CSG Associates in Action

The following has been submitted directly from private sector partners of The Council of State Governments. This content is shared directly and without any editorial contributions or changes by Capitol Ideas. The content and viewpoints are those of the authors alone.

Private sector partners share their contributions to improving the lives of people with disabilities

AUDI:

Driving Innovation for Independent Journeys for all Passengers

Brad Stertz | Director of Government Affairs, Audi

Brad Stertz, Director of Government Affairs, Audi

The new era of electric and autonomous vehicles is on the horizon. There are still some years until self-driving tech is mature enough, but significant efforts are required now to ensure vehicles deliver on the potential to provide increased mobility to those that are currently underserved.

Automakers and other innovators need sufficient lead time to develop new vehicle platforms that are truly accessible. We need to spark and drive innovation in parts of the larger ecosystem involved in the safe and independent journeys of our passengers.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Group of America are on an Inclusive Mobility mission to improve transportation and the quality of life for people with disabilities.

This program, started in 2017, directly engages with disability groups in the early stages of designing vehicle technologies, user experience and mobility services. We drive this effort from our Silicon Valley Campus, but are deeply networked within the global organization and integrated into the engineering and design processes to Germany.

So, where are we starting? The first topic we pursued is wheelchairs because we need to establish requirements early.

From our conversations with stakeholders, it became clear that wheelchair manufacturers will need to make significant investments and create new standards for crashworthy wheelchairs. In order to trigger these investments, they would like to see:

• Clear signals of commitment from the automotive industry

• Changes in the way Medicare and insurance providers cover “transit” options on wheelchairs

We hope to find interest among other innovators to shape these new emerging cross-industry standards through Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) or other standards bodies. Looking ahead, we’re also exploring what other interfaces to assistive devices or tech ecosystems may benefit from standardization. We are not looking to standardize the end user interfaces, which provide opportunities for innovation and differentiation amongst automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

CVS: Celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary

Ernie DuPont | Senior Director, Workforce Initiatives

Ernie DuPont, Senior Director, Workforce Initiatives

CVS Health is honored to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. We applaud the landmark legislation that supports the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life, including employment.

For more than two decades, CVS Health has been committed to having a workforce that is diverse and inclusive. The company works to ensure that youth, mature workers, veterans and other groups that reflect its communities have a place within the company.

The Workforce Initiatives team partners with state and federal workforce agencies to provide employment services and training to underserved communities. They’ve helped thousands of people access meaningful employment opportunities. They’ve also worked with schools, churches, universities, faith-based and community organizations to hire people with diverse backgrounds.

To help these individuals find meaningful employment opportunities, CVS Health created the Abilities In Abundance program, which helps workers with disabilities access the security and prosperity that stable jobs can provide. Skilled, productive workers with disabilities can be brought successfully into the workforce and can make extraordinary contributions to our economy and our society. Abilities In Abundance works to break down the employment barriers people with disabilities face, such as limited access to skills training and, too often, unfairly low expectations.

Through the Abilities In Abundance program, more than 55 programs are active in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The innovative installation of simulated facilities at 21 program sites, has enhanced training capabilities in safe environments for individuals with disabilities. Mock CVS Pharmacies, designed and stocked to look like actual CVS Pharmacies, offer unique hands-on training in retail or pharmacy space housed in schools, vocational rehabilitation centers and community agencies.

The Procter & Gamble Company

Laura Becker | President of Global Business Services, The Procter & Gamble Company

Laura Becker, President of Global Business Services, The Procter & Gamble Company

With no two diagnoses the same, Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition that needs careful understanding to enable an individual to thrive. Full-time employment for adults on the autism spectrum is disappointingly low despite the skills that many autistic people can offer potential employers — especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. To drive diversity and inclusion and create innovative growth, P&G has stepped into the realm of Neurodiversity, an umbrella term for those who think differently.

Programs have been launched in P&G’s United Kingdom, Boston, Costa Rica, Singapore and Cincinnati offices to learn as a company how to hire this dynamic talent and to capture candidates’ unique problem-solving methods. Employees from this program are currently working in the fields of R&D and Smart Robotic Automation. The company sees these programs as an innovation strategy to source diverse talents and drive business results, and early results show both, leading to plans for expansion.

“P&G began a neurodiversity program to ensure we can fully tap into the broadest set of talent available, benefiting from the unique ideas and capabilities of a diverse group,” said Laura Becker, P&G’s president for Global Business Services. “I want P&G to be a place where neurodiversity is a win for the business, the organization and the individuals.”