Recruitment and Retention

Review the findings of six listening sessions where participants provided input on more effective ways to increase employment of women, veterans, and minorities with disabilities, the identfication of federal and state systems effectively collaborating to achieve successful employment outcomes, and identification of three top issues on which the federal government should focus to support an increase in labor force participation of people with disabilities.

How are federal agencies hiring, managing, and retaining employees with disabilities? This report draws from an online survey of government employees involved in the hiring or management process. Findings indicate that a number of barriers exist including lack of education around key mandates, lack of manager training and accountability. Though stereotypes were also a barrier, they were significantly less common in agencies with proper tools and knowledge.

Looking for sample e-newsletters funded by the MIG grant and geared towards employing people with disabilities? The state of Maine created 'Working Together e-News' as a way of providing timely, relevant, business-oriented information and updates for employers that are interested in diversifying Maine's workforce. An archive of these newsletters are provided on their website and could serve as an example to other states considering a newsletter sponsorship model.

The US Department of Labor sponsored three national demonstration projects to research effective policies and practices that improve self-employment outcomes for people with disabilities. These projects represented a diversity of locations, economic environments and stakeholder groups, and resulted in new knowledge as well as local policy and program improvements that will help individuals achieve their entrepreneurship career goals. The projects are described in the attached report.

How is New York's MIG program helping train employers about the benefits of hiring disabled employees? New York created Employer Briefs. Examining effective business practices for improving the bottom line of organizations, such as recruiting and retaining a productive workforce is the basis of Employer Brief One. Employer Brief Two covers six action steps companies can take to create a more inclusive, productive workforce. Samples are attached, which could be useful to other MIG states.

To inform long-term care reform efforts, a web-based survey of over 1,000 LTC specialists nationwide was conducted. Findings included the need for LTC to be rebalanced toward HCBS settings, though few supported doing so by limiting nursing home bed supply. Although virtually all felt that the federal government was doing a poor job regulating LTC providers, most believed that the approaches used to oversee nursing homes should also be applied to assisted living.

Looking for a reference guide for recruiting, hiring, & retaining employees with disabilities? This is a quick reference guide geared towards employers outlining the advantages of hiring people with disabilities, along with four simple steps towards increasing their inclusiveness in the workforce. With numerous resources and Web links, this is a helpful tool for organizations looking to benefit from the talents of qualified individuals with disabilities.

Are states providing people with disabilities the necessary tools to reach their career goals? As part of their Disability Employment Education Project, Nevada created an Employment Education Fair, designed to develop skills and knowledge on how to be competitive in the job market. Samples of marketing material, an evaluation form and a press release about the EmployAbility 2009 Education Fair are attached, and could be used as templates by other MIG states.

Using the media to get the word out about employment events for people with disabilities is a great marketing tool. The state of Nevada created the attached press release to announce an event being held to develop work skills of individuals with disabilities. A sample of this document is attached and could serve as a template for other states looking into marketing their events or programs.

Looking for job skills training materials? The state of Nevada created the attached work program samples. They include a class outline booklet, sample completion certificate, high school letter, job skills brochure, job skills flyer, programmatic report, resume template and short biography template. These templates could be useful to other MIG states interested in this approach to job skills training.