Health Care Professionals with 

Disabilities Career Trends, Best

Practices and 

Call-to-Action Policy Roundtable
 

March 18, 2014

U.S. Access Board 

Washington, D.C. 

Event Proceedings 

U.S. Department of Labor

Office of Disability Employment Policy 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents 

Summary .......................................................................................................................................3
 

Opening Remarks..........................................................................................................................4
 

Laying the Foundation: Meeting Objectives and Proposed Outcomes.........................................8
 

Understanding the Barriers: Accessing Careers in Nursing and the Allied Health Professions ...9
 

The Need to Diversify the Workforce to Address Growing Health Care Employment Demands 12
 

Panel Session One: Driving Access to Post-Secondary Educational Programs in Nursing and

Allied Health Professions for Prospective Students with Disabilities and Returning Veterans....15
 

Panel Session Two: Opportunities and Promising Practices for Jobseekers with Disabilities and

Veterans in Nursing and the Allied Health Professions ...............................................................23
 

Group Discussion of Outcomes: Strategies for Engaging Jobseekers with Disabilities and

Returning Veterans to Meet the Growing Demand for a Qualified Nursing/AHP Workforce .......28
 

Next Steps ...................................................................................................................................32
 

Appendix A – Meeting Sponsors .................................................................................................33
 

Appendix B – Participant List.......................................................................................................34
 

Appendix C – Agenda..................................................................................................................41
 

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Summary 

According to the U.S. Department of Laborʼs (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics, health 

care occupations dominate the list of jobs predicted to be in most demand in coming

years. In fact, more than half of the occupations projected to have the highest percent

increase in employment from 2012 to 2022 are in the health care industry.1 Yet, it is

also predicted that there is simply not enough talent in the pipeline, or “supply,” to meet

this imminent demand.2 

This looming labor shortage is the result of a confluence of several factors, including but

not limited to advances in medical technologies, the aging of the Baby Boom generation 

and the implementation of health care reform. As a result, it is incumbent upon the

health care industry to closely examine its employment and training practices, and

expand its paradigm related to workforce planning. 

People with disabilities have an important role to play in this changing landscape. They 

not only represent an untapped talent pool, but also offer significant value and insight

that can improve patient care. These opportunities were the overarching theme of the

Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends, Best Practices and Call-toAction Policy Roundtable, hosted on March 18, 2014 by DOLʼs Office of Disability 

Employment Policy (ODEP) in collaboration with the National Organization of Nurses

with Disabilities (NOND) and co-sponsored by DOLʼs Employment and Training

Administration (ETA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Servicesʼ (HHS)

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (For information about meeting

sponsors, see Appendix A.) 

Held at the U.S. Access Board in Washington, DC, this full-day event convened more

than 40 key opinion leaders from across the country, including employers, Federal and

state policymakers, researchers, and educational administrators. (For a list of 

participants, see Appendix B.) By sharing research and best practices, these

participants put a policy lens on a dialogue initiated in May 2011, when DOL/ODEP

hosted a health care “sector summit” in partnership with Access Living of Metropolitan

Chicago. From this dialogue, ODEP and NOND formed an alliance which was signed in 

2012. The main goal of this alliance was to recognize the value of establishing a

collaborative relationship to promote the employment of people with disabilities in the

healthcare industry. One of the activities of this alliance was to coordinate a roundtable

discussion among key stakeholders to address the intersection between disability 

employment and the health care industry. 

In addition to several introductory and individual speakers, the Policy Roundtable

featured two panel presentations, one focused on education and training and the other

addressing employment, including hiring, retention, and advancement. (For the meeting 

agenda, see Appendix C) This report summarizes the dayʼs proceedings, capturing key 

points and recommendations and extracting common themes for participants and other

stakeholders to consider in taking the conversation about the employment of people

with disabilities in health care—an industry at a historic crossroads and of consequence

to all Americans—to the next level in the coming months and years. 

1 Employment Projections: 2012-2022 Summary. Economic News Release. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 

U.S. Department of Labor, December 19, 2013. 2

 United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast, American Journal of
 

Medical Quality, January 2012; The Future of Nursing, Institute of Medicine. October 2010.
 

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Opening Remarks 

The Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends, Best Practices and Callto-Action Policy Roundtable kicked off with welcoming remarks from Serena Lowe, a

Senior Policy Advisor on ODEPʼs Workforce Systems Policy Team, who shared the

basis for the event and set the stage for the dayʼs discussions. Subsequently,

participants heard from five distinguished speakers representing the Federal

government and NOND: 

•	 Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary, DOL/ODEP

•	 Karen McCulloh, Founder and Immediate Past President, NOND; President and 

CEO, Karen McCulloh and Associates Consulting; Presidential Appointee, U.S.

AbilityOne Commission

•	 Eric Seleznow, Acting Assistant Secretary, DOL/ETA

•	 Mary Beth Bigley, Director, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions,

HRSA/HHS

•	 Janet LaBreck, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), Office

of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of

Education (ED) 

Kathy Martinez 

Assistant Secretary Martinez thanked everyone for their participation and patience,

noting that the event was originally planned for October 2013, around the time of the

Government shutdown. She then shared that ODEPʼs mission is to develop and

influence policies and practices that advance employment opportunities for people with 

disabilities and that, even though the agency addresses all industries, some have

especially important roles to play. Health care is one of them, she said, because people

with disabilities can help fill anticipated labor needs in a way that improves quality of

care. Ms. Martinez also talked about the value of “look-alike mentors” in health care,

sharing an anecdote about a retired physician, Dr. Stanley Yarnell, who is blind and

served as a preceptor for a medical student who was also blind. Assistant Secretary 

Martinez feels that having more such role models is essential in health care. She also 

mentioned a young woman named Kayla Woolridge, featured in the ODEP-funded

Campaign for Disability Employmentʼs “Because” public service announcement. Since 

Ms. Woolridge has aspirations to be a nurse, Assistant Secretary Martinez concluded

her remarks by saying that the event will help identify strategies for ensuring that Ms.

Woolridge—and all other youth with disabilities who want to work in health care—can do

so, and that health care employers can benefit from their talents. She also thanked 

NOND for its leadership on the issue. 

Karen McCulloh 

Karen McCulloh thanked all the Roundtable participants and stressed that from NONDʼs 

perspective, this event signifies progress and is meant to be not an end to a muchneeded conversation, but rather a beginning. She also shared the history of NOND,

which was founded in 2003 and is unique in that it was founded and continues to be

managed by nurses with disabilities. It is an all-volunteer organization, with most of the 

volunteers having full-time jobs. She also expressed appreciation to ODEP for helping

the organization advance its goals to increase access to education and employment in 

nursing and other allied health care professions, noting that NOND and ODEP signed

an alliance agreement in May 2012 and that this event is one of its outcomes. Ms. 

McCulloh then asked participants to consider various scenarios. One scenario is of a 

young student nurse who has a spinal cord injury resulting in quadriplegia; she returns 

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to school, completes her masterʼs degree and now has two jobs in the health care field.

Another is of a young woman with spina bifida who was admitted into nursing school,

but was told that she would have no guarantee a partner facility would hire her and that

she couldnʼt administer care from a wheelchair. This woman did complete her training 

and now works in outpatient care. This real story illustrates that when someone wants

to do something badly enough, creativity comes out. Ms. MCulloh herself acquired her 

disability after licensure as a nurse. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) told her she could not 

still be a nurse. So, she started her own business. Fortunately, many changes have

occurred in the VR system since then, but much work is still needed. That is why this

event is taking place, noting that she sincerely hopes that everyone will engage in the

conversation today and move forward. 

Eric Seleznow 

Eric Seleznow remarked that he had already learned a great deal in the few minutes

since the event started, and that he is impressed with the diverse assemblage of brain 

power in the room, which is essential to tackling such an important issue. While he is 

new to ETA, he is not new to workforce investment, which he has worked in for more

than 25 years, primarily in Maryland, where he focused on disadvantaged populations,

including people with disabilities and veterans. In fact, several years ago, his

organization was the beneficiary of an ODEP customized employment grant. ETAʼs 

motto is that “there is no such thing as a spare American,” noting that even as the

economy struggles to create jobs, employers still need workers, but canʼt always find 

people with the skills they need, and itʼs well known that health care is facing a talent 

gap. Filling that gap is a key area for President Obamaʼs skills and jobs agenda as 

outlined in his State of the Union remarks. As part of that agenda, the President has

asked his administration—not just DOL, but all relevant agencies—to align their

workforce investment activities to meet employer needs. For its part, ETA serves—

through its nationwide network of American Job Centers (AJCs)—millions of Americans

from all walks of life, including people with disabilities, whether they disclose or not

about their disabilities. It strives for universal access, but can still stand improvement.

