Promoting Inclusion

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Have you ever wondered how to create a workplace that is inclusive, supportive, and accessible for all? Tune into our latest episode where we provide you with the roadmap to do just that.  We'll get to know Morgan Lewis, NIHRA Marketing Director, JH Specialty.  To add a dash of entrepreneurship spirit, David Long from Kingsview LLC joins us to share his inspiring journey of starting his business.

As we continue our voyage, we're joined by the insightful Ryan Wilson, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and Luke Labas, Inclusion Institute Director, tackling the pressing issue of workplace inclusion and how to dismantle employment barriers. They lend a personal touch to the conversation by sharing their own experiences living with disabilities. They express many benefits accessibilities features hold, not only for individuals with disabilities, but for the overall productivity and profitability of a business.

In the final segment of our enlightening journey, we delve deeper into the functioning of Vocational Rehabilitation and Work One. We learn about their instrumental role in creating an inclusive workforce by providing resources and support to those with disabilities. As we conclude, Jared Sims and Jonathan Hirst from USI Insurance Services join us to talk about the upcoming Benefits Benchmarking Breakfast.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Naira would like to welcome the following new
members Makayla Runnels, medicalInformatics Engineering.
Amy Yoder with Wabash College,pete Allen HILB Group.
Anna Black, guide Engineering.
Chrissy Hawkins, flexibleStaffing.

(00:25):
Kathy Closter, purdue, fortWayne.
Travis Liggett, star FinancialBank.
Rebecca McAfee, allendaleTreatment.
And Alec Nash with Parkview.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Thursday, august 17th , 10 to 11 am.
Legal ease the latest from theEEOC, nlrb and DOL.
We are taking some of the hottopics that are happening right
now in the world of HR andspending an hour together
breaking down the details andlearning how to best handle each
situation with some of the toplawyers in our area.

(01:03):
This month will update us onthe latest from the EEOC, NLRB
and DOL.
This is our second annual oneon this topic.
So much good information thatchanges constantly.
Definitely worth listening to.
Following his initialpresentation, there will be time
for Q&A.
Please be prepared to getinvolved and get the answers

(01:25):
that you need.
The event will be heldvirtually via Zoom, allowing you
to participate right from youroffice so that you can make the
most of your time.
Get registered today, jot downyour questions, get yourself a
coffee and we will see youvirtually then.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Welcome to the program.
We've got Morgan Lewis, ourmarketing director for Nira,
Morgan welcome.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Hi, how's it going?
Tell us about yourself.
Yeah, Morgan Lewis, formerlyMorgan York.
So got married a couple ofyears ago.
Congratulations.
Thank you have a littleeight-month-old baby boy so
trying to navigate through life.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Oh, boy With that.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
And I actually joined Nira a couple of months ago.
So he was about, I want to say,five months old and I wanted to
join the board when we werelooking at new members to join
the board and I was actuallyright in the beginning of my

(02:30):
maternity leave so didn't feelas the right time to say that I
can commit to anything, and so,after I just thought I'd go out
on a limb and let Ed know that Iwas reinterested in it, I
actually was on the board in2014 with a whole different crew
and a whole different look ofNira and it's really cool to see

(02:51):
how things have transformed andhaving the opportunity to be
back here in a differentcapacity and taking my knowledge
that I have from the marketingside of things being with JH
Specialty and incorporating that.
I'm definitely not a marketingprofessional, but I feel what
I've learned and what I hear andthe way that I'm able to grow

(03:15):
with them helps us here and tobe able to promote Nira.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Great, great.
So do you have anything else toadd for the members to know
about you or what you hope forfor the future of Nira?
Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
So I do think some big things that we're wanting to
do is be proactive.
Adding a marketing head to thegroup is how do we get ourselves
out there?
How do we grow Nira as not justa local chapter but as a brand?
And a big thing of that is howdo we get our schools involved
more?
We really want to get theminvolved.

(03:50):
We want there to be a way forthem to see that HR is not just
what you might have in a class,but how you can make it a career
, and I think that that's a bigpart of HR.
And growing is letting the nextgeneration know how important
it is and how it can be fun,even though sometimes it's

(04:13):
stressful, but it's a greatcareer to have, and I think
that's a big part of where Nirais going to go.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Excellent Thanks for your time today, Morgan.

Speaker 3 (04:22):
Absolutely, thank you .

Speaker 4 (04:27):
Understanding the Metro process and the New
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
We are taking some time of thehot topics that are happening
right now in the world of HR andspending an hour together
breaking down the details andlearning how to best handle each
situation with some of the toprepresentatives in our area.
Regardless of how long you'vebeen in HR and or management,

(04:49):
when you receive a claim fromthe EEOC or Metro, there can be
an instant weight on yourshoulders, butterflies in your
stomach and lump in your throat.
Who wants to live like that?
In this meeting, nikki Quintana, fort Wayne Metro, along with
Brian Shoemaker, eeoc, will walkus through the best practices
in responding to claims received.
You will hopefully come awaywith a better understanding of

(05:10):
not only next steps and BEXpractices, but also your role
and the role of therepresentatives from Metro and
EEOC.
Ultimately, we are all lookingfor the same thing a fair
resolution for the situation.
Learn how to work together toaccomplish just that.
In addition, this session willalso give an overview of the New
Pregnant Workers Fairness ActPWFA.

(05:32):
That requires covered employersto provide reasonable
accommodations to workers' knownlimitations related to
pregnancy, childbirth or relatedmedical conditions, unless the
accommodation will cause theemployer an undue hardship.
This presentation will helpemployers and employees
understand the metro process andthe rights and responsibilities

(05:53):
under PWFA.
Following the initialpresentation, there will be a
time for Q&A.
Please be prepared to getinvolved and get the answers and
direction that you need.
The event will be heldvirtually via Zoom, allowing you
to participate right from youroffice so that you can make the
most of your time.
We look forward to having youjoin us in this worthwhile and
impactful event.

Speaker 5 (06:14):
Hello everyone.
This is Anne Whitney.
I'm the board member at largefor NYRA and today, on our
member spotlight, I have joiningus David Long, who is the owner
of Kingsview LLC.
Hi, david.

Speaker 6 (06:32):
Hi Anne, Thanks for inviting me on here.
As I said in the pre-interview,I've made lots of new NYRA
friends, and so this is fun tofurther those relationships.

Speaker 5 (06:44):
Absolutely.
I'm glad that you were willingto join us.
David, do you mind just a briefsharing with our listeners
about your business and what itoffers?

Speaker 6 (06:57):
Sure, I started this almost five years ago and it was
kind of a result of I was atthe Notre Dame Executive MBA
program looking for something tocall my own, and so it was
through a series of people thatI met there that they encouraged
me to use some of my nonprofitbackground and apply that to the

(07:18):
insurance marketplace, and wefelt like a lot of times the
voluntary benefits arena, thesmall life insurance policies
accident, critical illness,disability was an underserved or
a lower priority market in theinsurance ladder, and so I
jumped into that and have builta business now that has a

(07:38):
statewide footprint, and I enjoywhat I do because I get to give
people money when they'refacing hardship, sickness,
illness or even death.

Speaker 5 (07:49):
Okay, thanks for sharing that to kind of give and
lighten everyone and give thema background on that.
So tell us, how long have youbeen a NYRA member?

Speaker 6 (08:01):
I went to the NYRA conference last summer and then
joined the beginning of thisyear, so I'm about a half of a
year member.

Speaker 5 (08:10):
Awesome.
May I add to that, then?
Is that how you had learned ofNYRA, or were you aware of NYRA
before the conference?

Speaker 6 (08:22):
You know, it's one of those things.
I don't know where I learnedabout it, but I've been in Fort
Wayne for 25 years, and so it'sjust something that I've known
of for many, many years, andwhere that originated I have no
idea.

Speaker 5 (08:36):
Okay, I'm glad to hear that's awesome that you
attended the conference evenlast year, prior to your joining
.

Speaker 6 (08:46):
Yeah, no, that was very good.
I can still remember thespeaker.
I remember meeting with peopleat various booths, and so it's a
I always say it's a high bangfor your buck event in terms of
meeting people, networking,becoming a more known quantity.
It's a very good in terms ofmaximizing your time and the

(09:07):
output you get.

