June 18, 2004

MGH symposium addresses disabilities in the workforce

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) believes that approximately 70 percent of people with disabilities currently are not employed in the workforce. How to determine a concrete number and lower this statistic was the topic of discussion June 9 when W. Roy Grizzard, Jr., EdD, the first assistant secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, visited the MGH. Grizzard, who has retinitis pigmentosa, a disability that left him with 10 percent of his vision, is responsible for advising the Secretary of Labor on issues surrounding the employment of people with disabilities. He works with all agencies within the Department of Labor to increase opportunities and reduce barriers to employment for adults and youth with disabilities.

From left, Mondejar, Grizzard and Vega-Barachowitz.

Grizzard addressed MGH employees and community leaders with his presentation "Employment: The Great Equalizer for People with Disabilities" in the O'Keeffe Auditorium. He spoke about the issues the ODEP is addressing and how it is making an effort to encourage larger companies to be open and accepting of potential employees with disabilities. "People with disabilities encounter barriers," said Grizzard. "We want to tear these barriers down. I encourage the MGH to join us in meeting this challenge and partnering with the ODEP."

The program ended with Oswald Mondejar and Carmen Vega-Barachowitz, co-chairs of the MGH Council on Disabilities Awareness, thanking Grizzard with a gift for coming to the MGH. The MGH Council on Disabilities Awareness, which sponsored the event, was created to assure that the MGH is a welcoming and comfortable environment for all individuals with disabilities. To help further this mission, Grizzard also met with senior administration and members of the MGH Diversity Committee later in the day to discuss how the MGH can continue to address these issues.

The event also was sponsored by the MGH Office of the President and
co-sponsored by the Association of Multicultural Members of Partners, Human Resources, Community Benefits, the Multicultural Affairs Office and Patient Care Services.