You can use these resources to improve your own understanding, as discussion starters, and for training your staff. We encourage you to be curious and find other resources that you think might work well for your organization.
Table of Contents
Time Savers
Who is a “qualified individual”?
“The term ‘qualified individual’ means an individual who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires.”, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), including changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-325), which became effective on January 1, 2009. Title 42, Subchapter 1: Employment, Sec. 12111. Definitions, (8) Qualified individual. (Emphasis added)
Read:
- The Hiring Practice that Stymies Equity in the Museum Workforce, 4 minutes, from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Field Notes blog, by Makeba Clay, Senior Diversity Fellow.
- Employers Don’t Understand the Work People with Disabilities Can Do, SHRM Research Finds, 3 minutes, from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
- Don’t Break the Bank in 2014 — Low Cost Accommodations Do Exist!, 4 minutes, from the Job Access Network (JAN). Real life examples of creative thinking that have led to free or low-cost accommodations for staff members with disabilities.
- 6 Mistakes Employers Make while Battling the ‘Diversity Paradox’, 5 minutes, from HR Dive. DEI strategist Jackye Clayton offers 6 points for human resources and leadership for recruiting for diversity and intersectionality.
- Improving Access to Employment for People with Disabilities, 6 minutes, from AAM.
- It’s Time to Move the Needle on Disabled Representation, 5 minutes, from the Museums Association (UK). Yoti Goudas says people with disabilities are not represented enough in the museum field, yet some museums are more successful by using better recruiting strategies.
- Embracing Unique Voices at Woodland Park Zoo, 3 minutes, from Association of Zoos and Aquariums. An article about a volunteer with a disability who missed his work during the pandemic.
Watch/Listen:
- Disability Etiquette PSA-Living Spaces, 30 seconds, from the United Spinal Association. An animated video on how to behave better when interacting with people with disabilities.
- Unconscious Biases: Undercovering Assumptions and Surprising Ourselves, 5 minutes, from Disability:IN. An animated video shares stories form several companies about how their attitudes changed for the better with the experience hiring and working with people with different disabilities.
- Justin Constantine on Veteran Employment, 17 minutes, podcast from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) “All Things Work” series, is embedded in an article about hiring veterans.
- Employment Practices and the ADA Playlist by the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. A series of short, single topic videos.
- nTIDE Lunch and Learn Series, On the first Friday of every month, corresponding with the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report, the national Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) team offers a live broadcast via Zoom Webinar to share numbers and the latest news about disability employment.
Toolkits and Training
National and State Resources
- JAN, the Job Accommodation Network, the top resource for individuals, employers, and other stakeholders to train, discuss, and learn about reasonable accommodations. Including topics like Fragrance Sensitivity.
- EARN, Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion
- ILRU Directory of Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and Associations
- State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies directory from the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
- Disability Inclusion Employment Best Practices from Disability:IN covers benefits, recruitment, retention, advancement, and accommodations.
- State Disability Employment Snapshots from The Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) Employment rates between the general population and people with disabilities, who live in their community, for each state in the United States.
Online Toolkits:
- A Collection of Resources by and for BIPOC Museum Professionals from AAM.
- The Cultural Proficiency Continuum, about 3 minutes from the Center for Culturally Proficient Educational Practice (CPEP). Cultural proficiency, originally designed for an education setting, can be easily adapted for museums by shifting the focus on the “learner” to “visitor” and from “teacher” to “museum staff.”
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Careers in the Arts for People with Disabilities
- PDF: Disability Etiquette: Tips on Interacting with People with Disabilities, about 15 minutes from the United Spinal Association. Information on disability etiquette, disabilities, service animals, emergency evacuation procedures, conflict management, and more.
- Supporting Transitions: Making Internships Accessible, about 2 minutes from the Museum, Arts and Culture Access Consortium (MAC).
Webinars:
- Creating a Workplace Environment Where All People Can Thrive – Dr. Julie Kmec, 60 minutes with ASL interpretation from the 2019 Washington DEI Summit.
Online Course
- Employing People with Disabilities: A Business Perspective, from Virginia Commonwealth University is a self-paced online course designed for employers who want solutions to increase disability diversity in the workplace.
Additional Resources
- Tax Benefits for Businesses Who Have Employees with Disabilities from IRS.gov
- Ali Stroker becomes the First Tony-Nominated Performer Who Uses a Wheelchair, about 6 minutes from RespectAbility.
- Bias Interrupters, an organization that offers toolkits about unconscious bias in the workplace.
- Project Implicit is useful as a training and self-evaluation tool. The website includes a variety of Implicit Association Tests (IAT). This is best used for self awareness and staff may keep their results private.
- Mental Health in the Workplace, about 9 minutes from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
