back on the website of that firmware that school is still exists and.
Juan Banda: Lo and behold, one of the board of director members is one of our nurses I didn't know that.
Juan Banda: And so you know we didn't talk today about intersection ality but I chair the let next beer gee i'm involved with disability.
Juan Banda: there's so much dimensionality of the workforce and there's so many allies out there, so if you think you're trying to get started.
Juan Banda: there's probably more allies and supporters out there, then you realize that probably just take some hunting and pecking and so that would be my my additional comment.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you one great nugget Andy let's go to you next.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: i'll just say, innovation and knowing what.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: is possible in regards to whatever your efforts, maybe around this level of work and keeping an open mind and looking at and the pandemic, I never we never thought we would be able to do a.
Andy Dresang, Froedtert Health: kind of a hybrid approach this year with this program has been very successful so look at different pathways mean executing on your mission and those critical programs and services you're doing.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you Andy Dr Lotus what would be your pearl of wisdom.
Mark Lodes: You know I would, I would say, establishing that true north of what you're trying to accomplish and rallying your organization and the people and your teams around that true north.
Mark Lodes: For us it's you know closing some of these gaps and in health equity and care, and you know as you go through this you know.
Mark Lodes: This there's no single roadmap for some success and some of these areas you're going to have some failures and the keeping you know.
Mark Lodes: You know persevering and you know, taking those steps and learning from you know from your missteps learning from those things that didn't work and doing more of what did work.
Mark Lodes: You know I think you get there, eventually, and that's kind of the journey we're on.
Mark Lodes: It you know, I think, for all those out there, trying to you know, trying to do great things in these spaces, it is hard work and, if you have that true North really you know kind of there and and have your team rallied around it, it can really be rewarding journey.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you so much to Lotus and this a wrap us up here in terms of the pearls of wisdom, what would be your nugget here for our audience today.
Dessa Johnson: yeah I think unders I would say, building on what Dr Lotus said right so just knowing that we're all on a journey.
Dessa Johnson: And I think it's really clear and what we shared today that addressing disability inclusion at those very high a strategic level similar to how we're doing across our health network, ensuring that's a.
Dessa Johnson: Business imperative is really a positive connection in the first step, so that would be my nugget.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Wonderful Thank you this so here's a wrap up, I want to say first of all thank you to my former colleagues here, I honestly, I am very honored and privileged to work with four stellar.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Experts here subject matter, experts and colleagues that are so committed.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: To advancing our you know equity diversity inclusion into Racism strategies at freighter that's why I think we have been able to accelerate.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Our journey certainly thank you a Dean, for being a great partner, thank you for inviting us to share a little bit of our journey.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: You know our successes our lessons learned some of our pitfalls, and I hope that this actually for the audience, was it only maybe practical maybe a little bit inspirational.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: At times, but also, you know also honest right, I mean we were very transparent and authentic and our approach here to let you know what has worked for us where we have failed.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: But what we have learned from those failures, so we can actually move forward with some of those insights that have guided, some of them.
Andres E. Gonzalez, MEd., CCDP/AP-Froedtert Health: Those really you know those nuggets as they all mentioned here, as we were wrapping up, so thank you thanks for attending for your questions for the engagement and at this point i'll turn it over to you miss a Dean.
Nadine Vogel: Thank you, thank you i'm just one Andy desta and mark fabulous you know, Dr lois you said true north.
Nadine Vogel: You guys are there you are definitely on that you talk about a journey you're following the right path you're definitely going to achieve your true North and I think you've inspired all of us to do the same, so thank you.
Nadine Vogel: Thank every one of you.
Nadine Vogel: So now we are going to move on to our date to keynote and I have the pleasure of introducing him.
Nadine Vogel: This is someone that I heard present a number of years ago, I think I i'm not even sure if 30 seconds after he was done, I ran up to him on stage and said.
Nadine Vogel: I have to bring you to disability matters and so i'm really glad that we've been able to do this.
Nadine Vogel: So brad Cohen bread is inspirational educator class performance if you've ever wonder what impact an educator has on students.
Nadine Vogel: brad Cohen, a teacher with tourette's syndrome is going to help you to the front of the class you're going to hear how this first class teacher of the year award winner came from the depths of abuse.
Nadine Vogel: And how he was determined to rise above it all to become an inspiration to everyone now brad has a book called front of the class had tourette's syndrome made him the teacher or made me the teacher, I never had.
Nadine Vogel: The book focuses on having a positive attitude and how all it takes is for one person to believe in a child in order for them to be successful.
Nadine Vogel: Now his history and His story show that this is actually true because a person with a disability, they can follow their dreams, we know that and His story has been seen on oprah.
Nadine Vogel: CBS featured him on a hallmark hall of fame movie about this his life story and check this out Bollywood renamed his movie in India, I am so honored to share bread Cohen, with each and every one of you so take it away brad.
Nadine Vogel: ready there.
vFairs Team: It should be coming over.
vFairs Team: brad can you hear us.
Nadine Vogel: You said to go off my off mute brad and turn your screen on.
vFairs Team: Maybe that's a separate.
vFairs Team: Give me just a second.
Nadine Vogel: I know bread was with us.
vFairs Team: dazzle everybody with your.
vFairs Team: hail the Queen.
Nadine Vogel: as well, I will dazzling wrong with my.
Nadine Vogel: queen like information.
Nadine Vogel: So you know, one of the things I will share with everyone about breads story is that any of you who are parents you're gonna you know take.
Nadine Vogel: Something away from this story relative to your children's education so, although this focuses on disability what I will tell you is that it's highly applicable to all of our children and all of the everyone in the education system from the students, the parent the teacher, the administration.
Nadine Vogel: Really imply it implies and implies lots of information that we wish would be shared by many and often is not so anyway.
Nadine Vogel: While we wait to get brad on, I would like them to open it up and just see does anyone have any questions or comments relative to anything that we have addressed so far this morning.
Nadine Vogel: I know we've had a lot of information, the research that guardian presented, I do want to remind everyone that that research is being made available to everyone, as is the research and information from.
Nadine Vogel: penn McIlveen and diversity nba we, we know that we hear from many of you that when you look to put initiatives forward.
Nadine Vogel: Your executives, you know are looking for facts they're looking for hard numbers for information and that's why the last couple of years, we have opened each day.
Nadine Vogel: With that, with facts with statistics with research that you can use and utilize for your programs going forward to get buy in to get budget, etc.
Nadine Vogel: So i'm not sure where brad went.
vFairs Team: Dean also not sure where brad once I wish I could speak for him.
vFairs Team: Maybe we could do would you like to just kind of switch on to.
Nadine Vogel: yeah so what why don't we do this if this will work for everyone, we were scheduled to take a lunch break from 1245 to 145 Eastern.
Nadine Vogel: It is now almost 1210 why don't we go ahead with our lunch break now, we will go from 1210 to 110 Eastern come back at 110 and in the meantime, we will locate brad and we will have him do his keynote at that time is that does that work.
vFairs Team: That works for me, I hope it works for all of our attendees We look forward to having you back again we'll be back at 1:10pm.
vFairs Team: Eastern please check your local times.
Nadine Vogel: Thank you, everybody.
Brad Cohen: Yes.
Brad Cohen: In here.
Brad Cohen: When i'm what i'm.
Brad Cohen: At.
Brad Cohen: I got in about 1115.
Brad Cohen: yeah okay.
Brad Cohen: Okay you're fine.
Brad Cohen: yeah that's fine i'm totally available sorry about that you know what I.
Brad Cohen: My phone wasn't with me and it is on vibrate while i'm sitting on one side of the room with myself and i'm here, on the other, and I didn't see I didn't see okay that's weird i'm sorry about that, but yeah i'm here i'm ready to go, so you want me to come back at um.
Brad Cohen: yeah okay i'll be i'll be at one o'clock.
Brad Cohen: Okay.
Brad Cohen: I am.
Brad Cohen: i'll be yeah have you got one 1pm that's fine.
Brad Cohen: Okay i'll be here, thank you bye.
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vFairs Team: All said.
Nadine Vogel: Hello everyone and welcome back to the.
Nadine Vogel: Second, half of the second day of disability matters North America, I hope you enjoyed your lunch i'll be a little early.
Nadine Vogel: But let's get right back to our busy day and, let me start by once again introducing today's keynote brad con.
Nadine Vogel: If you have ever wondered what impact an educator has on the students, they teach brad Cohen, a teacher with tourette's syndrome is going to help you to the front of the class.
Nadine Vogel: you're going to hear how the first class teacher of the year award winner came from the depths of abuse and how he was determined to rise above it all to become an inspiration to others.
Nadine Vogel: including me, I think I said earlier, I had heard him present and within seconds of him finishing I said oh my gosh I have to bring you to disability matters, and that was actually a few years ago.
Nadine Vogel: brad's book front of the class had tourette's syndrome made me the teacher, I never had focuses on having a positive attitude and how all it takes is one person to believe in a child in order for them to be successful His story shows just that.
Nadine Vogel: He was featured on oprah CBS did a whole hallmark hall of fame movie about his life and then Bollywood came and remade the movie in India brad we are so excited to have you join us today, please entertain us.
Brad Cohen: Hello and good afternoon everyone i'm brad show it is an honor to be here today with all of you you're probably asking yourself well why bring a teacher to come talk to everyone.
Brad Cohen: And i'm going to tell you why.
Brad Cohen: Because I have a story.
Brad Cohen: I have a story by I believe each and every one of you need to hear you see people didn't believe in me.
Brad Cohen: People didn't want to give me a chance because I made funny faces and funny noises all day every single day of my life growing up all I wanted was to be treated like every other student with respect that didn't happen.
Brad Cohen: You see today i'm here to inspire you today i'm here to remind you about the difference that you make it here's my story.
Brad Cohen: Back in fourth grade the summer before fourth grade well I started to make these weird noises this evening sound and the more I made this evening sound.
Brad Cohen: The more I got attention, while I was at summer camp I started making these noises and they say do that voice again do that voice, and I do this Friday voice do this voice again do this voice again I would do the fall you voice.
Brad Cohen: Because, as you say yeah brands and my cabin that's my camper and how keep doing this for you always throughout camp, I was like the coolest kid in camp.
Brad Cohen: I was on top of the world, and I remember on the last day of camp.
Brad Cohen: The concerts all gave out awards all the students to all the campers and I remember that they gave me the froggy award how was so excited yes, I got the frog year award.
Brad Cohen: And then they would call me up and said I now like to give brad Cohen, the froggy award.
Brad Cohen: I gave high fives everyone, and as I sat down and said, do that voice again do that voice again I did the voice again I couldn't wait to get home the next day and share my parents how I had the froggy award.
Brad Cohen: Well, the next day, a bus drove us home I got off the bus and my mom saw me she greeted me hi brad I said hi mom right away, I had to tell her mom I won the froggy award she said brad what's the fraud you work I said.
Brad Cohen: I make this voice the strange voice like a frog and I did this voice and she's like oh that's great Bradley that's great getting a car, we got to go.
Brad Cohen: On the way home I can't do this for all your voice and I quickly realized that she didn't like the frog voice, because she would say things like brad that's enough.
Brad Cohen: You can start doing the Friday voice, now that was a campaign, you can stop, but what I also realized, is that the more she told me to stop making that frog voice.
Brad Cohen: It was like the more I had to do it and we kept going home and she kept going brand that's enough that's enough, but I kept doing it.
Brad Cohen: Well couple days passing that froggy voice was still around and I started to get lots of attention for it, but it was more like the negative attention.
Brad Cohen: I remember fourth grade number four is brain, you have to sit in your seat face in front board let's hear teacher keep your mouth closed.
Brad Cohen: But, for me, I kept doing that fall you voice I kept making all these noises and my teacher got really annoyed she say things like brad that's enough, I do.
Brad Cohen: You can stop making all those noises that's enough but, again, the more she told me to stop making noise, it was like the more I had to do it.
Brad Cohen: One afternoon, she got so fed up of me, she called my mom and she told my mom that I was trying to be disruptive in class.
Brad Cohen: And I must say I know my son's I tried to be a disruptive in class they can't be.
Brad Cohen: And the teacher said no, that is the case he's distracted me all day you need to go to Dr figure out what's wrong with him.
Brad Cohen: So that's what my mom did she took me to doctor after doctor was trying to figure out what was going on with me.
Brad Cohen: We quickly learned that I had a medical condition called tourette's syndrome not tourette syndrome as a neurological disorder which causes people make noises and takes it they can't control.
Brad Cohen: My mom learned about this condition and she started to educate people and my family or friends and the teachers, but they didn't always listen, I remember fifth grade city and seat minding my own business.
Brad Cohen: And while I was sitting there my teacher had enough that's enough proud of you that's enough stop making all those noises.
Brad Cohen: start making those that's enough regular pair of the front of the class she called me up to the front of class she said that you apologize to all the students robbers noises you're making.
Brad Cohen: I got up in front of class and I said i'm sorry for all these noises and I went to sit down and she said, are you get up here and tell them that you will do it again.
Brad Cohen: So I got up there, I said I won't do it again and what did I do I sat down and started making those noises You see, I don't remember the book reports I don't remember the science projects, but I do remember my first speech and fifth grade.
Brad Cohen: I just want to be treated like everyone else, but it couldn't happen that way.
Brad Cohen: And in many ways that classroom environment was a safe environment for me, because the next year I went to middle school remember middle school if you're not.
Brad Cohen: wearing the right clothes on the right day or saying the right things at the right time, then you're the torque of the geek or in my case, I was a kid in the corner that made noises.
Brad Cohen: I tried to be treated like everyone else, I just want to be respected, but that didn't happen, I remember my fifth grade class when I sat there and I tried to learn like like everybody else.
Brad Cohen: And the teacher said that's enough of your brand that's enough stop making the hiccups on purpose and the mean kids sitting behind me started flipping in the back of the head and push me around.
Brad Cohen: The teacher said that's enough you break it up here in the front of class I went to the front of class and the teacher said.
Brad Cohen: you're thinking those voices again you go across the hall someone else's class and I went to timeout.
Brad Cohen: And I wanted someone else's class there, I was she said you're here again brad get to the back of the room face that back wall I don't turn around and that's what I did I learn math backwards.
Brad Cohen: And it probably has something to do with the fact that i'm not real good at math today but that's a whole nother story, you see, for me, for me.
Brad Cohen: I sat in the back of that class and I tried to learn, like everybody else, because when I got back out in the hallways I knew that those kids are gonna be waiting for me.
Brad Cohen: But I knew that I had to learn, and then the bell rang and I went back out in that hallway and the main kids were waiting for me, and they would both me and my books went everywhere.
Brad Cohen: They were shoving me up against the locker and push me around I hated school I hated every single one of those kids.
Brad Cohen: I didn't have any friends, I had no friends, nobody wants to be friends with the noise Baker.
Brad Cohen: And then, it was finally time for lunch and I went to lunch and I sat that same seat and I tried to mind my own business and sit there in peace and eat my lunch.
Brad Cohen: But no, the mean kids were parade around me and Mike my noises they would shove food in my face and try to shut me up.
Brad Cohen: I hated school I hated it, I wanted to be every single one of those kids up, but then again something, deep down, told me I can't just go around beating people up all the time.
Brad Cohen: But I did look up for one teacher to come save me and there they all were turning a blind eye, but I didn't even see what was going on.
Brad Cohen: His school was nothing like about school and then one day.
Brad Cohen: One day, my principal came up to me and said brad, what do you think about getting up in educating all the teachers and all the students about tourette syndrome.
Brad Cohen: I thought what's The worst thing that can happen, I lose, my friends, what did you have any friends, so the two of us got up we educate everyone about tourette's.
Brad Cohen: We told them it's hereditary is passed on generation after generation after generation we told everyone that you do have more when you're nervous when you're excited or under stress.
Brad Cohen: But when you relax you don't make your noises nearly as much we told people that there's no cure there's no cure, but there are medications out there, but many times the side effects of those medications outweigh the benefits.
Brad Cohen: And then we told people that I was open and honest and if it anytime anybody want to ask you a question feel free to do so.
Brad Cohen: I felt good about myself, I felt good about myself and I started head back to my seat and the most amazing thing happened.
Brad Cohen: Everybody in the audience on that day started, for me, I think he'd be a standing ovation I think yourself i'm doing a standing ovation because I have tourette syndrome.
Brad Cohen: And, as I sat down I realized, they just wanted to know they just want to know why I was making all those noises on that day, I realized the power of education.
Brad Cohen: On that day, I realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I wanted to be a teacher.
Brad Cohen: I want to be a teacher that would that would focus on kids straits, not their weaknesses, I would be that that teacher about that here's kids pat's on the back for doing good things, and I would be that teacher that would give out scratch and sniff stickers for no reason at all.
Brad Cohen: I knew someday I can be a teacher, I had a dream what I had a dream, despite my challenges well and then the next year, all the students went up to high school with me.
Brad Cohen: All those kids went to high school with me and all of a sudden my life got better I didn't have to worry.
Brad Cohen: about the teachers kicking me out of class and I didn't have to worry about the students flicking me in the back of the head anymore.
Brad Cohen: I was finally able to port focus on the important things like my self esteem my my academic success my self confidence went up.
Brad Cohen: And that's what happened and, in many ways, I was this this little bit fishing a great big pine because I went to such a big school.
Brad Cohen: But I told people that they need to get to know me for who I was on the inside, and not so much what I was all about on the outside, so when around and I tried to educate people about tourette's.
Brad Cohen: My life got so much better, because I was finally able to focus on the important things, and then I knew I wanted to be a teacher.
Brad Cohen: i'll never forget the day that we were walking down the hallway and I heard the following announcement.
Brad Cohen: The following colleges and universities are visiting today if you'd like to meet with one of the representatives, you can meet them in the counselor's office.
Brad Cohen: Now I grew up in St Louis Missouri so I heard University of Missouri University of Illinois indiana Harvard Yale Bradley university.
Brad Cohen: Bradley university there's a school named Bradley university I could see it now Bradley Cohen attends Bradley university the school has my name written all over it.
Brad Cohen: I went home, I said mom I know where I want to go to school, she goes, where do you want to go to school, I said Bradley university she said why Bradley university I says as a great name choose you can't go still just because of its name.
Brad Cohen: But guess what one year later, I started attending Bradley university just because of its name.
Brad Cohen: Now I don't know how many of you have ever been to a Bradley basketball game, but when I went to the brown and basketball game, I used to sit in the very first row.
Brad Cohen: right behind the basket and you know who was sitting in between myself and the players on the Court, the cheerleaders that's right and we're like this box go probably.
Brad Cohen: let's go probably.
Brad Cohen: spelling my name oh hey de la la de.
Brad Cohen: De de la was like yes, this place is great I call my mom you got to come visit you gotta come visit she's like no focus on academics focused on academics i'm fine i'm fine.
Brad Cohen: Now you go to Bradley university just because we've seen you see Bradley was about two and a half hours away from St Louis in peoria Illinois.
Brad Cohen: Bradley was a smaller university about 6000 students, if I went to a big school I knew I wouldn't survive I needed something smaller, more intimate and then Bradley university got me into the.
Brad Cohen: School system.
Brad Cohen: into my my our education department into the schools on the committee, my very first semester I knew as a great school I knew as a great school for me.
Brad Cohen: And I had to decide how was I going to let people know about my tourette's and this new Community and I decided to do it the same exact way that I did in high school.
Brad Cohen: I took about one or two minutes at the beginning of class to educate everyone about tourette syndrome, because when I know that you know about tourette's everything is a lot easier.
Brad Cohen: You see, the hardest thing about living with tourette's syndrome is ignorance it's the people who don't know the people who don't want to know, but here I had an opportunity to educate people and that's what I did.
Brad Cohen: I decided, well, I decided to go to my Professor my education, Professor I thought, who better to go to the my education professors try this out.
Brad Cohen: So when I walked into his office to see if he can let me educate everyone on the first day of class he said brad I don't have time for this.
Brad Cohen: I think if they're a syllabus I got to get through some books I got to make sure the seating charts right and we got to get through some of the academics, I said, but just give me one minute beginning of class he's like brad i'm sorry we don't have time.
Brad Cohen: i'm like please give me one minute, he said brad I don't have time at the beginning.
Brad Cohen: But I can give you a minute at the end of class I said fine if that's all you can give me give me a minute at the end of the class to educate everyone about threats.
Brad Cohen: So there we were on the first day of the first class and i'll never forget, he got up in front of the audience and said Hello suits own Professor blah blah blah, and today you're in education, one on one.
Brad Cohen: Today I like to today now understand I was sitting in the very front row, and I was a nervous wreck I was making my noise and I was walking and dropping bopping I was taking like.
Brad Cohen: A storm and he's trying to talk today I liked you today we before we go any further, I like to do spread co to come talk to you for a second.
Brad Cohen: Now I look straight to me, I said, you said, the end of class he's like no get up here now.
Brad Cohen: So I ran off on stage real fast, and I said Hello everyone i'm brad and I have read send them and I educated them about to arrest.
Brad Cohen: And immediately all the students were more relax immediately, I was more relaxed and the Professor well, he was never relaxed that's a whole nother story.
Brad Cohen: But I knew that when I educated people make things a lot easier and that's what happened in class and that's what happened when I was at Bradley university.
Brad Cohen: After educating people it made my life easier and people got to know me again for what I was in the inside and that's what is all about on the outside, and it really went a long way.
Brad Cohen: So for four years at Bradley university I studied hard understand that with a person who has tourette's syndrome, who twitches a lot.
Brad Cohen: When they tried to read a book, you can halfway down the page and you forget what you're reading.
Brad Cohen: You can halfway down the page you start twitching your eyes more you forget what you're reading well, you can halfway down the page you forget.
Brad Cohen: Sometimes you forget what subject you are even on but I knew I couldn't give up and I knew I couldn't make excuses hadn't work hard and do my personal best and that's what I did at four years of Bradley university I graduated kula day with honors.
Brad Cohen: My resume was nearly flawless I had a great student teaching experiences in the Community and I had to decide where was I going to go, be a teacher.
Brad Cohen: I decided i'm heading to Atlanta Georgia why Atlanta Georgia, because in Atlanta Georgia that's where the 1996 Summer Olympics, or if there was gonna be a world party, I wanted to be part of it.
Brad Cohen: And I went to the Summer Olympics at nights it was awesome but during the day that's when it really happens.
Brad Cohen: interview after interview after interview after interview after interview after interview after interview after interview, I could not convince.
Brad Cohen: I could not convince elementary school principals to hire me as an elementary school teacher, they said brad.
Brad Cohen: How can you possibly be an effective teacher with tourette syndrome i've never seen an effective teacher with tourette's syndrome before you can't do this job I said I could do it.
Brad Cohen: They said brad have a we explain this to people, how do we explain this to our Community, how do we explain this to the teachers that are so the students, how do we explain it to them, I said you'd be open and honest you explain it.
Brad Cohen: I have one friends will separate you can't possibly be affected me, in fact, if you work in my school my fifth graders will beat you are why.
Brad Cohen: nobody's beating anybody up nobody's being people be open and honest and educate people.
Brad Cohen: And then I have this one first one check on bread you can't possibly do this there's no way you could do it, I see these noises that you're making, how can you teach these kids and kept going on and on, you can't do it, you can't do, and finally, I asked for my portfolio back.
Brad Cohen: I said, thank you very much for this opportunity and I started to walk out and the principal said no we're not done with this interview I said, but I am because, if this is how you treating me a potential employer.
Brad Cohen: That, how are you treating how are you treating the students in your school, they have special needs and how are you supporting the teachers that work with those kids no you're not the right principle for me.
Brad Cohen: I got back in my car and I started drive home and I started thinking about how I just want to be a teacher and I can't convince these people that I could do it.
Brad Cohen: I started thinking about it more and more and more and a certain thing about so much I started crying I started crying so hard that I literally had to pull over on the side of the highway.
Brad Cohen: read your post myself get back to the car I get to my apartment and when I got there I took my sport coat off I put my portfolio down I pretty much cried myself to sleep.
Brad Cohen: You see my mom kept saying come back to St Louis people know you hear my dad said, like i'd say go be a substitute teacher will eventually get to know you.
Brad Cohen: fell asleep at night with the worst attitude the worst attitude.
Brad Cohen: Maybe this wasn't for me.
Brad Cohen: Then the next day.
Brad Cohen: The next day I woke up and I had to make a choice was I going to keep that negative attitude or start off a new fresh positive attitude and that's what my mother instilled in me positive positivity I could do it, I woke up I printed out 25 resume but 25 resumes.
Brad Cohen: And went and got my suit on and I went to school after school after school after school to find that job I wanted assumptions, I asked the Secretary of the principal.
Brad Cohen: The principal came out, and I said Hello principal my name is brad Cohn i'm looking for a job, if you have an opportunity, please considering I walked into some small and the.
Brad Cohen: principal wasn't there, so I gave the resume to the Secretary and said i'm looking for a job.
Brad Cohen: And then there's some schools, I want to the principal wasn't there the secretary wasn't there, so I hunt down the custodian.
Brad Cohen: I fall into stone and say hello, my name is brad Cone here's my resume i'm looking for a job, the first one goes okay.
Brad Cohen: I didn't care, I took the initiative, I got back to the car I headed home I headed home and I felt good about myself I lay down my couch when I got home.
Brad Cohen: And immediately the phone ring Hello is brad co in there, this is Brian hi brad I want to know if you've been hired for a teaching position yet no I haven't can you come in for an interview.
Brad Cohen: You know I can I put my sport coat back on I got my portfolio and I had it back out to that school and when I got there.
Brad Cohen: It was an interview like no interview I have ever been on before it was an interview that was so different from the other 24 interviews that i've been on.
Brad Cohen: You see, they started to ask me questions like brad, what is your philosophy of education.
Brad Cohen: brad, how do you read with these kids, how do you communicate with the parents, what is your classroom management looks like you see the other 24 interviews that I went on, I never asked you those questions.
Brad Cohen: But here, on this day I knew something special was going to happen i'll never forget, when that principle put his hands behind his head.
Brad Cohen: He kicked his feet up on the Jesse said brand you mind if I ask you a personal question I said know if it's true personal just says to personal he said brad.
Brad Cohen: I got to know you make those noises when you sleep, I was like why what kind of question is that is that even legal the ass and let me know but I looked him straight in the eye said I don't know i'm sleeping and then I said and reality.
Brad Cohen: Just like right now i'm relax when i'm relaxed when i'm sleeping I don't make my noises nearly as much and that's how it works tourette syndrome when i'm nervous I make my noises and when i'm sleeping I don't really make them.
Brad Cohen: My friends.
Brad Cohen: After that interview something special happen, they offer me a job they offer me a job I finally got my job, my dream, yes, I was going to be a second grade teacher Now let me tell you one thing.
Brad Cohen: They hired me three weeks into the school year the classes are getting a little too big, they went to each one of the classroom teachers and said hey we just hired a new guy we need for you to choose three or four kids from your class to give to the new guy.
Brad Cohen: Oh yeah that's what happened, I got kids that couldn't read I got kids that couldn't write I got kids who couldn't sit still I got kids with the high maintenance parents it didn't matter, though.
Brad Cohen: i'll never forget the day that the kids were pushing their desks down the hallway and into my room and I said come on in students come on in and like we got the new guy we got the new guy.
Brad Cohen: hey y'all get my room and I looked in front of me i'm like Oh, my goodness, they were all over the place i'm thinking to myself, what do I do now.