Speaker 5 (09:09):
Excellent.
So, David, can you tell usabout, in your experience with
your business, like the areas ofhuman resources that overlap
into your role?

Speaker 6 (09:22):
Sure, and so I have gone.
In a prior position in anonprofit world I had several
hundred employees within adepartment that I ran, and then
when you spin off and start yourown self-employed venture, it's
just me.
I have a team of subcontractorsthat I use, and so part of my

(09:42):
motivation for connecting toNYRA is that when you're an
independent contractor, youthink very independently.
That's a good thing, that canbe a bad thing, and so it's
something that keeps me in therails, whether that's attending
an NYRA conference and learningabout employment law or meeting
other professionals who have avery good pulse on the different

(10:05):
hiring retaining dynamics.
It's just good for me to keeprubbing shoulders with that
clientele just to keep me ontask.

Speaker 5 (10:17):
Absolutely.
I'm glad to hear that you,early on, are already seeing the
value of that, so that's great.
So also to add to that, why doyou think it kind of this
question is overlapping a littlebut why do you think it is
important for business leaderssuch as yourself to understand

(10:40):
these dynamics of humanresources?

Speaker 6 (10:43):
And the landscape has changed dramatically in the
last three to four years.
I always felt like humanresources sometimes took a
backseat and was known more as acompliance type arm of a
business.
And that's just not the caseanymore with the great

(11:03):
resignation with COVID and someof the extra miles that people
had to work within HR, hiringand especially retaining.
We just understand thatbusiness is the core of who they
are our employees and I'mexcited to see that NYRA's
growing businesses arerecognizing HR as a vital

(11:27):
component to maintaining andkeeping a highly trained
workforce.

Speaker 5 (11:33):
Agreed.
Agree completely, I think it'sdefinitely.
These recent things havecertainly escalated that.
So, yeah, what aspects of HR doyou feel have really changed
the most over these past fewyears?

Speaker 6 (11:51):
Well, at least the conversations that I'm involved
with, there's more creativeconversations around the table
of how we retain our people.
We all know turnovers ofsignificant issue in the
marketplace right now, and so Ihave been a part of more
conversations of just peoplesitting around the table talking
about how can we develop, howcan we invest, how can we retain

(12:13):
.
Retention is the buzzword, notjust a buzzword, but it is the
point of emphasis right now.
We're in businesses.
We can't give lip service to itanymore.
We have to be actively engagedin the professional and even
sometimes personal lives of ouremployees to get what's best for

(12:34):
that person, but then what'salso best for the business.

Speaker 5 (12:38):
Absolutely.
You're certainly touching on,yeah, just the changes and how
it's, kind of, like you said,thinking outside the box and
kind of coming up with justdifferent ways.

Speaker 6 (12:53):
I think it's like it's actually fun.
It's fun to have conversationsabout how you can impact a
person's life.
There's been a shift from oh,we need to update the policy and
procedure manual.
That's all good andfoundational, but the
conversations are shifting tohow can we help our employees

(13:13):
who have daycare issues and howcan we do for them to help them
be a better parent.
Those are some of the kind ofthings that I think really bumps
the purposefulness of what wedo every day.
If we know we're impactingsomebody and, indirectly, how
that benefits their child, thatmakes our personal fulfillment

(13:34):
when we go to work much higher.
And so I think theseconversations, although
sometimes draining it sometimesyou feel like you're not getting
ahead on hiring I do thinkthey're very renewing type
conversations.

Speaker 5 (13:48):
Yes, yes, certainly those things have changed.
I would say I feel that way too.
That aspect has definitelychanged over the last couple
years.
More probably, not even years,probably more recently, in the
last year for sure.
What do you consider so far inyour journey to be the most

(14:11):
beneficial experience aboutbeing a NIRR member and I know
it's 2023 you mentioned, butwhat so far do you feel is
something memorable?

Speaker 6 (14:24):
Yeah, you go into it and you think this is a good
professional move for me interms of my own development.
Obviously, you're there tonetwork and then there's some of
these side benefits that youdidn't necessarily realize and,
like I said at the beginning,I've made some good friends,
whether that's sitting at atin-caps ball game and learning

(14:44):
more about other people'sbusiness.
I have just found that some ofthese relationships have added
meaning to my life and when youcome to the event, you're
finding other people co-laboringand dealing with some of the
same issues, and so there's ahandful of people right now that
I bounce questions off ofwhether that's email or a quick

(15:05):
call, and it's just strengthenedmy own personal relational
network.

Speaker 5 (15:12):
That is so great to hear from you, especially as a
new member.
I couldn't agree more.
I feel like the connectionsthat we have made, or even I've
made, with Naira are both on apersonal and professional level.
That is awesome.
Thanks for sharing that.
What do you think so far, whichprobably here is a few lineups

(15:42):
of memorable speakers, but isthere one so far that you really
would say stands out?

Speaker 6 (15:48):
Yeah, I think and I apologize on her name, without
the gal that I think she wasfrom Toledo and she was talking
about disruption or thinkingoutside of the box.
I think it was the last Nairaluncheon.
I just appreciated her tryingto challenge some of the norms.
We all get stuck in our box andonce we get our notebooks and

(16:11):
our systems in place, humannature doesn't like to unravel
that.
We like to put a bow on thingsand call it complete.
But I appreciate the fact thatI remember her mentioning she
took a pontoon boat and wentdown a river somewhere on the
Maumee River and then abandonedall the motor and made people

(16:33):
essentially row their way backto wherever they were.
If somebody is going to go tothat length to build team, I
certainly appreciated that.
I thought her disruption typeconversation was good.

Speaker 5 (16:50):
Wow, that sounds really interesting.
I think I actually had missedthat one.
Thanks for sharing thatInteresting.
Okay, david, I have a couple ofquestions that are more on the
fun level to see what yourespond with.
But if you could choose any onesong to play every time you

(17:13):
walked into a room for the restof your life, what song would
that be and why?

Speaker 6 (17:17):
Well, I just went to a Parker McCollum concert last
Saturday in Indianapolis and Ihave some thoughts or some songs
stuck in my head, but I'mconfident those will fade and
I'll come back to the sweetmelodies of the Backstreet Boys
very soon.
So anytime I need to get myfoot tapping and sing some tunes

(17:38):
in the car I'm going.
Backstreet Boys.

Speaker 5 (17:41):
Okay, that's a good one.
Is there a particular, or areyou just like all the jams from
Backstreet Boys?

Speaker 6 (17:52):
All the jams are good , but if I had to pick one, I'm
going.
I want it that way, for sure.

Speaker 5 (17:57):
Okay, okay, superpowers.
What superpower would youchoose if you could choose among
any of them, and why?

Speaker 6 (18:09):
Very timely because I just followed my son.
He plays baseball at TaylorUniversity and they just
qualified for the World Seriesout in Idaho, and so I just
played planes, trains andautomobiles trying to get out
there to a very small town innorthern Idaho and when I saw
this, my superpower for sure isgoing to be the ability to fly.

(18:33):
If I could just do lift off outof my backyard and be where I
needed to be in a couple hoursand avoid the headaches of
airport travel, flight is mysuperpower for sure.

Speaker 5 (18:46):
No, that sounds like that one, yeah, would have come
in handy for you.
Congratulations to your son.

Speaker 6 (18:52):
Yeah, that was fun.

Speaker 5 (18:55):
Yeah, that's a good one.
I think we all at times coulddefinitely feel the same way you
feel on that one, David.
Do you have any other thingsyou'd like to share as far as
hobbies go or in your free timeor, of course, when you're not
doing your business andattending any nine or things?

(19:17):
Or are there some other thingsyou'd like to share that you do?

Speaker 6 (19:21):
Yeah, I've always described myself as a little bit
of a butt.
I have day jobs and thenaspirations in the evenings.
I've actually written threechildren's books.
My daughter had a hard timelearning how to read in
elementary school and so, likeall parents, we scour the ends
of the earth to help our kids,and that evolved into just a fun

(19:43):
hobby.
I've published three children'sbooks, so that's kind of a fun
fact about me.
But I mainly chase my kidsaround, like most working
parents do at this point in time, and then every now and then I
try to work out, but that's alosing battle, I feel like at
this point.
But yeah, it's mainly familyfor me.

