Tuesday Talks with the PA BLN

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine McCary
January 30, 2009
Phone: 804-343-9571
Katherine.McCary@suntrust.com

Richmond, VA (January 30, 2009)

Tuesday Talks with the PA BLN

WASHINGTON, DC (January 30, 2009) - Tuesday Talks with the PA BLN allow companies from across the state and country to quickly learn about a valuable resource or success story related to the employment of people with disabilities. These free monthly phone calls are scheduled on the second Tuesday of every month from 12-1 p.m. EST.

Participants are also able to have discussions with their peers about topics that address: ideas for accommodations; ways to improve recruitment and/or retention; ideas for becoming a company of choice for employees and customers; strategies for compliance; financial incentives available to businesses; and more!

Interested parties should pre-register to gain access to these conference calls controlled by the PA BLN.  To register, contact Stacy Kyle at 717-763-0968 ext. 115 or stacy.kyle@blnofpa.org . 

The Pennsylvania Business Leadership Network (PA BLN) is an employer driven program designed for business leaders to promote hiring practices that enable qualified people with disabilities to enter and succeed in the workplace.  The emphasis of the PA BLN is to create opportunities where employers can communicate, peer-to-peer, to provide candid and frank assessments of hiring successes and challenges. 

This network not only provides employers with access to a network of their peers, it also provides opportunities for training, positive public relations, an increased number of applicants with a disability, and a centralized source of information.

AHEDD has been coordinating the PA BLN since its inception in 2000.

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY TALKS
2009 Topics Scheduled to Date

• January 13, 2009- Where does your company buy its goods and services?  This is another area where companies can look at their diversity strategies and outreach to diverse vendors.  Join us as Ruby Wilkosz from Volunteer of America´s Working Order program talks about their program for a diverse group of entrepreneurs.  Not only will you find out about the types of services offered by these entrepreneurs, you will learn how you can get involved and share your talents to promote self employment among entrepreneurs with disabilities.
• February 10, 2009- The ADA Amendments Act- What It Means for Businesses - Join us as Carl Marshall, a Rehabilitation Consultant for The Sierra Group, Inc., reviews The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) and how it reinstates protections to millions of job applicants and employees by returning to the original intent of the ADA and mandating major changes to how disability should be defined in the future.  The ADAAA better clarifies the issue of who has a disability enabling employers to focus more on how to prevent discrimination in the employment process and their workplace.  Both employers and individuals with a disability will benefit from the ADAAA.
• March 10, 2009-  The Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities - Join us as Dr. Shirley Davis, Director of Diversity Initiatives for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), discusses the business case for hiring people with disabilities and shares some best practices of organizations who do it  well.
• OTHER IDEAS FOR FUTURE TUESDAY TALKS IN 2009
• Tips for planning an accessible meeting/conference
• Tips for choosing an employment agency to support your company´s recruitment and retention of employees with disabilities
• Evacuation Plans: Do you have one?  Does it account for people with disabilities?
• Highlight of a Successful Employee with a Disability
• Mental Illness- Identifying and Removing Stigma
• Issues Facing Returning Veterans- How Employers Can Support Existing Employees and Find Qualified Veterans

For more information or to suggest topics, contact Stacy Kyle at 717-763-0968 ext. 115 or stacy.kyle@blnofpa.org

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