On September 28, 2005 a group of employers in the Miami, Florida area participated in a workshop where they learned about recruiting, training and retaining job seekers with disabilities. Attendance was limited to create a comfortable, interactive environment for employers to share experiences with and learn from their peers and from speakers.

Co-sponsored by The Able Trust, the American Express Foundation, the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Proyecto Visión, the event attracted human resource personnel and representatives from employers in a variety of industries including a financial institution, an air carrier, two insurance products firms, a medical supply company and two universities. The South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also contributed to the workshop by inviting Chamber members to attend.

Bob Bromberg, Chair of the Miami-Dade Business Leadership Network and principal of a consulting firm specializing in human resource solutions to management, described the grim employment situation of people with disabilities to participants. Since Bromberg is a businessman who has employed people with disabilities, his news was not all bleak; in fact he served as a role model for attendees.

Straight Talk

Blending personal experience as a Latina with a visual impairment and expertise as a long-time employment advocate for people of color with disabilities, Proyecto Visión director Kathy Martinez was frank.

"I know many of you are worried about how to fire a disabled employee who is not performing, you're worried about being sued. We'll I've done it and it's no fun. Nobody likes to let go of an employee, but the process should not be different for an employee with a disability. There is no special treatment for disabled employees who are not doing their job. Treat them like you would any other employee, but give equal treatment all around...hire them and give them a chance just like you would anyone else. I'm sure you'll find there are many qualified applicants who are eager to work that will make excellent additions to your businesses."

The employers responded to Martinez's message by asking questions and bringing up concerns such as how to bring their job openings to the attention of candidates with disabilities and what to do if co-workers are not comfortable with a new disabled employee.

Table Topics

The keynote address was followed by a series of three concurrent roundtable discussions. Rotating topics at the blow of a whistle, employers had the opportunity to participate in each discussion.

Employer representative Sandy Adams from Onsiteam Advisors facilitated a discussion on recruiting/retaining employees with disabilities. Kathy Beckman of the employment placement program at Miami-Dade Community College shared practical tips on interacting with people with disabilities in the workplace. And, a dialog about workplace accommodations with examples of what is 'reasonable' according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was led by Stephen Sundarro and Lexander Reina of the University of South Florida.

Wrap-Up

At the end of the training the participants submitted evaluations indicating they absorbed a lot of new information they plan to use in their place of work. Equally important, perhaps, is that more and more employers are realizing the benefits of hiring a diverse employee base including people with disabilities. At the conclusion of the workshop employers expressed gratitude at being able to meet and interact with successful Latinos with disabilities at the event.

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