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Booz Allen Honored Again by U.S. Department of Labor for Disability Initiatives Dr. Shrader discusses the firm’s successful business model for employing people with disabilities with the DOL Assistant Secretary. In spring 2007, Booz Allen Hamilton received its second nomination to the New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Circle of Champions, a select group of businesses honored with the Secretary of Labor’s NFI Award for their dedicated efforts to recruit, hire, and promote people with disabilities. The businesses work with the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy to share business strategies that support the hiring and career goals of persons with disabilities. The firm was first nominated for the NFI Circle of Champions in 2003. In recognition of Disability Employment Awareness month, DOL’s Assistant Secretary W. Roy Grizzard sat down with Booz Allen Chairman and CEO Ralph Shrader in October 2006 to share views about the benefits of employing people with disabilities. Both agreed that having a business model for hiring people with disabilities is an important factor contributing to the success of both employer and employee.
“The government can make things easier by passing regulations and state policy, but it’s up to the people to implement these policies and make them real,” Shrader says. “Including people with disabilities into our workforce is a business opportunity for Booz Allen, because it has greatly strengthened our organization. “It’s not only something that we think is the right thing to do, but it’s right for the organization and for all the people involved as well,” he adds. “So we see this as very good business.” Booz Allen’s deep involvement with disability programs started in 1995, when the firm initiated a partnership with Fairfax County, Virginia schools to help students with disabilities make the transition from an academic environment to the business community. Today, the firm continues to reach out to young people and has had outstanding success with its ongoing student internships, says Dr. Shrader. “We learn from each other—Booz Allen learns what accommodations can be made and how to make them, and the students learn how to work in a structured environment like ours. “Most of us in positions of leadership in business understand that one of the most critical elements of our success is attracting and then training, developing, retaining, and growing people,” Shrader continues. “Quite frankly, in a firm like ours, that’s all we have. We don’t build cars or anything else; we work with the knowledge of our people. “And we’ve come to recognize that there is a talented group of people in the workforce that may suffer from one kind of disability or another, but when you work with them to accommodate their disabilities and make them a part of your team, your business, and your success, you tend to find a dedicated, loyal, energetic, enthusiastic, high-achieving group.” How One Advocate is Leveling the Playing Field Ask associate Bob Rudney how Booz Allen makes the greatest positive impact in supporting people with disabilities, and he’ll quote vice president Charlie Zuhoski, sponsor of the firm’s Disability Forum: “Booz Allen hires the best people for the job, and we don’t let disability get in the way.”
The Disability Forum educates the Booz Allen community by increasing understanding of disability-related issues, such as assessing the effectiveness of disability programs and providing awareness training on related topics. It also ensures employees with disabilities have an accessible and supportive work environment. As forum co-chair, Rudney is an example of the extraordinary things one person can accomplish in his or her career. In 1993, he co-founded EXCEL!, a volunteer program to assist people with disabilities with networking and career strategies. The organization has connected hundreds of job candidates with prospective employers. Rudney, who has partial paralysis on one side, also leads the Employment Committee of the Fairfax, Virginia Disability Services Board. And, in May 2007, Rudney was honored with the Employee of the Year Award from CAREERS & the disABLED magazine. Principal Jeff Schaffer nominated him for the award. “The main criterion was my good looks,” Rudney says with a smile. “I was greatly impressed with my co-recipients, who had distinguished themselves in so many fields. The flip side, however, is that there were very few award winners who had committed to becoming advocates within their companies for hiring more people with disabilities. “The likelihood that people with disabilities will build successful careers depends on many factors, but in general, part of the solution comes from networking, part comes from building self-confidence, and part comes from overcoming stigma. There is also a tremendous need for advocates from the ranks of employees with disabilities.” EXCEL! chairman since 1995, Rudney says the organization helps educate job candidates with disabilities about the power of networking—something at which people with disabilities often feel uncomfortable, for reasons related to mobility, communications, or self-confidence. At its monthly meetings, EXCEL! provides an informal environment for networking with representatives from major employers, including Booz Allen. “I count each useful contact or referral made as a mini-success,” Rudney says. EXCEL! also provides job search workshops with professional career counselors and informal peer mentoring. The U.S. Census Bureau lists the disability market at $175 billion. In 2004, Rudney organized the first conference on disability marketing at Booz Allen to tap into that market. “Employees with disabilities can provide insight into the preferences and proclivities of this market,” he says. “Outside of that, we just want a level playing field.” The bottom line: “Stop talking about hiring people with disabilities and just do it. EXCEL! members have a wide range of educational qualifications and professional experience. Get on the phone or on e-mail and set up some interviews.” story posted June 26, 2007 Related Links...
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