Brad Cohen: What do I do now, I went to a four year university I graduated with honors kumar today, but they never tell you what to do in a situation like this.
Brad Cohen: And then I knew I knew what my first lesson was going to be, I said, all the kids down in front of me, and I said Hello boys and girls Hello hello, Mr Cohen.
Brad Cohen: I said there's something I need to tell you about myself, I have a medical condition called tourette's syndrome.
Brad Cohen: tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder which causes me to make noises it takes that I can't control every single one of those kids look up at me like huh what I said okay second grade language I said boys, the girls.
Brad Cohen: there's something in my brain that tells me, I have to make funny faces and funny noises all day every single day of my life does anybody know that may be.
Brad Cohen: Oh, oh Oh, I said yes, and this little boy goes breathe, if you don't breathe you're going to die, I said yeah that's not what i'm thinking about think about what is your brain to you all day you can't help it.
Brad Cohen: A little sweet girl in the front row raises their hand I say yes, she does my brain tells me to raise my hand whenever I want the teacher, to call on me.
Brad Cohen: I was like no brown noser that's not what i'm thinking about, no, no.
Brad Cohen: No, what is your brain you all day tells you do all day and this little boy is Oh, I see Yes, he goes my brain tells me to talk all day my mom has me on medication, but it doesn't always work.
Brad Cohen: I said no that's not what i'm talking about fun, what did you pray to have you do, and this boy goes my brain has a blink all day long I said yes.
Brad Cohen: Just like your brain has you blink all day long my brain tells me that I have to make funny faces and funny noises and I can't control it.
Brad Cohen: And it also tells me, I have to point my eyes, or so I said boys and girls I can't stop making noise is just like you can't stop blinking your eyes and this little boy good, but Mr Cohen, I can't stop like, in my eyes see.
Brad Cohen: i'm like Okay, I guess you could stop for just a minute, but eventually, you have to blink your eyes, otherwise they get all dried out and proceed I said I eventually have to make my noises that's just the way I was born.
Brad Cohen: And then, a little boy goes, but Mr Cohen, there is a time the rest of time that I that I don't make my noises I said what is that I say when I sleep.
Brad Cohen: And then he goes, but you know what when I sleep I don't make my noise I don't I don't blink my eyes, I so it's just like you don't blink your eyes when you.
Brad Cohen: are sleeping I don't make my noises so good point I think a really astute boy goes, but Mr Cohen, I must tell you something.
Brad Cohen: I do blink my eyes when I sleep it's called rem sleep rapid eye movement, I said oh yeah yeah yeah as I listen, this is second grade.
Brad Cohen: We don't wake her eyes when we sleep that's fifth grade curriculum, but right now we don't blink your eyes and and just like you don't blink your eyes, I don't make my noises.
Brad Cohen: And I got really serious I said boys and girls there's one thing we will never ever do in this classroom.
Brad Cohen: And they all looked at me like oh my gosh he's mean I said, we will never play hide and go seek.
Brad Cohen: because every time we play hide and seek you just listen for me, making my noises and then you come find me oh let's see let's see I said we're not playing hard to see.
Brad Cohen: But they got it, despite the fact that they were seven eight years old, they understood my medical condition.
Brad Cohen: And i'll never forget the day that they understood what we were walking down to art's.
Brad Cohen: We were in a single file line as we walk down the hallway we pass a kindergarten class it runs me pass a kindergarten class one of those little kindergarteners got out of line and started mocking my noises.
Brad Cohen: Before I could say anything, one of my kids guidelines that don't make fun of Mr Cohen, he can't help it there's something in his brain that tells me is to make those noises just like something your branding so just to plagiarize.
Brad Cohen: Hello kindergartners like oh my gosh okay okay House like they got it they understood my medical condition.
Brad Cohen: You see, we worked hard that first year we worked really, really hard and I let those kids know that I will never give up on them.
Brad Cohen: When they would sit there and try to read and they couldn't read the right way, I said, we will not give up on you.
Brad Cohen: We will not give up on you, because I know what it's like for a teacher to give up on the students and that will not happen this classroom but don't get me wrong, I had a really tough class I got a really tough class but i'll never forget the day.
Brad Cohen: To day that we were outside of recess and I hear Mr cow and Mr Cohen, one of your students are writing down.
Brad Cohen: things on the back wall, the school I get over on the back old school and there they were they were writing the word B I T C H i'm like why.
Brad Cohen: What are you doing we don't we don't do that i'm thinking myself, we have a serious problem here, you can spell that on the back wall, the school, but you can't spell the word vote on your spelling tests come on again and then.
Brad Cohen: I had a good talk to them.
Brad Cohen: boys and girls we don't do that in class come on.
Brad Cohen: and be like the next week for this ruckus going on in the hallway when I got out there, it came from the bathroom and when I went down the bathroom there are kids.
Brad Cohen: They were taking toilet paper lining it from one end of the bathroom to the other, and they were trying to light it on fire.
Brad Cohen: We don't do that we don't do that boys and girls come on Oh, I was so frustrated with them and then I went back to class and that afternoon I got a call from the principal hello, Mr Cohen, yes, can I see you my office after school, I was like Oh, my goodness.
Brad Cohen: Oh, my goodness, the principal she found out about what was going on in my in my class and I thought i'm gonna just open and honest i'm just going to tell her I won't happen again.
Brad Cohen: So I go down I go down to her office and there, she was waiting for me hi brad I said hi I just decided you off my chest right away so listen.
Brad Cohen: I am so sorry I wasn't paying attention, and I promise I won't happen again she's like you weren't paying attention to why.
Brad Cohen: You weren't what are you talking about brad what are you paying attention to what won't happen again, I said oh nothing, nothing, she said sit down, we need to talk.
Brad Cohen: She said brad I need to talk to you about something today I said yes, she said brad I like to nominate you for an award it's called the sallie Mae first class teacher of the year award.
Brad Cohen: I said me a teacher of the year, she said brad you've done amazing things with the students and we'd like to nominate you for an award.
Brad Cohen: I said me an award I got kids writing bad words on the back wall, the school there's starting fires in the bathroom and you want me to be a teacher of the year powers easier than I thought.
Brad Cohen: And then she said brand new seriously you've moved mountains with these kids you've taken kids and other teachers didn't want and you move mountains.
Brad Cohen: let's nominate you for this award we could do it, so they decided nominated for this award and one month later.
Brad Cohen: We learned that I had been selected as the sallie Mae first class teacher of the year for cobb county and then one month later, we learned that I was selected as the first class teacher of the year for the state of Georgia for the state of Georgia.
Brad Cohen: For me and me alone I hadn't given myself a pat on the back, because one year prior to winning that award I had principles telling me that I couldn't do it.
Brad Cohen: They told me that I could not be an effective teacher, because I had tourette's syndrome, but now I mean recognized by the state of Georgia, because of the great work that I had done.
Brad Cohen: For me, it was a it was a reminder, it was a reminder about about how I am.
Brad Cohen: How I am a positive role model for so many people out there that have challenges or disabilities alive to remind them if they can go out there follow their dreams, much like I was able to follow mine.
Brad Cohen: You see.
Brad Cohen: For the past 25 years of my life i've been an educator primarily in second grade, and most recently as an assistant principal and elementary school and I try to do the best that I can, despite the challenges that I have and don't get me wrong living in the world today is really tough.
Brad Cohen: When I go to a restaurant.
Brad Cohen: I have managers telling me that that I need to be quiet and the managers sometimes asked me to leave the restaurant.
Brad Cohen: When I try to go to a movie a movie movie so really happening for me, because every time I go to a movie I get kicked out well because I want to see the movie but you do too.
Brad Cohen: And sometimes it's not a good relationship so I decided to buy myself a big screen TV a big old lazy barn and watch movies, in my own House.
Brad Cohen: And what about when I when I travel I travel a lot and speak around the country, and you know what I think it on the airplane.
Brad Cohen: But what's the like when I get on the airplane I know everyone's thinking Oh, please, please don't let that guy sitting next to me.
Brad Cohen: And then I get on the airplane and I sit next to that person and they're like Oh, my goodness, but I tried to be like everybody else.
Brad Cohen: For the past 25 years that's what i've done dating was talking about dating ladies, how would you like to bring the noise maker home to your to your family.
Brad Cohen: Well, I never really had much success with dating I always had what I called second date syndrome, I could get the first date I just couldn't get the second date.
Brad Cohen: And then I learned all about Internet dating Internet dating I could put this wonderful profile up of myself and I don't have to say anything about tourette's.
Brad Cohen: Well, that didn't really work well, but then I did decided, I was going to put a profile about myself up and before I went on a date with that lady, I decided to tell them about tourette's.
Brad Cohen: And after going on a couple of dates, I did find someone special and i'm happy to say that i'm still with that someone special we've been married for 15 years.
Brad Cohen: And i'm honored to send that we have two boys a 10 year old and a 12 year old and I tell you that, because when people learn that we were going to have kids.
Brad Cohen: They were very hesitant at me like you sure are you sure you want to have kids because many times trances hereditary and you could pass down the gene to your kids.
Brad Cohen: But I thought, who better be a dad to a kid with tourette's into the me someone who feels like they've been successful in life so.
Brad Cohen: I was successful in finding a wife and having two amazing kids.
Brad Cohen: And like I said I have been in the school system but beyond the school system, I knew I wanted to share my story.
Brad Cohen: I knew that I needed to share my story and that's why I decided to write a book front of the class how tourette's syndrome main me the teacher that I never had you see this book this book is for every parent out there.
Brad Cohen: To show them about how they are the right support system with the right support system and their kids like they can be successful, and you can help your kid be successful.
Brad Cohen: This this book is for every person out there who wants a good feel good story about overcoming the odds and the challenges that were presented in front of you.
Brad Cohen: My book is for every educator out there to remind them about the difference that they make, and for anybody out there in the Community that wants to be a difference maker, this is what the story is all about.
Brad Cohen: i'll never forget to write my book, I got a phone call Hello is brand Cohen there hi this is brad hi brad this is oprah oprah oprah winfrey.
Brad Cohen: Yes, she wanted me to be on her show she wanted me to come to Chicago she wanted to do a show about beating the odds that she wanted me and my principal to head up there and share our story.
Brad Cohen: You may have seen the show it was on about 10 years ago it started off with a two legged dog how going across the stage.
Brad Cohen: You see, the two legged dog had no front paws they were going to use a nice job with a feeling say don't use the nicest all we can give this dog good quality life.
Brad Cohen: And that's what they did they did that on your life that are you staying safe and safe travels throughout the country reminding everyone to have this a little bit of faith.
Brad Cohen: In what they do now, my friends, so give me a hard time about following a two legged dog, but I still remind them that they're waiting for their tickets oprah.
Brad Cohen: And then, after oprah I got a phone call from hallmark hall of fame they wanted to do a made for TV movie about my life Oh, a made for TV movie about my life, I thought, who would play brad going Oh, I thought my favorite actor of all time denzel Washington.
Brad Cohen: Well, that didn't really work as they said the bread, we have this wonderful lady to play your mother her name is Patricia Heaton from everybody loves Raymond in the middle, I was like cool This is great.
Brad Cohen: We have this amazing guy and he treat Williams, to play your father from everyone, I was like wow this is awesome they said brad we have this amazing guide to play you as an adult his name is Jimmy walk.
Brad Cohen: Jimmy Walker who's Jenny walk I went right to imdb.com Jimmy walk what he's only been in one episode of young and the restless as a sailor.
Brad Cohen: Well, the socks my mom used to grade Patricia Heaton my dad gets a great treat with and I get Jimmy walk Come on, this is my movie But then when I visited visited the set in shreveport Louisiana I saw you walk in action and, as I got on the set I started watching him.
Brad Cohen: I started watching him during a scene and i'm thinking to myself wow this guy is really good, well, I watched them all longer, and I was like.
Brad Cohen: wow this guy has been making my noises for two weeks, and he already makes my noises better than i've been doing it for 35 years, this is amazing.
Brad Cohen: And then they had another brad Cohen, he had a kid playing me as a kid so we had three brad cones all together, and there was a trip.
Brad Cohen: Now I don't know how many of you have ever had a made for TV movie about your life but it's the most surreal thing I was so proud of this movie.
Brad Cohen: The movie that they made for the fences about 95% True, the only thing that wasn't sure was the timeline events, but I knew that this movie was a difference maker.
Brad Cohen: It was a movie that people can watch and see that just because the challenges of the disabilities, that you have a life, you can still grow up and be successful.
Brad Cohen: And for me that's what I did I feel like I grew up and be successful, I feel like i've done that you see another job that I had in the summer was one of my most fun jobs ever.
Brad Cohen: I was the mascot for the Atlanta braves baseball team that's right, I had a big old baseball baseball uniform I was homework a mascot for the braves.
Brad Cohen: And I ran around Turner field, and I did the chat oh oh oh Oh, it was amazing.
Brad Cohen: But think about it mascots can't make noise as well, so how has any insight on that at that mascot uniform and I wasn't making noises how did that happen, I chewed a lot of gum.
Brad Cohen: But then, sometimes I was running around so much I didn't have time to make my noises.
Brad Cohen: But then when it was time for the national anthem that's when I had my trouble they say Homer Homer get ready for the national anthem and i'd be all ready for the national anthem it'd be that same lady oh say.
Brad Cohen: Can you seeing she took forever, finally, after a while I couldn't hold my noises a longer I level out why.
Brad Cohen: And everyone would stare at me well me I just kind of looked around like let me, let me, let me, let me point, but everyone will look at me I was like a big old bobblehead on steroids, and then we had that same lady, but she would do the Canadian anthem and she did the same way, oh hey man.
Brad Cohen: After a while I decided I couldn't do to national anthem so whenever the Montreal Expos of the trial bluejeans came to town I just didn't work those Games.
