Amplify! News Archives – Amplify! Improving Disability Inclusiveness in the Workplace

Are You Aware?

You probably already know that there is a “national” month (and day) calendar with designations for almost everything from important and worthy causes deserving awareness, along with others that make me stop and wonder, why? Why is there a need for a “National Celery Month”? You all know what celery is, and you either like it, or you don’t, with or without peanut butter; but a month to recognize celery? Really?? What about a month to acknowledge noodles? Sure, most people like noodles (my grandkids LOVE noodles), but do we need a month to remind us how much we enjoy them or to encourage us to eat them for lunch today? Probably not.

However, there are many great causes that, in my opinion, do deserve some national and local recognition, along with greater awareness. This March, take a few minutes to learn more about National Developmental Disability (DD) Awareness Month and the efforts to promote awareness and respect for people with DD. Take time to acknowledge and recognize the skills and abilities that people with DD bring to our communities and our workforce. This is something we focus on every day of the year, through our work at Dirkse Counseling and Consulting, Inc. We help job seekers meet their career goals and educate through our Amplify! PDX program and events. We create awareness and help individuals and organizations celebrate inclusion and understand that everyone benefits all year round, not just in March.

Click the link below to learn more about DD and read the March Blog from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities written by Emily Kranking. She is a disability advocate, a person with cerebral palsy, and is premiering in a new musical film called “Best Summer Ever,” featuring many other actors, singers, and dancers with developmental disabilities. https://www.nacdd.org/dd-awareness-month-blog/ As a fan of musicals, I can’t wait to see it myself!

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

May 27^th, 2020 8:00am-10:30am

Amplify! Rock Stars

A Celebration of Success & Disability Diversity Event for Employers & Individuals

Hosted by Embassy Suites by Hilton, Portland-Washington Square

Featuring Keynote Speaker:

Emily Purry, Director of Independence, INCIGHT

For more information or to become a sponsor of Amplify! Rock Stars 2020, contact Cindy Bahl at 503-258-7715 or info@amplifysuccess.org

Click here to see our list of sponsors

All You Need Is Love?

02/11/2020 – Written by: Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development

It’s February, so I’m thinking about the color red and the subject of love. What comes to mind is one of my favorite songs by The Beatles, “All You Need Is Love.” It’s a catchy tune that gets stuck in your head (not a bad thing) and you just want to hum or sing along. While there is some truth in the lyrics, “love” can mean so many things and is very subjective to the person. I might “love” hiking, kayaking, and my career, but I also “love” my family unconditionally from the depths of my heart. While I enjoy my job and being outdoors with nature, I need and love my family on a very different level. I consider myself a very fortunate person to “love” the work that I do, to bring meaning to my life and that of others, but not everyone has that opportunity.

In fact, many people with disabilities are either under-employed or unemployed. The 2018 United States Bureau of Labor indicated that the employment population ratio, the proportion of the population that is employed, was 19.1% among those with a disability. In contrast, the employment-population ratio for those without a disability was 65.9%. Yet, this population has the skills and talents along with the motivation to work. The people we serve would “love” to have a job to go to, a team to be a part of, and a paycheck to spend, but they often face many barriers to joining the workforce. This is where we get to help both the job seekers and employers in our community, so that they too can find their passion and “love” what they do!

I also “love” that our community is so supportive of our mission and that they show their support through sponsorship and participation at our Amplify! events. This February, join us in promoting and creating inclusive hiring opportunities for people with disabilities by showing some “love” and joining our wonderful sponsors. Help us Amplify! disability diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in our community, because we need more than “love”, we need YOU!

If you would like to become a sponsor of the 3rd annual Amplify! Rock Stars on May 27th, hosted by our friends at Embassy Suites by Hilton, Portland-Washington Square, please contact me, Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development, at 503-258-7715 or at cindy@dirksecc.com.

Save the date for Amplify! Rock Stars 2020!

May 27^th, 2020 – 8:00am-10:30am

A Celebration of Success & Disability Diversity Event for Employers & Individuals

A Celebration of Success featuring Keynote Speaker:

Emily Purry, Director of Independence, INCIGHT

Click here to register today!

If you would like to be a Sponsor of Amplify! Rock Stars 2020,

Click here for more information

A Vision for 2040

Written by: Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development

Yes, you read that right. It’s not a typo. There’s a lot of talk about 20/20 vision with the new year and new decade just beginning this month. “I Can See Clearly Now” is everywhere (including in my head), but what if we can’t? What if we have 20/40 vision and are a little blurry about where we’re going and, perhaps, need some help from an outside source?

