By: Anna Lenhart, MPH
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). NDEAM celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents.This year's NDEAM theme "Inclusion Drives Innovation" reflects the important role that different perspectives play in workforce success.
New Editions has long been known as a company that embraces diversity and proactively recruits, hires, and advances individuals with disabilities. New Editions is the only small business to receive the 2016 National Organization on Disability’s Leading Disability Employer SealTM for its inclusive hiring practices.
Another anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is here and I find myself once again taking stock of the progress we are making to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We are moving forward – even if slower than many of us would like. I recently read an article that patently rejected the value and need for the ADA, highlighting exactly how far…
March 22nd marks the annual American Diabetes Association Diabetes Alert day, an event that serves as “a wake-up call asking Americans to take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test to find out if they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.” The importance of early diagnosis and proper management is crucial to positive outcomes among the diabetic population, as the progression of the disease can…
Community bakeries and cafes are popular places to gather with friends and neighbors, celebrate a team victory or cheer up when you are feeling a little low. Running these cafes can be difficult but rewarding work, especially when staff members see and hear the positive feedback from their customers. There are two establishments in the Washington, DC suburbs that offer more than something for…
Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held. When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities.
Attend any awards ceremony and right after the person being honored thanks his or her parents, that person then thanks the people who have provided support, guidance, opportunities—that person’s mentors. Imagine for just a minute that the person in the audience being thanked is you. Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career. Helping others is rejuvenating and for…
Most of us who work in the disability field or have a friend or family member with a disability who is seeking employment, are aware of the difficulties that people with disabilities have in getting a job. Let’s take a look at the stats.
I was optimistic about the direction the field of disability was taking when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed. I had spent a year arguing with my brother-in-law who belonged to an organization that was actively lobbying against the ADA. He was convinced that the ADA would be the death of the small business that employed him. Our arguments were heated and often led to me saying…
By Betsy Tewey, Vice President
July 2015 is bookended by two celebrations of independence in America – the Fourth of July holiday and the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At New Editions we consult on disability research and policy, we actively recruit and hire individuals with disabilities, and we promote diversity, so issues of civil rights,…
A recent Washington Post article by Richard A. Lovett has the cautionary title “Desk jobs can be killers, literally.” Since most of America's jobs are sedentary, ergonomics is becoming a necessity.
New Editions has been recognized with three awards for our diversity and inclusion. As a government contractor specializing in health, disability and vulnerable populations, we work side-by-side with our government partners to create a more inclusive environment – through information technology and systems that are accessible, programs that are inclusive, training managers and supporting…
As supervisors and managers, often we think of our responsibilities as meeting deadlines, managing costs and budgets, hitting our sales or profit goals and keeping our bosses and customers happy. And it does mean all of that, but there is also a responsibility to the people who help us make all these things happen – our employees.
September is College Savings Month—a month to remind and encourage people to start a 529 Plan. Section 529 plans make it easy and affordable for the average family to plan ahead for the cost of college attendance and are available in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Across the nation, many activities are held during September to recognize the importance of saving for college…
If the ADA were a person, it should be graduating college by now and looking for a job. However, workplace equality for people with disabilities is where the least progress has been made in the last quarter century, according to an informal poll of webinar attendees during “24 Years of the ADA: Progress, Pitfalls and Possibilities” hosted by Cornell University and the Northeast ADA Center on…
New Editions was named a “2014 Top Workplace” in the Washington Post last month. Washingtonian magazine named New Editions Consulting, Inc. one of the “50 Great Places to Work” in 2013. In addition to winning these awards, we have grown the business base by $1M per year for the past 12 years. Clearly, we are doing something right in our small company. We believe our success…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over the past few years the population of young adults and teenagers in the U.S. has participated less in the workforce. Analysts have suggested that the causes are varied, but include stronger competition from older, unemployed workers and an increased focus among younger adults and teenagers on volunteerism and skills attainment instead of…
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The country is aging and so is the workforce. According to the 2012 Census, there were over four million full time workers age 65 and older. The aging process can bring with it a gradual decrease in vision, hearing, and physical abilities. Jobs that were once easy for a 30 or 40 year old to perform can become challenging for a 60 or 70 year old. For example, in our work, some veterans have…
As a child with Spina Bifida growing up in Northern California I had some amazing opportunities. I went to the best public schools, had friends both with and without disabilities, and even participated in children’s theater. I also had many of the complications that people with Spina Bifida have—eleven surgeries, occupational and physical therapy appointments and countless sick days.