1. Improving Recruiting Outreach to College Students with Disabilities
Alan Muir, Executive Director, COSD
Robert Vetere, Northrop Grumman
USBLN Conference October 2, 2013 1 1

2. Agenda Current Employment Landscape: The Statistics COSD
Annual Conference
Career Gateway
FULL ACCESS Student Summits
Employer Perspective on FULL ACCESS
Impact of Self Disclosure
Customized Consulting
Importance of Campus Relationships
Partnerships
National Governors Association Initiative
USBLN®
Resources
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3. Current Landscape: The Statistics…
In 2010, the population of college students with disabilities was at 10.8% or 1.4 million students (NCES, 2009)
Entire spectrum of disabilities – Apparent and Non-Apparent
70% of college students with disabilities have non-apparent disabilities
24% of college students have at least one diagnosis of a psychiatric disability – the largest and fastest growing segment among students who self-disclose
Unemployment rate confirmed at 46% through a 2013 study
52.4% of those working were working full time
35.8% of those working were earning less than $10,000 per year
Brief preface of lack of research with more on the way
Madaus Study – UCONN – findings to finalized and published late 2013 or early 2014

4. Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD)
National association focused on career employment of college graduates with disabilities
700 higher education institutions & 600 employers
National expertise in establishing and enhancing collaborative relationships between disability services and career services offices on college campuses
Resource for employers to create successful strategies to recruit students
Website –
Keep this brief
Network members
Brief history of the disconnect between DS and CS, effects on SWD
Employers – will go into more detail later in the presentation

5. Annual National Conference
November 7, 2013 Hilton Chicago / Northbrook, IL
Career Services / Disability Services
HR, EO, Diversity, Campus Recruiting
Best practices of Employers and Higher Education
Breakout sessions on specific disability topics
Veterans with disabilities and employment
Keynote Speaker – National Governors Association Initiative
Keynote Panel – Linkage between the Disability and LGBT communities
More details at

6. The only nationwide recruitment site specifically focused on college students with disabilities
More than 500 employers posting jobs for FREE
Employers and Students can access Career GatewayTM at

7. Regional education and networking events for up to 60 students with disabilities and 10 employers
Two half-days with training for students and five distinct networking opportunities for students and employers including three one-hour networking sessions for up to six students to meet with employer representatives
Fall Student Summit November 8 – 9, 2013 in Northbrook, IL
Spring Student Summit April 11 – 12, 2014 in Dallas-Fort Worth

8. Details of FULL ACCESS
Sponsored by one or two Lead Employers in selected cities
Other eight to nine employers pay a corporate participation fee or a smaller sponsorship
Sponsorships fund one nights’ stay at the selected hotel for all student attendees and meals for all attendees
Ten previous Student Summits in Orlando, Nashville, DC, Dallas, Boston, San Jose (twice with Cisco), NY Metro area, Los Angeles and Raleigh / Durham, NC

10. Details of FULL ACCESS
Students and recent grads with disabilities are recruited through a regional network of disability and career services professionals at more than 300 schools
Interested students apply online at
Once accepted, students provide their top six preferences of the eleven employers in place
Match three of those top six preferences for employer / student networking on Saturday

11. Details of FULL ACCESS Student training on Friday
Keynote Speaker, Victoria Maxwell
Disclosure Workshop
Employer-Led Resume Workshop
Formal Dinner on Friday Night
Employers host tables
Employer introductory statement
Dining Etiquette Presentation
Networking Sessions on Saturday
Employers brand their own hotel meeting room
Unstructured networking for one hour

12. Northrop Grumman Perspective
Evolution of Participation
Recognizing Candidates with Disabilities are Qualified Candidates
Employer Stereotypes versus Facts
Business Case, Baby Boomers & Ensuing Generations, Graduation Rates, etc.

13. FULL ACCESS Results
Though not promoted as a hiring event, FT hires have been made since 2010
Microsoft
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Cisco
Lowes
Walgreens (pending final offer for 1)
Internships
AT&T
Cisco (3 with one of those invited back)
IRS
NBCUniversal (2)

14. Impact of Disclosure in Employment
66.7% had disclosed their disability to an employer, primarily their supervisor (99.4%)
Primary reason to make their supervisor aware of their disability due to needing accommodations (50.3%)
Most common accommodations utilized by the participants was assistive technology (51.5%) and flexible scheduling (26.5%)
Participants implemented self-accommodations such as setting goals and priorities (58.1%), time management (54.6%) and arriving early

15. Impact of Disclosure in Employment
43.4% indicated they had experienced negative affects after self-disclosing (stigma, treated differently by supervisors and/or coworkers)
Participants who did not disclose chose not to because of concern for judgments to be formed about their performance ability (52.3%), the negative stigma associated with disability (51.1%), the desire not to be treated differently (51.1%) and concern for job security (45.5%)

16. COSD Customized Consulting
Strategies for outreach to college graduates and recruitment
Techniques for inclusive workplaces to aid in retention
Consulting using
Interactive workshops for recruiters and managers
Training to properly handle disclosure of a candidate’s disability
ERGs to enhance their role in retention
Best practices from major companies across different industries
Sustainable pipeline of candidates
Higher Education – Develop or enhance the collaborative model between Career Services and Disability Services
Focused training to counsel students in all aspects of the career search including disclosure and requesting accommodations

17. Importance of Campus Relationships
COSD helps to match campus personnel familiar with disability issues to employers seeking a focused outreach
Employer expectation should be that Career Services and Disability Services work together or that Career Services has knowledge of disability employment issues
Demonstration of employer commitment to a Disability-Inclusive Diversity plan will aid in building trust with DS
Motorola example

18. National Governors Association (NGA)
2012 – 2013 Initiative “Building a Better Bottom Line: Hiring People with Disabilities”
COSD and the University of Tennessee were the only presenters on higher education and employment of college graduates with disabilities at two NGA Policy Institutes
Written into the “National Blueprint” of best practices to implement in states
Working with state universities to improve the competitiveness of college students with disabilities
Encouragement by state government of employers to hire college graduates with disabilities

19. Impact of NGA Initiative for Employers
Public / Private partnerships
Improves the quality of supply of college graduates out of state universities
States implementing the Initiative will be attractive to employers seeking a disability-inclusive diversity strategy
Incentives and a more focused strategy by state agencies to listen to and work with employers to fulfill talent needs

20. Partnership with USBLN®
COSD has worked with the USBLN® since we each began
Formal agreement in 2013
Link to Higher Education to source candidates with disabilities to employers of USBLN®
Mentor to Student Advisory Council
Benefit to USBLN® Members of having higher education resources built into the USBLN®

21. Resources - Organizations
Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
ADA National Network
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
National Council for Education Statistics (NCES)

22. Presenter Contact Information
Alan D. Muir, Executive Director
Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD)
The University of Tennessee
Website: