Integrating positive employment outcomes into Main Street & Wall Street

Speaker:

• The Honorable Neil Romano, President & CEO of CORA (“Creating Opportunities by Recognizing Abilities”) and former Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

This session will provide an overview on how employers – large and small – benefit from diverse workplaces, including employees living with HIV/AIDS.

Learning Objectives:

1. To better understand the common fears of employers, as well as their employees, with respect to HIV in the workplace and how to overcome them
2. To educate employers about “hidden disabilities” in the workplace, and why their value to the company should not change because their HIV-positive
3. To learn how employers and employees can integrate successful workplace strategies regardless of HIV/AIDS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18th
03:00 PM – 04:15 PM     Session #2

Positive recruitment and retention strategies

Speaker:

• Mitchell Katine, Esq. Partner with Katine Nechman, L.L.P.
• Katherine McCary, VP & Manager, Accessing Community Talent, Disability Resource Center with SunTrust Banks

This session will present a broad overview of HIV as a disability under the ADA, with a specific emphasis on persons with HIV who are currently working or considering returning to work after an HIV disability leave of absence. Included in the program will be information for employers about the rights of an HIV positive individual in an employment setting, as well as information about insurance, HIV testing, confidentiality, and the FMLA. The program information will range from very basic information to more advanced material for those that have been working in the area for many years.

Learning Objectives:

1. To identify how HIV/AIDS fits into the expanded definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008;
2. To identify at least 3 strategies for addressing reasonable accommodations for individuals who have HIV/AIDs under the ADA; and
3. To identify at least 2 areas where protections for individuals with HIV/AIDS under the ADA intersects with other employment laws.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19th
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM      Session #3

SSA Ticket to Work: Make it Work for YOU!

Speaker:

• Tom Gloss, Ticket to Work Program Specialist with SSA Ticket to Work/CESSI

SSA’s Ticket to Work Program began roll-out in 2001 but was changed significantly by the final regulation which became effective July 22, 2008 providing Employment Networks (ENs) more money overall, money earlier in the process and now rewarding ENs for beneficiaries with disabilities who work part-time. Total potential Ticket value exceeds $20,000 and using the Ticket will postpone the medical continuing disability review that many beneficiaries find stressful. In addition to a discussion of how the Ticket fits within SSA’s work incentives, participants who are providers will learn how to become an Employment Network and those who are beneficiaries will gain information to decide if using the Ticket could be helpful.

Learning Objectives:

1. To gain an understanding of the new Ticket to Work Program and the opportunities it provides for disability beneficiaries to access the supports and services necessary for them to attain their employment goals and the postponement of medical continuing disability reviews while using the Ticket;
2. To learn how the Ticket to Work Program fits within SSA’s other work incentives for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries; and
3. To learn about the safety net for beneficiaries who stop work, including continued coverage of Medicare, Medicaid while working and expedited reinstatement of benefits.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19th
03:00 PM – 04:15 PM      Session #4

Positive Practice: Accommodating Workers with HIV and Hepatitis

Speaker:

• Tracie Saab, Lead Consultant, Job Accommodation Network

Get the facts and learn straightforward tips for accommodating workers with HIV or hepatitis. Positive practices lead to productive outcomes and include offering workplace flexibility, maintaining confidentiality, and following universal precautions for the safety of all employees.

Learning Objectives:

1. To become knowledgeable about the transmission of HIV and hepatitis and the diseases' impact on health and safety at work;
2. To apply reasonable accommodation principles to accommodate workers with HIV or hepatitis; and
3. To understand the applicability of the ADA and its amendments, to workers with infectious diseases.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20th 10:00 AM – 11:15 AM Session #5

Working with HIV: Legal Protections in the Workplace

Speaker:

• Bebe J. Anderson, Esq., HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal

This session will address the rights of people living with HIV to be free from discrimination related to employment. The primary focus will be on federal antidiscrimination laws, the protections they provide to PLWH who are employed or seeking employment and recent favorable changes in those laws. Protections to be discussed include restrictions on medical inquiries by employers and rights to seek reasonable accommodations.

Learning objectives:

1. To increase participants’ understanding of the key protections against employment discrimination provided by federal law;
2. To empower participants with a better understanding of restrictions on an employer’s ability to ask about HIV status or require medical information that might reveal HIV status; and
3. To update participants’ understanding of workplace protections by imparting information about recent changes to federal law.