0:00:02.659,0:00:03.810
>> Sean Marihugh:[br]My name is Sean Marihugh

0:00:03.810,0:00:06.910
and I work at Microsoft.[br]I’m an escalation engineer

0:00:06.910,0:00:09.190
on what's called the[br]Disability Answer Desk

0:00:09.190,0:00:10.960
which is a free[br]technical support service

0:00:10.960,0:00:12.410
for customers with disabilities.

0:00:12.410,0:00:14.810
>> Jean Hodgson:[br]I'm Jean Hodgson.

0:00:14.810,0:00:16.100
I work for PROVAIL.

0:00:16.100,0:00:18.140
We're a nonprofit organization

0:00:18.140,0:00:20.710
that advocates for[br]folks with disabilities.

0:00:20.710,0:00:24.640
We help them get into[br]the mainstream job market,

0:00:24.640,0:00:27.689
into mainstream jobs[br]working with Americans

0:00:27.689,0:00:31.199
in the fields of all[br]different types of work.

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>> Sam Sepah:[br]I'm Sam Sepah.

0:00:32.630,0:00:35.550
I am an HR professional[br]and I have worked

0:00:35.550,0:00:39.820
for a variety of tech companies[br]over the last 10 years of my career.

0:00:39.820,0:00:43.760
And now I'm focusing on[br]recruitment for software engineers.

0:00:46.020,0:00:49.879
>> Susan Sears: I'm Susann Sears[br]and I work for the University of Illinois,

0:00:49.880,0:00:53.700
specifically with the Disability Resources[br]and Educational Services office.

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>> Mike Forehand:[br]I'm Mike Forehand.

0:00:55.649,0:00:57.719
I work in the recruiting space

0:00:57.719,0:01:02.559
with a focus on[br]creating diversity outreach

0:01:02.560,0:01:04.950
primarily towards the[br]disabled community.

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>> Tony Baylis:[br]My name is Tony Baylis.

0:01:08.170,0:01:12.080
I work at Lawrence Livermore[br]National Laboratory

0:01:12.080,0:01:14.220
that's in Livermore, California.

0:01:14.220,0:01:17.770
It's one of 17 Department of Energy labs.

0:01:17.770,0:01:19.800
Our focus is on national security.

0:01:19.800,0:01:21.240
[music]

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>> Sean Marihugh:[br]People with disabilities

0:01:28.009,0:01:31.650
are in general fairly underrepresented[br]in a lot of fields.

0:01:31.650,0:01:36.760
Computing’s definitely one[br]of the top drivers--- top fields there.

0:01:36.760,0:01:39.610
I think it's really critical[br]that we, that students,

0:01:39.610,0:01:43.039
feel encouraged and empowered[br]to pursue fields of computing

0:01:43.039,0:01:45.580
because I think they[br]can pave the way

0:01:45.580,0:01:48.240
to make everyone else's experience[br]with technology better.

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>> Tony Baylis: How are we[br]supposed to solve societal problems

0:01:52.239,0:01:55.850
if we're not representing[br]society as a whole?

0:01:55.850,0:02:00.090
And in that regard,[br]you need to be inclusive

0:02:00.090,0:02:05.039
with the individuals that you're serving[br]and that's the entire population.

0:02:05.039,0:02:09.879
If you have 2 billion[br]people with disabilities,

0:02:09.879,0:02:11.250
how can you ignore that?

0:02:11.250,0:02:16.700
How can you ignore not inviting[br]them into the discussion?

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>> Sam Sepah:[br]Candidates with disabilities

0:02:20.820,0:02:24.460
have a unique thought process[br]to bring to a company.

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Our country is diverse so the[br]marketplace needs to attract

0:02:27.470,0:02:29.310
a lot of diverse people who will

0:02:29.310,0:02:33.430
use the products that we're selling[br]or the services we're providing.

0:02:33.430,0:02:40.130
If a country is diverse, your team[br]needs to be diverse as well

0:02:40.130,0:02:44.860
to parallel what our[br]country's demographics are.

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>> Mike Forehand:[br]As team members

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they're just as passionate[br]about making a contribution

0:02:51.630,0:02:57.470
and being a part of a broader team[br]as everyone else is,

0:02:57.470,0:02:59.670
the difference being that[br]they look at the world

0:02:59.670,0:03:02.840
and they have different[br]problem-solving and coping skills

0:03:02.840,0:03:04.860
that lead them to[br]different solutions.

0:03:04.860,0:03:06.840
>> Sean Marihugh:[br]I don't think it's the case

0:03:06.840,0:03:10.660
that someone with a disability knows[br]everything about everyone else's disability,

0:03:10.660,0:03:13.420
but I think they bring a[br]certain empathy to a company

0:03:13.420,0:03:16.319
so they'll understand people[br]have different experiences

0:03:16.319,0:03:19.120
and having interns and[br]employees with disabilities,

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I think they can bring[br]that perspective.

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>> Tony Baylis: I think having people[br]with disabilities in your culture

0:03:26.280,0:03:30.000
actually helps people[br]to better understand

0:03:30.000,0:03:32.870
about our cultural differences,[br]about our learning differences,

0:03:32.870,0:03:37.160
about how you can have[br]different perspectives.

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>> Sam Sepah:[br]More sensitivity is needed

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when you're talking about interviewing[br]these type of candidates.

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You need to think about the support[br]that they're going to need

0:03:45.640,0:03:48.620
in the interview beforehand.