He also noted that another avenue for ETAʼs work is competency-based training and

education programs through community colleges, many of which train for health care

jobs, and ETA is committed to ensuring people with disabilities have equal access to

them. Doing so is essential to ensuring local workforces reflect the population they 

serve, in a similar manner to ensuring a communityʼs cultural and linguistic needs are 

met. 

Mary Beth Bigley 

Mary Beth Bigley shared that she is new to HRSA, but not the Federal government.

She also noted that HRSA Administrator Dr. Mary Wakefield is herself a nurse and very 

aware of and supportive of NOND. Dr. Bigley said she is happy to see not only 

representatives of the nursing community taking part in this event, but also the

educators and employers of future nurses, because drawing the connection between 

education and practice is essential. HRSAʼs primary purpose is to improve access to

health care for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable. As part of

this HRSA mission, it supports the training of health care professionals, but its work 

canʼt succeed in isolation. Both sides of the equation—both workforce development and

employers—need to talk to each other. Dr. Bigley also stated that HRSA has a program 

for veterans. This program has several elements, one of which is a “ladder” approach.

For example, it brings veterans in associatesʼ degree programs up to bachelorsʼ degree 

levels. It also helps veterans translate their medic experience so that they need not

repeat taking introductory courses. Then, it helps them complete and pass the National 

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Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), the examination for the licensing of nurses in 

the United States.
 Dr. Bigley concluded by saying she looked forward to hearing from participants,

because HRSA can clearly benefit from ensuring that all people, including people with 

disabilities, who want to work in health care can work in health care.
 

Janet LaBreck 

Janet LaBreck is also new to the Federal government, but not to rehabilitative services,

having previously served as the commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for

the Blind, where she implemented training programs that now serve as national models.

She said she was delighted to be a part of the dayʼs event, noting that her deputy 

commissioner, Jeanette Snell, was also in attendance, and that they feel that the

discussions taking place are critical to formulating an effective strategy for ensuring

people with disabilities, including VR clients, are part of the solution to anticipated labor

needs. Ms. LaBreck noted that she herself was a former VR client. She also shared 

that when she was a teenager she wanted to be a nurse, but didnʼt think she could 

because she never came into contact with any nurses who were blind like her. So, she

is thrilled about what event participants are working to do, and wants to ensure that

employers in particular learn about how the VR system can help them meet their needs, not only related to disability, but also related to other diversity variables. She also 

mentioned the incredible power of technology to help people with disabilities today train 

for and succeed in employment in a way that was not possible when she was in school,

noting that VR can often cover the cost of workplace technology supports for employers.

The Rehabilitation Services Administration is committed to meeting the demands of

todayʼs competitive job market, which is going to increasingly include people with 

disabilities due to certain demographic trends. For instance, the leading cause of

disability among Baby Boomers, who are retiring later in life, will be vision loss due to

macular degeneration. These individuals cannot afford to not be in the workforce, so

steps need to be taken now to ensure they are positioned to do so which includes

making sure employers have effective retention strategies in place. 

Opening Remarks Discussion 

Following the opening remarks, the following discussion took place: 

Karen McCulloh asked Mary Beth Bigley if HRSAʼs veterans program focused on 

veterans with disabilities or veterans overall. Dr. Bigley responded that it doesnʼt 

distinguish between veterans with or without disabilities, and that it is up to participating

universities as to how they recruit participants. 

Kathy Martinez noted that DOLʼs Office of Workersʼ Compensation Programs has been 

working with Unum in recent years to keep workers on the job after acquiring a disability 

or work injury. She said that some of Unumʼs strategies are highly innovative, and the

biggest population in need of stay-at-work and return-to-work strategies is the aging

population (particularly those acquiring disabilities and chronic conditions that require

major changes to their work situation or other aspects of living). She also recognized

the ODEP-funded Job Accommodation Network (JAN), which has been experiencing an 

increase in requests from employers about how to accommodate older workers to keep 

them on the job. Many of the solutions that JAN and Unum espouse are similar and 

very valuable. 

Jake Jacob from Unum expressed appreciation to Kathy Martinez for her comments,

noting that while much of the discussion thus far centered on training, education and 

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hiring, he was looking forward to sharing how Unum works to keep people who acquire

disabilities in the workforce. 

Leslie Neal-Boylan shared that in a couple of her research studies, nurses with 

disabilities were paired with occupational or physical therapy students and they learned

a great deal from each other and were able to do things they didnʼt expect to during their 

practicums. Sheʼd like to explore more opportunities for such inter-professional learning 

opportunities. 

Sarah Triano noted that the California Committee on Employment of People with 

Disabilities has an initiative to increase the number of people with disabilities and

veterans with disabilities in the health care sector and is also trying to integrate people

with disabilities into the stateʼs overall workforce development strategy. But funding is a

barrier, because within the workforce development system, there is some resistance to

targeting training dollars to certain populations. Furthermore, there is some resistance

within health and human services to encourage consumers to pursue careers within 

certain sectors because of consumer control. So, the nationally directed funding and 

philosophical structure doesnʼt always work well at the state level. Eric Seleznow noted 

that the issues she raises are legitimate, but noted that people with disabilities are an 

eligible group to train under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and that he, in fact, did

so at the state level. However, he acknowledged the fact that siloed Federal funding is

a problem. Janet LaBreck added that VR is a critical partner at the state level, noting

that even though consumers cannot be steered toward a specific field, they can be

exposed to a wide variety of experiences. These types of experiences are why 

internships and mentorships are so important, which underscores that many of such 

programs funded through VR agencies do not cost anything to the individual. 

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Laying the Foundation: Meeting Objectives and Proposed

Outcomes 

Serena Lowe then moved the agenda forward, noting the goals for the dayʼs 

discussions. The purpose of this Roundtable is to gather information on policies that can 

increase education and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities in 

nursing and other healthcare professions. The collaborative exchange of ideas will also

address the needs of aging healthcare workers and returning veterans seeking to

transition to civilian healthcare careers. 

Specifically, she said that participants were encouraged to share innovative strategies in 

terms of recruiting, outreach, and hiring into allied health and nursing and what the

identified challenges are to implementing those strategies. She emphasized that the

purpose of the day was to have a frank and open discussion, including the complex 

dynamics and systemic barriers that currently impede access of individuals with 

disabilities into both post-secondary education programs and employment opportunities

within nursing and the allied health. She said that ODEP and the other agencies

represented want to know what they are doing well and what they are not doing well so

that they can move toward the appropriate policy changes, whether related to training,

employment or both. Of particular interest are strategies for maximizing and leveraging

resources across systems, something the government does not always do effectively.

Dr. Lowe introduced the next two speakers—Dr. Bronwynne Evans and Ms. Kimberly 

Vitelli. 

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Understanding the Barriers: Accessing Careers in Nursing

and the Allied Health Professions 

Dr. Bronwynne Evans, Vice President of NOND and Professor at Arizona State

University, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, delivered a slide presentation on 

the barriers, both policy and systemic in nature, faced by students with disabilities trying

to gain access to nursing and allied health training programs. 

Dr. Evans said that the key issues at play are the conflict between the social and

medical model views of disability; lack of knowledge related to disability disclosure and

accommodations, including the use of adaptive devices and technology; and the fact

that there are few role models or mentors with disabilities. The reality is that students

and health care workers with disabilities (including those who acquire disabilities later in 

life) face significant barriers, as evidenced by inquiries received daily by NOND. 

Typically, NOND receives inquiries from two subpopulations: 

•	 Students with disabilities that desire to enter a post-secondary program in nursing or

the allied health professions; and 

•	 Nurses with disabilities who are in danger of losing their jobs or wanting to return to

the job market after acquiring a disability. 

To highlight a few of these inquiries, Dr. Evans walked participants through two

examples, including what action NOND helped facilitate: 

Example One: Student with Disability seeking admission to School of Nursing 

Inquiry: A student with quadriplegia seeking admission to a school of nursing 

Background: In this scenario, the nursing school dean wanted to admit this

student but the only support she received from disability services was the functional

abilitiesʼ checklist, which stated that to participate in the program, the student would

have to perform an array of tasks, such as lifting 25-pounds. The question the dean 

asked NOND was whether or not reasonable accommodations would allow this student 

entry or if the disability precludes her admission. NOND advised the dean that the

student, the nursing school administration faculty, and disability services need to work 

together to develop capacity amongst disability student services. The first thing the

dean, the nursing school administration faculty, and disability student services need to

do is understand the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the specific obligations

that institutions of higher learning have in regard to students with disabilities. Therefore, 

the deanʼs question would be addressed by the ADA to provide reasonable

accommodations to perform the array of tasks which would not preclude the studentʼs 

admission. 

