Monthly Newsletter
Member Spotlights
Old National Bank wasn't looking for answers from others, they looked at what they could do themselves. They found mentoring. Ben Trockman tells us about Craig Doninger and Jim Sandgren, Old National President and COO.

Why We Mentor
When I joined Old National Bank in 2014 with the mission to improve our disability inclusion efforts, we weren’t quite sure where to start, or what format would work best for our company and our leaders. We researched some of the best practices of other companies committed to disability inclusion but were still unclear of the best commitment to make the most impact.
But when we took a hard look inside our company culture, the answer came easy. Mentorship. 
Employment Resources, Inc. (ERI), a private, nonprofit, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2020. ERI’s mission has remained constant: advancing employment opportunities to enhance the well-being of people with disabilities. Beth Wroblewski tells us two ways your business can incorporate practices to find the best talent.

We have undertaken a process to revise our job descriptions and hiring practices to ensure that we are not excluding potential employees by demanding education or advanced degrees that are not essential to doing our work. We know that we can teach the technical skills needed to do the work. One of the most important qualifications is that people have the attitude that everyone can work, and that employment can be an important part of a
person’s well-being. This has improved our efforts to hire team members that reflect the
communities that we serve.

Another area that ERI has focused on is a universal design for our learning systems and
website development. Universal design strives to be useable for everyone without the need
for adaptive equipment, or specialized programs.

Announcement
Partners with Business And Disability:IN Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Legislature established the Partners with Business initiative in 2017 to assist businesses interested in hiring and employing people with disabilities using an evidence-based coaching model.

Disability:IN Wisconsin plans to implement an employer engagement plan by researching and
creating tools, coordinating a campaign, and meeting with stakeholders to help businesses
recognize the business case for hiring people with disabilities and using the Partners with
Business strategies.

An employer engagement plan will:
 Ensure good job matches between employers and job seekers with disabilities
 Empower employers to directly train and supervise their employees with disabilities
 Cultivate workplace inclusion and natural supports
 Maximize independence on the job for workers with disabilities
 Reimburse employers for the costs of providing formal support above and beyond the
“natural supports” typically found in the workplace to their employees with disabilities,
rather than relying on outside job coaches provided by a vocational agency