62 www.buildingindiananews.com It is (unfortunately) one of Indiana’s best-kept secrets: that the Hoosier State will foot the bill for a process that can add thousands of dollars to your bottom line, and reduce your exposure to risks under legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to boot. In most other states, companies pay consultants upward of $150 an hour to come in, help them develop a strategic outreach to the disability community, and learn about making “reasonable accommodations” for them in the workplace. But in Indiana, the state’s Corporate Job Development program, offered by the Indiana Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, can provide all these services, delivering a competitive advantage to Indiana businesses. The benefi ts of developing a disability outreach program and recruiting in the disability community are legion. From a market perspective, the community is a huge opportunity: approximately one out of three Americans is disabled or has close family or friends who are people with disabilities, and as a group they mass nearly $800 billion in purchasing power. A successful outreach program has also been shown to lower turnover, increase productivity and reduce recruiting costs by as much as $2,500 per hire – and there are direct tax credits and training credits that exceed more than $6,000 for hiring a person with a disability. And fi nally, there’s the ADA. Recent amendments to the Act have sent shock waves through corporate human resources departments because of the broad defi nition of “disabled” they contain. But part of creating a successful outreach program is building an awareness of ways to make precisely the kind of “reasonable accommodations” called for under the ACT. And increasingly, it’s the companies that are burying their heads in the sand that are stumbling over the ADA, not the ones adopting a proactive approach. To help get the word out about this “secret” advantage for Indiana businesses, the state is piggybacking its own outreach efforts on top of the national “Think Beyond the Label” campaign. This energetic $4 million marketing campaign will appear on television, in print, on the Web, and on billboards through 2011. The goal of the humorous, edgy campaign is to change attitudes about hiring people with disabilities, raise awareness of the need for diversity in the workplace and counter stereotypes about people with disabilities. “Think Beyond the Label” emphasizes that all workplaces accommodate differences – from the “copy-incapable” offi ce worker to the “pattern-defi cient” dresser to the man with “volume control syndrome” (i.e., the loud-talking employee). The campaign acknowledges that workforce diversity is an asset to companies of all sizes, not just large companies. “Think Beyond the Label” emphasizes the quirks of our co-workers – making the case that no worker is without them – and demonstrates that these differences don’t impact job performance or slow the company down. In Indiana, the campaign emphasizes that disabilities are just one more element to workplace diversity and hiring people with disabilities can benefi t companies’ bottom By Julie Cook, Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Project Manager, Indiana Bureau of Rehabilitation Services and James Emmett, Corporate Development Consultant, Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Indiana companies looking for a competitive edge in their hiring need to “Think Beyond the Label.” SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Think Fast www.buildingindiananews.com 63 The bottom line goal of the “Think Beyond the Label” campaign in Indiana is to create an awareness and a buzz in the business community about the business sense for hiring people with disabilities. The Think Beyond the Label Digital Hub is the fi rst place that businesses can start understanding this unique opportunity. The site starts with busting the myths of working with employees who have disabilities. A commonly misunderstood myth for employers considering a diversity initiative is that their worker’s compensation rates will skyrocket. The Web site tells visitors that this is a myth and the reality is that, “Insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of the operation and the organization’s accident experience, not on whether workers have disabilities.” Additionally, employers can learn about tax incentives that are available to companies of all sizes and the return on investment companies can receive through diversity hiring initiatives. Finally, the site offers an Indiana-specifi c page where employers can get into contact with the Indiana Corporate Job Development (CJD) team that can assist their company in developing a strategic outreach to tap into the labor and customer power of the Indiana disability community. The Indiana CJD is currently working with companies including Vera Bradley, Fort Wayne Metals, Best Buy and Lowe’s. In the past their efforts have inspired successful diversity initiatives at CVS, ACS (Xerox), Walgreens and other Indiana companies. Injured? We’ll Get You Back To Work. (317) 802-2442 OrthoIndy.com line objectives, even in these trying economic conditions. “People with disabilities are the untapped workforce of the 21st century,” says Barbara Otto, Executive Director of Health & Disability Advocates in Chicago. “Companies that are looking for individuals who think outside of the box get a competitive edge when they overcome their biases and hire individuals who are living outside of the box.” Indiana will supplement the national campaign with additional statewide media that will run throughout 2010 and potentially again in 2011. The Indiana campaign is being funded in part by the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, a fully funded federal grant whose primary goal is to change policies, practices and systems that create barriers for individuals with disabilities from locating and keeping gainful employment throughout the state. “We will be utilizing a variety of media including television, digital and print as well as seeking out opportunities for non-fee media. The local campaign effort is also working to ensure that businesses who contact us through ThinkBeyondtheLabel.com have access to key local resources that can help them start hiring people with disabilities today,” says Theresa Koleszar, Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Project Director. If your business is ready to take the next step and learn more information: • Visit the www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com and register – registering is free. Click on the Indiana page for local resources. • Once registered, make a pledge. By making a pledge, you can add the campaign logo and link to your website. Then spread the word. Access e-cards on the home page that allow you to tell others about the campaign. • Help to post success stories on the Think Beyond The Label site. • Contact us about your employer-focused events that are coming up: a brief description with date, time, location, and Web link or contact info for more details; and • Contact Shirley Olwine, with the CJD unit, at 317-650-9828.