Speaker 5 (20:04):
Awesome, that's a fascinating I recall you when we
had met.
I recall you had shared thatabout the book and I am so glad
you shared that again.
That is fascinating to me thatyou do that on the side.

Speaker 6 (20:20):
Well, it's good to have things that I've just
learned that completely hijackyour thoughts from the
professional side of life, andthat's something.
When I'm doing it, I tend tofind myself in a very creative
zone and it's just, it's verytherapeutic to do that.

Speaker 5 (20:37):
That's a win, right, when you, like you said, have
that and you also find itenjoyable, you like doing it and
it provides that.
Lastly, do you have anyencouraging words for our
listeners or someone out therethat's maybe come to a Naira
networking or maybe they're justhearing about it considering to

(20:58):
join?

Speaker 6 (20:59):
Yeah, you know the one that I would say two parts
to this response.
One would be if you're younger,I know I have an account that I
suggested.
There are 100 employees they'regrowing there in Columbia City
and they're still puttingtogether a formalized HR
department.
And so this gal is young, early20s, and she recently joined
Naira on my recommendation,because I just think she needs

(21:24):
to rub shoulders with people whoare in the trenches on a daily
basis.
Conversely, I would say, forsome people who maybe have been
doing Naira for many, many years, I just talked to somebody
who's been in HR for 25 plusyears and very much encouraged
them to seek out some of theseyounger people to bring some

(21:46):
freshness to what they do.
And so I think there's a lot ofyoung, well-intentioned people
that go into HR that reallybenefit from a mentoring type
relationship, because they canget frustrating at times.
You can deal with some toughstuff in HR and I think if you

(22:06):
have that older, wiser handactively involved in your life,
it's huge.
So I would encourage some ofthe Naira members to not go on
autopilot, to seek out some ofthese younger people and really
invest in them.
It's good for that person, butI think it may again raise some
of their satisfaction as well.

Speaker 5 (22:25):
That is great insight .
Yes, thank you for sharing that.
Well, david, I am so thankfulthat you are willing to join the
member spotlight and have thisinterview with me, so I do thank
you for your time and forjoining the show today.

Speaker 6 (22:44):
Yeah, thanks for what you do.
You know, hr can be a thanklessjob, but it's so important and
it's fun to be in a room withlots of other people that
actually care so much aboutpeople, so this is fun for me.
Thanks for your time.

Speaker 5 (23:01):
Absolutely.
Thank you again.

Speaker 7 (23:06):
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 6th,
11am to 1pm.
We spend nearly one fourth ofevery year working and barely
half that eating, but we're farmore likely to research pizza
delivery places than we are toresearch that job we're
interested in.
Why do we try to convinceourselves and others that we're

(23:28):
perfect for a job we've neverseen in practice?
Chris Zarnick, award-winninginternational speaker and author
, is the architect of criticaltheory processes and books
designed to transform hiring andemployee development efforts
around the country.
He's known across the globe asthe creator of an innovative

(23:49):
approach to job search, known asthe human search engine, and
for winning the war for talent atransformative approach to
hiring and team growth anddevelopment.
Chris has spent over 20 yearsfiguring out why people leave
certain jobs and what makes themstay.
Chris set out to understand whypeople look for jobs

(24:12):
differently than we do othermajor life choices.
Think about the car you drive,the house you own, the person
you decided to marry.
Chances are you didn't just seea posting and say, hey, that
looks neat, I'll give it a try,Without knowing that car, home
or even your future spouse wouldmeet your needs.
So why do it with a job?

(24:32):
Chris knows jobs.
He knows that a job descriptionisn't enough, and he knows how
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Chris currently serves as thesubject matter expert on
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(24:55):
organization, bringing togetherleaders to learn and grow.
He's available for speakingengagements in which he delivers
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Chris has authored severalbooks on the topic of recruiting
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(25:19):
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And now he's coming to FortWayne to share with Naira on
Wednesday, September 6th, from11 am to 1 pm.
You don't want to miss thisimpactful opportunity, so be
sure to register now.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
Welcome to Mike.
Today we have Ed and I aregoing to be talking to Ryan
Wilson and Luke Labus.
They're going to talk about anumber of different obstacles
that are in the workplace andhaving opportunities for people
to enter the workforce and otherthings that employers can do to

(26:08):
be of assistance.

Speaker 8 (26:10):
Thanks, mike, absolutely.
I think this is a veryimportant topic.
I know it is.
For me personally, this is atopic that I feel very
passionate about.
If you know me, know me andknow my personal life, you know
how passionate I am about makinga difference for this community
and, specifically, a certainpopulation that I don't feel

(26:30):
like gets enough attention orresources, and so our hope for
today is to bring some morevisibility and awareness into, I
think, a demographic that couldprovide a lot of opportunities
for us as employers.
And so, as Mike had mentioned,we have Luke and Ryan.

(26:52):
Luke, do you want to introduceyourself and where you're from
and where you work?

Speaker 9 (26:57):
Yeah, so my name is Luke Labus.
I am 28 years old.
I'm born and raised right herein Fort Wayne, indiana, and I
work at the League for the Blindand Disabled, which is the
center for independent livingthat covers northeast Indiana,
and I serve as the director ofthe Inclusion Institute, which

(27:18):
is the systemic advocacydivision of the league, and one
of our core pillars within theInclusion Institute is economic
advancement and removingbarriers to employment and
barriers to the workforce.
That our peers with disabilityface.

Speaker 8 (27:36):
Perfect, Luke.
That is so important, and Idon't know if a lot of people
know that the league has adivision for what you just
mentioned a systemic approach totackling your inclusion
initiatives and diversityinitiatives, and so I think it's

(27:58):
an opportunity for us as anorganization as Naira, to bring
a level of awareness to ourcommunity of things that I think
could be doing such greatthings in our community and are
currently doing such greatthings in our community.
I should rephrase so thank you,Luke and Ryan, would you please
introduce yourself?

Speaker 10 (28:20):
Hi, my name is Ryan Wilson.
I grew up in Warren, indiana,but I now live in Auburn and I
work for FSA as a part of theWorkforce Innovation Opportunity
Act.
I am a navigator partner, whichis a new program, and my job is

(28:46):
to coordinate services thatadvance competitive, integrated
employment for individuals withdisabilities by working with
vocational rehabilitation andthe Work1 organization.

Speaker 8 (29:03):
Very good, thank you.
And so I think another just astrong ally in the community we
have as employers to lean on tohelp us help the disability
population, right, mike?
Yes, so I'd like to know fromboth of your perspectives and I

(29:27):
know we haven't really talkedabout this beforehand, so this
is going to be a very honestdiscussion but what is your
favorite part about what you do,luke?

Speaker 9 (29:42):
So my favorite part about what I do and admittedly I
never- wanted to get intodisability advocacy.
I never wanted to do this typeof work because I live in it
every day, but the reality isI've been given opportunities
and been given platforms thatmany of my peers with
disabilities either did notreceive or will not have for

(30:05):
whatever circumstance, whetherthat be income or their
upbringing, their childhood andbeing able to be a voice for
them as well.
Because it's not just aboutbettering my life based on my
experience, but seeing thatyou're working on behalf of
other people that may or may nothave the same disability type

(30:27):
as you.
I don't know what it's like tobe blind or have low vision and
have to navigate the workforce,the job application process.
I don't know what it's like tobe deaf or hard of hearing, but,
as a person with a disability,we all face barriers of
different kinds.
The unique thing aboutdisability is it's the one

(30:51):
minority group that 100% of thepopulation is going to join at
any given time, because you'reeither born into it, you can
encounter it at any given daybecause of a circumstance, or at
the very least, you're going toage into it, With the exception
of Tom Brady tell me a firstword.

Speaker 8 (31:13):
Oh, that is too funny .
I think you're spot on man.
We are all either surrounded byand I've never heard that, Luke
, but you are so right, we'reeither surrounded by people with
disabilities, or we ourselveswill be Absolutely.
I mean, we cannot, unless yourname is Tom Brady right.
We cannot escape father time,and it's very clear, Luke, that

(31:42):
you have such a strong passionand a strong voice for this
community.
So thank you, first of all, forstanding up and telling your
story and also being arepresentative for those that
can't or those that won't, andthat's not an easy thing to do,
I'm assuming it's not easy foryou to just completely stand at

(32:05):
the top of a mountain and dothis.

