Welcome to SMG eNEWS™
2005, Mar 7th

The Solutions Marketing Group’s eNews is a bi-monthly communiqué that connects business to the market of people with disabilities.

Profiles in Excellence
Profiles in Excellence is a monthly article, published by SMG, that features companies and organizations that demonstrate leadership in accessibility, employment, customer service and marketing to the nation's 54 million Americans with Disabilities.

Trading Accessible Spaces!
By Joan Leotta

Trading Spaces, the popular The Learning Channel (TLC) reality show, pairs couples or families with their neighbors, with the goal of improving one room of each other's house in two days and for under two thousand dollars. The everyday folk who guest star on the show each week are paired with Trading Spaces regulars who have expertise in interior design. Recently, Trading Spaces invaded the home of an everyday person who presented a new challenge to the show. Three-time 2002 Paralympic ski champion Muffy Davis and her husband Jeff Burley got a room redone, accessibly ...
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Accessibility
sponsored by Universal Design Newsletter

New Products

New IntelaVoice Dimmer™ features high speed speech recognition and command response, a pre-programmed vocabulary and speaker independent operation. Two new Stepless ramps for scooter and wheelchair use. FMR Home Portfolio's catalog 50 Barrier Free and Beautiful House Plans.
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Customer Service
sponsored by W.C. Duke Associates, Inc.

Microtel Inns & Suites Reports Strong Gains in Bookings Among Travelers with Disabilities

Microtel Inns & Suites reports sharp gains in its 2004 bookings for ADA room nights across all distribution channels by nearly 275% over the previous year. In addition, net revenues for ADA room nights increased by more than 260%. Internet bookings for ADA rooms during the same period marked the strongest gains, with an increase of more than 400%, followed by bookings on the Global Distribution System (GDS), which increased by more than 360%. ...
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Employment

Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Calls for 2005 New Freedom Initiative Award Nominations

Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao called upon non-profits, small businesses, corporations and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in advancing the employment and workplace environment of people with disabilities to submit their entries for the 2005 "Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award." ....
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ONLINE PUBLICATION: Preparing for an International Career: Pathways for People with Disabilities

This free, downloadable 81-page document encourages young adults with international interests to explore careers in the international affairs, exchange and development fields. The publication highlights different types of international
occupations, job prospects, tips to prepare for an international career, and insights from role models and emerging leaders with disabilities in these fields. For more information, visit the Mobility International USA website.
[ download document in PDF format ]

Marketing

Report Looks at Effects of Health Promotion Marketing in Rural Areas
University of Montana Rural Institute

Researchers studying people with disabilities in rural areas find "that a person with a disability annually experiences an average of 14 secondary conditions that affect health and limit independence," says a new report from the University of Montana Rural Institute. The report compares the relative effectiveness of active and passive techniques for marketing an exercise program to people with disabilities. ...
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Marketing to Consumers with Disabilities: Interpreting the Numbers Telecommunications Industry Association; Electronic Industries Foundation

This report provides usable statistical and demographic information about people with functional limitations. It has been produced to help manufacturers plan and design products and then promote features that will enable all individuals, including those with functional limitations, to perform independently and efficiently at home and in the workplace. The report was built by extracting marketing information from data available from the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and statistics from the Center on Disability Statistics of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) ...
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Announcements

Ms. Wheelchair America 2005 Shares Message of Empowerment and Ability

'Freedom To Compete Award' Honoring Best Practices in the Workplace

Northern Colorado Home Builder Association Wins Disability Initiative Award