Necessary Partners:

•	 Student 

•	 Administration 

•	 Faculty 

•	 Disability services 

•	 Clinical site 

Key Reform Strategies:

•	 Utilize the ADA as a resource 

•	 Develop capacity to identify and implement accommodations 

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• Connect student with mentor/advisor to improve self-advocacy skills 

Example 2: Nurse with Disabilities Desiring to Return-to-Work 

Inquiry: A nurse in her late 20s with dominant-side weakness postcerebrovascular accident seeking to return to a job in cardiac step-down unit 

Background: After completing rehabilitation, the nurse is ready to return to 

work. She knows she could relearn nursing skills using one hand because her

mother who is also a nurse learned skills from a nursing faculty with the use of 

only one hand, but she doesn't know where to go to get this training. She also 

doesn't know her rights under the ADA or the ADAAA (ADA Amendments Act),

she has limited skills in interviewing with her new disability status, and she

doesn't really have an identity yet as a person with a disability. She doesn't know 

what accommodation she should suggest or the kinds of assistive device that

would work for her. The first thing that NOND did was to provide informational 

resources on the ADA and the ADAAA. Then, NOND advised that it was critically

important to develop capacity amongst the entire members of her workplace

team (i.e., her unit supervisor, human resources, and the vocational rehabilitation

team that had been supporting her) to develop a plan for skills retraining on site

and to implement a team approach for her to return to work. Lastly, identifying a

mentor or advisor in that workplace, particularly someone who is skilled and

working with people with chronic illnesses, is imperative. Her reentry to the

workforce should also leverage technological advances in adaptive devices and

technology, and also identify new areas of medical practice where her disability

would be an asset to her team. 

Key Reform Strategies:

•	 Implement team approach for return-to-work 

•	 Evaluate need for skills re-training on-site 

•	 Refer to center for independent living to build skills related to rights,

advocacy and identity

Necessary Partners: 

•	 Nurse 

•	 Employer-human resources 

•	 Vocational rehabilitation 

•	 Unit supervisor 

After these examples, participants watched a short excerpt from a documentary film

produced by Dr. Evans and NOND President Dr. Beth Marks titled Open the Door, Get

ʻEm a Locker, which chronicles the experiences of a nursing student, Victoria, a

wheelchair user, who entered a baccalaureate program. In the clip, several students in 

the program who do not have disabilities shared comments they heard nursing

professionals make about their unwillingness to hire Victoria due to her disability. Also 

interspersed were shots of Victoria talking about her experiences. 

Dr. Evans then turned the conversation to one of the major issues impacting access to

nursing education programs for potential students with disabilities: essential functions 

and functional abilities versus technical standards. Essential functions apply to

employment, not education, but were translated into education in the form of functional

abilities. Functional abilities became widely used in nursing education. Examples of

functional abilities include “lift 25 lbs.,” “reach above shoulders,” or “walk.” 

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NOND advocates using technical standards instead; and furthermore believes they

should focus strictly on “what” needs to be done, not “how”—since there is more than 

one way to accomplish a task. Per a handout provided to participants, technical

standards are all the non-academic requirements students must have/meet to enter a

program (See Appendix D). They cannot be written to exclude a class of people,

including people with disabilities, and must include language stating “able to meet these

requirements with or without a reasonable accommodation.” In short, technical

standards are a more appropriate policy for nursing programs, and all health care

training programs. 

Nursing schools often have difficulty writing non-discriminatory technical standards,

however, and often use language related to physical attributes (the “how”) as a skill (for 

example, “must be able to talk to patients” versus the concept “must be able to

communicate with patients”) or specify how a task will be accomplished (for example,

“be able to hear a heartbeat through a stethoscope” versus “gather vitals using a variety 

of means” ). Furthermore, similar to the latter example, technical standards are often 

based on what students will actually learn in training, so it is inappropriate to use them

as part of the admissionsʼ process, other than to let students know what they can 

expect. In other words, admissions should focus on academic qualifications, not

physical faculties (e.g., hearing, seeing, walking, lifting, etc.). 

Dr. Evans said working to increase access to education and employment for people with 

disabilities requires change on four fronts: policy, education, stakeholder attitudes, and 

practice. Achieving change on all of these fronts is critical, because health 

professionals with disabilities have the potential to transform their disciplines and

practice through the provision of culturally relevant care. Culturally relevant care, like

linguistically relevant care, enhances communication, increases consumer involvement

and satisfaction, and leads to better health outcomes. 

Also several overarching strategies should be implemented to prevent the looming

nursing labor shortage, which is predicted to be 260,000 short by 2025. These 

strategies include a national education strategy that promotes health careers to youth,

veterans, and people with disabilities through more effective recruitment and outreach

and strong return-to-work, retention, and promotion policies, including workplace

flexibility for mature workers, given that more than half of the nursing workforce is older

than 50, and the average age of nursing professors is more than 60. Dr. Evans noted 

that veterans must be included in this strategy, and one potential channel for doing so is

the White Houseʼs Joining Forces initiative. Dr. Evans concluded by showing another 

brief clip from Open the Door, Get ʻEm a Locker, during which Victoria summarizes her

experiences as a nursing student with a disability and offers advice to potential future

nursing students with disabilities. 

Note: Open the Door, Get ʻEm a Locker is available on the NOND website at 

www.nond.org. 

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The Need to Diversify the Workforce to Address Growing

Health Care Employment Demands 

Kimberly Vitelli, Chief of ETAʼs Division of National Programs, Tools, and Technical

Assistance, presented a current assessment of health care industry opportunities for job 

seekers and veterans with disabilities. Overall, her presentation addressed what fields

will need what and when, employer-identified skills, online career tools for the health 

care field, and a Department of Defense (DOD) credentialing pilot. 

Ms. Vitelliʼs remarks included several slides; the first three provided state-by-state data

on job growth in the nursing profession. 

•	 Registered Nurses (RN): Noted which states were above or below the national 

26 percent average growth rate of registered nurses, and to what degrees.

States with higher-than-average predictions were Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona,

Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Maryland. Of 

these, Idaho had the highest prediction, at 40.4 percent. 

•	 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN): Noted which states were above or below the 

national 22.4 percent average growth rate of licensed practical nurses, and to 

what degrees. States with higher-than-average predictions were Alaska,

California, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas,

Minnesota, Indiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. Of these,

the four with the highest predictions were Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and

Texas. 

•	 Nurse Aides: Noted which states were above or below the national 20.1 percent

average growth rate of nurse aids, and to what degrees. States with higher-thanaverage predictions were Washington, California, Arizona, New Mexico,

Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Georgia,

South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Maryland. 

ETAʼs Guide to State and Local Workforce Data and overview of various HHS websites 

supplying health care workforce projections are great sources for more data. Both are 

available on ETAʼs Labor Market Information (LMI) Win-Win Network Community of

Practice (or WIN-WIN, for short) at https://winwin.workforce3one.org. 

Additional electronic tools to assist in workforce planning include ETAʼs industry 

competency models (http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel). These models 

use a pyramid structure to promote understanding of the skills sets and competencies

for various industries. She noted three that pertain to the health care industry in 

particular—Allied Health; Electronic Health Records; and Long-term Care, Supports,

and Services. She also walked participants through the first one, noting that they all

have a similar structure and acknowledging that ETA may need to assess them to

ensure language used doesnʼt unintentionally exclude people with disabilities, especially 

when it comes to the bottom layer, titled “personal effectiveness.” 

Ms. Vitelli also noted the Virtual Career Network (VCN) (www.http://www.vcn.org), which 

is sponsored by ETA and developed under a grant to the American Association of

Community Colleges (AACC). The VCN helps connect individuals with education and

training in two high-growth industries, health care and the “green” sector. Additional 

online tools include My Next Move (www.MyNextMove.org), which facilitates career 

exploration for individuals. Additional components to My Next Move include a Spanish 

version, Mi Próximo Paso, and My Next Move for Veterans, which allows a user to enter

his or her military occupation code (MOC) to learn about corresponding civilian jobs and

their required credentials. 

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Related to veterans, ETA is also partnering with DOD on a military-to-civilian skillsʼ credentialing pilot for health care support occupations, because many transitioning

veterans already have highly sought-after skills. The three largest health care MOCs

are Army, 68W Health Care Specialist, Navy, HM Hospital Corpsman and Air Force,

4N0X1, and Aerospace Medical Technician. Together, these represent potentially more

than 85,000 people who could transition into civilian health care occupations, especially 

Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or paramedics, or nurses. Ms. Vitelli noted 

that many of these may be veterans with disabilities and expressed appreciation to

ODEP for helping connect different strands of ETAʼs work with its own. 

