W. Roy Grizzard, Ed.D.
Assistant Secretary Of Labor
Office Of Disability Employment Policy
U. S. Department of Labor

"Employment for People with Disabilities"
Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs
Hanoi, Vietnam
July 12, 2004

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I bring you greetings from the President of the United States and from the Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao.

I would like to recognize the dignitaries in the room: Mr. Vice Minister, Directors, colleagues and honored guests.

Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today about employing a critical resource - a human resource that others and I firmly believe is vital to a just and successful economy. That vital human resource is a group of people whose abilities far outweigh their disability.

As you may have noticed, I have a visual disability, retinitis pigmentosa. I can see a 500,000-dong note on the table at the back of this room, but I can't see the chairs in the aisles that will lead me to it. Throughout my career, my employers weighed my abilities against my disability and judged me in favor of my abilities. All employers have been satisfied that their decision and my abilities contributed to the achievement of their objectives. I am not alone. Every day, all over the world, millions of persons with disabilities make substantial contributions to their society, to their economy, and to their employer's efforts.

I was not born with this disability. As a university student, I was a baseball pitcher. As with many people, something happened and I found myself with a disability; however, my abilities were not affected. I could no longer play baseball, but I could still contribute in many other ways.

Most of you may have a friend or relative with a similar, life-changing experience. Perhaps you are connected with someone who was born with a disability. Whether the disability came with birth or came later, we all have abilities that society, particularly the business community, needs. Government can lead the way to catalyzing the match between what the candidates offer and the employer's need.

Disabilities come in all flavors, physical and mental, and cut across all levels of society. Those who read a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review probably saw the case of a key, high achiever who suffered from bipolar disorder. Because her abilities made such a contribution to her employer, her management was willing to take action to accommodate her disability. The same holds true throughout the world, regardless of the disability, if the government and the employer will exercise the leadership to make it happen. Unfortunately, there are still far too many people with disabilities who have not been hired and, therefore, cannot contribute to an employer's success.

Just as with many of the good people I work with in the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) whom has disabilities of one sort or another, they have developed their abilities with study, practice, and hard work. I am not unique. All of us work with the objectives of using the abilities we have to add value to our employers, to become self-supporting, to support our families, to contribute to society, to reaffirm our dignity, and to strive toward fulfilling our potential as a human being.

Our purpose in Office of Disability Employment Policy is to lead the way in the employment of persons with disabilities. We are central to the United States government's efforts to increase the employment of persons with disabilities. Our vision is "A World in which People with Disabilities Have Unlimited Employment Opportunities." We understand that for this vision to be successful, it must make commercial sense. That is the reality. I know that it does make sense. Business Sense.

I will give you an overview of how we see our agency, located in the federal government, which plays a vital role in relating this vision. We are a new agency within the United States Department of Labor. We do not regulate or adjudicate; yet we have influence. At a high level, our approach is to simultaneously address a variety of related concerns.

The first concern that we address at the Office of Disability Employment Policy Leadership.

Agency and government officials need to encourage both the employment of people with disabilities and the enhancement or improvement of employment related services to people with disabilities. If the "boss" wants it done, there is a higher likelihood that it will become a priority for all concerned. This leadership must be both formal and informal. It must be by word of mouth and by deed. And it must be repeated often.

We lead by convening and catalyzing the powers that can make a difference. We are a change agent. We recognize that although the law has teeth and is enforced vigorously (in the United States the fundamental piece of legislation is the Americans with Disabilities Act), and behaviors change accordingly to several stimuli, the law being just one item. Your law, Decree 81, is the one that I understand you are beginning to implement. I encourage you on the path of implementation.

Because of the way we were inaugurated, we have been directed to stimulate change through strong leadership.

As you are aware, leadership must know the capabilities and motivations of those whom they lead. Successful business leaders create value, make a profit, and increase cash flow. They make the best of scarce resources and work well within the governmental structure. Business leaders see opportunity where others see problems, barriers, and impediments that would make other people turn away. They take advantage of every opportunity that will contribute to their company's success. They have a bias for action that they use to attain their objectives. Their contributions are critical to a vibrant economy.

I make the claim that if a society does not capitalize on this human resource; that is, people with disabilities, it incurs an immense opportunity cost. No society or enterprise can long afford to ignore this human resource, particularly in our global economy.

The second concern that we address at Office of Disability Employment Policy is Awareness. Awareness.