I sometimes find this to be the case when it comes to Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, specifically around the inclusion of people with disabilities or “exceptional” abilities. Often employers have the best intentions and a vision for inclusion but don’t know how to get there. They don’t have a clear path or a guide to help them reach their goals. They may see or hear about the cultural and economic benefits of inclusion, or have thought about what it would look like in their business, but they haven’t taken the necessary steps to move that vision forward.

If that resonates with you, there is help available! Amplify™ and our Employment Provider Partners exist to bridge the gap between the job seekers who experience disability and the employers who want to be inclusive. Our Amplify!™ team can help you expand your vision for disability inclusion and create a road map that you can follow to realize the full benefits of inclusion for your organization.

My vision for 2040 is a world where in 20 years we aren’t having this conversation, but we are looking back and saying to ourselves, “We’ve come a long way, baby,” as we were able to finally break down the barriers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A world where integrated employment opportunities for reliable, motivated, and skilled people will not be the exception and instead will be the norm and everyone will see that clearly with 20/20 vision.

If you would like to schedule a complimentary inclusion conversation and receive help with a clear direction for integration, please contact me, Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development, at 503-258-7715 or at cindy@dirksecc.com.

SAVE THE DATE!

May 27^th, 2020 – Amplify! Rock Stars

Disability Diversity Event for Employers & Individuals

A Celebration of Success featuring Keynote Speaker:

Emily Purry, Director of Independence, INCIGHT

Registration & More Details coming soon!

If you would like to be a Sponsor of Amplify! Rock Stars 2020,

Click Here for More Information

Amplify! Success 2019 – Benefits of Disability Inclusion in The Workforce

by: Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development & Amplify! Events

“As a life-long disability advocate who uses a power wheelchair, I have attended hundreds of disability related events. This was in the top 1% of all of them. It was energetic, informative, professional, and it included actionable take home information.” Todd Kimball, Pacific Grand Realty

The Benefits of Disability Inclusion in The Workforce – This was the theme of the third annual Amplify! Success event held on October 16, 2019 at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Headquarters campus. The goal of Amplify! is to improve access to competitive integrated employment for job seekers with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities by engaging employers and the community in creating a culture of workplace inclusion.

155 people gathered for a high energy morning where they were greeted by the Nike Ability Network and heard the positive, upbeat music from The Merry Rockers, an inclusive reggae band. The information flowed as Keynote Speaker, Becky Curran Kekula shared the challenges she faced on her employment journey as a little person working in the entertainment industry. Now with Disability:IN, she is working with organizations like Microsoft, Google and Amazon, to name a few, who have recognized the research behind the economic and cultural benefits of inclusion in the workplace.

Attendees rotated through four breakout stations where they heard best practices and success stories from local employers, learned about organizations like Best Buddies, Project Search, Phame and InCight, and were exposed to government partners and resources that facilitate and support the employment process for people with disabilities. The afternoon ended with an “Amplified Happy Hour” and time built in for networking.

Here’s what other attendees said about the event:

“Amazing!” Rob Klassen, The Cleaning People

“Great job with the event. I met many new folks as well as reconnected with past connections. Looking forward to next year!” Ken Price, Mt. Crest Counseling

“Very informative and inspirational” Peter Gudekunst, Marco Ideas Unlimited

“This format was awesome, engaging and inter-actice. Having a keynote is so cool who can share their first-hand experiences really highlights the heart of the mission. Being able to interact with the services that are important was a game changer for me. Great job Amplify!” John DeRosa, Embassy Suitesy by Hilton, Portland-Washington Square

“Great event! Becky was a wonderful speaker and the Merry Rockers were entertaining and inspiring. I greatly enjoyed the networking/happy hour time. The breakouts were great, and I think people learned a lot from them.” Jeff Akin, Akin Collective

If you missed Amplify! Success you can still join the initiative to change culture right where you are and we can help! Click below and complete the “Amplify! Action Card” and let’s talk about your diversity and inclusion goals and how we can make a difference together.

FILL OUT THE ACTION CARD

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VIEW EVENT SPONSORS

The Amplify! initiative, created by Dirkse Counseling and Consulting, Inc. with the support of Oregon Employment First, is sustained by collaboration with numerous employer and community partners. For more information or to be involved in the Amplify! Initiative, please contact Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development and Amplify! Events at 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com.

BECOME A SPONSOR!

Amplify! Is an initiative of Dirkse Counseling & Consulting, Inc. That includes two annual events, Amplify! Success in October and Amplify! Rock Stars in May. Events are designed to inspire, empower and equip employers to create a more inclusive workplace for people with diverse abilities.