Speaker 9 (32:07):
Yeah, but you know, when you look at it from the
economic side and the employmentside, let's be proactive with
our workforces, whether it beour hiring policies or making
our workspaces more accessible,and then looking at it from the
customer side, if you build amore accessible environment,

(32:28):
then you bring in the purchasingpower of the employee.
The community, which is thelargest minority in the country.

Speaker 8 (32:37):
And you just brought up a huge point From a sheer
business perspective.
Why wouldn't you want to engagethe largest minority population
in the country, right, numberone and number two, by opening
up your ability to serve others?
Who's to say that your businessisn't going to benefit from

(33:00):
that?
I mean just from a purebusiness perspective, and I will
tell you also from a hiringperspective.
You know, not only is this theright thing to do, I mean, I
guess, business aside, let'sjust make this known that we're
human.
I mean, we all deserve a levelof dignity and respect.
But in reality, if you've livedwith a disability, you know

(33:25):
that's not always the case and Ihate to say it like that, but
that is the truth.
If you don't walk around everyday with a disability, you have
no idea what those that have adisability go through.
So not only is it beneficialfrom a business perspective,
it's the right thing to do.

(33:45):
We are humans, first of all,but secondly, from a hiring
perspective and a humanresources perspective, you
actually get a tax credit.
It's your, you know your workopportunity tax credits for
hiring those with a disability.
So it is to our benefit.
I think one of the strugglesthat companies have is they know

(34:06):
they want to, but they justdon't know how to get there
right, because it seems likesuch a daunting road to go down,
and I think maybe it's theignorance, I don't know, right,
mike?
I mean it's just, if I don'tknow much about something, it's
going to make me nervous to diveheadfirst into it, and I think

(34:29):
that is one of the areas thatgets me most excited is doing
something like this with you,luke, and you, ryan, is
education is where it starts,because if we can educate our
community, then I think we canalleviate a lot of the fear and
anxiety around doing things andthinking outside the box.
I mean, we don't need to makethis more complicated than what

(34:51):
it is, but you know we have toget creative right.
So that's absolutely true, luke.
So thank you for mentioningthat, ryan.
I will ask you the samequestion so what is your
favorite part about what you do?

Speaker 10 (35:07):
Well, I'm going to give a little bit of background
before I say that, because youwouldn't.
It's kind of one of thosethings that you wouldn't get.
For starters, I was very youngwhen I was given a mental

(35:29):
disorder and I've lived with itall my life.
I mean, I was finally diagnosedwith it and for about eight
years I've been on disabilitybecause of the fact that I
couldn't manage it just doingthe jobs that I was doing.
It was just putting so muchanxiety and pressure and pain in

(35:55):
my life that I just couldn't doit.
Also, my husband is physicallydisabled, so I see the
employment hardships that he hasin trying to find good
employment, well-payingemployment, and he gets

(36:16):
frustrated too.
But through having disability Iwas able to be a part of
vocational rehabilitation andthe services that they offered.
I was able to go back to schooland get my degree and in a way

(36:38):
and this is what your questionis I am happy to be able to pay
it forward, because now I workwith vocational rehabilitation
and I want to be able to sharemy story and help others realize
all of not just because I havemore of you always hear of as a

(37:03):
hidden disability.
But then you see my husband whohas a physical disability.
So you always wonder.
So I am very fortunate to payit forward and help others.

Speaker 8 (37:17):
Good for you.
Well, I love to hear your storybecause I think the stigma of
well, you don't look disabled,right, who's to say you are
disabled?
I am going to give you a quickstory.
So my son is disabled and wehave a handicapped parking tag.

(37:40):
He has some troubles walkingand I am not going to name the
venue, I am not going to namethe place, but we went somewhere
to park and I had him in thefront seat with me and you know
I don't really tell this storyall that often because it's just

(38:00):
not something I like to.
You know, live through again,right, but I think at the time
he might have been maybe 12, 13.
And I go to park at a parkingspot that's handicapped and one
of the people that was managingthe event I think it was a

(38:22):
security guard or an usher orsomeone says well, he said he
would like to reserve that forthose that have a disability and
are older.
And he said, well, you know hisparents were older.
And I said, no, I understandand I apologize, but you know
I'd like to park here.
And and he said, well, you suredon't look like you have a

(38:42):
disability.
And when he said that it justit blew my mind.
You know my son is 12.
For crying out loud here, I amtaking him to a venue to forget
about this world that remindshim every day of his disability.

(39:02):
Here he is reminding him of hisdisability again.
You know it.
Just, it gets me fired upbecause, again, if you don't
live this world, you have noidea.
You have no idea of the impactin the life that you know.
You said it yourself yourhusband is struggling to find a

(39:23):
good paying job.
Well, just because I'm disableddoesn't mean I don't have bills
, right, I mean you know thatdoesn't mean that I don't have
bills, like the rest of thisworld, that I have obligations
for.
So why should I be sure,changed if I can do the job just
as well as someone else, right?
And I think, hopefully, as astate maybe not only as a state

(39:46):
but a local community as well wecan do things to help that.
So are we doing anything rightnow as a state to help employers
with vocational jobs for thosewith disabilities?

Speaker 10 (39:59):
Well, that's what my job is as a navigator partner.
It is actually the.
We are the first state in thecountry to have this program.
So what my job is in?
As a pilot program.

(40:20):
Hopefully it is able to spreadacross the country.

Speaker 8 (40:25):
Now, how do you know?
And I'm just curious.
And if you don't have theanswer to this, this is okay,
but I'm curious how we gotselected for this pilot program.

Speaker 10 (40:34):
I have no idea, because this seems like a really
great opportunity I mean yeahvery unique.
I was very surprised because Iknew we were the first partners
in the first partner navigatorpartners in the state.
But it was.
I was informed that it was inthe country and that you would

(40:54):
think that it was.
They would have like a biggerstate, do it to be a part of it
and they're like nope.

Speaker 8 (41:03):
Well, I think it's an opportunity that we take and we
run with, exactly, and if wecan help as a platform, as a
podcast, as an organization, ifwe can help share this message
with the world and our community, I think we're one step closer,
because it starts here.
It starts with your mind.
You can't see me, but I'mpointing to my head.
It starts with, with, with.

(41:26):
Not.
It's doesn't start with action.
It starts with your heart andyour belief.
If we can all get on the samepage together, that hey, this is
what we need to be doingtogether, then those are the
platforms that will help elevateus.
Well, how can we get everyoneon the same page?
While it's through education,right.

Speaker 9 (41:45):
I think one of the one of the things to mention
there and really drive home thatpoint is accessibility benefits
everybody.

Speaker 8 (41:52):
Oh, absolutely.

Speaker 9 (41:53):
I'll use a couple of examples.
Prior to the passage of the ADAin 1990, we heard from various
government officials andentities and private businesses
that putting in accessibilitycombinations and modifications
would be too costly.
How many?

Speaker 8 (42:11):
people use an elevator now yeah.

Speaker 9 (42:15):
Everyone.

Speaker 8 (42:16):
So was that a part of the original?

Speaker 9 (42:18):
So so elevators wouldn't exist if it wasn't for
people with disabilities.

Speaker 8 (42:22):
There you go.

Speaker 9 (42:23):
How many people use speech to text on their phone?

Speaker 8 (42:27):
I Mostly everyone Exactly.

Speaker 9 (42:30):
That was put in as an accommodation for people who
are blind to use phones andtechnology Again people not
realizing that theseaccessibility features benefit
everyone in all of society.

Speaker 8 (42:44):
How many times does.
I don't know if you, if we'velike, heard stories of something
that was invented, but then theuse for that was completely
different.
It's the same thing, right?
I mean, let's the benefits ofthis.
It stretches far past thiscommunity, right?

Speaker 9 (43:06):
And today the disability population in the US
is roughly one in four.
But again like, I mentionedearlier over the course of your
lifetime.
It's going to impact everybody,it's going to be 100% of the
population.
So, and you look at, you know,tying this back to the workforce
and employment and what ourstate has done good to this
point, whether there's stillwork to be done.

(43:27):
People with disabilities arethe poorest people in America,
with the exception of children,and the only reason why children
are poorest because there'schild labor laws.

