Moderator: Michael Murray

MAXIMUS

08-20-14/2:00 pm CT

Confirmation # 21710259

Page 1

MAXIMUS

Moderator: Michael Murray

August 20, 2014

2:00 pm CT

Operator:And ladies and gentlemen thank you for standing by. And welcome to the Section 503 Community of Practice for Employment Network Service Providers.

During the presentation all participants will be in a listen only mode.

Afterwards we will conduct a question and answer session. If you would like to register for an audio question you may press the 1 followed by the 4. You may also submit your questions using the chat feature on your webcast console. If you need Operator assistance, please press star 0.

As a reminder this conference is being recorded today Wednesday, August 20, 2014.

I would now like to turn the conference over to Michelle Laisure, EN Development and Training Manager. Please begin ma’am.

Michelle Laisure:Thank you and welcome everyone to today’s webinar which will be both enlightening and energizing. Again my name is Michelle Laisure and I am the EN Development and Training Manager for the Operations Support Manager Program for the Ticket to Work Program.

We really do welcome all of your - everyone who’s dialed in this afternoon. Last week I know that many of you attended the OFCCP webinar, updates to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act where we learned first-hand from OFCCP experts about how Section 503 rules and changes are being implemented in the Federal Contractor Community. It was quite enlightening and we got a lot of questions. And we are looking forward to those continued questions this afternoon.

This week I am most pleased to welcome the Speakers Platform Michael Murray, Principal Advisor to the Office of Personnel Management also known as OPM government-wide disability policies and programs.

Michael will be speaking about the federal government as a model employer of people with disabilities and sharing important information and strategies for assisting job seekers in applying for employment with a federal agency.

If you post your questions for Michael in the chat line we will definitely get to them at the end of his presentation.

Michael I’d like to turn it over to you and thank you for joining us this afternoon.

Michael Murray:Michelle, thank you so much, and it’s always a pleasure to work with MAXIMUS and (Charlene) and all of the folks over there. You guys do amazing work.

And it’s also a pleasure to be on a webinar today with the Employment Network. Again you guys do such amazing work with people with disabilities in the community on the ground every day and so it’s always an honor to be with you.

I am going to cover a number of different, well let’s start by introducing. So as Michelle said my name is Michael Murray. I’m the Principal Advisor to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on OPM’s government-wide disability policies and programs. And in that role I work a lot with senior level officials throughout government to help them implement the executive order on hiring people with disabilities.

But I also have an opportunity to work with a lot of other employers and with the disability community and service providers like yourself to increase employment of people with disabilities not only in the federal government but throughout the United States.

So today I am going to cover the federal hiring initiative around people with disabilities and the work that we’re doing.

But I also hope today that we’re going to get to cover some promising and best practices that we know have worked inside of the federal government and inside of other employers because I believe that as ENs you guys are uniquely qualified and placed to help not only federal employers but to help all employers increase their hiring of people with disabilities.

And so I will talk to you today about how you can get your clients hooked up with a federal job. But I’m also hopefully going to cover some things today that are going to talk about how you as an Employment Network can work with an employer not only to get a person with a disability in the door but to create an open and welcoming environment where people with disabilities are valued because we know that’s where people with disabilities stay and that’s where we see high retention rates, people coming off of benefits and being able to stay off of benefits and being employed for the long term.

So we’ve got a whole lot of things to cover today. So I’m going to jump straight in.

Next slide, so as I said I’m responsible for working with federal agencies to implement Executive Order 13548. Executive Order 13548 is increasing federal employment of individuals with disabilities. This was signed by President Barack Obama in 2010.

And it’s done a lot of things, a lot of exciting things. The first is that it said we’re going to set a goal. We’re going to hire 100,000 people with disabilities over five years. We’re going to bring 100,000 new hires of people with disabilities into the federal government so that the federal workforce can look more like the people that we serve.

And this is a vital part of our mission here at OPM and we believe that it’s a vital part of ensuring that we can serve the American people because in order to serve folks we’ve got to reflect the people that we’re serving.

So as part of this executive order and to help us meet that goal and increase federal employment of people with disabilities, each agency submitted a disability hiring plan and inside of it they’ve designated someone to be responsible for it. They designated a senior level official to be accountable for increasing federal employment of people with disabilities.