Project SEARCH: A Unique Internship Program that Benefits Local Business

by: Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development & Amplify! Events

Most of us are familiar with internship programs and perhaps have even been an intern at one point in life. We understand the value of interning; gaining experience and working on those soft and hard skills. Internships are often very competitive and sought-after experiences, providing an opportunity that can launch into a career. The international internship program, Project SEARCH is similar to a traditional internship, yet it has a unique focus of providing internship opportunities for adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

In this nine-month internship program, developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, a host business provides up to 12 interns with three different work experiences and includes an employment provider who specializes in the skills training and job placement of people with I/DD, like autism and Down syndrome. Collaboration occurs between all partner agencies as the intern is immersed in the host business, developing both soft and hard skills that will move them toward their ultimate goal of working in the community.

Meet Project SEARCH graduate, Brandon Runyan, a young adult who recently completed and graduated from the Project SEARCH site hosted by Embassy Suites by Hilton, Portland-Washington Square in Tigard and supported by Albertina Kerr, a local employment provider partner. Brandon shared his positive experience with me to help create awareness about the program and the contributions that he and others can bring to the workplace.

Cindy: What did you like about the Project SEARCH program?

Brandon: It doesn’t just teach you the hard skills of the actual job, it teaches you how to be a good worker in any job, how to be productive in the workplace, and how to be reliable.”

Cindy: What are some specific things that you learned and are using today, now that you are employed?

Brandon: How to read my paycheck! How to pay my own bills and budget for the things I want to buy like a Starbucks or new headphones.

Cindy: What is your job at Embassy Suites by Hilton, Portland-Washington Square location?

Brandon: I am a Breakfast Ambassador! I stock supplies, bus tables, and keep the dining area looking good. I interact with customers and have learned to balance a friendly conversation with the work, so I don’t talk too long. My supervisor, Joe Wehbi, said “coffee must flow”; I learned a lot from him.

Cindy: Do you think you would have this job if you had not participated in the Project SEARCH Internship program?

Brandon: Definitely not. I was on the way to being employable but not ready to hold a job. Learning workplace skills, practicing my communication, and interview skills made a big difference to me. My supervisor in Project SEARCH encouraged me to apply for this job. He recognized that I would be great as a Breakfast Ambassador and I applied, interviewed, and was hired.

Cindy: So, your internship was not the same as your current job?

Brandon: Yes, my internship was three months as a Lobby Attendant, three months in banquet, setting up for events, and three months as a Houseman, doing floors and housekeeping in different sections of the hotel.

Cindy: What do you like most about your job?

Brandon: I really like the breakfast! Ha! The people, they are like family. I am passionate about the work and function of the hotel and the hospitality industry; we are here to serve.

John DeRosa, Director of Sales and Marketing and Liaison with the Project SEARCH program shared, “Embassy Suites is so fortunate to host Project SEARCH in partnership with Albertina Kerr. Not only does this program offer real-life work experience for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but it offers our hotel a unique advantage of filling hard to fill positions with candidates who are ready to work.”

“Brandon has made a difference in the lives of our staff. He worked nine months in three rotations during his internship with Project SEARCH. Because of his hard work and dedication to the program, we hired him.“

Amplify! Success 2019 : The Benefits of Disability Inclusion in the Workforce

Join us October 16^th, 1:00-5:00PM at Nike WHQ to hear the sounds of inclusion and learn about the many benefits of disability inclusion in the workplace.

For more information or to partner with us and become a sponsor of Amplify! Success 2019, contact Cindy Bahl @ 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com

BECOME A SPONSOR!

Disability Inclusion Drives Business Success

by: Becky Curran Kekula, Disability:IN, Disability Equality Index (DEI) Director

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is the nation’s most trusted benchmarking tool on Disability Inclusion. It’s a joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). The DEI educates Fortune 1000 companies and Am Law 200 firms on their disability inclusion efforts and provides concrete benchmarking data on industry trends.

Using historical, anonymized data from the DEI, a recent report “Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage”, found that companies that embrace best practices for employing and supporting people with disabilities have outperformed their peers. This includes 28 percent higher revenue, double the net income and 30 percent higher economic profit margins. The report was published by Accenture, in partnership with Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Want to learn more? Come hear Becky Curran Kekula’s keynote at the Amplify Summit.