Speaker 11 (43:37):
Wow.

Speaker 9 (43:37):
So so when you look at the economic side of this and
you know again how things beingaccessible benefit everybody,
you look at the whether it bethe fiscal impact of employment
and increasing and expanding thetax base so we can get more
government revenue and intothese various programs to

(43:58):
improve our infrastructure orwhatever the case may be, and
you know, you look at Indianaacross the board has actually
pretty successful disabilityservices offices and career
services.
Offices at our higher edinstitutions and really looking
at connecting people withdisabilities to internship

(44:19):
program opportunities.
Because the research and datashows that people with
disabilities are graduating atthe same rate and on time with
their peers that don't havedisabilities.
Where the gap is and whathappens is people with
disabilities are liking the workexperience when they graduate.
So, they're going into aninterview and saying hey,

(44:39):
prospective employer, hire mewith a 4.0 GPA, but they don't
have any internships or workexperience, so who's the
employer?
To take the individual with thework experience.

Speaker 8 (44:50):
Right.

Speaker 9 (44:51):
So we've really seen an uptick and people with
disabilities getting access tointernships and having that
those opportunities and I willstress, paid internships,
because people with disabilitieshave been asked to work for
free and volunteer for decades.

Speaker 8 (45:07):
And that, I think, is where we need to stand together
as a community and say listen,there this stops right.
There needs to be a point whereyou know the whole free or let
me volunteer, just just.
No, this is not how it works,and I wasn't aware of a lot of

(45:30):
the things you said, luke.
And again, it starts witheducation.
So let me ask you this, luke soas internships become perhaps
more prevalent with thedisability population, what do
you think?
What do you think are some ofthe, I guess, the difficulties

(45:51):
employers are having right nowwith internships in terms of the
disability population?

Speaker 9 (45:56):
So I think making the environment accessible and I
think there's a lot ofhesitation from co-workers and
fellow employees that theinterns will be working with.
There's that hesitation andfear that you were speaking of
earlier, but again, the researchand data will show that

(46:18):
co-workers and peers that workalongside people with
disabilities, productivity iselevated, profits and revenues
elevate Because, again, evenapart from productivity, there's
a sense of brand loyalty, youknow, organizational loyalty.
If I know, for example, if Iknow a deaf employee works at

(46:40):
this shoe company, where am Ilikely to buy shoes?
If I'm someone deaf, I'm goingto go to that store and buy
shoes.

Speaker 8 (46:49):
Absolutely.

Speaker 9 (46:50):
So again, you're getting that brand loyalty as
well and you're gettingchampions for accessibility
within these workforces, withinthis environment.
To then multiply and amplifythis message.

Speaker 8 (47:06):
And that, I think, is .
You said something veryinteresting that I don't know if
most of us really understand.
Is that brand loyalty?
You know one in four of everyperson in the United States has
a disability, which, by the way.
I don't know the population ofthe United States, but that's a
huge number.
I would venture to say thatthey are, that they have

(47:29):
outnumbered a lot of most ofdemographics.
I don't know what the numbersare, but one in four is a lot.
And when you think of thosenumbers and brand loyalty, if
I'm disabled and I know thatthat XYZ company supports
employees and promotes what isimportant in my day to day life,

(47:52):
why wouldn't I do business withthem?

Speaker 9 (47:54):
And an important point to note.
There is one of the things thatwe hear from employers is it's
going to be too costly to makethings accessible and to provide
accommodations.
The average accommodation isless than $150.

Speaker 11 (48:09):
Wow.

Speaker 9 (48:09):
And think about that.
That's a one time expense,meaning if I purchased this
thing to make whatever theemployee is doing, to make their
job more accessible and levelthe playing field, then they can
be more productive, so thataccommodation pays for itself.

Speaker 8 (48:29):
Absolutely.

Speaker 9 (48:29):
And then the productivity again is elevated,
so which elevates the profit ofthe entire company and
organization.

Speaker 8 (48:36):
And I would venture to say there's a lot of
companies that blow way morethan $150 for lunch, yeah, and
that is a small fee to pay, andI would probably say that your
employee loyalty and retentionfor those with disabilities are
way higher than those withoutright.

(48:59):
So very good points, luke.
I think you're making some verycompelling arguments.
Ryan, what are your thoughts oninternships and the workplace
for those with disabilities?

Speaker 10 (49:11):
I definitely that's a lot of.
What I'm trying to do is to getmore of those and get more of
the training that needs to be,and that's a lot of.
When I say work one I forgot tospecify because I know that

(49:32):
hopefully everybody hears thisit's the department of workforce
development.
So if people outside of thestate listen, Thank you for
clarifying that, yes.
Because a lot of their they havemore of a stake in we OWA than
because what they're trying todo is to help people, because

(49:56):
people come in there and to workone not knowing about
vocational rehabilitation, andso they're able to help in that
matter, while still providingtraining, because part of what
they do is they provideworkshops, and there's even one
on confidence buildingInteresting yes, confidence

(50:18):
building resumes, interviewingskills, all sorts of things.
So they have a lot to offer.

Speaker 8 (50:29):
So vocational rehabilitation, let's talk about
that a little bit, okay.
So educate the people of whatthat really means.

Speaker 10 (50:36):
Vocational rehabilitation.
What it is is my make sure I'mgetting.

Speaker 8 (50:43):
Oh yeah, you take your time please.

Speaker 10 (50:46):
I just want to make sure that I'm getting everything
, because I have a good amountof material with me, because I
want to make sure I I'm not likeLuke, I can't keep all of that
information in my head, Luke.
I don't know how he was likerolling off statistics and I was
just like, oh my God.

Speaker 8 (51:03):
We haven't talked about this, like I don't know
how you do this, luke, butamazing.

Speaker 10 (51:08):
Wow, yeah, I mean, I was just like okay.

Speaker 8 (51:11):
I have to follow this .

Speaker 9 (51:15):
But my political science.

Speaker 10 (51:21):
See, with organizational leadership, I
just know how to get puttogether.
But yeah, it's kind of a roadto work because that is just
what it entails.
It's getting you back on trackto work, that you don't have to

(51:43):
rely on Social Security,disability anymore, and they
want, and a lot of people theyfeel at least for me I was just
like I don't feel like I'mcontributing to my family.
I mean, I was Right, I didn'thave a job or anything like that
.
But I also didn't want to goback to just a minimum wage job.

(52:06):
That would just stress me outagain.
I'd be back at square one.

Speaker 8 (52:12):
So let me ask you this, because you mentioned
something that I haven't thoughtabout.
So as, as someone with adisability, I'm going through a
program that's, that's, that's avocational rehabilitation
program that's going to give meback out in the workforce.
I'm going to get a good payingjob, I'm going to get upskilled
whatever you, you know you wantto call it.

Speaker 10 (52:33):
Now, once I start making enough money, that income
does that income then drop fromthe yes, okay, because what
they do is it's called ticket towork and it is a plan to slowly
like, once you reach a certainlimit, I mean you will go off of
disability and so my question,then, is what kind of emotional

(52:57):
effect is this having?

Speaker 8 (52:59):
because it's, I mean, you know, when you think about
it, that is a big securityblanket.
That is, yes, it is I mean, formyself, I mean.

Speaker 10 (53:08):
but at the same time I was so scared before I found
out about the services that Iwas going to lose my disability
because it's not a guaranteed.
I mean, every so many yearsthey check your status, like how
you are medically, how, I mean,how's your disability, and you,

(53:31):
they could be like you don'tneed it anymore, you're done.

Speaker 8 (53:36):
Right right.

Speaker 10 (53:36):
And so it's not a for life thing.
They always are checking.
So I was scared, I mean,because that is something that
you're worried about, like howam I going to contribute to the
because in every income?
And like I was saying, it'slike when my husband isn't able,
I mean I struggle to get a goodpaying job, and so I was

(54:00):
worried about that.
And then finally somebody toldme about vocabulary have and I
was able to apply and I was ableto get in and what happens is
in the step by the process thatI went through and see, and I'm
really thankful that I have thisknowledge because I'm able to

(54:21):
tell people trying to get in,because sometimes they feel a
little awkward doing it Right.
And so I met with a counselorwho we talked a couple of times.
I had requirements, at least inmy mind.
They said, well, what are youthinking?
And I was like at that moment Iwas thinking I wanted flexible

(54:47):
hours because I have a daughter.