Presentation Discussion 

Following Dr. Evansʼ and Ms. Vitelliʼs presentation, participants posed the following 

questions or comments: 

•	 Sara Oliver-Carter (Highmark Health) noted that thus far, most of the discussion 

has focused on training and building capacity of workers, but not much focus on 

how to translate it into the employer context. Employers often do not understand

what they need to do, even if they want to act, and many individuals do not know

how to communicate their skills in a way that resonates with those doing the

hiring. She would like to hear more about how to help employers understand

how to hire and be more disability-competent; she feels more education is

needed here. Kimberly Vitelli responded by saying that the Workforce

Investment Act (WIA) created state and local workforce investment boards (WIB)

and they have, by law, a business majority. Not only do the LWIBs advise the

workforce system about how it should develop training based on the needs of

local labor markets, but they also inform local business leaders. She added that

strategies for reaching out to employers varies depending on their size, and that

for small businesses, American Job Centers (AJCs) can almost serve as an HR

arm with AJCsʼ Business Service Representatives helping employers find

candidates, write job descriptions, recruit and interview, etc. This AJC assistance

can include a focus on candidates with disabilities if desired. Large businesses

can also benefit from AJCs in this regard; however, many businesses, large or

small, are simply not aware of them. 

•	 Serena Lowe mentioned that the afternoon panel would address the employer

perspective, adding that with roll-out of the final rule pertaining to Section 503 of

the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance

Act (VEVRAA) regulations, this is a challenge that DOL and the Federal

government is also focused on in terms of how best to educate employers on 

how to effectively hire and retain workers with disabilities. 

•	 Karen McCulloh added that in many ways, the issue of changing the cultural

norms of employers through a transformation of their hiring, training and retention 

practices as they relate specifically to workers with disabilities is the major

challenge facing us. On the national level, policies and regulations devoted to

people with disabilities sound great, but they hold little water if they are not put

into practice at the grassroots level, which, based on the emails NOND gets from

nursing students and nurses every day, doesnʼt seem to be occurring. She cited 

that NOND has received calls from academically qualified students not being

able to start or stay in a nursing program because they canʼt get the 

accommodations they need. She noted that if we canʼt get qualified people 

through institutions, they canʼt apply for all those jobs predicted to be open in the 

13 
 

 

coming years. She also reinforced the comments of Sara Oliver-Carter that there

is a high learning curve among employers. Ms. McCulloh added that the socio- cultural barriers are particularly disturbing because disability can happen to

anyone, so itʼs not an individual issue, but a societal one, noting her own 

experience of acquiring a disability while already in the workforce and discovering

for herself the additional value and insight she had to offer her profession. 

•	 Scott Lissner ended the discussion by saying that on the corporate level, more

emphasis is needed on placement and assistance in the accommodation 

process, particularly helping employers understand that itʼs an interactive process

and providing them with helpful technical assistance and training resources. 

14 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel Session One: Driving Access to Post-Secondary

Educational Programs in Nursing and Allied Health

Professions for Prospective Students with Disabilities and

Returning Veterans 

Key Points: 

•	 Nurses with disabilities, whether they enter the field with a disability or acquire one

while in the workforce, can face discrimination. 

•	 Many clinical partners do not have a flexible mindset regarding how work is done; 

when it comes to clinical placements, disability, and especially the accommodation 

process, must be part of the conversation from the start. 

•	 If well written and used appropriately, technical standards should not be a barrier to

entry for students with disabilities, but in many cases they do; this major issue needs

addressing across nursing education. 

•	 Existing and new regulations, such as the recent updates to Section 503 of the

Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, should be leveraged to stimulate cultural change. 

•	 People with disabilities should be emphasized as an underserved population and

part of the diversity spectrum in grant solicitations. 

•	 When transparent, enforcement can be a powerful educational tool. 

•	 Corporate diversity and return-to-work strategies may have applicability in the higher

education context. 

Speakers: 

•	 Roxanne Fulcher, Director of Health Professionals Policy, AACC

•	 Leslie Neal-Boylan, Associate Dean and Professor, School or Nursing, Quinnipiac

University

•	 Charlotte Lanvers, Staff Attorney, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of 

Education 

•	 Beth Marks, President, NOND; Research Associate Professor, Department of

Disability and Human Development, Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at

Chicago

•	 Robin Jones, Project Director, Great Lakes ADA Center; Instructor, Department of 

Disability and Human Development, Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at

Chicago

•	 (Facilitator) Mary Beth Bigley, Director, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health

Professions, HRSA/HHS 

Roxanne Fulcher provided an overview of AACC, noting that it is the national

association representing community college associations. AACC members,

community college presidents and chancellors, are highly vested in health 

professions education and workforce development. She stated that disability is not

her expertise; rather she specializes in health professions education and health care

policy, and is pleased to be present to learn more about how the two intersect.

Overall, community colleges are very interested in partnering with DOL and others to

address the concerns being discussed, especially those related to providing students

with disabilities improved access to higher education programs based on their

disability. She noted a 2006 survey that showed two-thirds of community colleges 

had disability student service centers. 

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Leslie Neal-Boylan shared that she has conducted several research studies on RNs 

with disabilities, and the common denominator is that they do face discrimination.

This discrimination extends to those who develop a disability while already in the

nursing workforce; they feel “pushed out” based on a fear that they will jeopardize

patient safety. Yet, to date, no evidence exists of an incident or injury caused as a

result of a nurseʼs disability. It seems that nurses with disabilities easily figure out

how to compensate, but for their employers and supervisors, experiencing their

employees doing things differently, even if the end result is the same, is not

accepted. One of Dr. Neal-Boylanʼs studies, conducted with the Yale Medical

School, compared RNs and physicians with disabilities and found that they face

similar issues, but the physicians get even less support as a group when they are

out in the clinical setting. A current study is interviewing attorneys who have brought

cases on behalf of nurses with disabilities; and it is showing that most of these

attorneys do not win these cases. What Dr. Neal-Boylan is interested in is what

nurses can do to advocate for themselves, because most of those she has

interviewed do not know their rights. 

Charlotte Lanvers shared that she and her colleaguesʼ work in the program legal 

group of EDʼs Office for Civil Rights focuses primarily on disability issues, especially 

related to developing guidance and occasionally advising on amicus briefs. The bulk 

of their time is spent on enforcement complaints compiled under Title VI of the Civil

Rights Act, Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act, and Section 504 of the

Rehabilitation Act. In collaboration with other relevant agencies, they sometimes 

address Title II of the ADA. She said that they occasionally see discrimination 

complaints filed by people with disabilities in the post-secondary context, and these

indicate that sometimes institutions of higher education do not clearly understand

their obligations and how they may change depending on the nature of a personʼs 

disability. While not exactly the same, the concept of essential functions also has

some applicability under Section 504, for instance, in terms of academic adjustments

or reasonable accommodations. Thus, what she is particularly interested in is how

her office could consider developing policy that helps instill these concepts in higher

education as well as the types of academic adjustments or reasonable

accommodations that people with disabilities may benefit from in the higher

education setting. 

Beth Marks said that, based on the inquiries NOND receives, many of the issues

faced by nurses and nursing students with disabilities today are the same ones she

faced many decades ago when she was just embarking on her career. She shared 

that she had a lot of surgeries as a child, and most of her interactions with nurses

were not good. But while going through one of the last, when she was a teenager, a

nurse was particularly kind to her. This kindness inspired her to become a nurse 

herself. She had strong parental support and grew up expecting to work, although 

her parents didnʼt know what work might look like for her. She did well throughout

her education and early career and eventually pursued graduate school where she

benefitted from a wonderful mentor during a post-doc. That mentorship occurred

around the time the ADA was passed. Her mentor shared an article about students

who had similar hearing issues as she had, but talked about them as being a safety 

risk. That was a defining moment for her. A few years later, Karen McCulloh 

founded NOND; and shortly thereafter, Dr. Marks got involved. While she feels 

some progress has been made, much work is still needed. She feels that the current 

generation of veterans can help on this front, because nursing programs may be less

likely to turn away a veteran than a non-veteran. Dr. Marks also thanked the next 

16 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

speaker, Robin Jones from the Great Lakes ADA Center, for her involvement in 

NOND. 