About Becky Curran Kekula

Becky Curran Kekula is the Director of the Disability Equality Index (DEI) at Disability:IN and she also happens to be a little person. Becky received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Providence College. Upon graduation, she sent out 1,000 job applications and went on 100 interviews, over the course of four months. After two temporary job assignments, she landed a temporary to hire position at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), an American talent and sports agency that’s regarded as a dominant and influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. She was a temporary employee for seven months and then continued her path as a permanent employee. After working for CAA, CBS Television Studios, and Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), along with launching a public speaking business, Becky accepted her current position in November 2017. She’s passionate about proving that disability inclusion is good for business by advising companies to engage with the DEI and all of the programs that Disability:IN has to offer.

Visit the Disability:IN website for more about Becky.

Amplify! Success 2019 : The Benefits of Disability Inclusion in the Workforce

Join us October 16^th, 1:00-5:00PM at Nike WHQ to hear the sounds of inclusion and learn about the many benefits of disability inclusion in the workplace.

For more information or to partner with us and become a sponsor of Amplify! Success 2019, contact Cindy Bahl @ 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com

BECOME A SPONSOR!

What Does Inclusion Sound Like?

by: Cindy Bahl, Director of Business Development and Amplify! Events, Dirkse Counseling and Consulting, Inc. & Marissa Lelogeais, The Merry Rockers

Inclusion is word we hear often today. Most of us strive to be inclusive of our differences and yet, if we just read or listen to the news, it seems we have a long way to go for full inclusion and acceptance of those who are different than ourselves.

Music is a medium that can help break some of the barriers we face in society, especially music that resonates in both message and melody.

So, what does inclusion sound like? Come to Amplify! Success October 16^th, and listen to our Keynote Speaker, Singer and Songwriter, Marissa Lelogeais of The Merry Rockers. You will hear her story through song as her music resonates and amplifies the message of disability inclusion using her positive, upbeat & fun reggae style. I bet you’ll even want to dance, or at least tap your foot!

Marissa Lelogeais is a fun-loving thirty-four-year-old woman who loves swimming, dancing to reggae music, traveling and making new friends. However, life has not always been smooth sailing for her. She was born with cerebral palsy and is legally blind. Weighing in at one and a half pounds, the doctors told her that she would never be able to live a full and fruitful life.

Flash forward to 2007 when Marissa got accepted to her dream school, Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where after studying the music and life of Bob Marley, she formed the inclusive reggae band The Merry Rockers. The band is made up of Berklee College of Music alumni and occasional sit-ins from national acts such as Cas Haley and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.

Marissa and The Merry Rockers are looking forward with eager anticipation to playing and supporting the mission of Amplify! in October. They are excited to share their messages of friendship, inclusion and the healing power of music. The band hopes to bring the community positive vibrations, make them dance and to embrace people of all abilities.

Amplify! Success 2019 : The Benefits of Disability Inclusion in the Workforce

Join us October 16^th, 1:00-5:00PM at Nike WHQ to hear the sounds of inclusion and learn about the many benefits of disability inclusion in the workplace.

For more information or to partner with us and become a sponsor of Amplify! Success 2019, contact Cindy Bahl @ 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com

BECOME A SPONSOR!

BESThq Building Opportunities Through Minecraft

by: Cindy Bahl
Director of Business Development and Amplify! Events
Dirkse Counseling and Consulting, Inc.

I have not played Minecraft, but I am learning there is great value in this creative and interactive online game. According to minecraft.net, Minecraft is a “game about placing blocks and going on adventures” and players are given unlimited resources to build whatever they can imagine. Players invite friends anywhere in the world to join their Realm and participate in the creation of their project where the sky is the limit! What a great way to connect, learn, and create in a team environment for all ages and abilities!

Minecraft is also making strides by developing interest in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), and because of a local Minecraft program developed by BESThq in Beaverton, a unique job opportunity has been created.

BESThq and their unique customized position will be featured during the educational breakout sessions at the 3^rd Annual Amplify! Success event, October 16^th, 1:00-5:00PM at Nike WHQ in Beaverton. “The Benefits of Disability Inclusion in The Workforce” theme will weave throughout the inspiring and informational program. Register today to learn how employers like BESThq are reaping the benefits of inclusion by matching skill sets to their business needs, affecting their culture and bottom line.

READ THE FULL STORY in the September issue of the Beaverton Resource Guide!

Amplify! Success 2019 : The Benefits of Disability Inclusion in the Workforce

For more information or to partner with us and become a sponsor of Amplify! Success 2019, contact Cindy Bahl @ 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com

BECOME A SPONSOR!

