Welcome to SMG eNEWS™
2006, May 16th

The Solutions Marketing Group’s eNews is a bi-monthly communiqué that connects business to the market of people with disabilities.

Message From The Founder

Disability Marketing & Leadership
By Carmen Jones, Founder and President

Dear Colleagues - I am proud to be a part of the 2006 Leadership Greater Washington (www.lgwdc.org) class. The experience has been thought-provoking and has rallied in internal call to action for me to get even more engaged in what is happening in the Washington, DC Metro Region. I have had the pleasure of interfacing with many leaders in every sector of business. Each month we gather to focus on a specific topic which usually educates, challenges, affirms or supports our views (I am usually educated and compelled to do more than I am doing.) From that, interesting discussions unfold as we seek understanding, insight and make decisions on how to play a role in helping our area flourish.

This past week was we convened for "Leadership Day" and was no exception. A fellow classmate asked about my work and the disability segment. I told about our market's size, scope and unemployment rate - which hovers around 65-70%. When we spoke about employment, his eyes closed in disgust and said, "Carmen, I can't believe this. It appears that this is a national tragedy! Why is this so?" My new friend is head of an executive coaching firm and I knew from previous discussions he had no direct connection to disability. Not only was I impressed at how quickly he grasped the issue, but I was instantly struck with optimism as he understood the unemployment problem that exists for millions of people with disabilities. I thought if he can 'get it' in a 10 minute conversation then many others can understand as well. I shared that senior leaders have to set the tone within their companies to create a disability-friendly culture, focused on the bottom-line. Without a top-down leadership approach to target this segment, efforts usually fall flat.

In an effort to provide leadership and add value to our services to clients, the Solutions Marketing Group is pleased to announce the addition of our Education and Training Division, headed by Bill and Cheryl Duke of W.C. Duke Associates. This new division provides companies with practical skills-based training that enhances performance and produces bottom-line results. Web-based and CD-ROM training courses are available; or customized programs may be designed to meet the specific needs for your company.

To learn more, contact SMG directly at 703.920.0225 or cjones@disability-marketing.com.

At the Solutions Marketing Group, it is our goal to assist companies by offering resources and information to improve recruitment and retention, marketing and promotion and customer service to the Nation's 54 million people with disabilities. In so doing, we hope to open minds and open doors for businesses to reach the largest, untapped minority group in the country.

Thank you for your feedback and support of SMG!

Happy Spring!

Carmen D. Jones
President/Founder
info@disability-marketing.com

Profiles in Excellence
Profiles in Excellence is a monthly article, published by SMG, that features companies and organizations that demonstrate leadership in accessibility, employment, customer service and marketing to the nation's 54 million Americans with Disabilities.

Inclusion Solutions
By Joan Leotta

Imagine the frustration of attempting to fit in a voting booth when your wheelchair is wider than the entryway. Or having to bring a sighted friend to the polling place with you because Braille ballots are not available. Or staying at home and voting by absentee ballot to avoid the public spectacle of not being able to vote as smoothly as others. For millions of people with disabilities, of voting age, these scenarios have often been the norm. But next election day at polling places all over America, many will be able to vote with their non-disabled peers, thanks in large part to a company called Inclusion Solutions. Inclusion Solutions’ devices will ease implementation of the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in more than 44 states....
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Featured Article
Special to Disability-Marketing.com

Progress on Accessibility In The Built Environment By John Kemp, Disability-rights advocate

Prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, individuals with physical disabilities often had difficulty accessing many of the places we take for granted- office buildings, retail stores, medical facilities, etc. However, the ADA took a step towards solving this problem with the establishment of a “time more certain” after which more access to the built environment was assured, and future construction was guided by federal rules, permitting people with mobility-related disabilities to have physical access to jobs and the marketplace....
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Featured Article
Special to Disability-Marketing.com

Minorities Left Out Again By Joyce Bender, President and CEO of Bender Consulting Services

As we read all the horrible statistics about the high unemployment rate of Americans with significant disabilities, we do not always read that the highest percentage of that unemployed group are minorities with significant disabilities. Once again, it seems that minorities are left out of the equation, when it comes to true equality in the workplace. In the world of competitive employment, the tragedy in this country for all Americans with significant disabilities is exclusion and those who are minorities are at the highest level of that exclusion....
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Accessibility
sponsored by Universal Design Newsletter

Kmart Enters Landmark Settlement of Nationwide Access Suit From Fox & Robertson, P.C., Denver, Colorado

Fox & Robertson, a firm of Denver civil rights attorneys, announced in March, that it had settled a nationwide class action lawsuit filed to resolve disability access issues at Kmart stores. Under the terms of the settlement, Kmart will survey and bring all of its stores nationwide into compliance with Department of Justice Standards over a seven-and-a-half year period following court approval, and will institute policies to ensure access to merchandise, counters, restrooms, fitting rooms and parking. Kmart has also agreed to pay $13 million in damages....
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Customer Service
sponsored by W.C. Duke Associates, Inc.

Companies Serve Deaf Community with DeafQuote.com From DeafQuote.com

Deaf Quote calls itself "The friendly insurance agency." DHH Insurance and CH Insurance Brokerage have formed a strategic alliance to service the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community's insurance needs. They will service and provide the best solutions to their deaf and hard of hearing customers. Whether you have a need for personal insurance or business insurance, they have developed programs with selected carriers that will give you the broadest coverage at the most economical premium....
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Employment

Feeling Disabled in a Job Search
From News Internet Ventures

Bruce Morgan knew he was in for a long job search. Morgan has a strong resume and an MBA, but he also has cerebral palsy, which affects his speech. After his company, Nabisco, was bought by Kraft Foods Inc., his 25-person department was laid off on the same day in 2004. Some of his colleagues planned to take time off. Morgan, a triathlete, a piano player and a father of three, started looking even before the layoff....
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Marketing

Accessibility Of Disability By Joan Voight, Adweek

A deaf teenager shopping with his dad gives a Wal-Mart ad a warm and fuzzy feel. A champion Alpine skier without a foot scores points for inspiration in a spot for Home Depot. Upscale professionals, in commercials for Bank of America and Kohler, turn out to be blind. Welcome to the hot new world of disability marketing....
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News & Announcements

How to Create Disability Access to Technology
From The World Institute on Disability

Travelers Aid International Receives National Award from National Organization on Disability
From TravelersAid.org

Comments Wanted on the Americans with Disabilities Act
From The National Network of ADA & IT Technical Assistance Centers

Ollie Cantos Named to White House Post
From JFA Listserv

College Students With Disabilities Ready for Summer and Full-Time Employment; Labor Department Releases Free Database on CD
From US Newswire

National Council on Disability Supports Voting Rights Act
From NCD