Welcome to SMG eNEWS™
2006, Mar 20th

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

Message From The Founder

The Disability Marketing Partnership
By Carmen Jones, Founder and President

Dear Readers—
The Solutions Marketing Group's (SMG) eNewsletter showcases companies and individuals who've raised the bar in serving, accommodating, marketing to, and employing people with disabilities - the Nation's largest minority group with over $1 trillion dollars in aggregate income.

Empowering clients, stakeholders and readers is our passion, and we strive to provide you with information that increases your company's ability to address the needs of our segment. We uniquely position our clients to deliver brand-building results-oriented marketing, outreach, and promotional strategies that yield a competitive advantage and revenue generation. We've added services that address a wide range of disability issues. This includes cultural assessments, team-building, qualitative/quantitative research, employment and disability etiquette training, mystery shopping, project management and strategic direction.

I am committed to ensure that people with disabilities are a factor in the diversity equation - in the same way other markets are. With employment as the great equalizer, our community will only make strides when companies and business owners recognize the untapped knowledge and abilities prospective employees bring to the workplace. That is why I continue to work with colleagues in the business and disability communities to erode our 70% unemployment rate.

To enhance your understanding of how disability fits into diversity and employment, we are delighted to announce the addition of two new contributors to the SMG eNewsletter - John Kemp, long-time disability rights advocate and principal at Powers, Pyle, Sutter and Verville, P.C.; and Joyce Bender, President and CEO of Bender Consulting Services. I am confident they will challenge your thinking and offer insight which you'll be able to use within your company.

Thank you for your feedback and support of SMG!

Sincerely,

Carmen D. Jones
Founder and President
SMG contact information

Featured Article
Special to Disability-Marketing.com

Defining Your DDQ: Disability Diversity Quotient By John Kemp, Disability-rights advocate

I've seen significant societal transitions occur in my humble 56 years of living with a disability in these blessed United States. I admit that sometimes I didn't like it because the advantages I once enjoyed by being 'special' and 'different' with my obvious disability have been replaced by mere equality. Oh, great, progress, I would moan. Yes, progress! ...
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Featured Article

Paychecks Not Pity™ By Joyce Bender, President and CEO of Bender Consulting Services

As I meet with executives across the United States to discuss their willingness to employ Americans with disabilities, I am frequently told how accessible their building is and how they have complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the area of architectural design and construction. A "tour" of the facilities always amazes me, as they have everything except one thing - people with disabilities working there. You see the ramps and the Braille and wonder who is using them? The fact is the architectural barriers are not the barriers to employment. Attitudinal barriers are the barriers to employment.. ...
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Accessibility
sponsored by Universal Design Newsletter

Experts Say California Suit Not Causing Ripple Effect From North County Times NCTimes.com

Though the threats of lawsuits over access for the disabled have most of the businesses in the California town of Julian scrambling to make their shops more wheelchair-friendly, businesses in other parts of the county don't appear to be doing the same thing. Local consultants say they have seen no increase in calls from small business owners fretting that they could be breaking laws that require buildings to be accessible to people with disabilities. ...
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Customer Service
sponsored by W.C. Duke Associates, Inc.

Florida Library Holding Disability Classes From The Gainesville Times

If you've ever kicked yourself for telling a blind customer to "Come back and see us," a Hall County Library System has a workshop that might interest you. The East Hall Branch and Special Needs Library now offers a class on disability etiquette and American with Disabilities Act compliance. Individuals, businesses, churches, civic leaders or community service organizations are invited to schedule a free "All Ways Welcome" workshop. ...
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Employment

Vet Training Needs More Accountability
From FedNews OnLine

The Veterans’ Employment and Training Service needs greater accountability, said Government Accountability Office Director for Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues Sigurd R. Nilsen. In testimony before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Nilsen described a recent review of progress in implementing the Jobs for Veterans Act (JVA). The Department of Labor and states have the steps to implement many of the JVA provisions, however obstacles remain from implementing reforms associated with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) and the Local Veterans’ Employment Representative program (LVER). ...
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Web Site Debuts to Help Disabled Make Transition
From DelawareOnline The News Journal

A 20-year-old Newark man helped develop Transition Map Delaware, a Web site launched by the University of Delaware's Center for Disabilities Studies. The site is meant for youths and young adults who need to find information about everything from medical care to social events and housing options. Whether they are planning their lives after they graduate from public school or looking for places to play sports, they'll find names and numbers, and lots of information. ...
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Marketing

Nintendo's Revolution Controller and Disabled Gamers From MercuryNews.com a+e interactive

Nintendo has been in the technology spotlight since announcing plans for a video-game controller that can be used with only one hand. For a 19-year old disabled fan in Southern California, the controller was a stunning godsend in his fight against an injury that left him a quadriplegic. He has tried to call national attention to the unintended benefits that the gadget will offer for people with a variety of physical disabilities. ...
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News & Announcements

Let's Learn From Our Mistakes Before The Next Disaster Strikes
From National Council on Disability

NSCIA Sets Date for Next SCI Summit and SCI Hall of Fame

2006 USBLN Annual Conference: Inclusion --The Time is Now

Travelers with Disabilities Survey