Beyond The Customer is Always Right

by: Andrew K Lundgren, MA, LMFT, LPC
Training & Curriculum Development Specialist
Dirkse Counseling & Consulting, Inc.

If you have ever worked in the realm of retail or toiled orders of food from the “back of the house” to the “front of the house”, you know that polarizing phrase that has allowed an abrasive customer to treat an employee rudely: “The customer is always right”. This slogan has been used to improve the customer experience for over 100 years. The phrase, attributed to Marshall Field and Harry Gordon Selfridge, instructed its employees to provide exemplary customer service in their high-end department stores. Today, companies realize that how they perceive and treat their employees is equally, if not more, important to the customer experience.

Businesses, more than ever, are focusing on a culture of diversity and inclusion, not because it meets compliance, but because it improves the bottom line. Let’s hear that again. Focusing on inclusion in the workplace improves the bottom line for business. Instead of bending over backwards to meet unruly or brash customers, companies are integrating a diverse framework into their workforce. By doing so, they empower employees, believe in them, and provide for them so that positive customer experience is a byproduct. A 2019 Harvard Business Review found that when a company has a focus on the employee experience it appears “twice as often on the American Customer Satisfaction Index” and financially it is more than 4 times as profitable.

With over one billion people globally who have disabilities, businesses need to consider how to fully integrate the needs of people with disabilities. Taking a proactive stance toward inclusion of people with disabilities has a two-fold effect. In one sense it allows companies to attract talented people from a larger pool of applicants and in another, it allows its diverse workforce to innovate and create a pipeline to a larger customer base. All of this, by including people with disabilities and making the workplace more accessible. Also, companies that include people with disabilities have found they experience lower turnover, have the same if not better job performance, attendance records, and even safety records than their counterparts without a disability. Doing inclusion allows employees to acquire an intrinsic value out of work. This ultimately has a ripple effect on the customer experience (without mandating that the “customer is always right”).

However, creating a culture of inclusion within the workplace is not a simple declaration. Companies must be willing to consider how to implement a strategic plan toward inclusion. Businesses “must deliberately create an environment where differences, talents and perspectives are maximized in order to create high-performing” employees (2019, Burden).

To learn more about this topic of inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities, be sure to join us at our 3^rd annual Amplify! Success at Nike WHQ in Beaverton on October 16^th, 1:00-5:00pm.

Become a Sponsor of Amplify! Success 2019! contact Cindy Bahl @ 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com

BECOME A SPONSOR!

REFERENCES

Burden, Lisa. “Not being greeted in the morning is not retaliation, district court says.” HR Dive. Web. Retrieved August 08 2019, from https://www.hrdive.com/news/not-being-greeted-in-the-morning-is-not-retaliation-district-court-says/560587/.

Ceridian. (2019). 2019 human capital management trends: perspective on how technology will shape the world of work. Retrieved August 8, 2019, from http://images.knowhow.ceridian.com/Web/CeridianCorporation/%7B38b85f52-d12f-43ed-b268-9c89d171a541%7D_RR-NA-EN-NP-114788-101-Top-HCM-Trends-2019.pdf?_ga=2.101840392.829485349.1565724816-1213647773.1565724816

Lengnick-Hall, M., & Gaunt, P. (2007). Why employers don’t hire people with disabilities. Hidden talent: how leading companies hire, retain, and benefit from people with disabilities (pp. 25-33). London: Praeger.

UN World Health Organization (WHO), World Report on Disability: Summary, 2011, WHO/NMH/VIP/11.01, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/50854a322.html [accessed 11 August 2019]

McBain, H. (1944, November). Are Customers Always Right? The Rotarian, Retrieved from Google Books.

Save the Date for 2019 Amplify Success!

by Cindy Bahl
Director of Business Development and Amplify! Events
Dirkse Counseling and Consulting, Inc.

Don’t you just love Pacific Northwest summers? More time in the day for the things we love like hiking, biking, water sports, gardening and outdoor concerts; all amplified by the beauty of our surroundings. Although I do love summer, I can’t wait for Fall and it’s going to be here before you know it!

So, enjoy Summer and all it brings but please SAVE-THE-DATE and plan now to attend our 3^rd annual Amplify! Success, October 16^th, 1:00-5:00pm at Nike WHQ in Beaverton. Check out the details!

Hosted by our friends at The Nike Ability Network, we already have an amazing program lined up for you that you won’t want to miss plus lots of time for networking with an “Amplified” Happy Hour!

For more information or to partner with us and become a sponsor of Amplify! Success 2019, contact Cindy Bahl @ 503-258-7715 or cindy@dirksecc.com