Microsoft Assembles Able to Work Business Consortium

Although people with disabilities have much to offer in the workplace, employers have yet to fully tap this pool of more than 8.5 million qualified, eager job seekers.

To help remedy this issue, Microsoft, along with the National Business & Disability Council (NBDC), has assembled an Able to Work Consortium of 21 leading North American companies. The association will develop tools and strategies to help businesses tap into this segment of the work force.

Participating firms, including Safeco, Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Caterpillar, and IBM, will provide consolidated recruiting and accommodation resources to help open the job market to people with disabilities.

In a keynote address during the NBDC's annual conference, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates explained how Microsoft's experience with the disability community served as a catalyst for its participation in the consortium. "As technology continues to evolve, usability issues become more and more important," Gates said. "For years, we've worked to ensure that our products empower users with information-and this includes people with disabilities. The Able to Work Consortium provides us with an opportunity to come together with companies across all industries to set an example, share best practices, and make it easier for people with disabilities to enter the work force."

In November, consortium members will meet for a Strategic Employer Summit to agree on current initiatives and determine key programs and projects for next year. The consortium will establish the following ongoing projects, aimed at increasing awareness and bringing more people with disabilities into the work force:

• An interactive Web site at http://www.abletowork.org that matches employers and job seekers, with online job and résumé postings from consortium members and other companies.
• A pilot employment program that provides new entrants in the job market with on-the-job training through a partnership with the president's National Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities.
• A database of information from professional and human-resources organizations regarding best practices for identifying, recruiting, and hiring people with disabilities, as well as information about people in that community who have succeeded in the work place.

"Able to Work Consortium participants already have innovative tools and strategies in place for recruiting, hiring, and accommodating individuals with disabilities," said Human Resources Vice President Chris Williams. "Our goal is to leverage the strong work they have under way to provide resources and advocacy to businesses of any size, in any community."

Visit http://www.microsoft.com/enable/ to learn more about Microsoft's accessibility initiatives.