May 2020 Newsletter
Indiana’s “Work to Include” Coalition
Advancing Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
Pat Rogan, Professor, IUPUI School of Education and Co-Director, Work to Include Initiative
Susan Rinne, MPA and Co-Director, Work to Include Initiative
JobDoozy, a Perfect Match
It’s no secret that people with disabilities are Indiana’s largest pool of untapped talent. That’s why Fifth Freedom built JobDoozy.org, a free employment site that connects inclusive employers with people with disabilities. Each job that’s posted is by an employer looking specifically to hire someone with a disability - AND it’s FREE! There’s no cost to employers or job seekers to sign up, and you can unsubscribe at any time. JobDoozy is constantly growing, with new jobs, articles, and tips posted regularly. Fifth Freedom is a nonprofit dedicated to serving people with disabilities, and a partner with Work to Include.
COVID-19 and People with Disabilities
This past couple of months has seen unprecedented upheaval in our communities due to the COVID–19 virus. It has had a substantial impact on Hoosiers with disabilities so we wanted to be sure you had links to some critical information about programs and funding to help. These are a few related resources:
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE (SSDI),
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI) AND STIMULUS PAYMENTS
The CARES Act, passed by Congress, provides up to $1,200 for all Americans including SSI and SSDI recipients. People with SSDI and SSI will automatically receive stimulus payments even if they don’t typically file tax returns, beginning the week of April 27. For SSI (and veterans pension) eligibility purposes, the stimulus check won't count as income to you, and you don't need to report it as income to the Social Security Administration. Plus, it's not taxable. In addition, for SSI, the stimulus money won't count as a resource (asset) unless you still have all or part of it 12 months after receiving it. For SSDI eligibility purposes, income and assets don't matter, so the stimulus check will have no effect. For more up to date information visit: https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/
NDRN & IDR PROVIDE INFORMATION ON RIGHTS
In a series of videos, the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) explains what your rights are and what you can do if you believe your rights are being violated. Topics include: Transportation Rights, Housing Rights, and Healthcare Rights: The Effects of COVID-19 on the African American Community
In our state, Indiana Disability Rights (IDR), another Work to Include partner, is available to help with issues and is posting information on its website regularly. IDR is actively working to ensure your rights are not jeopardized with policy changes implemented as a result of the virus. They are available to help if there is an employment conflict, either because you have been furloughed or are unable to work due to the virus. Visit their website for more detail: https://www.in.gov/idr/
COVID-19 RESOURCE RELIEF (CRR) PROGRAM
The purpose of the COVID-19 Resource Relief (CRR) program is to provide financial assistance to individuals with any disability, diagnosis, or chronic illness to help alleviate the burden of the coronavirus-related quarantines and social distancing practices. This assistance is provided in the form of one $100 Visa Gift Card to be used for food, hygiene products, and other living expenses associated with self-isolation and quarantine. Go here: https://www.laughingatmynightmare.com/covid#
INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS
Disability:IN has compiled resources to support disability inclusion work during COVID-19. https://disabilityin.org/resource/covid-19-disability-inclusion/ The information covers:
Designing and implementing responses to COVID-19 that are based on facts, objective evidence, and science; and
Ensuring that responses are genuine, effective, and meaningful by taking into consideration the needs of all employees, including individuals with disabilities, through the provision of reasonable accommodations.
Who Is Hiring?
RETURNING TO NORMAL?
Recently the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) conducted a survey of over 300 HR leaders of companies with 1,000 or more employees. The survey looked at how employers plan to navigate returning employees to the workplace after the shelter at home orders are lifted. Nearly all employers are planning for a phased return to the workplace and staggered schedules and 63% will provide employees who have childcare responsibilities with special consideration and enhanced flexibility. Anecdotally, we have heard that Indiana employers think they will rehire most, if not all, of their employees. The question remains, how long will that take and what will the new workplace look like?
Want to know where the jobs are? Andrew Seaman, Editor at LinkedIN publishes a list of employers who are hiring regularly.
Here are some of the companies hiring right now:
Instacart: Hiring 300,000 contract workers over the next three months.
Amazon: Hiring 175,000 new workers for its fulfillment centers and delivery network.
CVS Health: Hiring 50,000 employees to serve in various capacities across its business.
Walmart: Hiring 50,000 workers for its distribution and fulfillment centers.
Dollar General: Hiring 50,000 employees by the end of April.
FedEx: Hiring 35,000 people for essential roles.
Allied Universal: Hiring at least 30,000 people for open positions.
Pizza Hut: Hiring 30,000 permanent employees to serve as drivers, shift leaders, cooks and managers.
Kroger: Hiring 20,000 workers across the U.S.
CHECK US OUT…
Please help get the word out! Go to our Facebook and LinkedIN pages and share them widely. We hope you enjoy the access to employment-related content and are sure others will, too. Thanks!
HAVE AN EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS STORY YOU ARE WANTING TO SHARE?EMAIL SRINNE60@GMAIL.COM. SHORT, SWEET AND A PICTURE WOULD BE WONDERFUL!
Thank you!
For more information please contact our Co-Directors,
Pat Rogan, Professor, IUPUI School of Education at progan@iupui.edu
or
Susan Rinne, MPA at srinne60@gmail.com