They also set - each agency set goals and targets for how they were going to help increase federal employment of people with disabilities. They also set provisions for training, for education, for reasonable accommodations, for return to work efforts which we know are incredibly important to make sure that we can retain the valuable employees that we’ve got, and so all of this package comes together to - along with a number of other executive orders to ensure that the federal government can become a model employer of people with disabilities.

And so it begs the question. This was signed in 2010. How is the federal government doing at hiring people with disabilities?

If I could look over the folks that are on the webinar today and get you to raise your hand, some of you would say we’re not doing very well. Some of you would say that we’re on track. And I’ll let you guys decide that for yourself.

Next slide, in the past 32 years people with disabilities have not been hired at a higher percentage than they were in FY 2012 into the federal government, 16.31%. So 16.31% of non-seasonal full time permanent new hires in the federal government were people with disability.

And so this is very exciting news. Again a 32 year high and it shows that the federal government is moving in the right direction. And I think even more it shows that when you commit, when a business, any business that you’re working with or you yourself as an Employment Network you are also an employer. When you commit to hiring people with disabilities the disability community can deliver. We’ve got everything that an employer needs.

If you need a scientist, we’ve got it. If you need an accountant, we’ve got it. You needed a budget analyst, we’ve got it. If you need an HR Manager, we’ve got it. If you need a senior level official, we’ve got it. If you need someone who does custodial work, we’ve got it. The disability community has everything that an employer needs and we are an untapped pool of resource, an untapped pool of talent that employers can plug into.

And I think that that’s what these numbers show us is that by committing to hiring people with disabilities the disability community can deliver.

Now when we look at non-seasonal full time permanent new hires with targeted disabilities again we’ve still got some improvement but and a ways to go, but we see again an increase in hiring.

And I’ll go over what targeted disabilities are a little bit later in my presentation.

But in short it is a smaller group of people with disabilities such as blindness, deafness, missing extremities, dwarfism, some of these other things that we focus in on these - this smaller group of people with disabilities so that we can ensure that everybody’s getting a fair shot.

Now when I look at that number it’s not where I want it to be so 1.08%. But it is nonetheless continuing to improve because we’ve made this commitment to hiring people with disabilities.

Next slide, now when we look at the permanent federal workforce, in FY 2012 11.89% of non-seasonal full time permanent workforce, were people with disabilities, 11.89%. That is more people with disabilities in federal service by percentage and by real number than at any point in the past 32 years, more people with disabilities in federal service.

So again I think it proves the point. And I hope that some of you on the call today will be able to use this when you’re talking to federal employers or even when you’re talking to private sector employers that if you commit to hiring people with disabilities the disability community can deliver. It’s a good deal. It’s going to end up working out well for any employer who commits to hiring us. The disability community can deliver.

And again when we look at targeted disabilities it’s at .99% which again is not where we need or want it to be. But it is a continuous improvement.

And so that’s what we have to emphasize when we’re working with employers or when we’re working with people with disabilities that there are opportunities out there for people with disabilities but then also that as an employer again if you commit to hiring people with disabilities the disability community can deliver.

And I hope that you can use that when you’re talking to employers. You know the federal government committed to hiring people with disabilities. And the disability community delivered. There are more people with disabilities in federal service than at any point in 32 years. That is a powerful statement to any employer.

Next slide, today we’re also going to talk a little bit about the Schedule A Hiring Authority for People with Disabilities. And I’m going to go into depth on what that is, how it works and how you guys in the Employment Networks can use it. But it is a way that we can bring people with disabilities into federal service.

And when we look at those percentages in FY ’11, 2011, .98% of overall hiring was Schedule A appointees. And that was doubling its use from 2010. And then in 2012 the federal government increased Schedule A hiring to 1.51%. So again Schedule A is an outstanding tool to get people with disabilities into federal service.

And we’re going to talk a little bit more about how you guys can utilize that later in this presentation.

Next slide, now one of the things, I’ve worked with a lot of employers. I’ve worked with large employers like Walmart’s and Darden Restaurants and Walgreens all the way from the Vice President level down to the Store Manager level. I’ve worked with small employers and law firms. I’ve worked with state governments. I’ve worked with nonprofits and colleges and universities all around hiring people with disabilities.

And one of the things that hiring managers, when they’re being honest and they pull me to the side, they say well you know Michael we’d like to hire people with disabilities but we really can’t. Because we just don’t have those kinds of low level jobs.

