The ABC’s to Becoming “ A B usiness that’s C ompetitive and C ompliant”

1. The ABC’s to Becoming “ABusiness that’s Competitive and Compliant”

2. The National Employment Team (NET)Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation • Membership organization of VR Directors • 80 agencies: every state, territories, D.C. • Federal/State funded $3.5 billion • 25,000 staff • Serve one million people with disabilities annually • Partnered with the VA-VR&E, AIR • Largest talent pool of people with disabilities in the country • Backed by support of VR leadership, staff and 10,000 community partners.

3. We Asked Our Business Customers National in Scope Dual Customer Model Customer Driven Network VR as One Company Easily Accessible Network: work with the national VR network through a single point of contact VR Points of Contact VR Systems: Veterans VR&E , AIR Community Partners Leveraging the Strengths of a National System Through Delivery at the Local Level

4. The Bottom Line for Business Customers The foundation of the NET must be built on: • Trust • Responsiveness • Deliverability • Consistency • Quality • Sustainability • A Customer Driven Approach • The bottom line – DELIVER WHAT YOU COMMIT TO

5. The NET: Vision Statement To create a “one company” model to serve business customers through a national VR team that specializes in employer development, business consulting and corporate relations.

6. The NET: BenefitsDefined by Customer Category Businesses have direct access to the qualified candidates and support services provided by State VR agencies and their community partners on a national basis. VR consumers have access to career development resources, “real time” employer input and national employment opportunities. State VR agencies have a national system for sharing employment resources, best practices and business connections.

7. The NET:VR Business ServicesDefined by Business Customers • Universal Design • Contracts • Facilities • Programs/Services • Assistive Technology • Information Technology • Financial Supports • WOTC • Barrier Removal • Legal & Compliance • Labor Relations • Policy Development • Risk Management • Product Development • Customer Service • Marketing & Outreach • Pre-Employment • Internships • Training • HR/Staffing • Recruitment & Promotion • Benefits & Compensation • Retention Supports • Employee Advisory Services • Accommodations • Work Site Assessment • Assistive Technology • Staff Training • Disability Awareness • ADA/Employment Laws • Diversity Programs • EEOC/Affirmative Action

8. Trends and Developments • The NET – USBLN Partner of the Year • President’s Executive Order • Federal Agencies • The Rehabilitation Act, Section 503 • Federal Contractors • OFCCP Relationship • TAP: Talent Acquisition Portal

9. Market-driven Legislative Philanthropic 2009 and Beyond 2001 2000 1990s Open Standards: IA2 and WAI-Aria Early adoption of disability benefits (1947) 1980s 1960 / 1970s Corporate mandate: All IBM IT to be usable by PwD 1950 / 1960s 1914 Hired first disabled employee IBM Disability Employment Background IBM’s commitment to diversity - drives innovation and competitive differentiation

10. Well-defined accessibility standards supported by training and tools Accessibility integrated into planning, procurement, development, and communications Required annual EO training for all employees • Harness unique powers of diversity to create a smarter workforce - ultimately, a Smarter Planet, for all • Enable PwD competitive productivity with comprehensive/effective accommodations • Part of ensuring PwD equal opportunity to advance and contribute Diversity Objective Current Accommodation Best Practices Consistent, Global Implementation • Holistic accommodation approach: • Considers technology, environment, job responsibilities • Multi-disciplinary teams (line management, HR, medical, IT, legal, real-estate ops, etc.) • Costs charged at division, not department level • Separation of duties in accommodation processes (decisions owned by HR, not line management) Public Accommodations Personal Accommodations

11. Example measures used to determine success of employment programs: Hiring, retention, and advancement rates Standards conformance measurements (e.g., % compliant applications or buildings) Enables well-managed programs to make incremental progress But does not provide insight into PwDs’ view of barriers and their causes Current Accommodation Best Practices: Measuring Success

12. Understanding accommodation challenges Difficult due to privacy requirements, individual sensitivity, cultural variations Can be biased by the views of the vocal few True barriers to PwD productivity are not fully understood Studying the problem Targeted, anonymous surveys of PwDs – e.g. in IBM we reached 300+ PwDs in 23 countries Focus groups – e.g. in IBM we leverage our IBM Diversity Network Groups In-depth studies – e.g. in IBM we conducted enterprise-wide studies performed by experts using virtual teams like IBM Academy of Technology Addressing Accommodation Challenges

13. In spite of strong accommodation policy and programs, IBMers believe their competitive productivity has been hampered by under-accommodation A global challenge More significant in areas outside North America, some parts of Europe / Japan Causes: Excessively time consuming for PwD & Mgr to … Understand accommodation policies and processes Identify who is responsible for helping with various issues Identify most appropriate accommodation solutions Find or hire expert advice Order, install, and configure Inappropriately low expectations of PwD productivity PwD concerned about being perceived as a burden Keeping accommodations current seen as too risky and/or too costly Addressing Accommodation Challenges: Findings from IBM Surveys & Studies

14. PwDs PwDs Integrated Process PublicAccommodations PublicAccommodations PersonalAccommodations PersonalAccommodations Before After Without an integrated process incorporating customer perspective, PwD are less productive as they struggle to understand the organizational view, making acquiring accommodations and solving accommodation problems more difficult. Having an integrated process makes the process of identifying and procuring public or personal accommodations easier, consistent and more efficient, thereby improving PwDs’ productivity. Addressing Accommodation Challenges: Understanding the Issue

15. John W. Evans Business Development Executive Worldwide Human Ability and Accessibility Center IBM Research 401-276-5185 Evansjw @us.ibm.com www.ibm.com/able Contact Information

16. Kathy West-Evans, MPA, CRC Director of Business Relations The National Employment Team (The NET) Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) 206.999.9455 Kwest-evans@rehabnetwork.org www.rehabnetwork.org Contact Information

17. Beth Butler, Esq. Leaves & Accommodations Lowe’s Companies, Inc. 1000 Lowe’s Blvd Mooresville, NC 28117 704-758-3276 Beth.a.Butler-1@lowes.com Contact Information