Speaker 8 (54:51):
Yep.

Speaker 10 (54:52):
And that was something that was important to
me.
And another thing is I wanted acalmer environment.
So then that way, I mean Ididn't want like a large amount
of people around me.

Speaker 8 (55:06):
Right.

Speaker 10 (55:07):
And so she was going okay and she named some jobs
out and she's like well, what wecan do is either I can help you
find a job right away or youcan go back.
I mean, you can go back toschool, I'm going to apply and
we will cover funding.
And so I decided to go back toschool and I went and I got my

(55:31):
degree and then afterwards Allgood for you, thank you and
afterwards she helped me locatea job.
I mean, I was still putting inmy resumes and things like that,
but my counselor was alsosending me jobs to look at and

(55:53):
apply for and so I didn't.
It wasn't that I got my degreeand they just let me go.
It was they were helping findthat and now with working, that
I can also.
I talked to my counselor everycouple of months to check how
I'm doing Good, and so you have,once you get into a they call

(56:17):
it a stable status, like if youfeel comfortable, then you have
like a 90 day period and if youdon't, like if it doesn't fit,
they'll help you find anotherjob.

Speaker 12 (56:32):
Okay.

Speaker 10 (56:33):
For I mean just to see, like, because they're not
going to just leave you with thejob, because once again you'll
be at square one.

Speaker 8 (56:39):
Right.
So there's a lot of there's,there's.
It doesn't seem like it's.
I don't know if it'll ever be aperfect science right, no.
Because there's so many and youmentioned something that I
hadn't even thought about thatyou know.
Without knowing for sure, Iwould assume that there is a
healthy amount of the disabilitypopulation that needs or may

(57:00):
not need, but but strongly would, would be beneficial for a a
quiet or you know, environment.

Speaker 1 (57:07):
Yes.

Speaker 8 (57:08):
And that's kind of hard to provide.

Speaker 9 (57:09):
Okay, look at, look at what the pandemic in recent
months and years has done to oursociety.
I will argue that the pandemicdisabled society oh yeah, it's
made society reevaluate thenorms and the ways of doing
things.
Yep, you know again.

(57:30):
People with disabilities havebeen asking for decades to have
remote working opportunities.
Let's become part of the normnow, because employers now see
reduced overhead, reduced costs.
You know flexible work hours,you know being able to work from
home and whatnot, and thatremoves the potential
transportation barrier.

(57:50):
Right, and that's what peoplewith disabilities face and have
to even consider before evengetting to work.

Speaker 8 (57:58):
And that that that's such a huge obstacle that you
know we take for granted, right,we do, we get in our car and we
go to work.
Well, that's not as easy for alot of those with disabilities,
and so if we can provide anenvironment where people can do
jobs from home, you know, and Ithink it also, if this is going
to be a thing where, where,which, by the way, I'm a huge

(58:22):
supporter of I think we alsoneed to help educate our
workforce on properly managing aremote workforce, because
that's a whole differentconversation, right?
I mean, if you're listening andyou have a problem with micro
management, then you should, youknow, maybe focus on more of

(58:43):
the output than as much as whatpeople are, how people are, you
know, inputting the work toreach the end goal, right, and
so it has completely shifted theway we think about work, the
way we work.
But if this can be used as kindof a catapult to something, an
ancillary world that we neverknew could benefit from it, why

(59:06):
not?
So I think that's such a goodpoint, luke, and I appreciate
you mentioning that.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
Ryan, from the from an employer perspective, what,
what specific resources doeswork one provide for to help
remove some of those barriers?

Speaker 10 (59:26):
You mean for training, or they do a lot of
because they have, like I said,the workshops.
They will also help withdifferent training.
Something that I learned earlyon and this was a collaboration
with Vogue Rehab and Work Onewas somebody wanted to be a

(59:52):
semi-driver and Work One canonly pay for so much and Vogue
Rehab can only pay for so much.
So they joined forces and sothey were able to do that
together.
And as far as services, itreally I think that a lot of the

(01:00:14):
work ones in the area they havethe same classes but they're
more customized to the areabecause I have 11 counties.

Speaker 8 (01:00:24):
So that's a very large area.

Speaker 10 (01:00:26):
Yes, but that's there are.
I think there is.
There may be 10 of us in thestate, so then each of us have
different regions, but we havethey will also Work One also
provides the ability to getequipment adaptable equipment

(01:00:52):
One of the things that I wasshown when I was given a tour of
Work One in the main offices inmy region, because there's
three of them.
They each have a accessibledesk and they have all types of
adaptable equipment for every Imean for all types of

(01:01:12):
disabilities, and so people cancome in and they have that
ability to look for a job andhave I mean because they will be
able to see there's like biggerscreens, bigger keyboards and
like earphones so you can hearbetter.

Speaker 8 (01:01:30):
Now, are there grants from the state for this stuff?

Speaker 10 (01:01:33):
Yes.

Speaker 8 (01:01:34):
Awesome.

Speaker 10 (01:01:35):
Because that's part of EvoGrehab is they will help
with anything that you need forwork.
They will help fund.

Speaker 8 (01:01:44):
So this isn't even something that you have to pay
out of your own pocket for.

Speaker 9 (01:01:47):
I think an important point to mention here is that VR
vocational rehabilitation seeksto level the playing field, yes
and remove the barriers.
And I think it's an importantpoint to drive home during this
conversation that people withdisabilities and VR seek to

(01:02:09):
provide opportunity, not toguarantee that you'll get a job
or not to guarantee that you'lllose your job because of bad
performance, but to give you theopportunity and the dignity of
risk.
People with disabilities shouldnot get jobs because of their
disability.
At the same time, they shouldnot be denied the opportunity to

(01:02:31):
get a job because of theirdisability.

Speaker 1 (01:02:33):
Thank you, and that's absolutely.

Speaker 8 (01:02:37):
And it's the same argument that we have when we
look at the diversity of ourinternal organizations, and some
companies have diverseinitiatives and the rest of the
story.
But you make a great point,luke.
I don't think that it shouldguarantee you a job, nor

(01:02:59):
guarantee you keeping a job.
But, as you mentioned thosetools, I'm hoping that will
level the playing field in someway, right, in some way that
will help level that playingfield so that we can together
determine what does performancelook like, how do we measure it
and at what point.
Is this not a fit?

Speaker 10 (01:03:19):
And I think those policies, as this industry
continues to grow, will probablycontinue to evolve right
Because something I mean justkind of going off of what Luke
said it gives both Work Wine andVR.
Give you the tools, but youhave to take them and use.

(01:03:40):
I mean you have to work at itas well.
I mean it's not handed to youon a platter, right Like Work
Wine has all of these workshops.
Well, if you don't use them,it's not going to help you find
a job Absolutely.
And I think, the biggest thing,because I think Work Wine is
really benefiting from this,because they used to be like you

(01:04:02):
would call them theunemployment office, but they're
the employment office Becausethat's what someone told me,
that One of the supervisors toldme that and I thought that was
a really good analogy for it.
It is.
It's like going you're notgoing there to just get your
unemployment, You're trying toget a better job, hopefully a

(01:04:24):
better job.
And people who come in,especially those with
disabilities.
They once again, like I said,they may not know about VR, they
may just think that this is allthey can do, because and
they're able to help, and that'sI can go in there and talk to

(01:04:45):
them as well, because the goalis at least for my program it's
called a dual customer approach,so it helps the business.
It's the customer for us, butwe're the customer for them as
well.
My mouth got full.

(01:05:08):
So it's a joint partnership,because you don't want to always
be like the business is lordingover them.
So I mean it's benefiting, likeyou were saying.
I mean you have the businessbenefits to have that diversity.

(01:05:30):
Absolutely and so that's whatwe're trying to do.

Speaker 8 (01:05:34):
Well, it sounds like they have the right person
leading that charge, ryan, andthank you for just your passion
and really, really, speakingfrom the heart, it's very clear.
You know, apart from Naira thatI'm the president of, and apart
from the league, that I doserve on the board, for I also

(01:05:54):
run a recruiting business and Ido business with those that have
a similar passion in whateverthey do, and, for me, I like to
associate myself with peoplethat I know where their
intentions are and it's veryclear where the intentions
you're at today and, luke, Iwant to ask you a little bit
about the league and yourmission.