Brad Cohen: But if people only knew that there was a guy in the uniform who had tourette's syndrome, they would be shocked I never let my trek stand in the way.
Brad Cohen: I never let my tread fell away and I tried to live like everyone else.
Brad Cohen: You see as an educator we have what's called character education words and I like to share a couple of those character education words with you now how I present myself every single day.
Brad Cohen: Number one it's about passion love what you do and do what you love every single day bring your a game bring that passion to work every single day, I know you could do it.
Brad Cohen: it's about positive attitude it's about keeping that positive attitude and it's about having that positive attitude so many times in my life that I could have had kept that negative attitude.
Brad Cohen: But the next morning when you wake up, I hope that you dig deep a REACH for that positive attitude, because that's what people want to see a positive attitude it's about perseverance it's about never giving up it's enough about me not making.
Brad Cohen: excuses that one excuse after another, after another, there was so many times in my life that I could have made excuses and I could have given up but I chose not to.
Brad Cohen: It my friends there's one more thing I want to tell you today it's what I like to call the power of one and one put one finger up in the air let's see behind this desk yes right behind the screens one finger.
Brad Cohen: The power one says that all it takes is for one person to make a difference in the life of someone else and who is that person going to be, is it going to be you.
Brad Cohen: it's gonna be you who's that one person my challenge to you today is to be that one person make a difference in the life of someone else.
Brad Cohen: Think about the people you work with I don't want you to pass the buck and oh i'ma let someone else deal with that person.
Brad Cohen: i'm all in this department deal with that person i'm other people in the Community, deal with it, or no, I want you to be that one person because we're when I be today if that one press person wasn't there for me.
Brad Cohen: Where Would I be today if my mom wasn't that one person be a cheerleader for me when I be today if that principle in middle school wasn't fair for me got us up and educated everyone about tourette syndrome.
Brad Cohen: Where we're that one person be What about that principle who hired me for my first job where Would I be today if it wasn't for that one person.
Brad Cohen: My challenge to you is to be that one person go out there and extend to people who may be a little bit different who haven't had an opportunity to work in your line of your department.
Brad Cohen: Go go be that one person, the someone that you want working for your company to represent who you are like give them a chance.
Brad Cohen: Give them a chance, like Solon gave me a chance because there's a Bradley Cohen, and every single company there's a Bradley conan every single school.
Brad Cohen: And I hope that those people don't have to go through what I went through again if we can believe in other people like people believe in me at times in my life that this whole world, be a better place.
Brad Cohen: Now, before I leave, I want to share one more story is called a starfish if you've heard it before I need you to hear it again if you've never heard it before I hope you enjoy it goes like this.
Brad Cohen: One day, there was a little boy who was seeing an Indian so having the time of the life.
Brad Cohen: And as an old man was getting closer and closer he noticed that there was a little boy singing and dancing on the beach.
Brad Cohen: But as we got closer you notice he wasn't singing or dancing the little boy was throwing things out into the ocean.
Brad Cohen: And as the boy, as the old man got closer he saw that the boy was throwing starfish out in the ocean.
Brad Cohen: So the man So what do you do a little boy when he doing and the little boy said i'm throwing starfish out in the ocean, there are thousands and thousands of starfish on the beach today and the time is low, if we don't get them back in the ocean and the water they're all going to die.
Brad Cohen: The old man started laughing you can't possibly save all these fish Oh, the little boy he picked up one of those starfish and He threw it as far as he could on the ocean, he said, I may not be able to save all the starfish but I know that I was able to make a difference for that one.
Brad Cohen: And that's what it's about my friends it's about the difference that you make on your toughest day when you feel like giving up, I want you to remember my story.
Brad Cohen: On your employees toughest day when they feel like giving up, I want you to remember my story, and I want you to say the same exact thing that my second grade students, used to say about me and that is a Mr Cohen, you do it.
Brad Cohen: Then So could I.
Brad Cohen: Thank you all very much for having me it's an honor to be here i'll be around for questions if any of you have some it's an honor cheers Thank you very much, well.
Nadine Vogel: brad oh my gosh Thank you so much, I you know I could just listen to you all day long.
Nadine Vogel: Just you just keep coming back you know you talked about you know, making a difference for just one person, I think you made that difference for every one of us today.
Nadine Vogel: So I just had to thank you on your messages some of the comments that came in your messages, really, really rang true for folks around allies ship.
Nadine Vogel: We talked a lot about people being allies for each other in the workplace and your story about how your second grader kind of suit up for you just showed that.
Nadine Vogel: They learned at an early age, had to be your ally, one question that did come in was Have you ever had negativity or negative responses from your students parents.
Brad Cohen: I did Oh, I remember when I first started teaching We actually had a parent who did not want their child in my class they thought I was gonna be too much of a distraction to them and the.
Brad Cohen: The principal of the school decided that they weren't going to fight it and they went ahead and move the student out of my class and.
Brad Cohen: what's interesting was about three weeks later, the parent came back and asked the principal if the child could be moved back into my and that they made a mistake and the principal said no it's too late.
Brad Cohen: we're not moving back in with fast, other than that, I think, once you're you know knowledge is power what you educate people about tourette's syndrome, they seem to understand, so I never had another problem after that first experience.
Nadine Vogel: Excellent or someone else to sit I laughed cried very inspirational and can't wait to see the movie and I think that's the thought of everyone so brad Thank you again so much you are the teacher of the year for all of us, and we wish you a fabulous rest of your year.
Brad Cohen: Well, thank you very much, as honor to be here, keep making a difference everyone cheers.
bye bye.
vFairs Team: Thanks brad we're going to move you over to attend the status now.
vFairs Team: And we're going to continue with our next session the food and beverage industry and to the stage.
vFairs Team: Chief inclusive diversity officer for the know North America taryn servers sorry he's our moderator and joining him is co founder and Somali a at content or restaurant Yannick Benjamin and managing partner of woodland group Dr holby wendler please welcome to the stage.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Hello everyone, hopefully, everyone can hear me loud and clear.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Great.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Hope you back on great and my name is Terrence eras arey as you heard and i'm delighted to be here, I lead our diversity and inclusion initiatives that didn't know North America.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And, first of all I want to thank the Dean, and the team for partnering and allowing them to be part of this great event and for us this is our second year of being a sponsor.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Of this Conference so we're really excited and delighted to be here.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: The other piece that I like to say is that you know overall for me and participating and listening to the speakers and the programs before this one it's really been a really exciting and informational conference I hope you've enjoyed as much as I have so.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: i'm really, really excited to introduce to you our esteemed panelists that i'm joined by.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: This afternoon, and what we're going to do as you saw this is really a panel, focusing in on the food and beverage industry.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And as you, hopefully, you all know, with to known being a consumer packaged goods company within that space.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And you will be familiar with many of our products i'm sure like silk and like dannon yogurt and activity and oil coast.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: So just to give you a sense of and what how we fit into this role, but.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: My title is that i'm here with today is you're going to see have a really, really direct connection to this food and beverage piece, so I want to introduce my panelists will be here with me Yannick Benjamin and Dr holby wendler first i'm going to tell you a little bit about Yannick.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And Yannick is a New York based Somalia and is the Co founder of contender restaurant, which is an East Harlem which opened up in 2021 he's also a steam power athlete he's also the Co founder and director of wine on wheels an organization that helps recently disabled people.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Benjamin Yannick opened up the content or restaurant with the tagline of accessibility for all which we're going to get into in a moment.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: As I mentioned he's an accomplished Somalia he's competed in more than 20 major competitions placing first and several of those he's been recognized.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Among wine enthusiast has the top 40 under 40 he's also been recognized in Financial Times and forbes and, most recently was recognized by wine enthusiast wine Star Wars has Somalia and wine director of the year in 2021 so welcome Yannick.
Yannick Benjamin: Well, thank you very much for that lovely introduction it's an honor and a privilege to be here.
Yannick Benjamin: And I can't wait to dive into it.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Excellent excellent, thank you for being here and next i'd like to quickly introduce Dr holby wendler.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: holby is a scientist and entrepreneur and a sensory expert in 2011 hope he founded a non for profit organization.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: to lead an annual chemistry camp for blind and visually impaired, students and that same year he launched tasting in the dark, a truly blindfolded wine experience.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: toby is a sensory based product development consultant a builder products and experiences and a creative translator between research and development.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: holby is a partner at sense point a local creative and marketing firm committed to helping companies make a positive impact in the world, he was recognized by President Barack Obama.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: By being named a champion of change, he was also recognized in forbes media as a leader in the food and drink industry and 30 under 30.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And in 2021 he was named and recognized 40 under 40 tastemaker for his work in the wine industry by the wine enthusiast toby also earned his PhD in organic chemistry from uc Davis, so I want to welcome you hold the thanks for being here.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): terrance and all thank you so very much it's an absolute honor i'm not new to this conference in New to springboard consulting but I couldn't be more honored to be here.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Thank you may Dean and team Thank you terrance and Yannick and Terrence is an absolute joy to share the stage with y'all.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Excellent Thank you i'm so excited to speak with you as well, so what we're gonna do is in terms of setting the stage for our panel discussion as you heard.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: The panelists have such a diverse background, we thought it would be, it would make sense to start out by just giving you a sense of their unique perspective.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: On the topic that we're here to talk about today right around working with.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: selling to partnering with people with disabilities so i'm going to ask each panelist and the I think i'm going to start with you.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And, and if you could tell me about whether it's about your work, you know in opening content oh in your in your your your thought process around how you design that restaurant or if you'd like to talk more about.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Your small yay experience but, but please give us a few minutes of what is your unique perspective that you have to offer to us today on this topic around the work that you've done.
Yannick Benjamin: yeah it's interesting because.
Yannick Benjamin: I was in Italy actually with Dr holby wendler.
Yannick Benjamin: And we were both talking about you know you know he he's been blind since, since a child right, and then I became disabled at the age of 25 years old.
Yannick Benjamin: So he's got a very interesting perspective and then, I guess, from my perspective, you know, I was able bodied working in the industry, I started at the age of 13 years old.
Yannick Benjamin: I don't think I ever thought about doing anything else, I mean, I think the only thing that I thought about doing was probably.
Yannick Benjamin: I always dreamed of being a fireman but I guess that's all part of that kind of like helping people and serving people and all for the greater good, but my whole entire family.
Yannick Benjamin: they're all French immigrants, they came to this country and they all worked really hard in restaurants and I knew that's what I wanted to do.
Yannick Benjamin: So I pretty much dedicated myself from the age of 13 onwards, unfortunately, three months after i'd gotten married in 2003.
Yannick Benjamin: I got married in July 20 2003 and my car accident happened on October 27 2003 was in a car accident left me formerly paralyzed from the waist down.
Yannick Benjamin: And funny enough, the first thing that really kind of crossed my mind, or that was on my mind heavily was oh my gosh how am I going to work in this crazy industry, the restaurant industry.
Yannick Benjamin: especially here in New York City because that's where I am born and raised and i've always lived here.
Yannick Benjamin: Where real estate every inch of real estate is incredibly valuable so it's tables upon tables and chairs and so trying to maneuver and navigate in a busy setting especially.
Yannick Benjamin: In a city that's quite old a lot of the architecture, a lot of the buildings here is very old when they built these buildings, they weren't there was no Ada.
Yannick Benjamin: And so, trying to navigate and figure out a place where I can actually work and be productive was certainly incredibly challenging.
Yannick Benjamin: It took me a long time to one adjust and and understand what it what it's like to be on a wheelchair to be full time wheelchair user.
Yannick Benjamin: And so there were a lot of growing pains, there are a lot of failures and I certainly was not afraid of failures, I certainly was not afraid of defeat.
Yannick Benjamin: But you know, there comes a point in life, where you start to you start to feel down, and I think that I don't mind failing.
Yannick Benjamin: And I don't mind being defeated, as long as there's an education behind that as long as I mean I get better at it at it.
Yannick Benjamin: But I think one of the hardest things that I had difficulty accepting was sort of the society.
Yannick Benjamin: perceptions of myself of me, being a person on a wheelchair of me, being a person who's who has a disability working in the hospitality industry.
Yannick Benjamin: So getting rid of and trying to change people's stigmatization and perceptions, particularly people of critical mass, was very, very challenging.
Yannick Benjamin: And one thing that really kind of like inspired me and really pushed me was I kept hearing from people like Yannick, why are you so obsessed with becoming a Somali.
Yannick Benjamin: And for the majority of you that are here who don't know what a Somali a is it's someone who works in a restaurant that serves food that serves line I mean their specialty is certainly wine and beverage and our job is to really.
Yannick Benjamin: cultivate are curating a great program for our guests and create an experience for our guests right So if you came to rush on you'd asked for.
Yannick Benjamin: A certain food and wine pairing or a cocktail you'd come and ask me, and so I said that will you know what.
Yannick Benjamin: i'm going to one day build my own place because when I kept hearing from people saying Yannick stop doing this yourself stop going on to all these interviews, you know you're not going to get a job.
Yannick Benjamin: You know, go into some other sector because people kept telling me, the only way i'm ever going to work as a sommelier as a floor Somali in a rush on his vibe built it built it and built it around my own needs.
Yannick Benjamin: And Sure enough, I was able to find people that believed in me that believed in my concept that believed that I was passionate not just about wine and about food and and hospitality.
Yannick Benjamin: But then I was passionate about building an establishment that was going to be barrier free.
Yannick Benjamin: that people with disabilities can come in and be treated with dignity and respect that they deserve, and so that's how the content all came about.
Yannick Benjamin: The name content means happy bolton's fashion, Spanish and Italian and it was also a way to pay homage to East Harlem because it was previously.