Our history and culture tend to focus on what people with disabilities cannot do. Perhaps Vietnamese culture is the same. Even our language describes the person who happens to have a disability in terms of their functional limitations (deaf, blind, mobility impaired, etc.). Efforts are needed to help all parties (agencies, providers, employers, people with disabilities and their families), to understand the employment potential that people with disabilities really possess. This can be done through enlightened public affairs efforts or educational campaigns designed to document what is possible for people with disabilities in the employment area. And, as we progress, we have learned that this potential actually increases as we advance our services and supports.

The third concern that we address at Office of Disability Employment Policy is Technical Assistance.

Good intentions and motivation lead only to inaction and disappointment if they are not supported with knowledge and willpower. Supporting technical assistance efforts are needed to develop and deliver answers to the challenges of serving and employing people with disabilities. Additional types of technical assistance needs must be provided for - such as where employers can locate job candidates with disabilities, how to address possible transportation needs, how to prepare the workplace to integrate workers with disabilities and more.

It has been helpful for the USA to continually identify its current technical assistance needs and then to help locate knowledgeable individuals and organizations that others can contact for assistance. Later, I will tell you about a few of our technical assistance programs.

The fourth concern that we address at Office of Disability Employment Data Collection and Evaluation.

This has been a challenge for the United States of American, and we still are not where we ought to be with regard to the data collection and tracking of our progress with respect to the employment of people with disabilities. We are working hard to get our national employment data system to routinely collect labor force information (like the unemployment rate) of people with disabilities. By having those numbers continually tracked and made public, we can better analyze the relevancy of our current policies and programs; and, in turn, make adjustments when we learn that what we are currently doing may not be impacting the "bottom-line" (or, the employment rate of people with disabilities).

We address these concerns by organizing ourselves around five Policy Teams, each of which has a specific charter that complements and supports the Office of Disability Employment Policy vision. Those teams are named Research and Evaluation, Employer, Adult, Youth, and Employment Supports. Buttressing the Policy Teams are the Operations Teams: Program Management, Strategic Planning and Budget, and Education and Outreach.

Recall that ODEP's sole focus is the employment of persons with disabilities. We direct all of our efforts toward this objective. The Research and Evaluation Team provides ODEP with evidence-based metrics, without which we would not be able to measure the challenges or solutions. The Employer Team labors to effectively communicate with employers, gaining familiarity and understanding of employer expectations and motivations. The Adult and Youth Teams work on the supply side of the Supply-Demand Equation, designing and implementing initiatives that help the adult and youth workforce transition to the workplace. The Employment Supports Team focuses its efforts on technical and practical issues that facilitate productive employment, such as transportation, housing, etc.

Operationally, the Program Management team manages the grants and contracts that ODEP tenders as part of its strategies of testing real programs in real situations. Education and Outreach is responsible for communicating ODEP's purpose, programs and achievements. Finally, Strategic Planning and Budget oversees strategies, tactics and finances.

Under the leadership of President Bush, the United States government is working hard to implement his New Freedom Initiative. Shortly after President Bush took office, he expressed his commitment "to tearing down the remaining barriers to equality that face Americans with disabilities today." His New Freedom Initiative "will help Americans with disabilities by increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life."

Departments within the Administration have been tasked with implementing various aspects of the New Freedom Initiative. The Department of Labor has responsibility for the employment aspect.

As I mentioned above, we are a change agent, developing policy recommendations that are based on solid evidence. We discard myths, suppositions, and all statements not supported by evidence. We proceed with the knowledge that solutions cannot emerge from a clouded perspective. Rather, they evolve from directed and disciplined thinking and action, illuminated by the clear light of the facts.

We develop and test ideas and then formulate solutions. We put theory into practice. Our laboratory is the real world. As with all research and development efforts, we learn something with each experiment, whether or not it is successful. When we have confirmed successes, we don't keep the results to ourselves. We give them away!

We employ a group of very bright, dedicated, and hard-working people in the Office of Disability Employment Policy, experienced in government and in private enterprise at the highest levels. We know what it takes to start, grow and sustain a business. We approach the employment challenge from the position that the labor supply must meet the requirements of the employer's demands. We operate in a business-like manner. We recognize that when the labor supply and the labor demand are synchronized, the employment of people with disabilities will increase.

We recognize that our analyses and conclusions must be based on good, hard, evidence. We have marshaled our forces so that we cover all the bases. We recognize that the policies we recommend must work within the context of the environment.