(01:06:15):
So talk to me a little bitabout how the league is
impacting the community and whatyour role is in that.

Speaker 9 (01:06:22):
So the league has been around for 70 plus years
and the unique thing about theleague compared to other
disability servicesorganizations in the area is
it's not only for people withdisabilities, of course, but
it's by people with disabilities, so a majority of our staff and
board members are qualifiedpeople with disabilities and are

(01:06:44):
connected to the disabilitycommunity in some way.
So you're getting that livedexperience, because when people
want to get connected or don'teven know where to start on
their journey with a disability,having a person with a
disability on the other end ofthe phone or the other end of
the computer, if you send anemail and you don't know where

(01:07:05):
to start provide a certaincomfort level.
And again, people withdisabilities are the experts on
what people with disabilitiesneed.
Sure, no circumstance and noindividual situation is the same
, but it's a lot easier tonavigate when you're trying to
navigate it with a group ofpeers and to have that peer to
peer support.
So, as a center for independentliving, the league provides

(01:07:29):
five core main servicesinformation and referral meaning
somebody can call from anywherein the world to get any piece
of information We've gottencalls from Kuwait, united Arab
Emirates, australia and providethem with information and
resources.
And then that peer to peersupport that I was talking about

(01:07:52):
, whether that be our blind andlow vision support groups or
pretty much blind or variousother support groups that we
have across the entire NortheastIndian region in the 11
counties that we serve, and thenthe individual advocacy, which
is part of our independentliving services division, which

(01:08:14):
helps people meet and addresstheir needs on an individual,
case by case basis, and then youhave what my department is
focused on is the systemic level, getting to the root causes of
why barriers are barriers.
In the first, place.
Again, not necessarily treatingthe symptoms of the problem and

(01:08:35):
putting band-aids on thingsthat's absolutely necessary
because, that's urgency in themoment.

Speaker 8 (01:08:42):
Absolutely.

Speaker 9 (01:08:43):
But we really need to focus on the systemic level
issue of okay, how can we changethis long term to make it
accessible for everybody, toremove the barrier?
So the Inclusion Institute isfocused on four main policy
areas building accessible namedwounds, which is focused on
housing.
Expanding the availability ofaccessible, affordable,

(01:09:04):
integrated housing.

Speaker 7 (01:09:06):
Economic advancement.

Speaker 9 (01:09:07):
that team is really focused on removing the barriers
and the economic disincentivesthat people with disabilities
face while working and or theability to keep a job and
maintain a job, because a lot ofpeople don't know that people
with disabilities cannot havemore than $2,000 in their bank
account at any given time.
Otherwise they potentially risklosing their Medicaid, which

(01:09:31):
funds their personal care.
So people with disabilities,particularly for wheelchair
users, are left to decide okay,do I want to have my personal
care, which helps me get out ofbed every morning and go about
my daily life, or be aproductive member of society by
joining a workforce and tryingto live an independent life?

Speaker 8 (01:09:54):
I mean, could you?
I can't imagine just makingthat decision in itself.

Speaker 4 (01:09:58):
No, so there's a lot of economic barriers and
disincentives out there.

Speaker 9 (01:10:03):
Now there are programs available to address
some of those barriers, butagain, navigating those
complicated systems that you mayor may not even know about and
or have peers that you can go toto say, how do I even address
this or how do I go about this?
Or do I have to fill out a 200page application that I'm likely

(01:10:26):
going to be denied for andreally addressing and reforming
some of those.
And then our connectedcommunity team is focused on
getting to a little barriers tocommunity connectivity, whether
that be our trail system,transportation infrastructure.
And our fourth policy bucket isaccessible media and

(01:10:49):
information, because once peoplehave the information, they then
have the power to then act onit.
And the interesting thing aboutall of these, all of these
things, is they're sointerconnected.

Speaker 8 (01:11:01):
Yeah, I mean, you can't absolutely.

Speaker 9 (01:11:03):
If you don't have the employment and the economics,
how can you affordtransportation, how can you
afford housing?
But if you don't havetransportation, how can you get
to work?

Speaker 8 (01:11:13):
Yeah, you can't, and it's very clear that the league
is.
I mean, you guys are in thisfor one reason and one reason
only, right, and it's notbecause of money.
I mean, if you didn't hear whatLuke said, you don't do this

(01:11:35):
and have those branches spreadout in those segments
deliberately, with the impactyou're doing intentionally.
You know, as someone that liveswith you know, with you know,
I'd mention, my son is disabledand these are the things that I
want the world to become right,and I think when he's entering

(01:11:58):
the workforce, I think aboutthose things and what is that
world going to look like?
Well, I think we need, we oweit to ourselves and we owe it to
our communities, to ourfamilies, to our workforce, to
our companies to do better, andit starts with things like what
Luke and Ryan have mentioned andit starts with education, and

(01:12:20):
I'm hoping that I know I learnedsomething new today.
I hope that you did as welllistening to this episode and if
you didn't, if you didn't learnanything new, first of all, we
want you on the team.
If you knew all of thisinformation before, please come
aboard.
But secondly, if you can hearthe sheer passion coming from

(01:12:45):
these microphones, we're herefor the good of the cause, we're
here to make a difference, andwe need more people like this.
So, luke and Ryan, thank you,thank you so much.
Is there anything any lastminute parting, words of advice

(01:13:05):
or words of wisdom that you wantto leave our listeners with?

Speaker 9 (01:13:10):
I would say for any employers you know, hr
professionals, be a champion foroverall accessibility within
your workforce and within yourbusiness, because that begins to
be noticed.
And again, going back to thatbrand loyalty, opening yourself

(01:13:31):
up to not only being able toserve but to have a workforce
that is reflective of thecustomers with which you serve.

Speaker 8 (01:13:40):
Absolutely.
I love that man.
Thank you for sharing.
And what about you, ryan?
Any last minute words?

Speaker 10 (01:13:46):
Yeah, I would say, sometimes you just have to fight
, and I mean be an advocate,because at least for me, I've
found so many through thisjourney.
I have found so many ways topay it forward and try to make I

(01:14:06):
know it's going to sound cornya world a better place, or at
least a state a better place.

Speaker 8 (01:14:11):
But that doesn't sound corny by the way.

Speaker 10 (01:14:15):
I know it sounds cliché to a lot of people, but I
just feel that some peopledon't know how to start that and
you, just you keep trying tolook and you find something and
you go from there.
I mean because it's not goingto change unless you fight for

(01:14:38):
it.

Speaker 1 (01:14:40):
Where would our listeners go to find out more
information or to contact eitherone of you?

Speaker 10 (01:14:47):
I would say for vocational rehabilitation.
I would go for at least thestate of Indiana.
It's F-S-S-A, dot i-n, dot,g-o-v, and they have, and
besides that they have so manyother resources that you can use

(01:15:07):
For work one.
It would be for this area, it'swork one, o-n-word
n-e-dot-l-r-g.
And then I would guess I mean,or go to d-w-d dot com and you'd
probably be able to findanything in your state.

Speaker 8 (01:15:28):
Awesome, thank you.
What about you, luke?

Speaker 9 (01:15:30):
Yeah, so you can reach us on our website,
the-leagueorg, or contact us viaphone at 260-441-0551 and you
will get directed to the rightdepartment, depending on your
service name.

Speaker 8 (01:15:47):
Awesome, Thank you.
Thank you both.
I really appreciate you bothtelling your story and hopefully
this reaches just one personfrom across those speakers that
are listening to this episode.
If you also if you're listeningto this and you'd like
additional information on how tospecifically contact Luke or
Ryan, you can contact me or Mike.

(01:16:10):
Our contact information is onour website.
You can find us at the boardcontact information section of
our website.
That's nairaorg.
Thanks again for listening in.

Speaker 1 (01:16:22):
A human resource professional was quizzing a new
employee on the company's safetymanual.
And what steps do you take incase of a fire, she asked.
The new employee replied quickones.
Welcome to the program.
Today I've got Jared Sims andJonathan Hearst from USI

(01:16:43):
Insurance Services.
Please introduce yourselves andtell us about the upcoming
program in September.