Yannick Benjamin: In the late 1800s early 1900s in Italian neighborhood and then it became, and still is known as the Barrio which is predominantly Puerto Rican and South America and so that's really the story of content and kind of have a very brief arm kind of summary.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: No, that was I was excellent, it provides me with so much context, thank you for sharing that and i'm definitely going to come back and touch on some of the points you made in a moment, but.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: So now let's move to toby and toby I would love to hear more about same question like you know, as everyone heard in your in my introduction of you, you have a very unique background and you've touched.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Various areas so talk to us a little bit about your unique perspective, we just heard from the onyx perspective is obviously very unique so tell us about what is your perspective on your lens that in terms of your life and what we're here to talk about today.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Well Terrence Thank you so much, and and it was amazing you know.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Yannick and I have talked on the phone we've.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): sort of been in the industry together and known about each other for several years and.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): It took being in Verona Italy together to to actually get to get to meet and enjoy a wonderful meal together and there's just so much commonality in our work and our philosophy on disability and it's just.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): down it gets a it's a real joy to be on this on this panel with you and I think we do have some different perspectives, but also we really align a lot in many ways.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): So I was born completely blind now my condition is something called micro felony I was just means small line.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): One of my eyes was tiny and already had a little cataract over it, the other one was huge and had to be a nucleotide when I was nine days old.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): This isn't genetic my parents had no idea that they would have a blind child until I was born.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And they are truly people who like to learn and take on challenges and have very high expectations of each other and themselves, and when I was born.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): For 12 hours it sat there kind of saying what do we do, how do we, how do we cope with having a blind child.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And my mom eventually picked up the phone to call her good college dear college friend barb Morgan.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And barb's husband answered the phone and and I think Barbara her husband saying, oh no.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Oh no this is terrible Oh, whatever we can do and barbini amazingly curious person that she is took the phone from her husband and said.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): What what is it, what do you guys seen what happened and my mom said Oh, I hope he was born, but he's blind and barb said how blind, we can deal with I thought he was dead.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): So if I ever write a book, it might be called it's better to be blind than dead, but it was that moment, when my mom when both of my parents realized blindness is doable.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And the reason that barb had the attitude that she did is because her father was a professor of psychology and his best friend was a blind man.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And this man was a handyman whenever anything needed to get done on the House they called him that was his role was his job and he was also a great Professor.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And she knew she grew up as a little girl with a very successful happy to use the onyx word contented blind person around her.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And she therefore knew that everything was possible, I had a I have a sighted brother who's two years older and my parents treated us the same way, I was never hopi the blind kid I was hoping, whether their son, who just so happened to be blind.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And they did many, many things for us that helped us become.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): The people that we are, but, most importantly, they did two things number one they taught us have super high expectations of ourselves by instilling their own high expectations of us.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And number two they told us every day that our lives were our responsibilities, and these are our lives to live and we need to take responsibility for what happens.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): If we do well at something we should be the one to celebrate and to be celebrated and guess what if we fail at something I don't like to use that word failure to run, but if we fail at something he takes the blame.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): i've carried these philosophies with me throughout my career.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): i've been unique individual, I guess, because it took me getting a PhD in chemistry to realize that I didn't want to be a practicing chemistry teacher.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I fell in love, as many people probably have with science, when I was in high school because of a great chemistry teacher.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): It was a funny thing because I had her for physical work day or excuse me, physical science as a freshman.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And I knew that she taught honors chemistry, and that was my favorite part of that class, so I decided to take the test and see if I got into honors chemistry.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): She wasn't expecting me to take the test, and he certainly wasn't expected certainly wasn't expecting me to get the high score on the test So when I when this happened, she had to say.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Oh, how do we accommodate him and we work together and we figured out a great way for accommodations to work.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): All that time I figured out a way to go to university and receive a chemistry degree as an undergraduate.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): But I was a nerd at that time, and all I knew, is that I wanted to teach at the college or university level, I wanted to teach period.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I just have the heart of a teacher, and by that I don't mean I like to stand up on a stage and profess things to people that are big magnanimous things and maybe they didn't know in the past.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I just like to get people excited about things they didn't know they could be excited about and loved in the first place, and that is what I do today, but in a vastly different industry than teaching.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): You know, like I said I was a nerd so I also didn't know how chemistry would work as a graduate student and I didn't want to have an assistant looking over my shoulder every day, so I ended up.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Working with history department and got a degree in United States history as well, thinking that I would study history in graduate school until I met my chemistry graduate chemistry advisor, who was a computational chemist.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And these are these mentors that brad Cohen, told us about these people who see a path for us before we necessarily see it for ourselves.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And this Professor encouraged me to apply to Grad school I did, and I got into his group and ended up earning my PhD in 2016.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Now, I had the honor of teaching chemistry classes as a as a graduate student I didn't want to teach advanced chemistry.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I wanted to teach the freshman chemistry class the class that nobody wants to be in so they think it's The prerequisite to everything they think they want to do.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And my goal was to walk in on a Monday morning at 8am after a long weekend of partying and staying out too late and get some of those kids actually genuinely excited about chemistry.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): When I was in that when I was teaching those classes for that undergraduate students, while I was in Grad school I realized that.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Chemistry was not accessible to me when teaching because students didn't want to speak chemistry.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): He wanted me to show pictures and pointed things and show a little pretty video animations so I spent a lot of time and money, making the lectures that I taught more accessible to my students but way less accessible to me.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Now, meanwhile, while I was finishing up her undergrad and getting into Grad school I got a call from Francis Ford coppola.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And he called and asked me if I would innovate, a truly blindfolded wine experience for him.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Now, when Francis Ford coppola calls you and asked you to do something you say yes, and then, in my case you hang up and you kind of freaked out about what you agreed to do.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): pacing in the dark has been an incredible part of my journey, because it soon was picked up by the national sales team at coppola.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I was traveling all over being a computational chemist my laptop is my laboratory and my advisor was super lenient and let me travel and you know present this tasting in different markets.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And over the years I realized that I like teaching people and talking about wine and food even more than I, like teaching chemistry.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I fell in love with the food and beverage industry and realized that the different way of understanding products and experiences and services in the industry.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Because I design without eyesight we use our eyesight to obtain 85 to 90% of the information we take him from our surroundings.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Which means that we have for additional perfectly good sentence that we're only using to understand 10 to 15% of the world around us.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): it's a lot of senses, for not all that much information, we might take in and I realized that I had a knack for designing and for getting people excited about flavor and enrollment texture.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And what I didn't tell you is that, when I was eight years old My job was to make pot of soup that were very large for my parents that they would freeze and individual portions and take to work as lunches.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): So I grew my palate in food and beverage didn't know, I was doing it, but I started it then.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And that has led me to where I am now, which is a product consultant and an experience consultant.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): In the food and beverage world really helping people design products scale up recipes and be the best possible food and beverage people they can be.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): that's my dream that's the work that I do and that's what I do it at wetteland group which is, which is my consulting arm.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): me and my business and life partner justin also have a spice line which we're building right now and it's a way to get the Community to share their great recipes with the world.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I have a little creative and marketing company called sense point where our mission is to make sense of brands.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And, as we said in my intro to do, marketing and creative work for people that are trying to do good in the world and make a positive difference.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): That is me in a nutshell that's my career and I know we'll get back to some of these things, but what I like to say.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Is let's use our disabilities to create advantages and let's make our disabilities are super power when everyone else thinks there's such disadvantages.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): We can do so much in this world, because we're disabled in because we have a unique way of looking at the world and i'd love to tell you more of my thoughts about that later cheers.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Thank you so much for me that was that was awesome both of you.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: i'm so intrigued I feel like I could just turn the MIC over to you and let you go, because this has been already like so insightful for me as the moderator to take here so.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Thank you, both um so now i'm going to now i'm going to come back to you and get some go a little bit deeper into some of the aspects that I think will impact.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Specifically in the food and beverage industry and Yannick I want to start with you and and the question that I have for you is you talked about you know.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Content telling a restaurant being inclusive So could you tell us more about what you mean by that and i'm sure and i'm asking that because i'm sure you mean.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: More than just the the wildness of doorways and things of that nature so tell us a little bit about that and then also what I would love to hear is how have your patrons reacted.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: To this type of environment, both people that have disabilities or people that may be in wheelchairs that appreciate some of the things that you've done that are probably unique but also i'm sure there are folks.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: that do not have disabilities that also come in and enjoy your restaurant so tell us a little bit more about what you mean by you created it to be inclusive and what's been the reaction.
Yannick Benjamin: Sure well.
Yannick Benjamin: First off I think what's really important as.
Yannick Benjamin: Well, just start off with the the the big picture stuff right so big picture, meaning that.
Yannick Benjamin: You know, as a small business owner I didn't have the financial means to get a really big space in an ideal situation.
Yannick Benjamin: I would have gotten a restaurant that was three times the size of what content to is but getting a restaurant that big means also higher rent higher overhead.
Yannick Benjamin: Simply didn't have the mean, so I tried to build a restaurant, to the best of my ability, along with the designers and the team that we have to make it as accessible as possible.
Yannick Benjamin: One for the client the person with the disability to come in and feel really comfortable, not just the person with the wheelchair, but a person with a Walker.
Yannick Benjamin: person that's that's coming with their guide dog someone that's coming with their perhaps home attendant.
Yannick Benjamin: All those things, trying to be as mindful as possible but also i'm a place where I would be able to walk and work at excuse me comfortably since i'm a full time realtor user and be able to accomplish my duties and tasks to serve and creating a special experience for all clients.
Yannick Benjamin: So I can even get behind the bar I can make a cocktail I can make a drink all that stuff and it's, not just for me, but i'm hoping.
Yannick Benjamin: For the long term than other people with disabilities, would have would will reach out to me and say Yannick.
Yannick Benjamin: We were so intrigued i'm so intrigued by this business, I want to figure out a way on how to get my foot in the door, or my will, in the door.
Yannick Benjamin: And maybe I can do it, I can tend to, and I hope they certainly take advantage of that, I think that would be really, really important, you know.
Yannick Benjamin: Because I think that people disabilities, a lot of times don't feel safe and don't feel comfortable right, and I think that's the.
Yannick Benjamin: environment that I really want to content, though, is that people with disabilities, if they want to understand and get their their get a little taste of what the hospitality industry is.
Yannick Benjamin: That they can come there make as many mistakes as possible and feel comfortable and not feel like they're there there's going to be repercussions because of it.
Yannick Benjamin: But I think, though, the one thing that we often don't talk about is creating a culture, creating a culture of dealing with people with disabilities.
Yannick Benjamin: What I mean by that I think you know the presenter that we had just before us.
Yannick Benjamin: He was talking about, you know times, where he's at a movie theater and he's being asked to leave or when he's at the in a restaurant, he was asked to leave as well, I mean.
Yannick Benjamin: This is crazy when I hear stories like this, but when you come to a place like content auto people have been trained.
Yannick Benjamin: To understand that these things happen people add content to i've been trained to understand that.
Yannick Benjamin: Just because you know you're not on a wheelchair you're not with a Walker you don't have a guide dog doesn't mean you don't have a disability right.
Yannick Benjamin: there's the categories of visible, which I clearly fall under and then you have people that have an invisible disability right and so oftentimes.
Yannick Benjamin: You know, you might have someone that comes to the restaurant and they have something they might have exactly what he was describing the presenter before.
Yannick Benjamin: says something out loud or whatever, by no fault of their own, and then the person the restaurant tours SAVE, you have to leave it's like.
Yannick Benjamin: Wait let's examine this you know I mean maybe just politely say hey is there anything I can do for you.
Yannick Benjamin: And i'm pretty sure that person who's at the restaurant as a patient will explain the situation very calmly, without going into the to the detail um some of the other things that we have done is to make sure that we have people with disabilities come in to speak.
Yannick Benjamin: People from the low vision and blind Community Of course I speak regularly I give them reminders.
Yannick Benjamin: And then also people from the deaf and hard of hearing community, and this is what we're constantly trying to do, I think that's, the most important thing, because you know you can create.
Yannick Benjamin: An amazing physical layout a perfectly designed barrier free business, but if the culture is not there.
Yannick Benjamin: Then it means absolutely nothing, and what we have seen a content to a restaurant.
Yannick Benjamin: Is that we average about anywhere from about 1.5 to 3% of our clientele that comes to content will actually has a disability last time we had over 10 people with a disability comes to content.
Yannick Benjamin: But separate parties what i'm saying is that if you build it, they will come.
Yannick Benjamin: We can't ignore that there's over 61 million Americans that have a disability, we can ignore the fact that within those 61 million Americans, they have over $500 billion of spending power, so why are we ignoring these numbers is baffling.
Yannick Benjamin: there's incredible value in in creating a business and in creating a culture of inclusive it but that's the key culture.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: yeah it's so powerful what you're saying I couldn't agree with you more of so glad to get that point right around building a culture.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And it's and it's great to hear you say that, like, for instance at a restaurant in the restaurant industry for us like, from my perspective in corporate America we do the same thing we're trying to build that.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Culture internally, so when employees come if you're a candidate interviewing for a job if you're a partner if you're a supplier, that we want to make sure that we have a culture that is inclusive.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Because, as you said, it's the same thing for corporations, for us, you know i've told our company many times you could go out and post on social media.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: All you are that you're committed to this and you're committed to that, but if your own employees for the people that you know utilize your services or.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Our patrons at your restaurant don't think that you have that culture than what you're saying is going to have no credibility.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Right so for you, I it sounds like people who come to your restaurant can say no i've experienced that the team, you know I content always has that culture, which I think is super super powerful.
Yannick Benjamin: Taking taking initiative and taking action goes a long way we probably could fit three to four more tables in the restaurant, we have decided not to you can imagine that does you know affect the bottom line.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: For.
Yannick Benjamin: Sure, but, but having those three or four tables allows for a lot of physical movement for myself to serve, I also have a partner that's also a full time wheelchair user to be able to maneuver and then, of course, our clientele so actions go.
Yannick Benjamin: i'll go a long way yeah it's great to post it's great to repost whatever it is, but.
