Employer Services

Training and Education

The MaineHealth Vocational Services Portland employer services team provides customized disability inclusion training sessions for various organizational roles, including leadership, managers, staff, human resource professionals, diversity, equity, and inclusion specialists, and talent acquisition partners. Our Exploring Disability Inclusion topics are as follows:

• Foundation Building: High-level overview of definitions, terms, and statistics to understand the who, what, when, why, and how of disability. Establishing this foundation is key before delving into more specific topics related to disability.
• Language, Etiquette, and Accessibility: Increases knowledge and skills to enhance awareness, effectiveness, and comfort when communicating with, and about, people with disabilities. Understanding language, etiquette, and accessibility resources enables companies to create an inclusive and supportive environment, avoiding assumptions that may limit opportunities for both the employer and the employee.
• Tips for Improving Hiring & Retention Efforts: A deeper exploration of the intersection between workforce and disability inclusion, focusing on both recruitment and retention strategies. Participants will acquire practical skills to establish a safe and inclusive work environment for people with disabilities, benefiting everyone in the process.
• Accommodations & the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Covers several topics, including an overview of the ADA's relevance to employees and employers, understanding reasonable accommodations, disclosure, and confidentiality. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the ADA's application in the workplace and learn tools and skills to navigate and support reasonable accommodations effectively.

Education and training offerings can be customized to meet the needs and interests of the specific employer and the audiences. The training courses range from 1 to 1.5 hours and can be virtual or in-person.

• Sample agenda for a 1^st training session:

1. Part 1: 20-30 minutes
   1. Foundations Building
      1. High overview of definitions, terms, and statistics.
2. Part 2: 40-60 minutes
   1. Selection of one of the following topics:
      1. Language, Etiquette, and Accessibility
      2. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Reasonable Accommodations
      3. Tips for Building a More Inclusive Culture and Advancing Hiring Practices

Training modules are also available for purchase as a comprehensive four-part diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training option, specifically designed to be extended to all employees within your organization.

For organizations interested in purchasing customized training tailored to specific goals, please contact susan.gatti@mainehealth.org for additional information.

Workforce Recruitment

The MaineHealth Vocational Services Portland team also plays a vital role in supporting job seekers on their vocational journey. Individuals seeking employment opportunities are referred to us by various community agencies around the state. Our dedicated team works in collaboration with business leaders, hiring managers, human resource representatives, and talent acquisition partners to facilitate workforce recruitment and identify meaningful matches that bring value to both businesses and job seekers.

For those interested in recruiting job seekers through our team, please contact susan.gatti@mainehealth.org. We are here to assist in creating mutually beneficial connections in the workforce.

Additional Services

In addition to our core offerings, our team provides:

• Review of application, interview, and on-boarding processes
• Incorporating disability inclusion within a comprehensive DEI strategy
• Assistance with developing an employee resource group (ERG) specific to disability
• Review of business policies and procedures to identify opportunities to improve disability inclusion
• Providing suggestions on how to build an inclusive culture to ensure people with disabilities can bring their best selves to work
• Assessing compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to reassignment and the accommodation process

Implementing a disability inclusion (DI) strategy yields many benefits and plays a crucial role in cultivating a positive and inclusive workplace culture, as well as positively influencing a company's bottom line. Numerous studies have shown that businesses embracing a disability inclusion strategy often report reduced costs, increased productivity and profits, and improved employee retention.

Financial Benefits

• Cost Reduction
  • Reduced Turnover: Turnover can be reduced by 20-30% compared to other labor pools; when costs associated with turnover are decreased, productivity and efficiency benefit.
  • Recruiting/HR Costs: By using state funded community organizations and resources (such as DVS), companies can reduce their costs for recruiting and ensure a pipeline of qualified, vetted, and supported job candidates.
• Improved Market Share
  • People with disabilities represent a large portion of the consumer market. This market share grows if family members, caregiver, friends, and other connections to a person with a disability are taken into account; increased awareness can help boost sales and revenue.
• Tax Credits & Incentives
  • Companies may be eligible for Work Opportunities Tax Credits (WOTC). They can also use state and local resources to access low-cost/free training programs.

Beyond Financial Benefits

• Enhanced Reputation
  • Increased awareness by stakeholders and consumers can build brand loyalty and ultimately create a competitive advantage in the market.
• Increased Innovation
  • Everyday people with disabilities have to be creative in order to adapt to the world around them. This has helped them develop strengths in problem solving, persistence, agility, etc. All of these skills can help boost innovation internal to the company that hired them.

Additional Information

For support related to a specific employee associated with MaineHealth Vocational Services Portland, contact the employee’s Employment Specialist or Job Coach.

For information about recruiting qualified job seekers or to learn more about our employer services, please contact susan.gatti@mainehealth.org

Resources to Advance Disability Inclusion

Strategic Planning: How to get started

• Disability Employment and Inclusion: Your Guide to Success
• ODEP | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov)
• Building an Inclusive Workforce (dol.gov)
• Steps to Get Started with Disability Inclusion
• DI-Quick-Start-Guide-Full.pdf (workplaceinitiative.org)
• EmployerGuide.pdf (maine.gov)

The Business Case

• Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage | Accenture

Accessibility

• Maine CITE
• Accessibility (askjan.org)
• MDOL: Accessibility Guide (maine.gov)
• Office Accessibility Center - Resources for people with disabilities (microsoft.com)

Accommodations

• JAN - Job Accommodation Network (askjan.org)
• Applying Performance and Conduct Standards to Employees with Disabilities | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov)
• Accommodation_and_Compliance_Series_Dos_and-donts-final.pdf (mdtransitions.org)
• The JAN Workplace Accommodation Toolkit (askjan.org)
• Costs and Benefits of Accommodation (askjan.org) 

Disability Etiquette

• Disability Etiquette (askjan.org)
• Disability Etiquette - A Starting Guide - Disability:IN (disabilityin.org)

Additional

• 5 Myths and the Real Facts for Employers - Think Beyond the Label - Think Beyond the Label
• Understanding equality versus equity | Canadian HR Reporter
• How to define dihttps://www.cultureamp.com/blog/how-to-define-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-at-work/versity, equity, and inclusion at work - Culture Amp Blog
• Unpacking the debate over person-first vs. identity-first language in the autism community - News @ Northeastern

Our employer services team publishes a quarterly newsletter to provide resources and information pertaining to disability inclusion in Maine’s workforce.

• Volume 1: Disability Inclusion Newsletter (constantcontact.com)
• Volume 2: Disability Inclusion Newsletter (constantcontact.com)
• Volume 3: Disability Inclusion Newsletter (constantcontact.com)

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