RESPECT of Florida is the central non-profit agency for the State of Florida that helps employ about 1,200 Floridians with disabilities through the production of commodities and contractual services that are sold to government entities. If you would like to learn more about us or browse our catalog, visit us at:
respectofflorida.org.
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A Message from Executive Director Ryland Musick
As we enter our fiscal year final quarter, RESPECT is having a good year. It appears gross sales will again be ahead of last year and we are hopeful the new volume will result in even more jobs for folks with disabilities. That is our real mission and the greatest challenge - to keep employing more and more workers with disabilities each year even as the workforce shifts from facility-based to community based jobs.
When this program was started in the 1970s, most work for people with visual impairments and severe disabilities was done at a central facility (sheltered workshop) and involved manufacturing or assembling commodities. Now, service contracts comprise roughly 75% of the work for the RESPECT program, with most employees operating off site. These jobs pay at least minimum wage and often include health insurance, annual leave and retirement benefits. That's a long way from the piece-rate approach typically used with the Department of Labor 14c Special Wage Certificates.
The RESPECT program was created as a priority purchasing program to promote employment of people with disabilities. The legislature understood there are many benefits to society and to the state by encouraging government entities to purchase goods and services through RESPECT. Through the years, thousands of Floridians have enjoyed the satisfaction of earning a paycheck, paying taxes and reducing their reliance on state and federal support programs. At the same time, cities, counties, schools, state agencies and other government entities have received high quality goods and services provided by these workers. These are goods and services they would have bought anyway, but by buying through RESPECT, not only have they gotten what they needed but they also helped employ workers with disabilities. Everyone wins!
So, thank you government purchasing agents, contract managers and agency heads who support RESPECT by buying our goods and services. Without your support thousands of people with disabilities would be sitting at home wondering what it was like to have a job and feeling the satisfaction of helping support themselves.
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Facebook is one more way RESPECT wants to connect with you. Click above to like our page.
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Spotlight on Success
Michael Raszewski is a thoughtful and motivated employee who goes above and beyond to help anyone in need. When he first came to Palm Beach Habilitation Center he shied away from making eye contact, but today he is the first to come up and say hello while making eye contact.
Marcus Clark's respectful demeanor and awesome attitude make him a stand-out employee at Challenge Enterprises. As his skill has improved, he has been able to work more independently.
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Meetings, Training, and Events
- Sept. 13-15 - FL Association of Environmental Professionals, Tallahassee
- Sept. 15 - Golf Quest, Tee it Up!, Orlando
- Sept. 19 - Florida ARF/RESPECT Awards, Tampa
- Sept. 19 - RESPECT Oversight Committee, Tampa
- Sept. 24-27 - FL Association of Educational Data Systems, Daytona Beach
- Oct. - Disability Employment Awareness Month
- Oct. 4 - Exceptional Employer Awards, Tallahassee
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Commodity Line of the Month
RESPECT offers several office supplies through its Procurement List including clocks, air dusters, batteries, pens, and toners.
We also offer laminated calendars and desk calendars during certain times of the year. Be on the look out for the new 2018 calendars - coming soon!
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RESPECT Seeks Entrepreneurs for Micro-Enterprise Grant
RESPECT of Florida has a modest grant ($12,500) available to assist a person with a disability in starting or enhancing their own business. RESPECT requires that the grant be administered through a Certified Employment Center with General and Administrative expenses not to exceed 20%. The terms and conditions of the grant are somewhat flexible.
The grant could also support a person who could serve as a subcontractor of a Certified Employment Center for a service or product currently being performed by another entity. There will be preference for proposals that contribute value added (direct labor provided by people with disabilities) to an existing RESPECT commodity or service where something is currently outsourced as an ancillary service. Proposals sould increase vertical integration regarding employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
If you are interested, you must submit the Notice of Intent by 5pm on Friday, August 11, 2017. There is a Mandatory Pre-Bid Teleconference at 2pm, Monday, August 14, 2017.
There are very specific limitations on communications as part of the Proposal For Assignment process. If you are interested in bidding, please read the document carefully to ensure you are not disqualified for improper communications with RESPECT regarding this opportunity.
For more information or specific questions, please email [email protected].
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APD to Honor Exceptional Employers
The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is soliciting nominations for outstanding Florida employers with a history of hiring people with disabilities. Please nominate an Exceptional Employer you know who has made a commitment to the employment of individuals with disabilities using our easy online form. If you are aware of an employer that has a history of hiring and supporting individuals with disabilities, please complete the online nomination form. The nomination form is also posted on APDcares.org. The nomination deadline is August 25.