Yannick Benjamin: right to take initiative.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Anyway, right right.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: No, no, no, please i'm glad.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And I think that you know, and the other pieces that you're going to get folks like.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Like for me, I hear what your message is about I hear what you're about like I can't wait to come to your restaurant, by the way.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Just just I know the food is is, I know the food's gonna be good, but just your your whole message and your whole purpose is important for me, plus I love the fact that you're invested in that part of Harlem.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: So i'm based in New York, I don't know if we've ever said that so i'll definitely I can't wait to come by myself and check it out.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: So so holby we're gonna i'm gonna come to you now and one piece that I wanted to go deeper on was that you mentioned, is that you're involved in sensory based product development right.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: So could you talk a little bit about what that means and.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And like you mentioned like you know you're enhancing recipes and those types of things like what should what should businesses and organizations, think about when it comes to their products and the senses of consumers can you talk a little bit about that.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Oh i'd love to you know i'd love to him, first of all Yannick kudos to you I can't wait to come try your amazing food and check out your amazing space and it sounds like just a just a wonderful experience, and I just brings me goosebumps to talk about culture, the way that you did.
Yannick Benjamin: Thank you.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): So for me.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): You know I have, as I said, i've been blind since birth and somebody asks me, you know, do you you thinking color you notice color you understand color.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): The answer, that is why i'm a chemist so you know Green is somewhere around 550 nanometers long in terms of a wavelength.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): But beyond that I just know what i've been told about color I know red is warm blue is cold Green is fresh, but these are just things that i've memorized you know from a very young age.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): um I think when when we use our eyesight things come so quickly because it's not a very vulnerable fence it's a very easy sense to us.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And we learn very on very early on in our lives and in our childhood what the basic colors are.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I tested this a few days ago by holding up a red pen pen that was given to me that I knew was read in front of my four year old nephew and I said hey read what color is this, and he took one look at it and said it's red.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Can you tell that on a hobby and I said Well, no, but doesn't matter really I was doing an experiment so even a child at four years old knows what what colors are.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): No, not all blind people do this i've been i'm sort of different in the way that I, the way that i've approached this, but I know the world around me.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): In flavor aroma texture and the spoken word and, if you think about colors we all their vocabulary words we know what they mean right.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): You look at a green fence, and you know that it's a fence and you've been around long enough to know what the color green looks like as we've said.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): But how often are we sensory literate that means being literate in more than our eyesight to really understand the world around us.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And I even found with chefs and and folks that i've been i've worked with who work pretty deep in the industry, they don't take time.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): As much as they should nearly as much as they should to smell and taste the products they produce and think about how they appear how they.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): come across to the senses, what do they taste like How would I describe them to to a guest in.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): We did a great fun experience with that with Thomas calendars group at the French laundry in napa where we worked with the front of house about 30 different people.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And reimagining, how do you describe food to desk at the restaurant, and it was eye opening for them, because they got a sense of.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Oh, we just been using kind of words that we've been told we haven't really been tasting things and understanding what they taste like and thinking about flavor and really being able to.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): describe flavor much using vocabulary words, much like we describe things in prose like i'm talking now.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): You speak English and when I use vocabulary words you know what i'm seeing but to me flavor aroma and texture are just another language.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And when we access that language, and we know those vocabulary words and I literally will think in terms of aroma.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): So I learn things about about the way they smell and I that aroma is locked in and i'm able to hold on to those aromas individually.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And then utilize them when I need to when helping someone build a better product or oftentimes the work that I do is so minuscule.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): it's taking something that's very good really working with a team I work best when I get to work hands on with a team and embed myself and your team.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Think about how it exactly how something's made and tweak it just ever so slightly usually to turn the very good into something even better than people thought possible.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): In my work i've sort of been able to act as a sensory panel of one for my clients helping them really figure out what the world is going to like.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): i've tailored my palate understand you know what what people liking, different cultures and different flavors.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And i've been able to really hit the mark on a lot of those points when designing products in the food and beverage industry we've just done some some really exciting work.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Not designing but describing variety of products for our wonderful friends at burleigh.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Who are the ones that so kindly introduced me to springboard consulting and, ultimately, this conference, but other than that we designed a few non alcoholic beverages a few alcoholic with course we've reimagined that chocolate for a fairly fun company that.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): You know it's just it's just fun to evaluate and think we're working with that company that's making me out of cell cultures and they need to.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Think about how do we want our own product to taste and it's so much fun to sit around and an idea these things, and the world of sensory design.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): That, although this is a food and beverage panel does not stop with food and beverage a few years ago, a large tech company in the Silicon Valley.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): called their glass manufacturer and said hey me the glass that feels more silky fuse on our smartphones and track pads and the glass company said.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Something that feels more silky that's interesting and the glass company called a design firm called I do I do a lot of work with.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): An idea said, well, we don't know necessarily how we would describe glass texture and really help a team of industrial designers and product designers to understand glass texture.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): We know this crazy blind sensory guy and let's see what he can do for us, so we were ultimately able to build a tech day for this company.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): paling glass textures at one station, with different cheeses that they could describe the texture on their mouth and then feel the glass and assimilate it.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): At another station with dried and fresh fruit because glass has different texture just like food.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And at the end of the day we brought all 600 people together and did a wine tasting where we paired the mouth feel of wine with different glass surfaces.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And I tell you the story, not to say that oh yeah you know we've got to put together this tech they were repaired blast texture with food.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): but rather that work open their eyes to the possibilities of what glass surfaces, they could use and we ultimately work with them to select.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): The glass surface that should still be used on their smartphones and track pads you all might have some of that glass in your pocket right now.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): We do a lot of work with we've worked before with automotive companies thinking about redesigning how how cars sound.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): How do electric cars sound electric muscle cars that are totally silent, but you want to have that thrill when you put your foot on the pedal and hear some noise which that noise be how should they smell.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Just to bring it back to food and beverage I just think it's the fun that I have in this world and the thing that I love doing most.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): is using a some part of my life, which to me means that I happened to be blind to create a career, where I am unique in what I do.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And we've really been able to turn something that so many people look at me and say you're blind and so sorry life must must be so hard sometimes people think of as a real disadvantage into a tremendous advantage weren't able to use the thing that people think is the problem, as my.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): or.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Ancient than anyone, I know how spaces feel how they sound how they smell or how products sound taste and smell, as we enjoy them.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I just encourage anyone, because we all have things that we feel might be disadvantages, whether were disabled and I.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Look at yourself look at your life and think about how to take any of those advantages and turn them into game changing advantages.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): My tagline in the work that I do, that I live by every day is elevating happiness elevating happiness to me.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): is a way of taking something that's good in turn it in and turning it into something that is even better than anyone imagined and making those customers.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): of our clients so happy to be involved and to be connected or with the Spice company that we have creating blends that just add so much flavor without much difficulty or hassle.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): That people just can't help but be happy because what is the world unless we're happy and we're pleased with what we have and what we do.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): just want to remind everyone remember everything that you're grateful for remember everything that you that you care about when you're feeling down and try to lift that happiness up as much as you can.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And lastly, i'll say that not i'm not curing cancer or performing open heart surgery that i'll leave that to my my fellow colleagues in the chemistry world.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): All I want to do is make someone's Tuesday night a celebration, whether it be with wine or food or anything else and want to thank you all for for Europe, this opportunity.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Thank you, it will be for sharing that.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: You made so many insightful points dad i'm gonna i'm gonna cling on to your elevating happiness PEACE I love that and and Yannick on that note of you know, elevating happiness, you know, through your organization.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Willing forward.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: One thing that I saw is you, you talk about it, as you describe it as experiencing life to the fullest.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: So on that note tell me about what Why is why is experiencing life to the fullest something that that you that resonates with you and.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And that you seem to i've seen that we've been through our the way that you run that organization, can you can you talk a little bit about similar to what we just talked about what is that experience in life to the fullest about for you.
Yannick Benjamin: um first off, I want to apologize if you hear some background noise, this is New York City so there's like construction happening right.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: No problem.
Yannick Benjamin: And some drilling is happening right now, but I think what I mean by that and I.
Yannick Benjamin: everyone's experiences different.
Yannick Benjamin: The one thing that I really bonded on you know where the holby when we had dinner that beautiful evening in Verona.
Yannick Benjamin: Was we we were both thankful, and we both realized that we're at where we've reached a certain level in our careers.
Yannick Benjamin: And we're in Verona at that moment, because we have this incredible network of family love and support you know, and I think.
Yannick Benjamin: In my case, and I think in toby's case living life to the fullest is a way to thank all of those individuals that sacrifice so much they gave so much to help us get to where we wanted to get at and not everybody has and not everybody is so fortunate to have that.
Yannick Benjamin: undivided love and care and attention and even we all know that.
Yannick Benjamin: People with Disabilities that have succeeded, I guess, and have overcome obstacles have certain financial freedoms right um it's a very expensive lifestyle and I would be the world's biggest liar to tell you, if I say if I grew up from a family that had nothing.
Yannick Benjamin: And it would be very challenging, to say the least, you know I didn't grow up with a wealthy family my family's completely you know hardcore middle class my dad worked as a waiter all his life my mom was a housekeeper.
Yannick Benjamin: But I did have that financial flexibility, I had that and that that goes a long way.
Yannick Benjamin: So me doing the best that I can me waking up on on days, even though some days are harder than others and.
Yannick Benjamin: And I said God I don't want to go through, but I think about all the sacrifices that my friends and my family, then my wife makes for me to be able to pursue my passion to be able to pursue my love I think that's that's what I mean when I say that.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: that's excellent excellent that all makes so much sense and and you know, and I was a I took a look at your materials, it looks as though that was some real cool stuff there now you were doing surfing and.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Some other.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Some other really, really cool stuff there that I saw so thank you for that so and you're right it's it's important right for all of us.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Whether or not, you know you in every way people have a level of privilege, but there's always people that have like kind of pushed our kicked open the doors for us right, so I could fully appreciate.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: What you're talking about so I want to let everybody know i'm going to ask, maybe one or two more questions and then I welcome any questions from the from the audience, please feel free to throw them in chat.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: We welcome your questions.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: so pleased as i'm going to give you some time to think and i'm going to ask.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: My friend hovey an additional question but I look forward to.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: getting any questions that you all may have so.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: hobby for you well ask is one thing and i've heard you say it here and I saw it.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: In a lot of your materials, which is that you talk a lot about helping companies make a positive impact, so why, why is that you mentioned that a minute ago you were talking, why is it companies that make a positive impact, why is that so important to you.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Well, thank you for that question and I first want to piggyback on something that Yannick said, I mean.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): It living life to the fullest is about.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Holding no boundaries and pushing back from tears and just just making things possible you know I feel like.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): limitations for like you know for someone like Yannick limitations are only there, so he can overcome them.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And That to me is living life to the fullest beyond belief that's just that's the power of it and want to congratulate Yannick and everyone else here.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): For living life to the fullest as much as we possibly can boy, why do I think a positive impact is so important, there are a few reasons number one.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): In in a business sense and i'll speak as an entrepreneur here when we make a positive impact, it makes us so much more likable.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And so much easier to appreciate and, like the work that that is done, that we do right it's when I talk about creating positive impact, I think about.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): What situation is so a political and so freeing that nobody really could shed any negative light on.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And that's what I mean when I say I tried to create a positive impact everywhere ever with everyone I work with and.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I think that's what Yannick is doing so well by creating the culture that he has a conventional is really creating that positive impact, creating that environment where everybody can truly be themselves and be appreciated for being themselves that's an example that I would use.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): birla right now creating a interest so dedicated to the positive impact that they can create and to creating a diverse inclusive.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): and equitable them equitable environment for all their customers we've helped them through a partnership with be my eyes.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): So now literally anyone, and this is not just blind people or people who need you know who are low vision, anyone can make a phone call.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): To be or make a call directly to a real expert on the be my eyes platform which was designed originally for the blind or visually impaired community.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): and get any assistance they might need when looking at pasta packaging to cooking pasta to getting assistance with recipes.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Through the camera on their smartphone so many of their calls to their call Center today.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): are asking questions about expiration dates, how are they going to get the House the call Center agent going to get the expiration date well it's a hassle of.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Trying to take have the client or the collar take several pictures and send them through an email account.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Well, with something that was created for a group of people with disabilities, people who are blind or visually impaired.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): We can do so much more right, we can help anyone and that's that's creating positive impact in my mind and how good does that feel literally who can complain about that.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Who can say Oh, why are you doing that that's a big problem it's such a likeable story, nobody can complain about it and it helps so many people.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): also think of inclusive city and diversity in a very unique way that I think relates to how we might create positive impact.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): That is a lot of companies hire one diversity officer and that's great that's a step in the right direction.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): But to me being inclusive and being diverse and being accessible is about so much more than that.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): It comes from a culture that's developed us that culture word that Yannick used so well, a minute ago.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): It comes from an HR department hiring people who are inclusive who want to make the world accessible and who have a diverse background and not a diverse set of opinions.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I guarantee you a lot of my clients I work with on on diversity and inclusion as well, and so many companies say to me what how Why is this important beyond.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): You know painting a good picture and telling a good story I just say, my goodness it's so valuable to have a diverse team.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): If you just have a group of white men in their 30s and 40s sitting around a table solving a problem you know all raised in upper middle class backgrounds you're going to get a very average solution, but if you bring people with diverse backgrounds in to solve a problem.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Socio economic gender ethnicity all whatever it is naming you're bound to get a more diverse and more useful probably more useful solution to a problem.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): And ultimately increase your bottom line so being diverse is great from a storytelling sense but it's also extremely valuable from a business sense and.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): I was having trouble getting my details into the chat so i'll just tell you hear anyone and everyone, please reach out don't be strangers i'm at home, maybe he will be wine.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): At holby wendler he will be wide w ED le are calm and i'm on all the social platforms at who we were as well, so.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): never, never hesitate to reach out I just love getting to know people getting you know anyone and everyone, for whatever reason, and yeah that's that's what I think about positive impact.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Great Thank you hope you take so put in your contact details out there.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: We did get a great question and for you Yannick and the question is about.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: content to puts people before profits and that came from your comment around limiting the amount of tables to create accessibility.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: As a standard, not as an exception, or an accommodation, which the person thought was awesome so In doing this, they assume that you're still.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: That they're still our profits and perhaps your profits are even greater due to customer appreciation or referrals they would love to hear you talk about that impact the fact that you're sacrificing some space and what's that impact them.
