28 29 decavision 2009!Vol. 18, No. 4
Talent wanted for people with targeted disabilities According to Grant, the renewed effort by DoD Dr. Pete Skirbunt Office of <strong>com</strong>munication DeCA intends to hire at least 189 “individuals with targeted disabilities,” or IWTDs, in the next few years. This hiring effort will be part of an overall goal mandated by the Department of Defense of ultimately having 2 percent of the entire DoD workforce made up of individuals with these disabilities. DeCA presently employs 126 such individuals, so the additional 189 would bring the agency’s total to 315 — and that is 2 percent of the agency’s 15,714 civilian employees who are not contract workers or “local nationals” working at overseas stores. Targeted ‘‘ disabilities include – but are not limited to – hearing or vision impairments, missing extremities, and partial or <strong>com</strong>plete paralysis. It also includes conditions such as convulsions, mental retardation, mental or emotional illness, and severe distortion of the limbs or spine. Claudie Grant of DeCA’s Equal Employment Opportunity office stressed that the agency is not simply filling an arbitrary quota with individuals who may or may not be qualified for employment. Instead, DeCA hopes to exceed the numerical goal, while making sure that all individuals hired meet all requirements for the positions into which they are placed. “Anyone with a targeted disability needs to be just as qualified as the other top candidates for a given job,” Grant said. “We will not relax our standards either in hiring or in job performance just to hire a person with a targeted disability.” Cherry Point Commissary, N.C., leads the way in DeCA in hiring the disabled. Store Director Phyllis Black calls this team, “The Magnificent Seven.” Josh Jones kneels in front; seated are Katie Wildermuth, Samantha Wynn and Tiffany Keyes; and standing, Manuel George, Grocery Manager Jozette Stewart, Travis Parker, Black, and Joshua Daugherty. DeCA photo: Maureen Burnetsky ! I love working at the <strong>com</strong>missary, talking to the customers and meeting people, asking them if they found everything OK. Agency provides equal opportunities and the agency has been prompted by a decreasing number of individuals with targeted disabilities employed by the department. “That means,” he emphasized, “that we have to not only do a better job of hiring such individuals, we also have to do a better job of keeping them.” While these efforts will be carried out at all levels – headquarters, regions and <strong>com</strong>missaries – several stores have already proven themselves to be remarkably proactive regarding IWTDs. Grant is especially impressed with the efforts of Store Director Phyllis Black at Marine Corps Base Cherry Point, N.C., who recently hired eight such individuals – that’s 28 percent of the 29 people hired by the entire agency in recent months. Black says of her effort, “It just took off! I got excited about it, because there’s nothing these people can’t do, and I’m glad to give them a chance to prove it. They all have positive attitudes that more than make up for any problems their disabilities cause them. I wish I had more of them!” Alan Jones, Cherry Point’s zone manager, is equally enthusiastic: “We’re thrilled to support this program that brings us employees with positive attitudes and great work ethics,” he said. Black’s efforts recently helped her achieve DeCA’s award as EEO Leader of the Year. “If Cherry Point can do it, so can other stores,” Grant said, “and we’re confident that’s what will happen. Cherry Point has given everyone an example to emulate. We’re not asking anyone to show favoritism; we’re asking that hiring officials give everyone – including targeted individuals – a fair chance.” Bob Vitikacs, DeCA East acting director, noted that stores in his region have recently hired 11 IWTDs in addition to the eight at Cherry Point. “We’re encouraging all of our stores to be proactive in this program,” he said. “Cherry Point’s success is really an inspiration to everyone. We can help improve people’s lives and simultaneously improve the agency.” Keith Hagenbuch, acting director for DeCA — Joshua Daugherty West, said he and the region fully support the w 29
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