WEBVTT 00:00:00.506 --> 00:00:03.056 [ Music ] 00:00:03.056 --> 00:00:04.816 Maybe you've always been just a little nervous 00:00:04.816 --> 00:00:06.716 around someone using a wheelchair, 00:00:06.716 --> 00:00:08.816 or a hearing aid, or a white cane. 00:00:08.816 --> 00:00:11.696 Maybe you're afraid you'll say the wrong thing 00:00:11.696 --> 00:00:13.096 or do the wrong thing. 00:00:13.096 --> 00:00:15.356 Do you offer help or not? 00:00:15.356 --> 00:00:18.226 What if you can't understand what they're saying? 00:00:18.226 --> 00:00:20.286 We need to move beyond that, 00:00:20.286 --> 00:00:22.746 because corporate success depends on attracting 00:00:22.746 --> 00:00:26.446 and hiring the best minds out there, and that means focusing 00:00:26.446 --> 00:00:28.166 on ability, even when we have 00:00:28.166 --> 00:00:32.216 to look beyond our first perception. 00:00:36.516 --> 00:00:42.206 [ Music ] 00:00:42.206 --> 00:00:45.126 A successful business today almost always requires 00:00:45.126 --> 00:00:47.226 technology, and in that world, 00:00:47.226 --> 00:00:49.896 physical ability is seldom a limitation. 00:00:49.896 --> 00:00:52.086 It's intellect that counts, and there's a lot 00:00:52.086 --> 00:00:54.426 of undiscovered talent available. 00:00:54.426 --> 00:00:57.596 Some of that talent includes people with disabilities. 00:00:57.596 --> 00:00:59.236 From the human resources standpoint, 00:00:59.236 --> 00:01:01.226 and from the company's standpoint, 00:01:01.226 --> 00:01:05.546 to AirTouch it just makes sense that we look 00:01:05.546 --> 00:01:09.626 at all the potential sources of candidates out there. 00:01:09.626 --> 00:01:10.836 That's especially true 00:01:10.836 --> 00:01:14.336 for businesses making heavy use of information technology, 00:01:14.336 --> 00:01:16.806 which is almost any business today. 00:01:16.806 --> 00:01:20.306 Worldwide, the demand for people with technology skills continues 00:01:20.306 --> 00:01:22.346 to grow dramatically, resulting 00:01:22.346 --> 00:01:25.456 in intense competition among employers to hire employees 00:01:25.456 --> 00:01:27.656 with the best high tech abilities. 00:01:27.656 --> 00:01:28.876 I think recruiting people 00:01:28.876 --> 00:01:31.016 in the technical areas is very difficult. 00:01:31.016 --> 00:01:34.496 There is a lot of competition; when you find a candidate 00:01:34.496 --> 00:01:36.006 that matches what you're looking for, 00:01:36.006 --> 00:01:38.736 you have to move very quickly, because they're probably going 00:01:38.736 --> 00:01:40.586 to be getting offers from other companies 00:01:40.586 --> 00:01:42.396 that are looking for the same thing. 00:01:42.396 --> 00:01:43.506 One way to gain an edge 00:01:43.506 --> 00:01:47.526 in recruiting new employees is to identify talented interns. 00:01:47.526 --> 00:01:50.876 Campus career development programs can help match students 00:01:50.876 --> 00:01:53.226 with your company's particular needs. 00:01:53.226 --> 00:01:55.786 That can include people with physical, sensory, 00:01:55.786 --> 00:01:57.626 or learning disabilities. 00:01:57.626 --> 00:02:00.316 At Weyerhaeuser, we have intern programs 00:02:00.316 --> 00:02:03.816 for the purpose of developing a pool of individuals 00:02:03.816 --> 00:02:07.016 that we might ultimately want to hire. 00:02:07.016 --> 00:02:08.046 [ Phone rings ] 00:02:08.046 --> 00:02:10.046 ITS Help, this is Randy. 00:02:10.046 --> 00:02:12.466 Randy Hammer was one of those Weyerhaeuser interns, 00:02:12.466 --> 00:02:14.576 working on the computer help desk. 00:02:14.576 --> 00:02:18.086 With Weyerhaeuser, they have some very specific pieces 00:02:18.086 --> 00:02:22.006 of software that they're using, and since I'm working 00:02:22.006 --> 00:02:23.826 on the help desk, these people are calling 00:02:23.826 --> 00:02:25.166 in with questions on that software. 00:02:25.166 --> 00:02:31.326 I have to know how to use it, how to lead them through things. 00:02:31.326 --> 00:02:32.636 Being blind didn't interfere 00:02:32.636 --> 00:02:34.536 with Randy's job performance. 00:02:34.536 --> 00:02:37.936 For his internship, he brought in his own adaptive technology 00:02:37.936 --> 00:02:41.056 and figured out how to integrate it with Weyerhaeuser's systems. 