Robin Jones shared that the ADA National Network funded by EDʼs National Institute 

on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), has 10 regional centers that

provide information, guidance, and training on the ADA, tailored to meet the needs of

business, government, and individuals at the regional, state, and local levels. She 

herself is an occupational therapist and educator, and has worked with colleges and

universities. In preparing for the event, she asked some of her colleagues at other

ADA centers about what they are experiencing with regard to post-secondary 

education issues. Although some states have better funding for services, by and

large, the challenges seem to be the same region to region and they relate to both 

education and employment. Ms. Jones does feel that older students, those pursuing

higher degrees, tend to know more than someone fresh out of high school or

someone newly diagnosed and new to the language of accommodations and

supports. One of the biggest issues seems to be translating accommodations

provided in the classroom environment to the workplace context, where the onus is

on the individual to request them. She also senses that the myth of the safety 

concern is still out there, adding that education institutions may be hesitant to

graduate students with disabilities because of unfound fears that they would

jeopardize care and thus reflect poorly on the school. The topic of technology also

comes up a lot, for example, when schools may need to acquire something different

for a nursing or other studentʼs kit. Yet, sometimes providing appropriate technology 

or other accommodations meets with resistance, despite such being easy to provide,

and in fact required by law. Disability service providers themselves can also

sometimes be a barrier, because they donʼt necessarily know the ins and outs of

different professions and resources available for students pursuing them. 

Panel Questions 

Following these introductions, Ms. Bigley and other participants posed the following

questions and comments: 

Moderator Question: What are strategies for improving the recruitment of 

students with disabilities into nursing and allied health training programs? 

•	 Leslie Neal-Boylan shared that at Quinnipiac University, they have a partnership 

council made up of their clinical partners. She would like to use that partnership

to provide education about the potential of students with disabilities of fully 

participating in clinical activities in various settings without too many 

accommodations or micromanagement of the students. She said that technical 

standards are also definitely a problem in terms of recruiting. While technical 

standards are not supposed to be a barrier, they sometimes are interpreted as

such. Faculty members are also sometimes a problem, believing that the ways

things are usually done is the best and only way. 

•	 Roxanne Fulcher stated that in preparing for the event, she reached out to AACC

member colleges for current information on efforts to meet the needs of students

with disabilities. She learned that the Wisconsin technical college system has a

students with disabilities workgroup that works statewide to address challenges.

The workgroup has developed and disseminated guidance and a process to use

for admission and clinical placements per the ADA, with no change to admission 

criteria. She suggested that the DOL and others identify, share, and encourage 

the replication of successful models. 

17 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•	 Robin Jones said that in her experience itʼs important to proactively prepare the 

educational system. In some cases, disability student servicesʼ offices are 

involved in recruitment, even going out to recruitment fairs, which is great,

because then students can have questions answered early on. But, this is not 

always possible, of course, given limited staff resources. 

•	 Dr. Marks said that improving recruitment also requires looking at institutional

culture and moving away from the medical model of disability and toward the

social model, so that institutions and employers understand that people with 

disabilities can be health care professionals and people with disabilities; that the

disability doesnʼt define them. It is also important for educators to not pigeonhole students with disabilities based on their disabilities. Also, students must not

do this to themselves, she added, noting that Victoria, the student in the film clip,

assumed she couldnʼt do home care because she used a wheelchair, when in 

fact one of NONDʼs board members who uses a wheelchair does just that, caring

for patients with spinal cord injuries whose homes are accessible. 

Participant Question: Are there any organizations that will send people out to 

help colleges and employers who are interested in making accommodations? 

•	 Robin Jones mentioned JAN, which offers staff training as well as distance

training via the web. She said the ADA centers also offer this type of support,

and each state has its own state network. The Association on Higher Education 

and Disability (AHEAD) and the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) are

also good resources as well as NOND. 

•	 Charlotte Lanvers stated that itʼs also important for universities to fully 

understand that while they may have technical standards, they also have an 

obligation to help students meet them, through academic adjustments or

reasonable modifications if necessary. Sometimes, people see technical

standards as standing alone, which can be perceived as impossible for some

students to meet, but there are always ways to achieve them. 

Comments on Additional Strategies for Recruitment, Accommodations and 

Fostering a Disability-Inclusive Culture in Higher Education 

•	 Dr. Marks noted that she feels recruitment of students with disabilities should 

start very early, that expectations that individuals with disabilities can become

health care professionals, or any type of professional for that matter, should start

in the very early stages of childhood. 

•	 Sarah Triano said that one university in California is making a concerted effort to

hire medical faculty with disabilities, which she feels is a very important long-term

strategy. She also feels that more attention needs to be paid to the fact that

many universities with health education programs are Federal contractors and

thus have additional responsibilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act

of 1973 to recruit, hire and advance people with disabilities within their workforce. 

•	 Scott Lissner said that placements offer a great opportunity to build this capacity 

and that Ohio State University encourages all programs, health care and

otherwise, to have Memorandums of Understandings (MOU) with all placement

partners that address disability issues, noting that accommodations for students

with disabilities are the universityʼs responsibility, but that it also wants to work 

with organizations to address accommodations for employees. He also said that 

18 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

more data collection on how many students with disabilities are even on 

campuses would also be helpful, because currently there is no credible data; 

having it would help bring attention to the issue. 

•	 Suzanne Smeltzer said that faculty come from society as a whole, and tend to

reflect societal attitudes, which are not particularly positive. Improving

recruitment will involve addressing attitudinal barriers as well as issues related to

physical accessibility and accommodations. 

•	 Janice Brewington said that the National League on Nursing had a conference

recently on academic leadership on inclusive environments that was wellattended, and its focus was on “courageous dialogues.” People were asked to 

report on what theyʼre doing in their institutions. She feels that sort of forum 

might be appropriate for facilitating a frank discussion about disability. Ms.

Brewington indicated that some of the models for onboarding she observed to be

effective during her time in the private sector at Gilette might also have some

crossover into the academic environment. The concept of a corporate advisory

board might also work in the higher education context. 

•	 Rose Marie Toscano noted that she also agrees that the key to recruitment is

changing attitudes, but that it is a very long-term process. It requires not

romanticizing what it takes to have a student with a disability in class, because

itʼs not always a simple modification, as some people say. Rather, itʼs important

to paint a realistic picture and educate about why, even when it may require a

teacher to think very differently, it is something they should embrace. Secondly,

she said, even when we do improve attitudes among teachers, the drive for

efficiency and cost-containment in health care may represent a wall once

students are out in the workplace. 

•	 Roxanne Fulcher said that at a practical level, perhaps more could be done

around credentialing policies and practices to ensure they are disability inclusive.

Disability could be more visible in Federal grant making and professional

accrediting activities. She does not recall seeing a strong focus on or

inclusiveness of people with disabilities in grant criteria or applications—disability 

should be strongly interwoven in our Federal processes. Grants clearly address

how an organization is going to recruit and educate students from diverse

backgrounds, but disability doesnʼt always seem to be incorporated as part of 

that diversity. 

•	 Mary Beth Bigley said that diversity is in fact a large part of the scoring of HRSA

grant applications, but that she feels this issue is even larger than that; itʼs about 

culture change among higher education communities. She feels this is essential,

because more inclusive institutions of higher education will help foster more

inclusive organizations and corporations, as students with disabilities become

employees with disabilities, slowly the culture will shift. 

•	 Katie Wolf agreed, but said that another important tool in the toolbox is

enforcement. Applicants and students need to know that the Federal

government has their back via the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

and other laws. When her office brings a case, it has a big impact, even beyond

just the individuals and institutions involved. It offers an opportunity to educate 

others and prevent similar cases. She said academic deference in terms of 

technical standards or functional abilities is also an important issue, and that her

office recently started a rigorous amicus effort to explain to the court EDʼs 

position regarding its appropriate role. 

19 
 

 

 

 

•	 Janice Brewington said that the National League for Nursing and the National

League for Nursing Accreditation Commission are separate entities and that the

former is in the process of developing an accreditation committee. She plans to 

make sure that disability inclusion is part of the conversation. 

•	 Scott Lissner suggested that grant applications perhaps should go further in 

exploring how recipients handle accommodations. Rather than simply requiring

applicants to check a box saying that they comply with the requirement to provide

accommodations to individuals with disabilities, they should be required to

explain how they do so. He said that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

may provide good examples of this, even though itʼs related to a different 

industry. 

•	 Leslie Neal-Boylan said that data collection, which Mr. Lissner mentioned earlier,

was important but also problematic, since there are so many varying definitions

of disability. Before the industry can gather good data, decisions will have to be

made as to what qualifies and what does not. She mentioned obesity as an 

unclear example. 

•	 Karen McCulloh said that Federal funding solicitations (i.e. requests for

proposals, grant announcements, etc.) also need to clearly articulate that people

with disabilities are an underserved population, because many of the people

responding may not consider them in that context. She feels disability should be

specifically identified, and that applicants should have to demonstrate sufficient

expertise in the provision of accommodations and universal designs in 

programming. McCulloh also stated that non-discrimination statements should 

also specifically mention disabilities, noting that many do, but not all. 

