Networking Forum

It matters on the employer those that are most resisent would do better with the full volunteer approach!

I have never nor would I ever participate in a trial work period. I believe employees should be paid competitively from the start. Employers usually use the first 3 months as a probation period for employees as do some rehab agencies. I don't see why that should be any different for people with disabilities. After all, the person has probably made it through the interview process, has taken initiative to demonstrate how he/she can perform the essential functions of the job. Hold out the carrot of continued competitive employment, not the carrot of competitive salary. Are people with disabilities too risky? There are people in other minority groups who are hired and paid wages equal with those of their peers...employers should expect to pay ALL people for work done...that's taking the bull by the horns and daring to let the employee showcase capabilities an competencies right from the start! Why have a trial period when statistics have already shown that people with disabilities are consistently reliable, dependable and hard-working?

In my 25 years of professional employment, I have, to date, not been paid a "minimum" salary vs. non-disabled employees. The idea of such an activities is, at best, a violation of any number of State's Labor regulations related to differentials in salary. Unions as well would have difficulty if a perspective new Member was paid a substandard wage. In management positions, you are generally a "At Will" employee, e.g. you are employed "At the Will" of the organization and, have a probationary period to prove you are a good fit. To discount the abilities of the individual in order to secure imployment places the potential idea in the HR Reps mind, you're desperate and, willing to do amost anything to gain the job. The view you are desperate is not one that should be transmitted to a perspective employer. Additionally, the idea of an entity hiring an individual at a substandard wage to other individuals with the same Job Title/Classification bodes the potential for the organization being labeled as having a hostile work environment, basing pay on disability status or a myriad of other negatives which can bring the organization into a confrontational situation with State/Federal Labor, EEOC or other entities having enforcement powers over applicable Labor Laws/Regulations

I've volunteered and I've done trial work periods as in many cases this was the only way I could get my foot in the door in jobs in small town Ontario where I live .

Everyone , able-bodied or disabled has to "pay their dues " before they are recognized for their professional skills or certified .

Most people who are teachers , whether it's elementary or high school have a probationary period they work to see if they are competent to do the job. True they get paid , but it's usually on a sliding scale. Apprentices in many trades do up to 7 years working in their apprenticeships before they make the kind of wages that certified trade people do.

Think of it as a type of on the job training .

When I first started writing freelance journalism, I submitted a few ' free' columns to establish myself. Eventually I earned a huge 2-3 cents per word writing stories for our local weekly and then the local daily.

When I volunteered with the Red Cross I developed business and personnel skills that might have taken me years to develop elsewhere. I also developed a social network that is still viable today , ten years after I resigned as chairperson for the local branch. I worked my way up the chain of volunteers from office volunteer to volunteer manager to branch president and I think the experience paid for itself in many different ways.

I met other volunteers for the Red Cross from all over Ontario and parts of Canada. I developed an interest in human rights issues internationally and understand what neutrality really means.

That's part of the problem why many agencies are experiencing a dearth of volunteers, because it's pay me for my skills or I'm not volunteering . Show me the money as that's the only respect I need. There's too much of the attitude of as long as I got mine, Jack.....

Somewhere we've lost the idea of giving back to the community where we live , from whom we've been given quite a bit.

Sometimes to get ahead you must give something to get something back and you don't always know what the benefit will be.

True there are employers who may take advantage of you volunteering for them, but then would you really want to work for them knowing that is the kind of employer they are?

Dignity isn't always a pay cheque nor does money always guarentee respect. You can earn a high salary and being arrogant and obnoxious and hated by everyone around you but yes, you've got money .

Being able to show your flexibility and your willingness to show others that you can do the job well and be a contributing member of the business by retaining your dignity and respect and positive self-esteem will make you more employable in many HR people's eyes as well as employers. Employers and HR people are changing , becoming more flexible themselves. The old " business and leadership " models are not as successful as they once were . Employees don't care about loyalty to the business anymore, they want to work where they are valued , appreciated, treated with dignity and respect for the skills they can provide and if the employer is unwilling or unable to do that ,then the employees move on.