0:03:48.620,0:03:50.370
And have more of a streamlined process

0:03:50.370,0:03:54.380
that makes the candidates feel welcomed[br]right at the start of the interview

0:03:54.380,0:03:57.350
so that they feel welcomed[br]into the team.

0:03:57.350,0:03:58.930
They know what's going to[br]have to be happening

0:03:58.930,0:04:01.080
in the process[br]of the interview.

0:04:01.080,0:04:02.959
It empowers them[br]and really allows

0:04:02.960,0:04:05.810
for that magic to happen[br]in the interview process.

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>> Jean Hodgson: We work currently[br]as a partner with Microsoft

0:04:09.630,0:04:11.720
on their autistic hiring program.

0:04:11.720,0:04:17.030
We help them recruit,[br]we help them obtain lots of individuals

0:04:17.030,0:04:20.100
that they might include[br]in their hiring pool.

0:04:20.100,0:04:23.030
We coach the folks that are[br]going to be interviewing them,

0:04:23.030,0:04:25.350
we coach the interviewees

0:04:25.350,0:04:28.170
in helping them through[br]some of the difficult areas

0:04:28.170,0:04:30.150
like phone screenings,

0:04:30.150,0:04:34.230
making a little bit of a[br]softer job interview process

0:04:34.230,0:04:37.490
so that you can get to the core[br]of the skills of the individual

0:04:37.490,0:04:40.720
and see if they are a great fit[br]for your employment.

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>> Sam Sepah: One study[br]that really inspired me

0:04:44.530,0:04:52.450
that I read about was asking[br]customers in the marketplace

0:04:52.450,0:04:57.570
if they learned about a company[br]that hired people with disabilities.

0:04:57.570,0:05:00.990
What they found out was that customers[br]that found this out about companies

0:05:00.990,0:05:03.990
would be more willing to buy[br]their products and services

0:05:03.990,0:05:06.350
and we learned that it's because[br]customers have more respect

0:05:06.350,0:05:08.340
for a business that does that

0:05:08.340,0:05:10.680
not only because it's[br]the right thing to do

0:05:10.680,0:05:15.030
but because they're really[br]taking charge of that responsibility.

0:05:15.030,0:05:18.200
They're committed to diversity[br]and hiring a diverse workforce,

0:05:18.200,0:05:19.790
including people with disabilities.

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>> Jean Hodgson: Anytime that inclusion[br]is part of a goal, everyone benefits.

0:05:26.800,0:05:29.970
And when there's technology[br]that is inclusive,

0:05:29.970,0:05:31.800
such as videos[br]that are captioned

0:05:31.800,0:05:40.090
or websites where it's more accessible[br]to someone with any type of difficulty,

0:05:40.090,0:05:41.980
then there’s a more[br]expansive audience,

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there’s more expansive[br]ability for profiting.

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>> Susann Sears: I think that[br]the investment in everybody's future

0:05:48.910,0:05:53.900
has to do with building and[br]designing things that are accessible

0:05:53.900,0:05:56.030
from the very beginning.

0:05:56.030,0:05:58.090
It's an investment for[br]all our futures,

0:05:58.090,0:06:02.300
not just the person,[br]individuals, with disabilities.

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None of us know what's going[br]to happen to us individually.

0:06:06.620,0:06:09.040
In a matter of seconds,[br]your whole life can change

0:06:09.040,0:06:11.979
and you yourself may join[br]the disability community

0:06:11.979,0:06:13.900
and need these accommodations,

0:06:13.900,0:06:17.669
so it's not just about, you know,[br]hiring and recruiting people

0:06:17.669,0:06:20.060
but it's an investment[br]for all of us.

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>> Tony Baylis:[br]I think we have a challenge,

0:06:23.150,0:06:28.120
but to include[br]people with disabilities

0:06:28.120,0:06:32.840
we have to start to work on[br]shedding biases in general,

0:06:32.840,0:06:35.990
these implicit and unconscious[br]biases across the board

0:06:35.990,0:06:39.110
and that’s even with[br]people with disabilities.

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I think we'll have[br]a long road, unfortunately,

0:06:41.920,0:06:46.520
but I think it's a road[br]that we can work together.

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I think we need organizations[br]and companies

0:06:48.990,0:06:51.080
to collaboratively[br]work on this effort.

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>> Mike Forehand:[br]In an environment

0:06:53.050,0:06:58.690
where industry is based on[br]cross-cultural collaboration

0:06:58.690,0:07:02.199
and everything is[br]kind of team-oriented,

0:07:02.200,0:07:07.560
having a completely different[br]point of view is invaluable.

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>> Sean Marihugh: When we're[br]bringing the perspectives of,

0:07:11.740,0:07:14.460
at least considering the different[br]perspectives that other people have,

0:07:14.460,0:07:16.900
I think we can make our products[br]way more inclusive,

0:07:16.900,0:07:19.509
make our culture,[br]make our workplace

0:07:19.509,0:07:21.980
just way more inclusive[br]and a better place to be.

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>> Susann Sears: Truly,

0:07:23.580,0:07:29.840
attitudinal access is the most[br]important part of being inclusive.

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It's not physical access.[br]It's attitudinal access.

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So we have to impact culture[br]and I know that takes a while

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and that can be challenging

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but I think starting out small[br]and having one good success

0:07:44.800,0:07:48.380
is an incredible start and then[br]you build momentum from there.