Perfectly Able: How to Attract and Hire Talented People with Disabilities »

LIGHTHOUSE INTERNATIONAL, founded in 1905, is the leading nonprofit organization world wide dedicated to preserving vision and to helping people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss.

JIM HASSE is an Accredited Business Communicator and Global Career Development Facilitator. He was previously senior content developer of eSight Careers Network, the premier social networking website for visually or physically impaired job seekers.

Advance Praise for Perfectly Able:

“Too many employers and their recruiters are unaware that addressing a disability is often only a matter of mechanics. There’s a too-common assumption that being disabled means being unable. That robs an employer of the opportunity to consider people with disabilities as intelligent, capable, and often innovative people who just happen to have some faculty in disrepair.” — Katy Jo Meyer, technical recruiter, Microsoft Corporation

“We need a constructive dialogue between job seekers with disabilities and employers. Both are passing each other by—sometimes missing each other by miles. This book is intended to assist all employers and all job seekers to find one another. Not connecting is a loss for us all.” — John D. Kemp, Executive Director, U.S. Business Leadership Network

“Perfectly Able is full of insight and practical help for both job applicants and employ­ers [that] is utterly compelling and convincing. . . . Every employer in the world should have a copy on his or her desk.” — Robert W. Fuller, former President of Oberlin College and author of Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank

Foreword: Roads More Easily Traveled

Preface: An Opportunity---Not a Responsibility

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Gain a Better Awareness of Disability 1

How Inclusive Recruiting Will Help You Prepare for Coming Changes in the Employment Landscape 1

Why Your Diversity Initiative Needs to Include Disability 8

How to Choose the Right Disability Awareness Trainer for Your Company 11

The Right to Self-Determination for Individuals with a Disability in Today's Workplace 13

How Individuals with a Disability Define Inclusion 19

The Role of Maturity and Self-Esteem in an Individual's Approach to Disability 22

How Learning to Live Well with a Disability Can Have an Upside 26

Chapter 2 Foster a Company Culture That Is Receptive to Disability 33

Put Your Diversity Values into Practice 33

Create a Work Environment That Values Diversity 36

Workplace Interdependence Makes Disability Irrelevant 41

Bridge Builders Can Be Valuable to Your Corporate Culture 45

Job Seekers with a Disability Can Add Elasticity to Your Workforce 51

How You'll Know Your Inclusion Efforts Are Working 55

Chapter 3 Make Your Recruiting Efforts Disability Inclusive 63

Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring Employees with Disabilities 63

What You as an Employer Need to Know About Current Interpretations of the ADA 67

Considering Volunteer Experience May Be Essential in Fully Evaluating a Job Candidate 80

Not All Volunteer Work Is the Same When Evaluating a Job Candidate 85

How to Locate Job Candidates with Disabilities on the Local Level 89

Using Job Fairs to Recruit Candidates with a Disability 92

Locating Job Candidates with Disabilities Online 98

Recruiting Qualified Job Candidates with Disabilities on College Campuses 104

How to Make Your Screening Process Inclusive 110

Four Barriers Job Candidates with a Disability Encounter When They Interview for a Job 114

Chapter 4 Identify Job Candidates Who Will Thrive in Your Corporate Culture 121

Job Candidates Who Approach Employment from an Entrepreneurial Perspective 121

Job Seekers Who Are Successfully Operating Small Businesses 123

People Who Have Moved Beyond Self-Absorption to Become Fully Engaged Members of Society 127

Individuals Who Take Personal Responsibility When They Become "Easy Marks" While at Work 131

How to Identify Individuals with Emotional Intelligence 137

Job Candidates Who Can Gracefully Accept and Decline Help 142

Job Candidates Who Can Carry Their Load as Members of Your Team 145

Job Seekers Who Possess the Authenticity Valued in the Business World 150

Targeting Candidates Who Are Willing to Take Reasonable Risks 155

Chapter 5 Approach People Management from a Disability Perspective 163

How Self-Esteem Affects Workplace Performance and Behavior 163

Avoiding Paternalism in the Workplace 170

Assigning a Mentor for Your Newly Hired Employee with a Disability 177

Using Your Leadership to Help an Employee with a Disability Grow in His Job 182

Removing Intentional and Unintentional Barriers to Achievement for Employees with a Disability 185

Adaptive Technology Is Making Major Forms of Disability Irrelevant in the Workplace 191

FAQ: Guidelines on Reasonable Accommodations for Employees with Disabilities Under the ADA 200

Accommodations for Adaptive Technology: Who Should Pay for What Under What Circumstances 211

When a Worker with a Disability Tries to Put One Over on You 216

FAQ: Guidelines on Confidentiality for Employees with Disabilities under the ADA 217

How to Prevent a Disability Discrimination Lawsuit 221

Curtis Bryan and Randy Hammer Make Blindness Irrelevant in Serving Customers 224

Appendix A Comprehensive Resource List for Hiring People with Disabilities 231

Appendix B About eSight Careers Network 239

Appendix C eSight Careers Network Article Links 243

Index 247