APD will recognize the selected outstanding Florida employers as part of the annual celebration of Disability Employment Awareness Month on October 4 at Tallahassee City Hall, so make plans to attend beginning at 8:30 a.m. Feel free to forward this message to others who may be aware of great employers. Past winners are identified below.
Past Outstanding Exceptional Employer Winners include:
The 2016 award-winning businesses were:
- Barrette Outdoor Living (Brooksville)
- Bealls
- Flowers Baking Company of Jacksonville LLC
- Greenspoon Marder (Fort Lauderdale)
- Humane Society of Bay County Thrift and Gift Store (Panama City)
- Mantiques Clock Shop (Inverness)
- The Pickle Baron of Key West
- The Print Shop (Naples)
- Rosen Shingle Creek Resort (Orlando)
- Walgreens
The 2015 award-winning businesses were:
- Kilwins Jacksonville
- LEGOLAND Florida (Winter Haven)
- Lowe's Home Improvement
- Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department
- OfficeMax/Office Depot
- Popeyes (Panama City)
- 3 Daughters Brewing (St. Petersburg)
- Winter Park Memorial Hospital
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Staff Highlight: Meet Michael Yon
 Michael Yon has served as the IT Administrator for Florida Association for Rehabilitation Facilities (Florida ARF) and RESPECT of Florida for almost five years. Throughout the years, Michael has been instrumental in researching and implementing several important initiatives within the organization. To name a few, he spearheaded Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance to ensure secure processing of customer credit cards, played a vital role in the major overhaul in RESPECT's accounting system, worked on the redesign of the Florida ARF website, and designed and implemented Salesforce for RESPECT of Florida.
Michael is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and holds a Network+ and A+ certification through CompTIA. Additionally, he was named Analyst of the Year 2009-2010 by the National Help Desk Institute and recently won the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association Volunteer of the Year Award for 2016.
Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys watching the Florida Gators.
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Sometimes it is Legal to Discriminate
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HR & Compliance Manager, Dayna Lenk |
Discrimination is a word that is politically incorrect these days, but there are situations that exist where giving preference to a certain demographic of people is a good thing.
When an
organization has a legitimate core philosophy that defines their very reason for existence, such as finding employment for the disabled, then the ability to select a disabled candidate over a nondisabled candidate is essential to their group's success - the value of the ability to legally have a disability preference is positive discrimination.
When most people think of discrimination in the workplace, they imagine an ugly scenario in which a supervisor, who is a member of a "majority" group, takes adverse action against an employee who is a member of a "minority" group. This type of discrimination is common, illegal, and wrong. There is also a form of reverse discrimination wherein members of a majority or historically advantaged group (such as Caucasians or males) are discriminated against based on their race, gender, age, or other protected characteristic.
Discrimination in the hiring processes is illegal except when it's not. Nothing prohibits an employer from hiring an individual with a disability over an applicant without a disability. The law is clearly on the side of the disabled. Under the
ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA)
, employers can discriminate in favor of disabled individuals and against individuals without a disability. The
ADAAA went on to add a section to the statute expressly stating that the ADAAA does not protect those who claim discrimination because of a "lack of disability."
Likewise, the 2008 House Judiciary Committee Report provides that this provision "prohibits reverse discrimination claims by disallowing claims based on the lack of disability." The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) even
states that employers can discriminate in favor of people with disabilities
.
Unfortunately, as many companies see from time to time, some disgruntled applicants and employees will sue for almost anything - even if the claims have no legal basis. The good news is that from a purely legal standpoint, a nondisabled individual doesn't have a claim under the ADAAA premise on the belief that an employer gave a disabled applicant or employee preferential treatment over a nondisabled applicant or employee. So, if a disgruntled applicant or employee who isn't disabled sues for reverse disability discrimination, you have a strong defense under the ADAAA.
So, promote it proudly and without fear! If your agency, group or affiliation advocates for the employment of persons with disabilities, do not be afraid to prominently promote that your hiring committee will give preference to those who are disabled, or even will solely hire disabled applicants. After all, it is our core mission and the ADAAA and the EEOC are behind us in support of our goal of creating meaningful jobs for the disabled.
The information contained in this article is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion.
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Respectfully Yours
Editorial Team
Lindsey Boyington - Editorial Director
Ryland Musick - Columnist
Dayna Lenk - Human Resources Feature Writer
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