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With the unemployment rate near 30-year lows for months on end, it's no wonder that the corporate chieftains seeking new sources of labor increasingly look to the disabled. But at least one high-profile CEO was committed to hiring and including the disabled long before the tight labor market inspired his peers to become more open-minded.
Ralph W. Shrader has been chairman and chief executive of Booz-Allen & Hamilton, an international management and technology consulting firm, since 1999. Headquartered in McLean, Va., the company employs 10,000 people and does $2 billion in annual sales. In a recent interview, Shrader emphasized that CEOs must work as role models in teaching employers the importance of learning about new technology to assist the disabled.
Personal experience goes a long way toward explaining how Shrader came to feel this way. A powerful motivation for his commitment to the welfare of people with disabilities comes from within his own family. His son, Mark, in his late 20s, is mentally challenged and has epilepsy. Shrader and his wife have learned how to deal with the obstacles Mark has presented them on medical, personal, and psychological fronts. They've worked with support groups, doctors, and counselors to provide him the best care.
ON HIS OWN. Mark now works in the mailroom for Fairfax Opportunities Unlimited and shares an apartment with a friend. Shrader encourages his son's independence and believes it's a strong force in Mark's life. The Alexandria (Va.)-based Fairfax offers employment, training, and support services for individuals with disabilities.
The challenges Mark created for his parents -- and the ones he has faced and overcome -- have opened Shrader's eyes to the hurdles the disabled face in the outside world as well as the abilities and determination they can bring to the workplace. "Because of my experiences with my son, [I believe] that I am more sensitized to the needs and abilities of people with disabilities than other executives," Shrader says.
Under Shrader's leadership, Booz-Allen recently established a forum for employees with disabilities that sponsors speakers on such topics as implementing new disability-related government regulations and showcases new assistive technology. And the company provides sign-language interpreters at major meetings and makes close-captioned versions of its corporate videos.
BEYOND BOOZ-ALLEN. Shrader believes as more companies employ disabled people, executives and managers will need to be educated on disability laws and regulations, and he is positioning Booz-Allen to be a leader in this area. He has endorsed creating a for-profit consulting arm that focuses on the business imperative of marketing to and employing individuals with disabilities. Two recent hires in the division are Meg O'Connell and Pat Morrissey, nationally recognized experts in the disability field.
Shrader's commitment also extends beyond Booz-Allen. He is on the board of Abilities Inc., a nonprofit organization under the New York-based National Business & Disability Council, working with employers who hire people with disabilities. Abilities is also a member of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities'(PCEPD) Business Leadership Network (BLN), a national program led by employers in concert with state-level committees or other community agencies that promote hiring the disabled.
Shrader spearheads the BLN in northern Virginia and is a frequent speaker at BLN meetings. "Shrader is an exemplary leader and visionary on disability issues. He sets high standards for other corporate leaders to follow," says John Lancaster, executive director of the PCEPD.
"LIP SERVICE." Not everyone believes Shrader's commitment is genuine. Virginia activist Louise Collins, who uses a wheelchair and is familiar with the BLN, says, "I believe CEOs such as Ralph Shrader give lip service to employment related to disability issues. If he is genuinely interested in employing people with disabilities, 15% to 20% of his firm's employees would be disabled." Booz-Allen doesn't give out figures on the percentage of disabled employees it hires because it is against the law to keep such records.
Unlike the many CEOs who fight the Americans with Disabilities Act -- often out of ignorance -- Shrader believes it set an agenda for including people with disabilities into society. He opposes the concept that people with disabilities can't work and points with great pride to the achievements of his son and that of Booz-Allen's many disabled workers. "Employees with disabilities inspire others. They work hard. They bring new ideas," he says.
While he admits to not being an expert on the ADA, Shrader believes a key problem with the law is in the federal regulations that enforce it. "There doesn't have to be an adversarial role between government and employers in carrying out the ADA agenda," Shrader says. He encourages greater cooperation between ADA regulation writers and the industries being regulated.
He also points out that the main objections to the hiring of the disabled at most companies exist among mid-level managers, who fear that employing a disabled person will be extremely costly. "Managers will ask, 'Can this person be covered by our health-care provider?'" he says. A second fear is that a great amount of time must be spent on training. The solution, he says, is education and exposure -- two things he'll continue to fight for. Here's hoping that more CEOs follow his lead.
Do you know any other execs who have taken a lead in this area? Let us know at BW Online's Assistive Tech Forum. Or drop John a line at JMMAW@aol.com Edited by Beth Belton
Copyright 2000, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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