Comments Regarding Transparency in Education Enforcement Actions 

•	 Robin Jones said that she would like to see enforcement actions serve as 

educational tools, but feels that EDʼs Office of Civil Rights does not seem to be

very transparent in this area because she cannot find a lot on its website. She 

feels enforcement actions need to be out in the open and translated into

terminology that resonates with employers and others. 

•	 Scott Lissner mentioned that he feels that EDʼs Office of Civil Rights has gotten 

better about postings its cases, and that a few people who are now retired even 

used to organize an annual “top 10” list of cases affecting higher education,

which was really helpful. But, he also criticized the agency for sometimes posting

them in an inaccessible format. 

•	 Serena Lowe said that in working with 32 states on the Employment First

initiative, she hears similar sentiments about the lack of clarity from Federal

enforcement agencies about their actions. She added that technical standards 

seem to be a very large issue, but that there also seems to be a lack of clear

policy guidance for institutions on how to craft them, and that is a major problem. 

•	 Scott Lissner said that he feels that when it comes to the new Section 503 and 

Rehabilitation Act rules, he would like to see an emphasis across the spectrum of

professional levels (not just entry level), and that the impact of the updates on 

faculty hires will be interesting to observe. 

•	 Charlotte Lanvers said she appreciates the feedback and will share it at EDʼs 

Office of Civil Rights. She added that her office is developing “Dear Colleague” 

20 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

letters, including one that addresses the rights of students with disabilities in

post-secondary education and one on how to ensure that students with hepatitis

have equal access to institutions of higher education. These letters are online as 

well as in participantʼs folders. 

Comments Regarding Technical Standards 

•	 Dr. Evans said she wanted to make a clarification about essential functions and 

technical standards. Essential functions are a barrier to entry, but technical

standards, if they are well written, should not be. The key is that they be applied 

equally for all students. They are not an entrance requirement, but rather an 

information piece to help students know what to expect. So, they should not 

serve to screen out certain students because theyʼre about what they will learn.

She reiterated that, if well written, technical standards will focus on what students 

will learn to do, not how they will do it. 

•	 Leslie Neal-Boylan said that she takes issue with technical standards in general.

She said that the healthcare industry says it values nurses for their critical

thinking and brainpower, but, often, the focus is on what they can do physically.

She doesnʼt think such standards should exist at all, because a nurse can 

perform many jobs that donʼt actually require physical tasks. The standards

erroneously imply that a nurse must be able to do certain tasks to be employed

as a nurse. Ms. Neal-Boylan would prefer to get away from that mindset

completely. 

•	 Dr. Marks replied that when NOND was first formed 10 years ago, some effort to

improve technical standards was happening and these improvements were

posted on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) website.

But, these were removed sometime afterwards and not replaced with any new

information. She agrees that schools are in need of guidance around this issue. 

Moderator Question: We have businesses in the room, not just educators. What 

lessons have you learned from the business perspective that can help

educational institutions get more people with disabilities on their staff and

faculty? 

•	 Jake Jacob from Unum said that culture is important, noting that one of the

services Unum provides employers is helping employees who develop injuries or

illnesses get back to work as quickly as possible. Many of its customers are

hospitals, and the company has had varying degrees of success helping them

understand restrictions, accommodations, and other issues. Some are very 

supportive; Mr. Jacob mentioned Ohio State University in particular. Others are 

less so, however, with some having a “100-percent-or-none” mentality. In other 

words, some hospitals feel that if someone canʼt come back to work full-time 

doing everything the same way they used to, they shouldnʼt come back at all. 

So, he helps educate employers about the cost benefit of returning employees to

work, contrasting it against having people out on disability insurance, in addition 

to costs resulting from being short staffed, being non-compliant with applicable

laws, and having a less diverse workforce overall. One of the ways Unum helps

return employees to work is through “pathways”—tactical tools that help 

managers understand how they can bring someone back on an accommodated

basis. He said this approach may also have applicability in higher education 

programs. 

21 
 

 

 

•	 Sara Oliver-Carter, Highmark Health, said she felt the discussion was still lacking

focus on the role of the employer in helping create a more inclusive culture. She 

feels many of her colleagues know a looming shortage exists, but donʼt realize 

that people with disabilities have a role to play. She suggested that this 

contributes to a skills gap. She also shared that sponsorships with employers to

help them meet their responsibilities under the new Section 503 of the

Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA rules would help. She feels employers need to

be part of the conversation about education and training, but they are sometimes

left out. 

•	 Leslie Neal-Boylan appreciated Ms. Oliver-Carterʼs concerns, but also feels that

sometimes when shortages have been experienced, employers have relied on 

ancillary personnel who are less expensive rather than adopting a more

expansive view of recruitment. She still feels that employers have often shown 

that they do not want to be flexible and accommodating; that they feel that things

have to be done a certain way. She needs clinical partners that will give students

a chance to show what they can do, even if they may do it differently. 

•	 Sara Oliver-Carter also stated that changing attitudes takes years, but if you take

a different approach in the meantime, telling employers that weʼre trying to 

educate about barriers, they may respond sooner. Highmark Health has built

sponsorships around diversity, partnering with particular schools to fill gaps, for

instance, by putting a scholarship in place. That may be a useful strategy for 

other companies and schools. 

•	 In concluding the panel, several participants discussed accommodating students

with disabilities in the context of social determinants used to facilitate workforce 

participation for other disadvantaged groups. Certain supports—such as

housing, childcare, and transportation—that people rely on to work are needed.

All people need them, but they are significant barriers for certain segments of the

population. According to one participant, grants designed to address those

issues for certain Latino and Native American students were very effective at

keeping them in a program. However, attempting to address multiple issues for

students in training programs, whether they have disabilities or not, can be

particularly challenging, given all that they have to learn and do in a short amount

of time. 

22 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panel Session Two: Opportunities and Promising Practices

for Jobseekers with Disabilities and Veterans in Nursing and

the Allied Health Professions 

Key Points and Recommendations: 

•	 The recent changes to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA offer

many health care employers an opportunity to enhance their disability hiring efforts. 

•	 Numerous resources exist to connect health care employers, people with disabilities,

and wounded warriors, but those resources need to be centralized and effectively 

promoted. 

•	 Qualification standards in the nursing industry need to be updated, and employment

discrimination based on current qualification standards should be challenged. 

•	 The mystique of disability disappears when employees are exposed to people with 

disabilities. By ensuring that they are reflected in all ranks of an organizationʼs 

workforce, employers can foster a “safe space” where employees feel comfortable

disclosing their disabilities. 

•	 Increasing the employment of people with disabilities in nursing and allied health is

not only about recruitment but also effective stay-at-work and return-to-work 

strategies for people who acquire disabilities while in the workforce. 

Speakers:

•	 Aaron Konopasky, Esq. Senior ADA/GINA Division, U.S. Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 

•	 Sara Oliver-Carter, VP, Diversity & Inclusion, Highmark Health

•	 Jim Godwin, Jr., VP, Human Resources, Bon Secours Virginia Health System

•	 Katie Wolfe, Esq., Disability Rights Section, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) 

•	 Nancy Glowacki, Women Veteran Program Manager, U.S. Department of Labor, 

Veteransʼ Employment and Training Services (VETS) 

•	 (Facilitator) Kimberly Vitelli, Chief, Division of National Programs, U.S. Department 

of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) (Facilitator) 

Mr. Konopasky explained that he was representing EEOC, and that his work involves

interpreting the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) as well as Title I of

the ADA. His focus is on requirements that apply to employers with 15 or more

employees—restrictions related to medical information access; reasonable

accommodations; and qualification standards, which must be defended by employers

under certain circumstances when job-seekers are screened out for not meeting job 

qualifications. 

Ms. Oliver-Carter explained that Highmark Health is an employer that prides itself on 

good stewardship and good business. She noted that her husband had a significant

disability, and her work is inspired by her experience watching how he and her entire

family were impacted when he was not in the workforce. She said she intended to talk 

about employer strategies for shaping and changing disability employment culture in 

health care. 

Mr. Godwin provided background on Bon Secours Virginia Health System, which 

employs 25,000 employees along the East Coast. It began within the Catholic Church 

23 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in 1824 when a group of Catholic nuns formed the nationʼs first home health agency. As 

a faith-based organization, Bon Secours takes a philanthropic approach to its business.

It offers several programs for people with physical, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities.

Two programs focus on employment training for young people with autism. Other 

programs focus on hiring veterans. 