Speaker 11 (01:16:52):
Thanks so much, Mike .
Yeah, my name is Jared Sims.
Like you said, I'm with USIInsurance Services.
I've been with USI sinceJanuary 2nd 2020.
And it's been a great ride.
Always scary to start a newwith a new company and
especially with the pandemichitting, you know, three months
after we started.
But USI has been great, with6,500 employees when we started

(01:17:16):
and now we have over 10,000.
John and I just both becamepartners at the firm last year,
so it's been an awesome ride.
Love helping employers withtheir benefits so they can not
only contain costs but helptheir employees get the best
possible care at the lowestpossible price.

Speaker 12 (01:17:31):
And yeah, morning.
Thanks, mike for having us.
Jonathan Hearst started thesame day as Jared, as he may
have mentioned USI ObviouslyRocky Time for his last comments
around COVID.
All it really did was justingrain us further with USI and
make us more thankful to workfor a company like USI and you

(01:17:53):
know, just in the state ofIndiana, seven offices and one
being in Fort Wayne.
That's why we love kind ofbeing in Fort Wayne so much.
You know they've welcomed uswith open arms and you know just
love giving back to thebenefits.
You know been in this space nowa little over six years and
it's pretty cool to be able totalk, you know, human resources
and then also be able to talkfinance in that same
conversation.
So I appreciate you having ushere today.

Speaker 1 (01:18:16):
And before you jump into the program, guys.
You actually do the pregame forour luncheons as well.
Can you talk about that alittle bit?

Speaker 11 (01:18:26):
Yeah, so we sit on the committee with Julie Hess
who's been.
She's just a great leader forNaira, so fortunate to know her
and partner with her.
But you know we do the pregame,so just love Naira and the
networking portion that offers.
We try to, you know, schedule aspeaker that's going to bring
some value 30 minutes prior tothe monthly Naira meeting.

(01:18:48):
So we'll schedule a speakerthat is well-known in the
community or we may just leaveit open to networking.
We want folks to find the mostvalue.
We've got some feedback thatnetworking is important, so
anyway we can help facilitatethat.
We're always happy to do thaton a monthly basis.

Speaker 12 (01:19:02):
And you know, sometimes you just want to hear
listen to two goons for 30minutes right before you're
eating your lunch.
But it's been a great way toget back and just ingrain
ourselves further and try andhelp, right?
I mean, the ultimate goal ofNaira is to help each other in
any way we can.
If it's listening to us for 30minutes and coordinating with
Julie on that, that's great.

(01:19:23):
We're just we're happy to beinvolved.

Speaker 1 (01:19:26):
Thank you for that.
Yes, so tell us about theupcoming program and what you
have to offer local companiesthat participate.

Speaker 11 (01:19:38):
Perfect, yeah, we are, we're doing.
We get some really greatfeedback.
We're doing a benefitsbenchmarking breakfast again
this year.
We did it last year.
We're hosting it at MasterSpalls.
It's September 21st, from 8 inthe morning till 9 at night.

Speaker 12 (01:19:55):
It won't be that long.
Yeah, we'll do it for an hour.

Speaker 11 (01:19:57):
We'll do it for 13 hours.
That's a big commitment, guys,yeah 8 to 9 in the morning,
sorry.

Speaker 12 (01:20:03):
It could be a workshop, sorry.

Speaker 11 (01:20:07):
So those that sign up, they get a free benchmark
from USI.
Usi does offer the largestbenchmark survey in the country.
We have over 10,000 employersparticipate and it is the
largest by over double to thenext closest.
So obviously we'll benchmarkyour major medical plan.
We also look at the ancillaryproducts like your dental, your
vision, your life, disability,some of those fringe benefits

(01:20:31):
you may offer like criticalillness and accident coverages,
all the way down to even paytime off, pto or maternity and
maternity leave.
We want to see how you stack upto your competitors in your
size, in your industry and inyour region.

Speaker 12 (01:20:47):
Yeah, and to kind of tack on a little bit when Jared
said you know, when we look atdissect and kind of these
results and if you look at thecomment you made around having
the largest benchmarking survey,sometimes that gets lost.
And what that really means is wehave over 10,000 unique
employers and the data that'sbeing aggregated by USI,

(01:21:11):
de-identified, allows us to kindof silo those participants by
the industry that they're in.
So the employer's industry, thesize, so based off enrollment
and total head count, and thenthe geography, so we can even
cut it down to as close as FortWayne, or we could look at it as
greatly as the US right orMidwest, East Coast, West Coast.

(01:21:34):
So you can really paint a truepicture of what is my
competition doing in order toretain and attract employees.
Because ultimately, benefitsare probably, if not the number
one decision as to why anemployee will elect to work for
that employer.
About 84% of new hires takebenefits into consideration when

(01:21:56):
looking at joining a company.
So when you're really lookingat making your benefits
competitive and attractive, well, better way than to look at
what your competition is doingfrom that standpoint?

Speaker 11 (01:22:07):
Yeah, mike, I do want to reiterate, and you know
this the war on talent right nowis crazy, but this is a free
service we're offering.
So we do limit to the first 30because it is a lot of work on
our end.
So we want to make sure we haveall the results to everyone by
the day of the benchmark, butthere's no fee for this.
We don't expect you to dobusiness or have to do anything

(01:22:28):
outside of this.
You just come, you get yourbenchmark, we review it as a
group, you get your own personalslides, but there's no
expectation of like, hey, wehave to meet with Jared and John
afterwards.
It's just a great way for us togive back to Nyra, like we said
, who's been just so welcomingfor us.

Speaker 12 (01:22:44):
And we've seen just some really positive feedback
around the time, and I thinklast year we did it around
August and so this year I thinkwe've done it, we're doing it in
September and it tends to beright around when you're doing
your renewal pre-renewalmeetings, right.
So a lot of HR, a lot ofC-suite are having conversations
with their advisorsstrategically, and so the

(01:23:08):
benchmark allows you to have afurther strategic conversation
around what needs to change.
Do my deductibles need to belowered?
Are we overinsured?
Are we underinsured?
Are benefits competitive andall those areas that Jared
mentioned earlier.
How do we make thosecompetitive and what adjustments
can we make?
So the timing tends to bereally, really spot on around

(01:23:31):
this time because theconversations are happening.

Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
So for our listeners, what do they need to do due to
in order to participate?

Speaker 12 (01:23:42):
So it's pretty simple.
You know, for those that wantto reach out my cell phone
number, I'll put it out thereI'm sure Jared will a cell phone
number 765-243-0517.
Shoot me a text, shoot me aphone call.
We can follow up with kind ofthe.
It's usually four or five itemsthat we need to get that done

(01:24:02):
and it's something like anemployee handbook look at
contributions monthly from theemployer and the employee and
then usually that handbooks forus to look into what your PTO
policy looks like, what otherbenefits you know, what other
waiting periods within yourbenefits, and then the last
thing's typically going to beyour benefit guide, because

(01:24:23):
that's going to household thebenefit information like your
deductibles, your co-insurance,co-pays, things of that nature.
So it's pretty simple and thenusually it will take us about a
week or so to put thingstogether.
If you were to do it outside ofthe September event.
Some folks can't make it.
Some folks couldn't last yearand so we sent them

(01:24:43):
electronically.
Some folks wanted us to walkthrough it in person because
just reading it sometimesdoesn't make sense.
So we're really flexible in howwe present it.
But they will be ready by thatthat event day in September and
we can follow up with what'sneeded, but it's usually three
to four things.
That isn't too tasking to askfor?

Speaker 11 (01:25:04):
Yeah, but those, those that are interested,
interested in my cell phonenumbers 3174741924, reach out to
myself or John.
Either one we're happy to helpget started on that for everyone
.

Speaker 1 (01:25:19):
Well, thanks for your time today, gentlemen.

Speaker 12 (01:25:23):
Well, thank you, mike Enjoyed it.
Yeah, thank you.
Thank you for having us, mike,and thank you for your
contributions to NIRA.
I'd say it's you guys havewelcomed us with open arms.
We're so happy to be a part ofthe HR community there and
thanks for having us thismorning.

Speaker 1 (01:25:36):
I'd like to thank all of our guests that we had today
.
That's all the time we have.
See you next time on Mike's.