|
In an effort to improve the communication lines between employment professionals and people with disabilities, Michigan Works! and the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) recently offered conferences and training opportunities on this subject. The first of a series of workshops was led by Randy Graise and Lydia Graber of RanDel Enterprises. They led a discussion about various issues and laws pertaining to the disabled community. Graise, 36, was born with a rare disability called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a condition he refers to as the “glass bone disease.” This condition has resulted in 52 broken bones during his life. The objectives of this training was to learn how to effectively communicate with people with disabilities, receive an overview of laws that are pertinent to people with disabilities, identify how to make services accessible and increase the level of awareness of people with disabilities in the community. According to the U.S. government a person is considered disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits their ability to perform major life functions. Graise said two categories exist that define a disability: invisible and visible. Invisible disabilities include substance abuse, mental illness, cancer and aids while visible disabilities include physical, mobile and visual. Graise said that in the United States alone, there are 54 million people with disabilities, which makes it the largest minority group in the county. |
 Kimberlie Sherman, from the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living and her helping dog Hannah, attended the Employing People with Disabilities Conference hosted by Michigan Works! |
|
“According to a nationwide poll taken by the National Council on Disabilities, seventy percent of the disabled population is unemployed. Seventy-three perecent of these individuals are willing to work.” said Michael Zelley, president of the Michigan Works! Association. Graise said Michigan is one of the last states to still use the term handicapped to describe people with disabilities. Graise explained the term handicapped is offensive. Graise hopes that as a result of his training, people will become more sensitive to those with special needs and accommodations. “Consideration for people with disabilities needs to be a part of everyone’s consciousness,” said Graise. RanDel Enterprises currently provides training and support to the Michigan Department of Career Development (MDCD) throughout the state regarding employment transition for persons with disabilities. In conjunction with the sensitivity guidelines established by the MDCD, SEMCA hosted a Disability Awareness Training at the Downriver Community Conference in August for its staff and providers. |
 Counter tops at hotels and banks are sometimes too tall for people who use a wheel chair or scooter. |
|
Mildred Williams and Myrtle Gregg-LaFay, both equal opportunity officers for the MDCD, conducted the training. Brenetta Walker, quality improvement administrator of SEMCA, said she hopes participants gained a greater knowledge of what constitutes a disability, the appropriate language and that the common sense approach is the most effective means of interacting with disabled individuals. For more information regarding disability concerns please call 1-866-499-6232. |
 The Disabilities Sensitivity Training was conducted by Randy D. Graise. |
10 Commandments of Communicating
with People with Disabilities:
with People with Disabilities: