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Raytheon Makes a Difference for Workers with Disabilities

October 22nd, 2007 Posted by Amelia

This month as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October, we are featuring profiles of programs and people who made a difference for disabled workers. Two of those are Ana T., and Raytheon.

One of those people is Ana T., a young woman with cerebral palsy. Ana was doing menial jobs such as wiping down cafeteria tables and bagging groceries before she was assigned a job coach as part of the Georgia Workforce Action Grant. The job coach worked with Ana to discover her strengths, and improve her skills. Ana’s strengths included being bilingual in English and Spanish, having computer skills and enjoying work with children. Building on those talents and aptitudes, the job coach helped Ana develop a new career.

Today, Ana is a translator, educational facilitator and parent/teacher liaison for pre-school and elementary schools. In that position, Ana has become an advocate for students and a role model for all of the children that she comes into contact with. “Ana has shown us that being different doesn’t have to be bad,” says James, one of her students.

The Georgia Workforce Action Grant (GWAG) strives to increase the number of people with disabilities in non-stereotypical, customized job settings. To do so, the program uses a multi-agency, person-centered approach focusing on the coordination of services. The agency cuts through red tape by working across agency and departmental barriers.

One of the ways that GWAG shows respect for workers with disabilities is by calling them “customers” rather than patients or clients. GWAG works by maximizing the customer’s choices using Individual Training Accounts. The agency also uses peer supporters to develop and implement plans for employment.

Richard Toscano of the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences leads the program. Partners of the Georgia Workforce Agency Grant program include the Institute on Human Development & Disability, the Georgia Statewide Independent Living Council, the Douglas County Community Services Board, Kelley Diversified, the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Multiple Choice, Inc.

GWAG is funded by ODEP , the national Office of Disability Employment Policy.

One company that works successfully with disabled workers in Georgia and elsewhere is Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson Arizona. Raytheon is a leader in the design, development and production of missile systems, with over 11,000 employees.

Raytheon values disability as part of diversity. The company actively recruits, supports and empowers employees with disabilities as part of its commitment to a diverse workforce. Raytheon uses several strategies to do this. In the company’s Talent Acquisition Organization (TAO), employees with disabilities network to find new disabled employees for the company. TAO members mentor new employees, and support them through a buddy system. Raytheon also maintains a career development website.

Raytheon is an example of how a company’s culture can support people with disabilities. The staff includes two full-time sign language interpreters for deaf and hard-of-hearing employees. All training and web-based materials are captioned. The company supplies text pagers to transmit safety and work-related audio announcements.

In 2006, the Secretary of Labor and ODEP recognized Raytheon Missile System with a New Freedom Initiative Award for “demonstrating exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities.”

Despite programs like the Georgia Workforce Action Grant and companies like Raytheon, ODEP reports that many peoples with disabilities are still underemployed, working in positions that don’t fully utilize their talents.

Until 1990, many disabled people were denied opportunities in the workplace. Homes, businesses and even public buildings were constructed to prevent access by those with disabilities, particularly those in wheelchairs. This all changed with the ADA, the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The ADA made it illegal to discriminate in hiring, promotion, or training of workers with disabilities. Under the ADA, employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.