July 2006                                                                            www.floridabln.org
Florida BLN Steering Committee
  
CHAIR
Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR
ITM Group, Inc.
VICE CHAIR
Sue Moore
Walt Disney World Co.
  
PAST CHAIR
Rita Barreto Craig
The Craig Group
  
VR LIAISON
Eladio Amores
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
  
BIG BEND BLN CHAIR
Sarah Butters
Holland & Knight
  
BREVARD BLN CHAIR
Douglas Barclay
Mercedes Homes, Inc.
BROWARD BLN CHAIR
Steven McCarty
Enterprise Rent-A-Car 
  
EMERALD COAST BLN CHAIR
Kari Beckwith
Target
 
FIRST COAST BLN CHAIR
Ira Wittenstein
Merrill Lynch

MIAMI-DADE BLN CHAIR
Bob Bromberg
Bromberg & Associates
  
PANHANDLE BLN CO-CHAIRS
Lara Burnside
The Studer Group

Jennifer Grove 
Gulf Power 

POLK COUNTY BLN CO-CHAIRS
Julie Hansen
Holland & Knight
  
Vivian Campbell-Williams
Polk Works
  
AT-LARGE MEMBERS
Cassandra Black
NASA
  
Steve Eisenhardt
Walt Disney World Co.
  
Christi Sutherland
Walt Disney World Co.

About the Florida BLN
The Florida Business Leadership Network is a peer-to-peer membership group of employers seeking resources to recruit, hire and market to persons with disabilities. Members include small and large businesses who recognize that success in the 21st century hinges on a diverse workforce that includes employees with disabilities.
For more information about the Florida BLN, visit www.floridabln.org.
To suggest an article or upcoming event to be included in this newsletter, e-mail the editor at kristen@abletrust.org.

 
Message from the Chair

    This month we're excited to bring you news about a way some companies are being recognized for their contribution to the employment of people with disabilities and a way you can recognize people and organizations for doing the same.

    This month's issue contains information about DisabilityInc's Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities list. Follow the link to find out what some companies are doing that makes an impression. We also want to encourage you to take part in The Able Trust's Ability Awards by nominating individuals and organizations who go above and beyond what is required of them to advocate for the employment of Floridians with disabilities. Nominations are due July 14, 2006 and award recipients will be recognize at the Autust 18th luncheon that is being held in conjunction with the Employability Symposium. 
   You can also read more about Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), scheduled for October 18, 2006. DMD is a great way to get involved and help provide career development to students and job seekers with disabilities.

For more information about these and other activities happening within the Florida BLN, follow the links within the articles or visit http://www.floridabln.org/ .
Ability Awards Nominations Due  Friday, July 14, 2006 
    The Able Trust is now accepting nominations for the 2006 Ability Awards. These awards annually recognize exceptional individuals and organizations from across the state for their contribution to the employment and advocacy of Florida citizens with disabilities. Nomination packets, availiable here or by calling toll-free 888-838-2253, are due by 5:00pm on Friday, July 14, 2006.
    Award winners will be recognized at the 10th annual Able Trust's Ability Awards Luncheon at the Renaissance Hotel in Tampa on Friday, August 18, 2006. The event will be hosted in conjunction with the Florida BLN Employability Symposium. Award recipients will receive a commendation from Governor Jeb Bush for going beyond satisfying ADA laws and making a genuine effort to support the employment of people with disabilities.
    Nominations are currently being accepted for the following awards:
  • The Beverly Chapman Award for Outstanding Employment Placement Program, which seeks to recognize a nonprofit organization with an excellent job placement program;
  • The Employer of the Year Award, which recognizes small, medium and large size businesses for their hiring practices and accommodation efforts that go above and beyond ADA laws;
  • The Able Trust Award for Outstanding Entrepreneur, which honors a business owner with a disability for his or her leadership and contribution to the community;
  • The Media Representative Award, which honors a member of the media who reinforces the value of people with disabilities through his or her reporting practices; and
  • The Youth Leader Award, which recognizes a young adult with a disability who has demonstrated leadership, advocacy, and community service.

    Please remember, nominations are due by 5:00p.m. on Friday, July 14, 2006 to The Able Trust headquarters, located at 3320 Thomasville Road, Suite 200 Tallahassee, FL 32308.

 

DiversityInc Names Top Companies for People with Disabilities

    Each year, DiversityInc creates The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. The list ranks companies based on DiversityInc's evaluation of the companies in four categories: human capital, corporate communications, supplier development and CEO commitment. Each category is then broken down into more specific points to be evaluated. DiversityInc also produces several specialized lists that evaluate the top companies for populations such as executive women, GLBT employees, African Americans, and people with disabilities.

    In June 2006, DiversityInc released this year's list of the Top 10 Companies for People with Disabilities. The companies on this Top 10 list demonstrate "a nurturing, respectful corporate environment where all employees can reach their potential", according to Diversityinc.com. To develop this specific list, DiversityInc examined recruitment efforts, marketing programs, and employee resource groups aimed at people with disabilities, as well as diversity training programs and the company's Web sites to see if they mentioned and/or featured images of people with disabilities. National disability organizations were also consulted to provide additional input.