00:02:41.056 --> 00:02:42.336 You're always going to have 00:02:42.336 --> 00:02:43.986 to make some kind of accommodation. 00:02:43.986 --> 00:02:46.286 It doesn't matter if you're disabled or not. 00:02:46.286 --> 00:02:49.406 You're always going to have to make a little change 00:02:49.406 --> 00:02:51.616 so that you can fit in. 00:02:51.616 --> 00:02:53.666 So that you can use the things that they're using 00:02:53.666 --> 00:02:56.056 and so you can work with their people. 00:02:56.056 --> 00:02:57.066 Hey, Randy. 00:02:57.066 --> 00:02:58.996 Randy later secured full time employment 00:02:58.996 --> 00:03:00.166 at Weyerhaeuser. 00:03:00.166 --> 00:03:03.926 His internship gave the company a chance to test his skills. 00:03:03.926 --> 00:03:07.516 It was also an opportunity to explore possible accommodations, 00:03:07.516 --> 00:03:09.616 a process that's usually a lot easier, 00:03:09.616 --> 00:03:12.546 and less expensive, than people expect. 00:03:12.546 --> 00:03:15.526 Our experience has been, making accommodations 00:03:15.526 --> 00:03:18.666 for a student or for an employee are much less 00:03:18.666 --> 00:03:20.306 than what we ever anticipate they're going 00:03:20.306 --> 00:03:21.936 to be in a situation. 00:03:21.936 --> 00:03:25.816 And typically, the accommodations are easy for us 00:03:25.816 --> 00:03:27.966 to make, and we find that people 00:03:27.966 --> 00:03:31.476 that we've hired have been great employees. 00:03:31.476 --> 00:03:33.456 Employers can ask schools for help 00:03:33.456 --> 00:03:37.566 with intern accommodations, such as adaptive computer technology. 00:03:37.566 --> 00:03:41.126 And many of the adaptations for accessibility make life easier 00:03:41.126 --> 00:03:44.046 for everyone in the office. 00:03:44.046 --> 00:03:45.086 Those accommodations that are made 00:03:45.086 --> 00:03:48.806 to help open doors, put ramps in, have elevators available, 00:03:48.806 --> 00:03:51.216 those kinds of things are accommodations 00:03:51.216 --> 00:03:53.086 that everybody uses every day. 00:03:53.086 --> 00:03:53.586 And who knows 00:03:53.586 --> 00:03:56.566 when any employee may need those accommodations? 00:03:56.566 --> 00:03:58.391 Accidents can happen to anyone. 00:03:58.391 --> 00:04:00.766 [ Tires skidding, car crashing, sirens ] 00:04:00.766 --> 00:04:02.666 Most employers view the people that they have 00:04:02.666 --> 00:04:04.156 as the most important asset they have. 00:04:04.156 --> 00:04:07.166 At any time, any one of those key performers that's critical 00:04:07.166 --> 00:04:10.436 to the success of that business could be in a position 00:04:10.436 --> 00:04:13.026 where suddenly they can't walk from the car 00:04:13.026 --> 00:04:16.896 into the office anymore, because they've got a cast on their leg 00:04:16.896 --> 00:04:19.086 or they're walking on crutches. 00:04:19.086 --> 00:04:20.586 Employers want to hire a person 00:04:20.586 --> 00:04:22.866 who best matches the knowledge, skills, 00:04:22.866 --> 00:04:25.456 and attitude for a particular job. 00:04:25.456 --> 00:04:27.996 In this competitive environment, it's essential 00:04:27.996 --> 00:04:29.766 that they explore every opportunity 00:04:29.766 --> 00:04:32.296 to attract and hold new talent. 00:04:32.296 --> 00:04:35.316 What does it cost to run an ad; what does it cost to go 00:04:35.316 --> 00:04:37.476 out and hire a recruiter; as opposed to turning 00:04:37.476 --> 00:04:40.816 to an intern program, where you have clear knowledge of the kind 00:04:40.816 --> 00:04:43.186 of training that they've received; the knowledge 00:04:43.186 --> 00:04:45.406 of what kind of accommodations you might have to make 00:04:45.406 --> 00:04:47.476 in your workplace to be able to have them be a part 00:04:47.476 --> 00:04:49.936 of your team; an opportunity to evaluate 00:04:49.936 --> 00:04:52.226 that person under no obligation? 00:04:52.226 --> 00:04:54.756 Any employer that does not look to interns to fill, 00:04:54.756 --> 00:04:57.616 especially some of those entry level positions that they have, 00:04:57.616 --> 00:05:00.086 is missing a tremendous opportunity. 00:05:00.086 --> 00:05:01.976 So how do you take advantage of those opportunities?