As a representative of DOJ, Ms. Wolfe explained that she wanted to echo Mr.

Konopasky's remarks. Her office, the Civil Rights Division, enforces Title I of the ADA.

If the EEOC investigates charges of discrimination, her office looks into it and may 

pursue it. Her office also manages an Olmstead enforcement practice that oversees

issues related to sheltered employment workshops. 

Dr. Glowacki currently runs the women veterans program within DOLʼs Veteransʼ Employment and Training Service (VETS). She explained that, as a veteran herself, 

she's had personal and professional experience with many of the programs she

supports. Dr. Glowacki noted that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Current Population Survey, 23 percent of women veterans work in the fields of

education and health services. So she pointed to women veterans as part of the

solution to the nation's looming shortage of health care workers. 

Panel Questions 

Following these introductions, Ms. Vitelli and other participants posed the following

questions and comments. 

Moderator Question: What role, if any, will the new Section 503 and VEVRAA

rules have in hiring practices for health care professionals? 

•	 Ms. Oliver-Carter answered that the new regulations will be extremely impactful

in her organization. Highmark Health is taking a new look expanding

partnerships and enhancing strategies in hiring persons with disabilities. It is 

using new tools to track applicants and is educating its staff on disability and

veteransʼ hiring practices. Highmark has partnered with Bender Consulting

Services to up its game, and itʼs started a program to bring in more employees 

with disabilities. These projects have involved recruiting interns from high 

schools and non-traditional interns (e.g., older workers and veterans). Highmark 

employs someone for 12 months to build their competencies, and then it has the

first option to hire them following those 12 months. It also pursues “contract-tohire” options, particularly in their IT division. Highmark also has a partnership 

with the local Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) office that focuses on hiring

female veterans. This past year in November 2013, it hosted a symposium with 

a veteransʼ leadership program in Pittsburgh and brought employers in to talk 

about veteransʼ hiring strategies. 

•	 Dr. Glowacki mentioned a common question she hears from employers: How do 

we get veterans in the door, and how do we support them once they're

employed? She noted the value of the AJC network, which offers online and inperson workforce development services in locations across the country. Each 

Center features a Disabled Veteransʼ Outreach Program (DVOP) coordinator and 

a Local Veteransʼ Employment Representatives (LVER). They work directly with 

employers and veterans to make connections and ensure veterans have all the

supports they need. 

Participant Question: The new Section 503 regulations ask people with

disabilities to self-identify. What guidance do the panelists have to say on this 

aspect of the changes? 

24 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•	 Mr. Konopasky acknowledged that the self-identification issue is a tough one

since itʼs an exception to the general rule, noting that employers can ask for

medical information from an employee when itʼs for affirmative action purposes.

In those cases, the applicants need to be told that itʼs only for hiring purposes 

and won't go into their permanent files. 

•	 Dr. Glowacki explained that when service members come out of the military with 

acquired disabilities, some simply don't know what to do, and they may not even 

identify with having a disability. She encouraged them to take advantage of 

DOLʼs veteransʼ employment services. DVOPs can help them to learn how, 

what, and when to disclose. 

•	 Ms. Oliver-Carter said that Highmark has partnered with the Voice Program,

which encourages colleagues of people with disabilities to identify themselves as

allies. What's most important is creating a safe space where employees feel

comfortable disclosing. 

Participant Comment: There's a disability disconnect when you're a veteran. The 

VA determines it. So one's VA rating has nothing to do with the ADA. 

•	 Dr. Glowacki acknowledged that this important issue comes up often. She often 

sees people automatically thinking about disability ratings as being ADA related,

and they're not. And unfortunately, the system makes veterans believe they can't 

do things when they absolutely can. 

•	 Mr. Konopasky mentioned the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act

(ADAAA), which marked a huge change in disability law. It clarified the definition 

of disability for the ADA and impacted many people. Now, you can have a

reasonable right to a workplace accommodation based on something that was

traditionally not considered a disability. 

•	 Ms. McCulloh noted some DePaul University research that involved nine health

care institutions in the Chicago area. The study found that these institutions had

more people with disabilities working at these facilities than the administrations 

realized. People are afraid to disclose for fear of not getting a job or other

consequences--one of the issues we need to explore. 

•	 Mr. Godwin explained that employers “have to fish in the right pond.” They also

need people with disabilities reflected in their advertising and in the highest ranks

of the organization. Bon Secours tends to partner with community organizations

such as the Salvation Army, which brings his organization people recovering from 

addiction and other employee candidates. The company also has a career

development and education arm that works with the homeless and others,

training them to be registered nurses, radiology technicians, and more. 

Participant Comment: How do military records transfer to the civilian world,

particularly in the case of dishonorable discharges? 

•	 Dr. Glowacki suggested this question be discussed offline because itʼs a large 

issue that takes time to fully explore. “Less than honorable” is a distinction that is 

causing some confusion. A few years ago, before the military was diagnosing

TBI and PTSD, some of these disabilities were causing behavior that was

classified as a dishonorable discharge, but veterans can get these overturned. 

Participant Comments on Supplier Diversity 

25 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various attendees discussed the importance of considering whom employers use as

subcontractors. Itʼs a best practice to seek out disability- or veteran-owned firms. The 

USBLN has a supplier diversity database that can assist on this front. 

Participant Comment: In the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, we have lots of 

success getting employed in ʻbackroom” jobs, such as information technology 

and medical records. But you don't often see the deaf working in patient care.

How can we get from the back room to the front room? 

•	 Mr. Godwin noted that it depends how one defines “back” and “front room.” Bon 

Secours has successfully staffed nurses who cannot, or who choose not to, work 

at the bedside. The company places them in care management, electronic 

medical records, and more. These jobs are often higher paid and of very high 

value. Itʼs about looking at the individual and learning where they want to be and

how we can help them succeed. 

•	 Ms. Oliver-Carter mentioned that Highmark is building some sponsorships within 

certain areas of the company so that top-level senior managers can actually look 

at the way the company delivers on diversity, and then use change methodology 

to make things better. It works with senior leaders to build “sponsorship” so that

they can cascade messages down to those who work under them. Information is 

presented in terms of return on investment and other bottom- line advantages. 

•	 Mr. Konopasky brought up qualification standards, which can be challenged.

When a hiring manager makes a safety determination that says a person with a

disability cannot do a certain job, it has to be based on objective evidence. He 

said he recently received a call from a professor with epilepsy who was told by 

her employer that she needs to declare her disability to all students since she

could “fall” on the students. Thatʼs an example of a qualification standard that 

can easily be challenged. Employers need to take reasonable accommodations

into account before making a qualification determination. 

•	 Ms. Wolfe agreed, stating that knowing your civil rights and knowing that civil

rights laws are available to protect you is important. She cited the case of a 

children's social worker who was told by a potential employer that she had to be

able to hear to perform the job. When the EEOC or DOJ pursues a case like this, 

the agencies feel as though they have the entire deaf community behind them.

Enforcement can be a powerful tool. 

Participant Comments on Hiring Discrimination 

Several participants followed up, sharing their thoughts on hiring discrimination. 

•	 Ms. McCulloh reinforced the point that, when you put people with disabilities in 

executive roles, staff members feel better about disclosing and about supporting

employees and colleagues with disabilities. At the Chicagoland Chamber of

Commerce, Ms. McCulloh worked with many high- level executives who felt

comfortable disclosing their own disabilities to her within ten minutes of meeting

her, simply because she has an apparent disability herself. The mystique of

disability simply disappears if you have people with disabilities in the ranks. 

•	 Mr. Godwin stressed the importance of an effective corporate compliance

program, and a corporate culture that embraces and welcomes everyoneʼs
 diversity and experiences.
 

26 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator Question: How can we ensure that those who acquire a disability can 

remain successful and in their same occupation? How do you handle reasonable

accommodations in your organization and how are they funded? 

•	 Mr. Godwin answered that his organization does not have a separate budget for

accommodations. When Bon Secours has an employee who has a change in 

his/her status, it has resources to adjust internally. He recommended the 

strategy of getting the employee involved in the discussion and having ongoing

discussions about how to change things so that the person can continue to

contribute. 

•	 Ms. Oliver-Carter said that Highmark has a centralized budget for

accommodations, which takes the onus off of the individual manager to make

adjustments. Highmark trumpets the statistic that most accommodations are low

cost or no cost, and the companyʼs CFO is very vocal and supportive about 

disability. Employees are aware that itʼs okay to ask for an accommodation. 

Participant Comments on Return to Work and Other Supports 

Several participants shared their policies and procedures around accommodations. 

•	 Scott Lissner said Ohio State University has a centralized accommodations fund

and a successful return-to-work program. 