We work with other Federal agencies to coordinate our efforts. To name one of the many, we have formed an alliance with the Small Business Administration. The United States Small Business Administration maintains and strengthens the nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small businesses.

This alliance with the Small Business Administration has two objectives. The first is to make persons with disabilities aware of both the possibilities of starting a small business and also the resources that are available to support the effort. The second is to make small businesses aware of the vast pool of talented people with disabilities who can help their business grow and prosper.

You may ask why we have an interest in small business. The answer is in the numbers:

Small businesses….

• Provide approximately 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy.
• Represent 99.7 percent of all employers.
• Employ 50.1 percent of the private work force
• Provide 40.9 percent of private sales in the United States.

We, of course, work with targeted businesses and business associations, such as the Society for Human Resource Management, which represents more than 180,000 members who influence or make decisions about employment.

Secretary Chao recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of employers who lead the way in the employment of persons with disabilities. This coming October, which in the United States is designated as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Secretary Chao will recognize such leaders with the New Freedom Initiative Award. We have found that this program is a great incentive for businesses, organizations and individuals to employ persons with disabilities.

For this year's awards, we received fifty-two nominations. I can't reveal the winners, but last year's business category winners were names I am sure you will recognize: Booz Allen Hamilton, Cingular Wireless, Giant Eagle Grocers, IBM, and Manpower. These companies made a conscious decision to seek out resources that would give them an edge over their competitors. They acted in their own best interests. They recognized that recruiting, hiring, training and promoting persons with disabilities helped them reach their objectives.

Finally, we also manage three initiatives that provide direct, immediate and free service to employers. Our Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) provides top quality college and university students to employers for summer internships. Our Job Accommodation Network (JAN - www.JAN@wvu.edu) is a free and confidential service that employers can use to find answers to questions about making their workplace friendlier for persons with disabilities. Finally, we have the Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN - www.EARNworks.com).

EARN connects employers who have job vacancies to employment services providers who have direct access to job-ready individuals with disabilities. EARN also provides technical assistance to assist employers in locating appropriate organizations and information they seek to hire qualified candidates with disabilities.

An important part of the EARN project is an effort we have undertaken to further research and understand the requirements that businesses have for qualified employees. EARN has undertaken a comprehensive series of focus group sessions with participants from large and small businesses, in many industries, in locations throughout the United States.

As I mentioned earlier our objective is to work in the real world of commerce. You deal in everyday reality and so do we. With these sessions and concurrent interviews with local and regional chambers of commerce and economic development agencies, we are keeping a finger on the pulse of hiring requirements and expectations. What we are learning from all of these sessions and our other efforts is confirming the value that persons with disabilities add to their employers.

Nevertheless, we know that employers often have concerns when it comes to hiring people with disabilities. These concerns represent the biggest barriers to employment of people with disabilities. The barriers are not the abilities of potential employees. We know that people with disabilities can and do meet the requirements, if they are allowed the opportunity.

We understand that business concerns tend to fall within three categories:

1. Do people with disabilities offer the skills, qualifications, and experience needed to meet the job requirements?
2. How do people with disabilities get along with their peers, get the job done?
3. "What will it cost, not only in accommodations but also in management time and increased healthcare or other claims?

Are these concerns familiar to you? Have you heard employers tell you that they can't hire persons with disabilities because of these concerns?

I will close with a few of the responses to those concerns and then I will offer a challenge. We know these responses to be true, because they come from the world of commerce and from companies that have shown the leadership and have reaped the benefits of their own initiative.

1. People with disabilities have a track record of success, demonstrating their productivity, commitment, and ability to meet employers’ job requirements.
2. Job retention for people with disabilities is currently 50 percent longer than for their non-disabled colleagues.
3. People with disabilities want to succeed in the workplace just like everybody else.
4. Employees with disabilities had a 90 percent above-average job performance rating and safety and attendance records that were far above the norm.
5. 5. Of the companies surveyed. 72 percent reported the performance levels of their employees with disabilities as "excellent or good."

Finally, most people with disabilities do not, I repeat, do not require any workplace accommodation or adjustment.

Our research has shown that accommodation costs are very low and are far less than the productivity gains.

So you see, persons with disabilities are just like everyone else who can add value to your organization. They just need the opportunity that your leadership can afford them.

My challenge to you is to exercise the leadership to effectively implement Decree 81. When you do, all in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam will benefit. Employees with disabilities will help you achieve your goals.