It's a different world our there now and you either learn to go with the flow or you find yourself with an unhappy angry workforce.

I guess I've lived long enough now to know you do whatever you have to do to get hired, especially as disabled employees.

Or maybe as a Canadian I realize that soft skills get your foot in the door and that there is indeed the power of being nice but not so nice that you become a door mat. How you treat others is how you will be treated by them.

As my mum intoned to me and it's proven true ," Get over it Liz , the world isn't going to adapt to you and your disability , you're going to have to adapt your disability to the world."

The concept of a trial work period is "foreign" to me because for 18 years with multiple sclerosis I have demonstrated that I can work with the rest of the world. I miss fewer days of work than most of my colleagues who do not have a chronic illness and other than a problem with one employer have always gotten good reviews from my employers. The issue of working without pay or for minimum wage should only be applicable for people who have not worked for a number of years. Otherwise disability or not, all people should be treated equally. Employers hire our skills and abilities. The disability is an involuntary situation that is part of our life. It may impact my daily activities but as I adapt to my illness on a daily basis so too, do I adapt to the challenges and opportunities of my work life. The fact that I show up for an interview is a testament to my belief that I have the ability to do the job. If there is a question about my ability to do the essential duties of the job or actually any part of the job that should be voiced during the interview so that I may be given the chance to demonstrate how I meet the challenge, create an opportunity and contribute to the growth of the organization. When the untapped capability of those with disabilities is tapped the work force will feel the benefits, employers will enjoy stable, competent workers and workers will attain economic independence along with other benefits. The core issue here is about ability not disability. Stay focused on our abilities.

Do not try to find a formula that fits all industries and every professional level, offer suggestions and make it clear that flexibility and respect from both sides is crucial.

Yet another possibility for that growing list of potential solutions, is hiring someone with a disability for normal pay, but doing so for a short period with a well defined objective. Make sure equipment setup and other assistive technology and mobility needs are resolved before the clock starts ticking. Usually that will take just a day or two when the individual already has his/her equipment.

I am very much against the idea of suggesting t o employers that they should hire disabled employees at minimum wage, in order to somehow determine whether they are worth paying competitive salaries. I do, however, believe that the point which was made by one of the posters regarding student-teachers and trade apprentices was very well-taken. I agree with the idea of a “trial work period”; though, as has been suggested by other posters already, that is essentially what most employers do anyway by keeping all new hires on probation for a 3 – 6 month period. Below is my spin on the paragraph that has been drafted and modified for the EBook:

“Managers may be reluctant to hire people with disabilities who have no demonstrable work history, or whose work history is erratic. One possible solution is to ask the job candidate if he/she would be willing to volunteer for the job during a limited period of time (one to two weeks, maximum). Indeed, this strategy may prove equally effective with both disabled and non-disabled job candidates. Another alternative would be to determine whether or not the disabled job candidate is sponsored by a state vocational rehabilitation agency. Often state vocational rehabilitation agencies will offer to pay their clients’ salaries (in part or in sum) during a fixed period of time, in order to give the potential employer an opportunity to “test drive” the candidate. Similarly, employers who are willing to give a candidate a chance, but are hesitant to proffer a firm commitment right away, might hire the disabled employee as a contract worker for a limited period of time, before offering him/her a permanent position.”

We first must distinguish between the type's of volueenteering.

Offering volunteer service for a Non Profit, Organization, Church, Political endeavor,and so on is far different than offering to volunteering to actually perform free Labor.

Work usually means that one is assuming a legally binding responsibility. Work means that certain risk's are being taken by both Parties, Employer and Worker.

There are matters of Insurance, Law Suits, interacting with other Workers, and not to assume that all Workers have required job knowledge.

Having had Professional experience over the past 40 Years, or so, in the Field of Vocational, Rehabilitation, I certainly hold views on the Subject.

I have used, State Agency, "on the job training", method of introducing a Worker into an actual, real work, opportunity. This is, of course, as an actual Employee.

It is real simple, a Volunteer is just that and Work is also just that and the two can never hold the equivalent status.

CFS San Antonio, Texas