Yannick Benjamin: Absolutely, so I mean, of course, if you were just to talk big picture, and on the surface of it all in many ways you're like oh my God you're you're you're shooting yourself, you know, right in the foot by.
Yannick Benjamin: Removing three to four tables three to four tables here talking about that's a total of about six people that say, on average, if we do three tables.
Yannick Benjamin: Each person our average check for each person's 85 bucks so I mean you do the math right there you can already see and if you turn those tables two times which we do.
Yannick Benjamin: So that's some that's a good amount of profit right, however.
Yannick Benjamin: That question it's legitimate questions, a very fair question, we feel, as far as long term, we will see that return on investment.
Yannick Benjamin: I think people in this day and age, they really appreciate the effort that's being made in building a bridge to the Community, and when I say Community i'm talking about everybody because listen, each of us somehow are interconnected with someone that has a disability and if we're not.
Yannick Benjamin: I hate to say this, but somehow or someway we will be experiencing that whether it's a you know sprained ankle.
Yannick Benjamin: To Whatever the case, is when they install an elevator in a train station it's, not just for someone like myself.
Yannick Benjamin: But it's for people that are older, that have um it might have just had a hip replacement surgery it's people with strollers everybody benefits from these modifications.
Yannick Benjamin: So we can just show that, yes, maybe, if you just present the numbers in a very black and white that removing three tables.
Yannick Benjamin: Yes, it looks like it's going to hurt the bottom line, but maybe instead of just being so narrow minded or seeing the short term what's the long term right because that's you know successful business.
Yannick Benjamin: it's all about the long term game right short term, you know you, you might be super busy at the very beginning, you might make a lot of money.
Yannick Benjamin: But what are the consequences, so far, you know we're heading into our one year anniversary in June, I think that are the future is looking very bright, despite all the.
Yannick Benjamin: You know the obstacles that we had to face as a business during coven, and so I do think that the little sacrifice, you will see a return on investment and it's totally worth it, not just from a financial standpoint but also from an emotional standpoint.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Sure sure.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: No that's that's great and that's great to hear I, I completely agree with you, I think it goes back to.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: What what toby was even talking about in terms of you know, doing something that that has purpose.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Right, it feels good but not only does it feel good, but I think you see the return in terms of people's appreciation for you or your organization or whatever it may be trying to do that work, so I agree with you.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Listen everyone, this has been a great conversation to kind of wrap this up and in the last question, we got i'll use as a wrap up by saying that.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Someone asked about to known you know and denote should think about using sensory.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: kind of a consultant and it's interesting you know some of you may have noticed that recently we we changed our we updated our our packaging.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: and specifically on our own way coast packaging what it made me think about was that are new or it goes packaging, we made a slight change, for instance, that shows that the fruit.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: that's in all your clothes is real food and it's fresh fruit and the picture on the packaging looks more fresh the colors are more vibrant than what they were before.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And we were when we saw a difference and the reception of consumers so.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: As like, for instance, as toby's talking I definitely thought of that and said, you know is that something that even our company is utilizing.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: To the fullest so it'll definitely be something that that myself, and I know, several of my counterparts are on this this session today like will take back.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: As a as a as a point of discussion so.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Look, as you can tell you know leveraging and working with diversity and people with disabilities in particular touches all aspects of the food and beverage industry.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: Everything from the location you're in to the staff you hire to how you serve or connect with your clients our consumers are your customers.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: To how you retain talent to how you speak to the public how you advertise it's so important, and I think what we all got today was that there are certain intersection ality between just doing the right thing.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: But also getting a huge return on the power that diversity can have and to something holby said about using something that people think is your biggest disadvantage I think both bionic.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And holby have demonstrated that they've turned that around it flipped it on its side and and been able to leverage.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: You know these aspects of their lives in a very positive way, not only for themselves, but for our communities in the communities that they live in so toby Yannick first of all thank you for all that you do for the Community.
Terrance Irizarry - Danone North America: And and for all of us, and then, thank you for your your comments and for your time this afternoon and was that needy.
vFairs Team: Thank you terrance Thank you Yannick and thank you holy holy Yannick two amazing people I like I said heartfelt wonderful stories, so thank you for being here today and for sharing.
Yannick Benjamin: Thank you very much.
vFairs Team: Okay.
Hoby Wedler (He/Him): Thank you so much for the opportunity and remember stay positive.
vFairs Team: awesome Thank you so much again.
vFairs Team: And now we're going to.
vFairs Team: Change panelists and we're going on to our next session, let me just make sure that.
We have everybody shifted.
vFairs Team: And now to the stage our last session of the day, moving the Needle, on disability inclusion post coven to the stage our moderator chief diversity equity inclusion and belonging officer for cushman and Wakefield navy in Augusta.
vFairs Team: Joining her is attorney and autism advocate Bennett i'm that I eating.
vFairs Team: And lastly, President acid services America for cushman and Wakefield marla maloney welcome to the stage.
vFairs Team: And our panelists should be transferring now.
vFairs Team: There we go.
vFairs Team: Okay i've got everybody on.
vFairs Team: screen Can I make sure I hear you go.
vFairs Team: All right, i'm missing the Dean, what I see here coming there, she is maybe just unmute so I can check.
vFairs Team: yourself oh writing I have you on screen, I can hear you so it's all yours, they didn't take it away.
Nadine Augusta: Fantastic Thank you, thank you, that Hello everyone hello, welcome to our conversation on moving the Needle, on disability inclusion post coven as you heard my name is needing a custom and I am the chief diversity equity and inclusion officer at cushman and Wakefield.
Nadine Augusta: I first want to start off by just thinking.
Nadine Augusta: needing vogel and the springboard team for the opportunity to sponsor this important conference disability matters and to lead this conversation over the last two years, we have all had to navigate the challenges of the coven 19 pandemic challenges that includes social isolation.
Nadine Augusta: The with limitations on direct contact with people, including family, friends and our colleagues.
Nadine Augusta: Restrictions on moving and travel change in our active lifestyles and all the uncertainty that we experienced about the future.
Nadine Augusta: There have been lots of conversations about the disparate impact of the pandemic on diverse communities, and I must say that not enough spotlight has been placed on.
Nadine Augusta: The impact on people with within the disability community, including caregivers we hope you walk away from the conversation today feeling inspired.
Nadine Augusta: energized and activated so we have a treat for you as you heard, we are joined by two very dynamic and distinguished speakers benny a Garrett and marla maloney.
Nadine Augusta: benny as you heard is an autism awareness and di speaker and advocate and marla is President of assets services that cushman and Wakefield and she sponsors are disability rg.
Nadine Augusta: i'm going to leave it there you have their bios so i'm going to pivot so we can hear directly from them before we jump into the questions, though they both have very compelling story so let's start there, then I want to start off by you, with you tell us more about yourself.
vFairs Team: And you're on you're on mute.
Veneranda Aguirre: There we go.
Veneranda Aguirre: Yes, hi everybody, my name is Donna, and I am an adult diagnosed autistic I learned of my autism, when I was 32 years old, and that was after.
Veneranda Aguirre: A lifetime of success and failure, I was one of those kids who was always set to succeed tons of promise in the gifted program killing it at grades.
Veneranda Aguirre: really bad at doing homework doing all the little executive functioning forgetting things.
Veneranda Aguirre: But at the end of the Semester you put any test in front of me and I killed it all the way through college I created my own degree program because I was interested.
Veneranda Aguirre: In bringing different topics together of economics technology development in Latin America, and then I went to law school I got into every law school, I wanted to.
Veneranda Aguirre: And went to the University of Arizona was really excited about real estate and commercial law got into a very competitive law firm in tucson and.
Veneranda Aguirre: began to burn out at the age of 26 it wasn't my first burnout, but it was the most severe at that time.
Veneranda Aguirre: And the health care system just wasn't ready to cover it even for a person who had cadillac level insurance, it was very hard to find help, and when I did.
Veneranda Aguirre: I was misdiagnosed over medicated and left with an inability to work for myself as an attorney.
Veneranda Aguirre: So I painted it I pivoted I went into journalism, I went into working on obama's 2008 campaign, and then the subsequent healthcare campaign in 2009.
Veneranda Aguirre: And I killed it all those as well, but because they weren't on my resume I didn't have a degree for them and it wasn't something that I could capitalize on in a traditional sense, with a job because my resume had Swiss cheese holes and it looked very.
Veneranda Aguirre: staggered didn't look like a coherent story, but there were skills that were applied in each one of those jobs, and in my educational life and, in my personal life.
Veneranda Aguirre: That were really amazing and helps me what I did get my autism diagnosis and there were no resources out there for me to go into the world of neurology.
Veneranda Aguirre: and medicine and spirituality and self care behavioral economics game theory all of that world I applied to understand myself better.
Veneranda Aguirre: and in doing so I thought I have to write about this experience, because I was lonely and I had no one to talk to about it and in writing about it, people started listening reading.
Veneranda Aguirre: And then they started presenting me with opportunities to share what I knew in front of bigger audiences.
Veneranda Aguirre: And, on a personal level, I have helped so many people come to terms with their own us autism.
Veneranda Aguirre: Including the psychiatrists to initially miss diagnosed me with bipolar disorder through my work my advocacy and my.
Veneranda Aguirre: example of a dignified autistic life she came to terms with her own autism, and now I work in this because there's so many other people like me I don't represent the entire diaspora, but I do represent.
Veneranda Aguirre: A big portion of what it's like the struggles and successes.
Nadine Augusta: Fantastic Thank you so much for for sharing your story marla let's pivot to you tell us more about yourself.
Marla.Maloney: Thank you navy and I appreciate it glad to meet you all today, and thanks for joining in so my title at work is President and the most important title is mother, my mother of two daughters, I wanted to senior in high school, I was a sophomore.
Marla.Maloney: When Lindsay was born so she's my younger daughter, we should many health issues she was in intensive care for six months.
Marla.Maloney: Since that time we've undergone 11 surgeries and at 19 months old Bennett we found out earlier than you did and.
Marla.Maloney: and thankfully had a team that around us recognize that Lindsay has a disability and it's her diagnosis has autism.
Marla.Maloney: And I think that as a leader at work there's so many things that are we apply, you know technology we process and we apply talent and we can solve things and irrational in my in my work as a mother, we have good days and bad days.
Marla.Maloney: You know Lindsay has sometimes there are people in our world, whether it's at school or caregivers that that are understanding and and.
Marla.Maloney: That attribute to those good days and then other times when we introduce new people to our world it really causes chaos, you know the littlest things and so.
Marla.Maloney: I don't take much for granted anymore, I think that there's so much that Lindsay has taught me about myself, so people.
Marla.Maloney: asked me in the workplace on panels like this, or even if not related to disability, you know who was who who's a mentor who's your most inspiring teacher and I go back to a daughter that that that speaks very little.
Marla.Maloney: she's she's not high functioning she won't live independently she doesn't know danger, she she cannot care for herself, and I think about.
Marla.Maloney: What I learned in terms of reading her her how I read moods how I kind of try to understand what she needs.
Marla.Maloney: And I read a room much differently than I did before I can't stand tables that are long and rectangle right because that means there was a leader and that voice is probably the loudest voice so the way i've adapted professionally is very different, I didn't see it coming.
Marla.Maloney: Lindsay said had a way of humbling at me that's been so beneficial, and so there are things in life that, as you all know that are unexpected that are curveballs if you will.
Marla.Maloney: And I hope that my team who knows pretty much everything about my personal life because I have to be vulnerable and humble to them in order to be successful, here I think they they would you know they.
Marla.Maloney: They would kind of tell you how much i've.
Marla.Maloney: changed as I become a mother to a child, with a disability and i'm so proud of her so i'll turn it back to you and i'm happy to share more.
Nadine Augusta: Fantastic Thank you, thank you both really, really, thank you for sharing your lived experience and you know I really want to.
Nadine Augusta: move on to the next question, which you know we will continue to to sort of pull on your experience as throughout this conversation, as we continue to think about the postcode environment.
Nadine Augusta: What are some of the the things that you think should be top of mind for organizations, based on your experience prior to the pandemic and your experience in the world as it is now and and then I will start with you.
Veneranda Aguirre: Well i'm not in a corporation, but I can tell you from my experience I have worked in corporations and i've been around them.
Veneranda Aguirre: it's interesting how fast companies could and did pivot in in covert, and these were a lot of accommodations that disabled people had been asking for for very long time, but suddenly because everybody was.
Veneranda Aguirre: unable to go into the workplace companies found solutions and that's amazing and what that gives us.
Veneranda Aguirre: Is is a footprint, for what we can accomplish if we want moonshots if we want to be able to be more inclusive workplaces, if we can.
Veneranda Aguirre: incorporate new technology or new ways of thinking we've already shown that we can and that's inspiring the second thing i'd say is that return to normal is so unhealthy, I think we all wanted to return to normal because.
Veneranda Aguirre: Normal is safe it's the known thing right, but this was a worldwide pandemic, this was a health crisis, this was an economic crisis, this was an existential crisis and we need time to grieve to process to heal that collective brain fog that people are feeling and.
Veneranda Aguirre: is a direct result of ignoring all the time that we needed to slow down and really process all of this, and that is self care, but it's also mutual care that we need to engage in there's this great quote by.
Veneranda Aguirre: Bertrand Russell 1930 and he says, one of the symptoms of approaching a nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important and that.