Now I know for all of you on the phone you hear that and you say oh, that’s a ridiculous thought. But nonetheless it is something that hiring managers have in their mind that people with disabilities can only do a certain level of jobs.

And I think this slide that we’re looking at right now really debunks that myth. In FY 2012 GS14s and 15s with disabilities increased from 7.69% to 8.61%. And this is non-seasonal full time permanent GS14s and 15s with disabilities. And this is - you know there’s a GS scale that goes from 1 to 15. So we’re looking at the upper echelon of leadership in the federal government, 8.61%.

Now when we look at new hires in FY 2012 GS14 and 15 new hires with disabilities increased from 12.24% to 14.65%. So 14.65% of non-seasonal full time permanent GS14 and 15 new hires were people with disabilities.

So again I think it debunks this myth that some employers have that people with disabilities can only do jobs at a certain level and it also shows that the federal government is headed in the right direction. And hopefully it will encourage the folks that you’re working with, people with disabilities to see that there are opportunities at all levels inside of the federal government for people with disabilities.

Next slide, so that’s how the federal government is doing. That’s the direction that we’re moving in.

But we’re not alone. I truly and honestly believe that the federal government is on the verge, on the precipice, I’m sorry, the workforce, the United States as a whole. The workforce is on the precipice, on the verge of really including people with disabilities throughout the workforce.

And I think that all of us, all of you on the phone throughout the entire EN network have a huge responsibility but also an incredible opportunity to grasp hold of this and be a part of this fundamental change, this revolution that we’re seeing inside of the workforce that ultimately is going to lead to people with disabilities being intricate part of not only the federal workforce but all workforces around the United States.

Senator Harkin did a great report with the Health Committee and it was called the Unfinished Business, Making Employment of People with Disabilities a National Priority, and calls on private sector employers and public sector employers to increase their hiring of people with disabilities.

Next slide, and we’re seeing a lot of employers respond very positively so in the private sector a lot of you I’m sure know Walgreens and some of you on the phone have probably worked with Walgreens and helped clients get a job at Walgreens. But they are a very - they’re the country’s largest drugstore chain.

And they committed in a certain section of their business to hiring people with disabilities. And you guys can go online and read some more about this story.

But the thing that impressed me is the areas where they committed to hiring people with disabilities and where they had more people with disabilities working were actually better places to work. The morale was higher. The retention rate was higher. The accident level was lower. So all of these positive repercussions from including people with disabilities and what they did and Walgreens isn’t alone. There are lots and lots of private sector companies out there that are saying you know we want to hire people with disabilities.

Randy Lewis, my dear friend who was the former Senior Vice President for Distribution at Walgreens said this. Broadening our workforce by employing people with disabilities is not only the right thing to do but it also makes good business sense and has benefits that reverberate across our company and culture.

And so I couldn’t agree with Randy more. When a business commits to hiring people with disabilities it’s not only the right thing to do but it makes good business sense for that business again they saw higher retention rates, higher engagement levels, lower accidents rate, the lower accident rate in the places where they were inclusive of people with disabilities.

Next slide, now obviously because this whole piece that MAXIMUS is putting together, all of these trainings are around Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. I won’t go into all of those pieces.

But again I think it shows that we’re on the precipice. That we’re on the verge of some really incredible changes inside of the workforce because we know federal contractors are a big part of that.

And so it’s more opportunities for people with disabilities but also an opportunity for employers to engage people with disabilities because now they’ve got some concrete goals that they can aim towards.

Again my dear friend, Tony Coelho who is the former House Majority Whip and the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act said this. The new regulations under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act will have as great an impact on the lives of Americans with disabilities as the ADA.

Now we know that the Americans with Disabilities Act had a huge impact on the lives of people with disabilities. And so for the guy who was one of the essential sponsors, one of the folks who helped to write the Americans with Disabilities Act and push it through Congress, for him to say that these regulations are going to have such a big impact is exciting news.

And so again I think it just shows that we’re on the right verge of really building an inclusive workforce where people with disabilities are included inside of everything that we do.

Next slide, additionally there - we’re seeing state governments hire people with disabilities. I’ve had the honor and the privilege of working with a number of different states around doing similar things to what the federal government did around signing an executive order to hire people with disabilities.