State Fund Honors National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). During NDEAM, State Fund acknowledges the skills and contributions of employees with disabilities. Although recognizing NDEAM has become a tradition at State Fund, we participate in programs year-round to reach out to the disability community and to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Ensuring Equal Opportunity
State Fund is committed to ensuring appropriate representation and equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Our Equal Employment Opportunity Unit (EEO) reviews hiring practices to identify any barriers to employment of individuals with disabilities. Also, together with our Disability Advisory Committee (DAC), EEO aims to eliminate any non job-related barriers to hiring individuals with disabilities. The DAC, composed of employee volunteers, addresses additional areas of concern on disability issues.
Getting Involved With the Community
State Fund is involved with the disability community through participation with various organizations. We are represented on the Statewide Disability Advisory Committee (SDAC) and the board of the San Francisco Mayor’s Committee for the Employment of Persons With Disabilities. We are also involved with the Bridges Advisory Committee in both northern and southern California. Each of these committees shares a dedication to enhancing the opportunities of individuals with disabilities.
Our district offices are also active in their communities. For example, the San Bernardino office is participating in its second national Disability Mentoring Day on October 19, 2005. Student-mentees who have disabilities explore career opportunities by spending a typical workday with employee-mentors. Ellen Vieira, the event organizer, reports that it is rewarding for all involved. “In addition to raising the self-esteem of the mentees, the mentors earn a sense of self-satisfaction and a better understanding of their own jobs,” she says.
Cooperating With Not-for-Profit Organizations
Project HIRED:
Through Project HIRED, State Fund employs individuals with disabilities as temporary staff. Currently 34 participants are working in our San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco offices, including our Home Office. Many participants have become full-time employees with State Fund. Between January 2004 and July 2005, seven were hired on a permanent basis.
Transitional Employment Program:
State Fund participates in San Francisco Vocational Services’ Transitional Employment Program (TEP). Persons with disabilities are provided with on-the-job clerical training at State Fund for up to nine months. Currently 14 participants are working in both our Credit and Collections & Insurance Services departments. A number of TEP participants have also been hired as permanent State Fund employees.
Marriott Bridges Program:
Bridges is a school-to-work program established by the Marriott Foundation for high school and college students with disabilities. State Fund hires these students as youth aids and student assistants in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas.
Recruiting Employees
State Fund participates in the State Personnel Board's Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP). LEAP is an alternate examination and appointment process for the hiring of persons with disabilities. After passing a two-part exam, a Readiness Evaluation and an on-the-job exam period, candidates may be hired as employees.
Each year, our job recruiters attend several career fairs for people with disabilities. They’re also involved in community outreach programs sponsored by Goodwill, the California Department of Rehabilitation, and other organizations. Recruiters provide information about State Fund, the hiring process, and programs such as LEAP. According to Don Burian, a State Fund recruitment coordinator, “Recruiters look for job fairs that are conducive to reaching a diverse population and that includes people with disabilities.”
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