Solutions Marketing Group

Providing clients with innovative strategies that position them to understand, penetrate and retain the disability market.

SMG Celebrates Women’s History Month: Kathy Martinez

In honor of Women’s History Month, Solutions Marketing Group recognizes and celebrates the achievements of women who’ve broken barriers, defied odds and make our world better. Kathy Martinez has shattered ceilings in government and corporate America and is the Senior Vice President and Head of the Disability Segment Market Brand and Strategy for Wells Fargo.

Kathy MartinezWhat sparked your desire to pursue disability advocacy as a career?

Growing up, people often reacted to the fact that I was blind—not as much to the fact that I was a woman or a Latina. I noticed how differently I was treated than my sighted brothers and sisters.  When I was looking for a job in the early ‘80’s, the options were extremely limited and opportunities to escape from the poverty trap were practically nonexistent. I also noticed that when a friend or relative became disabled they had little access to services and opportunities, which are available to the nondisabled public and their friends and associates immediately lowered expectation for that person after the person acquired a disability. Those were some of the drivers that catapulted me into being a disability rights advocate.

What do your responsibilities include in your role at Wells Fargo?

I am responsible for establishing an enterprise-wide focus on improving the accessibility of Wells Fargo products and services for customers and team members with disabilities. This includes collaborating with Wells Fargo line of business and channel leaders, and the company’s Diverse Ability Team Member Network to implement a comprehensive strategy around recruiting, philanthropic donations, online accessibility and vendor policies dedicated to serving people with disabilities and their families.

Prior to working at Wells Fargo, where did you work?

I joined Wells Fargo in March of 2015 from the U.S. Department of Labor where I served as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). I led ODEP in putting policy priorities into practice through several innovative grant programs.  These include Add Us In, through which a nationwide group worked to increase the capacity of small businesses to employ people with disabilities. The grant program also included the Employment First State Leadership Mentor Program, through which several states received support to promote community-based, integrated employment as the primary outcome for people with significant disabilities.  

Under my leadership, ODEP also launched the award-winning Campaign for Disability Employment, a national, multi-organization public awareness initiative that educates about the value and talent people with disabilities bring to America’s workplaces and economy.  The campaign produced two television public service announcements (PSAs), “I Can” and “Because,” both of which challenge common myths and misconceptions about the expectations and job skills of people with disabilities.  

Prior to being appointed by the President Obama in 2009, I served as executive director of the World Institute on Disability. There I successfully managed a number of initiatives, among them Proyecto Visión, a national technical assistance center to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities in the U.S.  I have also served on the National Council on Disability, the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the State Department’s advisory committee on disability and foreign policy.

What is your educational background?

I have a BA in communications and organizational/industrial psychology.

What is your specialty?

My specialty is designing, developing and implementing strategy, programs and projects, which result in the inclusion of people with disabilities in nonprofits, government and the private sector.

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National Disability Employment Awareness Month Presents a Unique Opportunity

by Carmen Jones

In 1986, a car accident left me paralyzed. When I returned back to school almost a year later, I still did everything career-bound college students are advised to do – got good grades, held leadership positions in student government, and became involved in a host of extra-curricular activities. Yes, I was now a person living with a disability, but I had no intention of derailing my plans to pursue a career in marketing.

Carmen Jones, in her wheelchair and cap-and-gown, surrounded by 4 people

Carmen at her Hampton University graduation

But when it was time to start my post-graduation employment search, unlike most of my classmates, I received no guidance from the Hampton University Career Planning and Placement Office. Looking back, I know they were willing, but we were all on unchartered territory. I was one of a handful of undergraduate students with a disability and they didn’t know how to support or connect me to resources or recruiters from companies or organizations with inclusive hiring practices.

So I was left to navigate the job market on my own.

I started out hopeful. During my senior year I had a number of initial interviews, and two of those companies actually called me back for a second round. Yet despite my accomplishments, and perceiving that I did well in those interviews, I wheeled across the stage with a degree in one hand and no job offer in the other.

While my parents are sweet and patient people, they made it clear that I had to get a job. Heeding their demand, I continued to beat the proverbial pavement to no avail.

Through a series of unexpected circumstances, Ralph Shelman, the executive director of The Peninsula Center for Independent Living, read an article about my accident and returning to school. He reached out to the university and, fortunately, Hampton contacted my parents to relay the message. A week or so later, I was in Ralph’s office interviewing for an Independent Living Counselor position. He hired me on the spot, and I began providing guidance and counsel to people who had their disabilities much longer than I, some from birth. On paper, I was woefully unqualified for this position, but Ralph gave me a chance.

Since full-time employment was my goal, I didn’t really think about having any practical knowledge about the disability community or counseling. I had only been a person with a disability for less than three years and had no prior experience navigating the community and social supports for myself, let alone helping others. I jumped right in, and my boss wasn’t deterred by my learning curve. He had a solutions mindset, one that was willing to give a new graduate an opportunity to gain a foothold on the world. A mindset that could see past my wheelchair to my potential. A mindset that was willing to open the doors a little wider for someone with a disability.

And without that mindset—that opportunity—I wouldn’t be where I am today.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and the time of year when the disability community and many employers spotlight disability employment and inclusion in small businesses, local/state/federal agencies, and corporations. NDEAM, supported by August 2016 data from the Department of Labor, reminds us that the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is 11.3%, while the rate amongst people without disabilities is 4.8% – almost 3 times higher than the general population.

NDEAM - Inclusion Works: Inclusion Workds for Opportunity, Inclusion Works for Business, Inclusion works for Innovation

NDEAM 2016 Poster

As disability inclusion has grown, NDEAM can be a catalyst for moving beyond awareness to creating an opportunity mindset among decision makers. Much like my former boss, employers with an opportunity mindset seek to address what’s needed to open doors wider to enable people with disabilities to apply for positions they are most qualified for. It looks at what people can offer, removes the stigma of disability, and understands that diversity of thought and experience makes for a richer culture.

There are some initial questions that you and your team can answer to begin developing an opportunity mindset:

  1. Start with why. Why is disability inclusion important for your organization?
  1. Be honest. What has your organization done to identify, recruit, onboard, and retain individuals with disabilities? What was the outcome?
  1. Have a champion. Who is the leader that has the authority to drive disability inclusion?
  1. What additional leaders and/or departments need to be engaged across the enterprise?
  1. Buy-in is Critical. What are your internal stakeholder’s biggest objections about disability employment? What steps can your team take to counter objections?
  1. Define a measurable goal. For example – The XYZ organization will hire a certain percentage of employees with disabilities by a target date. By making this clear your organization can outline action steps to achieve this goal.
  1. Build partnerships. What disability organizations do we need to build relationships with to access talent, locally and/or nationally?

I hope these questions will help your organization take important first steps to develop an opportunity mindset during NDEAM. If this discussion guide is beneficial to you, please send me an email at cjones@disability-marketing.com.