    Merrill Lynch, Cingular Wireless, and SSM Healthcare were ranked in the top three respectively. The list contains specifics about each company's strengths, as well as their ranking on other Diversity lists. To view this complete list as well as the Top 50 list and other specialty lists, visit http://www.diversityinc.com/public/21031.cfm.

 

 
Florida BLN EmployAbility Symposium  
    The Florida BLN Employability Symposium will be held on Friday, August 18, 2006 at the Renaissance Hotel in Tampa. Speakers from Walt Disney World Co., SunTrust Bank, and Hyatt Corporation will share the success that their companies have found in hiring people with disabilities. Presentations and seminars will also address topics such as marketing to consumers with disabilities, successful accommodation tactics, funding options, and employee relations.
   The EmployAbility Symposium is being held in conjunction with the The Able Trust's 10th annual Ability Awards luncheon. These awards annually recognize exceptional individuals and organizations from across the state for their contribution to the employment and advocacy of Florida citizens with disabilities. 
    Thanks to the support of HR Florida, the event has been submitted for approval of re-certification credits for PHR and SPHR through the Human Resource Certificate Institute. Registration information for the symposium is now available on the News and Events section of the Florida BLN website at www.abletrust.org/bln. For more information about the Ability Awards luncheon or the nomination process, see the article in this issue, or visit www.abletrust.org/events.
Disability Etiquette Quick Tips
  • Place the person first, not the disability:
    A person who is blind. A person who is deaf
  • Speak directly to a person with a disability, not to his or her companion
  • Be aware of partronizing or offensive language such as: deaf and dumb, wheelchair bound, or crippled.

For more disability etiquette tips, visit the useful tools on Florida BLN website at www.floridabln.org.

 

Get Involved with Disability Mentoring Day
    Mentors are needed for Disability Mentoring Day, October 18, 2006. Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is part of a national, broad based effort to promote career development through hands-on exploration, job shadowing and internship or employment opportunities. DMD promotes career development for students and job-seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration. 
   DMD provides employers with opportunities to help Mentees with disabilities build confidence about their own employability, share firsthand job experiences to someone interested in their desired career field, develop lasting Mentee relationships, gain access to a pool of new emerging talent, recruit short- and long-term interns and demonstrate positive leadership in their community.
     Employers interested in participating in Disability Mentoring Day are connected with a Community Liaison in their community. This Community Liaison will assist your company with becoming a workplace Mentor. Whether you have one employee or several interested in participating in DMD, there is an opportunity for you. You can participate in one-to-one job shadowing or groups of mentees can tour the workplace, meet with various employees on the job and learn first hand about different types of jobs and related opportunities within that career field.
    To find a Community Liaison in your area click here. To find out more information about Florida Disability Mentoring Day and other ways you can get involved visit http://www.floridadmd.org/ today.

BLN Chapter News  

Tampa BLN Chapter Meeting
The Tampa chapter of the BLN will meet on July 28, from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 615 Channelside Drive, will host the July meeting. For more information, please email Debbie Courtney at debbiec@wilres.com.
Upcoming Events
Accommodation and Compliance Audio/Web Training Series
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has created an Accommodation and Compliance Audio/Web Training Series. This series provides a convenient opportunity for professionals to discover ways to enhance an organization's ability to accommodate and employ people with disabilities.
Currently scheduled events include:
Strategies for Recruiting and Accommodating in the Health Care Industry. An audio conference featuring Corey Turner, Employee Engagement Service Manager, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, on Tuesday, August 8, 2006
CAP and JAN: Successful Accommodation Strategies. A Web cast featuring Dinah Cohen, Director, Computer/Electronics Accommodation Program (CAP). Tuesday, November 14, 2006.
For more information on the Accommodation and Compliance Audio/Web Training Series, visit training@jan.wvu.edu or call 800-526-7234 (V/TTY).

J.A.N. Conference 2006
Register today for the Job Accommodation Network's September 18 -19, 2006 conference at Hilton Boston Logan Airport. The conference provides information for employers on how to build an inclusive workforce. It provides employers a chance to acquire knowledge and skills to accommodate employees with disabilities, comply with the ADA, and develop innovative employment practices.
For more information email conference@jan.wvu.edu or visit http://conference.jan.wvu.edu/

 
USBLN Conference Scheduled for October
The Minnesota Business Leadership Network has been selected by the USBLN to host the 2006 USBLN annual conference. The conference will be held October 4-6, 2006 at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center in Minneapolis. Information is available at the USBLN's website at http://www.usbln.com/.

Annual Federal Disability Conference
The annual Perspective on Employment of Persons with Disabilities Conference is scheduled for December 6-8, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. The conference is designed for federal HR specialists, disability program managers and all federal managers involved in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, supervising, and promoting federal employees with disabilities. Program and registration information will be available in September at www.grad.usda.gove/perspectives.