Veneranda Aguirre: All people who are thinking that way should take a holiday that that's what he would prescribe to all of them, because when you get to that point.
Veneranda Aguirre: where you are just engaged in your work you're more likely to burn out and if autistic adults know anything we know what it's like to burn out.
Veneranda Aguirre: And we know how useless, we can be afterwards and how helpless, we can be at that point.
Veneranda Aguirre: And I think companies can really benefit from becoming kinder and gentler in this post covert era.
Veneranda Aguirre: The last thing I want to say is that, if covert has taught us anything, it is that healthcare access to healthcare.
Veneranda Aguirre: is a fundamental human right and as long as this country ties healthcare insurance availability to employment, we have to make it a priority to include disabled people and especially autistic.
Veneranda Aguirre: People who are employed at a 16% full employment rate in this country, we have to make it a priority to bring them in because they need access to healthcare and companies are the ones who can get it.
Nadine Augusta: Thank you, thank you and and and marla from your perspective, what are some things that should be top of mind for organizations.
Marla.Maloney: And I think there's a number of facets here in a meeting that we all as leaders need to dig into and just be.
Marla.Maloney: To put more effort into So the first i'll just start with kind of a baseline so in the US, you know the Ada exists to help us ensure that our physical spaces and by i'm in commercial real estate right, this is what I do the physical spaces are supportive of people with disabilities.
Marla.Maloney: But we had a massive overnight shift to work from home and there was no guidebook so we learned, as we went along, but we, there needs to be a set of standards for companies because work is going to be more hybrid now.
Marla.Maloney: And we're thankful for that there's different ways to work we figured it out the hard way, but people have specific needs to get through their workday and so as as a leader of people.
Marla.Maloney: How do we accommodate our people, how do we help accommodate our people at home, one of the things that we did early on, and so my team is about 9000 people in 32 markets in the US and Canada.
Marla.Maloney: You know, we had we had to shift to work from home and we had we set up an employee Assistance Fund for those employees that had immediate needs at their home and maybe had an income gap.
Marla.Maloney: Where we had we had to help them make accommodations and I think, as you think about the best benefits that employers offer their employees, certainly, that was not on the radar before, and now I have to be.
Marla.Maloney: I think that you know, certainly, there are people with certain kinds of disabilities that can work from home easier for reasons, like commuting we have an employee.
Marla.Maloney: That sent his his life actually got easier right because the commute and physically getting in and out of the building, it was very hard for him.
Marla.Maloney: But everything it's not interesting study from rutgers and many of you probably saw it as well, it pointed out that the majority of us workers.
Marla.Maloney: with disabilities are blue collar and they're in service jobs and they don't have a teleworking equivalent.
Marla.Maloney: And they were disproportionately left behind during the shift and so we've got for those of us employers that that is our workforce.
Marla.Maloney: Right, we need to be, we need to be listening and talking to them about you know how can we help you what sort of accommodations could we provide that we don't.
Marla.Maloney: The record the rice krispies i'll make one last point here and it pointed out that people with disabilities still tend to be paid less than when teleworking.
Marla.Maloney: We don't want those people to be out of sight out of mind, we want them to be receiving fair pay and accommodations and so.
Marla.Maloney: We have great data analytics tools as business leaders, we need to put them to work and understand that and certainly ensure that there's no income disparity.
Marla.Maloney: So I could talk for hours about this topic I think there's so much here, maybe in your role your role at cushman Wakefield it if it is a constant reminder and a very positive reminder that we need to be focused.
Marla.Maloney: yeah and certainly that's what you're helping me and my team do every day.
Nadine Augusta: Absolutely absolutely marla Thank you so much, and you know it's it's so important to have leaders who who get it.
Nadine Augusta: And who lean in as much as you have within the organization and lead with empathy and understanding and and that's so important, when we talk about what what organizations need to do to ensure that they are supporting and providing for their employees and the space.
Nadine Augusta: You know, we we mentioned earlier up top about the impacts and the impact of isolation.
Nadine Augusta: Due to the lack of in person interaction.
Nadine Augusta: i'm curious to know how that's impacted you and mark i'm going to start off with you as a caregiver how's it impacted you and how have you coped with it.
Marla.Maloney: yeah I think i'm still coping they deem to be honest with you but.
Marla.Maloney: But let's get back to the early days of the pandemic, when we were all you know rushed into as a work from home environment.
Marla.Maloney: And at that time, for me it didn't seem isolating because there are so many more phone calls we're trying to stay connected and figure it all out and trying to solve problems efficiently.
Marla.Maloney: spend an awful lot of time on the phone, however, as I think about those connections those video calls, they also can be very difficult.
Marla.Maloney: And I remember the fatigue at the end of each day it was a different kind of fatigue and I felt before and we talked about you know we've all read this blog post about zoom fatigue.
Marla.Maloney: And I can't imagine the zoom fatigue how that feels for a neuro neuro diverse individual because I know how it felt for me.
Marla.Maloney: It was it was grueling for me right, and I don't have a set of disabilities, I am a caregiver for a child, with a disability.
Marla.Maloney: You know, on a phone call, such as this, I want to be engaged with you, I want to be engaged with my audience, but I have to work harder to read facial expressions, I have to work harder to do, Sir, the Code, the tone of a speaker whether it's my employee or my clients.
Marla.Maloney: And so, a computer screen, it creates barriers, whether we like it or not, that that causes us to work harder.
Marla.Maloney: You know there's just increased cognitive demands on video conferencing, and I can tell you from my daughter has autism.
Marla.Maloney: And she was forced into this virtual learning environment and we'll talk about that a little bit more, but she was more irritable she was more frustrating there was more stemming there was more anxiousness she's not.
Marla.Maloney: She typically doesn't kind of lash out but we saw some of that for the first time ever, you know I think video calls.
Marla.Maloney: Video calls help neurotypical and not just the individual experience what it feels like to only receive partial information.
Marla.Maloney: From social communication uh hopefully as we look back now as leaders, and we really focus on this topic there's an increased level of empathy and understanding.
Marla.Maloney: Hopefully that's a silver lining, but I think again as executives and leaders corporate America, we need to take what we've learned and really use that to understand our diverse employee base.
Nadine Augusta: So Louis vinnie what are your thoughts how how How did the isolation impact you and how did you cope.
Veneranda Aguirre: Well, to echo what marla said yes as a neuro divergent person.
Veneranda Aguirre: Technology is very helpful, but at the same time, it is very draining zoom talk, I read lips and.
Veneranda Aguirre: You know i'd have to watch people's faces over zoom the sound wasn't great in the beginning, nobody really knew what they were doing.
Veneranda Aguirre: And then, as soon as masks masks were instituted that was another type of isolation, for me, because I couldn't do even in person.
Veneranda Aguirre: connections, but I, as an artistic person as one of many autistic people would know isolation and loneliness or kind of the game for us many of us have experienced that.
Veneranda Aguirre: And I just sticks in fact live shorter lifespans and part because of that loneliness and there are numbers to support this there was this great New York Times article about it recently.
Veneranda Aguirre: That talked about how it in fact impacts physical health mental health, the workplace, there are monetary figures put out by aarp and cigna showing that this can lead to workplace fatigue and.
Veneranda Aguirre: Increased medical costs overall and we're learning about that nervous system, this is kind of stuff that i've integrated over the course of many years to try and deal with my.
Veneranda Aguirre: own loneliness So what did I do I doubled down on self care, but I also reached out and started giving care.
Veneranda Aguirre: I think in the beginning, there was this like big rush to talk about the maslow's hierarchy of needs and i've got to meet my needs before I can meet social needs it doesn't really work that way.
Veneranda Aguirre: We all have to start helping each other to reach each other's needs if you wanted to eat back in the old days you had to kill the mastodon you didn't do it by yourself, you did it together.
Veneranda Aguirre: And what I started doing was creating a patchwork quilt of people who are constantly helping and asking for help constantly helping asking for help and I had to model that to friends, and it has been so gratifying to see the results of that.
Nadine Augusta: Thank you.
Nadine Augusta: vinnie let's let's continue with them with actually The next question i'm giving you a background and combine corporate real estate.
Nadine Augusta: What are some of the unique experiences that you think have hindered you and what experiences have benefited you and enabled you to feel supported.
Veneranda Aguirre: Oh no I will be frozen.
Marla.Maloney: I think we're gonna leave it.
Veneranda Aguirre: Okay, I think we're back.
Nadine Augusta: Yes, should I let me repeat the question.
Nadine Augusta: Please yes okay so giving you a background in corporate real estate.
Nadine Augusta: huh what is some of the unique experiences that.
Nadine Augusta: That you think have hindered you.
Nadine Augusta: and experiences that you think have benefited you and enabled you to feel supported.
Veneranda Aguirre: Okay um.
Veneranda Aguirre: So when I started as an attorney in 2005 I was married to my husband at the time, who was also he was working at apple in tech, and we had incredibly different experiences I was working at a corporate law firm doing very, very traditional type work where we had.
Veneranda Aguirre: There was a very clear hierarchy, a very clear way of doing things and our work was highly monitored and the dress codes were strictly enforced, in fact, there was an intern who wasn't hired on.
Veneranda Aguirre: because she had a tattoo of a gecko on her shoulder that's how conservative, it was and meantime and, meanwhile, I was saying.
Veneranda Aguirre: My husband's workplace at apple at you know in cupertino.
Veneranda Aguirre: Where it was these big green open spaces and trans women were openly presenting as themselves and people had green and blue hair and they.
Veneranda Aguirre: were working in off the wall ways and I saw how that benefited him and I knew that I was kind of maverick in La anyway, and what hindered me was this very process oriented one way of doing things.
Veneranda Aguirre: You will get in trouble if you deviate from the plan and what helped me was my own ingenuity, because i'd already been solving problems since I was a kid to get around my own limitations.
Veneranda Aguirre: And so I I learned how to be a maverick and do that and what helped me in the workplace, was.
Veneranda Aguirre: i'd have this person this partner disciplining me and this partner over here saying oh my God I can't believe you solve that and then amplifying my successes to the rest of the firm to show the value that I did bring.
Veneranda Aguirre: that's about it, but we both burned out we both burned out I burned out of law and my ex who still is in court and.
Veneranda Aguirre: In tech had to embolisms by the time he was 31 from sitting for 16 hour shifts just coding.
Nadine Augusta: wow wow, so much so much to unpack there, and you know I want to actually say to the audience that I have lots of questions here but.
Nadine Augusta: I hope that you all are gearing up with your questions, because I am going to pivot to you in a few minutes to to hear from you and the questions that you have for marla and benny.
Nadine Augusta: marla let's let's move to you as a senior executive executive and caregiver to a child, with disabilities, what are some of the unique experiences you've had that you think have hindered you and experiences that you feel have benefited or enabled you to feel supported yeah.
Marla.Maloney: Thank you for asking that question, and again there's a lot to unpack so i'll be vulnerable to you, we did we didn't.
Marla.Maloney: We didn't expect a child, with a disability, and it was a there's a process right where you really get your feet under US and understand that you are going to be courageous.
Marla.Maloney: That you're going to be supportive that you're going to be your advocate and ally and her voice, and so I think we need to take you back to early in our journey when we really we had a great set of friends leading up to lindsay's a rifle into our family.
Marla.Maloney: What I thought were friends and we did things with them every weekend vacation with them, we it looks like a fairy tale kind of story.
Marla.Maloney: And what I found with a number of them was it early in our journey with Lindsay when it was really ugly and complicated were there were days we didn't know she was even going to be.
Marla.Maloney: To make it through the day to live chats and really seeing a bit of health concerns when it got ugly the people that we thought were we were closest to, and in fact started to pull away.
Marla.Maloney: And I don't know if that they apply to label, it was just too hard, if they don't know right but, but the people that we expected to come to our rescue our family didn't live in the area.
Marla.Maloney: The couple of couples they didn't they I asked the first time, you know they helped the second time, two days later, we just helped you two days ago I mean it's this is too hard it's too tricky what's wrong with her.
Marla.Maloney: That you know when you're already going through a process of just hurting and and feeling at a low point when the people that you think you can count on you can't that's really, really hurtful and humbling.
Marla.Maloney: What happened is when you talked about kind of the circle, you make deposits and when you take withdrawals.
Marla.Maloney: There were people that I wasn't closest to that I didn't vacation with it only knew me this much I might have know me from the workplace that might have no me because they were neighbor two doors down.
Marla.Maloney: That heard about our situation, and these are the people that you want, in your life, who said what can I do, how can I help can I do more, what about this would this help you i'm going to drop this off tonight.
Marla.Maloney: Just surprised and delighted us, those are the people you want your circle right but it takes, sometimes it takes the hard.
Marla.Maloney: Really complicated situations where you learn you learn about yourself what you're capable of.
Marla.Maloney: You learn what true friendship or relationships look like you learn, you should be who maybe you weren't before.
Marla.Maloney: And so I think number one, I think that just my and and I even think about my older daughter grace who you know first when we brought children into our home that were her new friends, whether it was four or 5678 years old, at about eight years old, she said mom.
Marla.Maloney: When a new friend coming over and she said mom when when she when Warren comes in the door, can you tell her about Lindsay and about how she's so special in my shoes special.
Marla.Maloney: So that she doesn't you know want me to explain that and so it's not hard for me i'm getting emotional it's hard.
Marla.Maloney: But, but that became the way we handled it right when new people came into grace's world we would first thing introduce them to Lindsay.
Marla.Maloney: Tell them about her special gift she's very musical and talking about how she is different from them.
Marla.Maloney: And i've asked them every year when Lindsay progressing to a new classroom might ask the teacher, can I be the mom that comes in that first week.
Marla.Maloney: and introduce them to Lindsay and tell them about autism and tell them about you know what that means to Lindsay and how you might interact with her in a way, and you could support her.