•	 Mr. Jacobs from Unum emphasized that the best employers are those that have

a return-to-work culture after illness or injury. Employers need to be willing to

bring people back to work and to have consultative support. 

•	 Mr. Konopasky mentioned that needing an accommodation is one major reason 

to disclose your disability. The burden gets shifted to the employer if you

disclose as soon as possible. Ann Hirsh explained that JAN often hears from

both employers and individuals, and the one thing employers don't always do well

is support their hiring managers. Forty percent of the people JAN talks to have a

disability, but a great number of people who call don't see themselves as people

with disabilities. 

•	 Another participant reiterated the importance of local services, many of which are

not well known. Employers and employees alike need to know about the

American Job Center network and other workforce development services. 

•	 Mr. Jacobs said that if youʼre fortunate enough to have private disability 

insurance, you'll have return-to-work resources available to you. If you're in a 

situation where you don't have an employer plan, you'll need to pay attention to

that because many health care institutions don't have disability insurance. 

Before adjourning the panel discussion and thanking the speakers, Ms. Vitelli cited two

DOL resources that can assist people who are seeking a new career or a return to the

workforce. These include the websites, www.mynextmove.dol.gov and 

www.myskillsmyfuture.org/. Both of these sites assist job seekers in determining what

types of jobs are most appropriate based on their dream career, browsing by different

types of industries, and/or by answering questions about the type of work they would

enjoy. Based on job seekersʼ responses, the websites provide careers that match the 

personsʼ interests. 

27 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group Discussion of Outcomes: Strategies for Engaging

Jobseekers with Disabilities and Returning Veterans to Meet

the Growing Demand for a Qualified Nursing/AHP Workforce 

The final portion of the agenda offered a chance for attendees to share their key 

takeaways from the dayʼs discussion. Serena Lowe asked each attendee to share what 

they believe is the number one priority for engaging job seekers with disabilities in the

health care industry, and what their organization's unique role could be in pursuing that

priority. 

•	 Scott Lissner of AHEAD said his focus will be on education and work-based 

learning experiences. He suggested that AHEAD could create a template or

process for developing technical standards through a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU). The template could outline how schools can work 

together with employers on job placements. 

•	 Ann Hirsh of JAN stated that information about providing and paying for

reasonable accommodations should be included in grants and contracts. This 

information could be inserted into MOUs between schools and employers. She

said that JAN can assist with providing such language. 

•	 Bronwynne Evans of NOND shared that information about technical standards 

needs to reside on the websites of leading organizations such as the National

League for Nursing, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, National

Academy on Nursing, etc. NOND could provide this technical assistance and

help make this happen. 

•	 Suzanne Feetham of the American Academy of Nursing believes that we must

leverage the human capital of our nursing and all health care professionals to

improve the health of the public. She is the co-chair of the organizationʼs 

inclusivity committee, and while its current discussion of diversity doesn't include

disability, it should. She agreed to help make that happen within her organization. 

•	 Roxanne Fulcher of AACC said she would like to see a discussion about 

providing access to all health professionsʼ programs to students with disabilities.

She would like to collect information on successful disability-related higher

education programs already in place so that practices can be replicated. 

•	 Kelly Buckland of the National Council on Independent Living noted the irony that

the health care profession has a shortage of employees, while people with 

disabilities have a high unemployment rate. He said we should be able to 

connect these two dots by working together. The demand for personal care

assistants will be very high in the future, and we can all work together to make

connections and build career ladders. 

•	 Carol Boyer from ODEP mentioned that ODEP will soon be sharing an employer

engagement model based on research by the Wharton School of Business. It will 

promote a whole new way of engaging employers in disability employment. 

•	 Mary Beth Bigley of HRSA loves the ladder-approach idea. She wants to 

highlight exemplary stories to show what's working. She also suggested that

Federal agencies should make accommodations a line item in grantees' financial 

statements to help reinforce the notion that accommodations are not that

expensive. 

28 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•	 Lindsay Beaver of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

noted the discussion of technical standards. Her main takeaway is an

appreciation for concerns related to unintended consequences of those

standards, and she will bring that information back to NCSBN. 

•	 Sarah Triano of the California Committee on Employment of People with 

Disabilities said she wants to leverage the Summit's attendee contact list. She 

would like to work with a group on a model state technical nursing standard for

California, and work with the California board of nursing to share it with nursing

schools in the state. 

•	 Rose Marie Toscano of the Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical

Institute for the Deaf thought it would be wonderful to have a few centers of

excellence that promote many best practices that are being implemented. For 

the deaf community, in particular, we need to focus on front-line health care jobs

versus back-room jobs. 

•	 Sandy DeRobertis, RSA, would like to distribute information about allied health 

services to students and applicants. Typically, students only come looking for

services after they are accepted, so applicants to nursing schools need to read

about services that exist when they are applying. 

•	 Alicia Wallace, from WellPoint, would like to see employers use the new Section 

503 and VEVRAA regulations to catapult their disability hiring practices in the

health care field. 

•	 Paula Alfone from the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)

remarked on the amazing day and how much she had learned. She was happy 

to hear the contact list was available and hoped the group could work together

formally in the future. 

•	 Jake Jacobs of Unum shared the need to continue promoting the importance of

disability insurance to employers. In the health care space, we could find a way 

to be more targeted. For instance, he has the opportunity to meet with many 

employer benefits specialists, so he can deliver the message to them quickly and

efficiently. The catch is that these people are quite busy, so the information 

needs to be short and sweet. 

•	 Karen Kesten of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) noted

that her organization serves 800 schools of nursing. She believes our best 

opportunity is to educate and influence deans, associate deans, and faculty 

directors. We can do so through webinars, keynote speakers, and the like; and

AACN can help facilitate this. 

•	 Beth Marks of NOND noted the need for systematic capacity building on a

statewide level. She recommended a center of excellence or clearinghouse.

Further, students need a "user manual" on what to do if they acquire a disability. 

•	 Jim Pace of the New York University College of Nursing remarked that we

haven't approached the issue globally. We need to re-conceptualize what it

means to be a registered nurse since we are still rooted in the notion of basic 

motor tasks. We need to re-conceptualize core competencies and find solutions

for reasonable accommodations in institutions where multiple groups fight for

clinical space. 

29 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•	 Suzanne Smeltzer of Villanova University urged all in attendance to read the twopage revised Position Statement of the International Council of Nurses,

Prevention of Disability and the Care of People with Disabilities

(http://www.icn.ch/images/stories/documents/publications/position_statements/A1

6_Prevention_Disability_Care.pdf) because it addresses many of the issues

relevant to the roundtable discussion. She further identified as a priority the need

for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the National League for

Nursing, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to embrace

disability as a topic of concern in nursing education and nursing practice. 

•	 Janice Brewington from the National League for Nursing mentioned the need to

share exemplars on return-to-work models that people can replicate. She also 

espoused having a national education model for people with disabilities starting

with students first. Further, we should have a national leadership program for

youth with disabilities to teach them the organizational systems and practices so

that they can be self-advocates. All these suggestions must be performed in a 

systematic way. 

•	 Leslie Neal-Boylan of Quinnipiac University committed to meeting with her 

school's admissionsʼ officers to discuss admitting more students with disabilities,

and to examine the stumbling blocks in place. 

•	 Marian Smithey of HRSA suggested pairing people with disabilities with job 

recruiters to make barriers more visible. Reluctant students will think twice about 

limitations when they see people with disabilities working successfully in the

ranks. 

•	 Nancy Brooks from ED remarked on the importance of the convening role of the

Federal government. She said her priority was to take what she learned at the

event and share it with the workgroups of which she is a part, including the HHS

Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Committeeʼs Certification/Adoption 

Workgroup, HIT Workforce Subgroup. 

•	 Robin Jones of the Great Lakes ADA Center discussed the fact that real activity 

takes place at the local level. So, knowledge must be shared with the allied

health professionals, deans, and faculty in the schools who work many layers

away from the people around the table. We must challenge these targets to

include people with disabilities within their programs, from recruitment to

classroom supports, training, institutional supports, and clinical relationships. 

•	 Katie Wolfe of DOJ said the issue has tremendous support from Eve Hill, Deputy 

Assistant Attorney General and Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney 

General, and she looked forward to taking today's information back to them. She 

believes whatʼs needed is clarity in terms of technical assistance and

enforcement, and she encouraged people to bring their complaints and

challenges to DOJ. 

•	 Jim Godwin of Bon Secours Virginia Health System noted that employers are

overwhelmed by numerous agencies and services available to address the issue

of disability employment. 

•	 Sara Oliver-Carter of Highmark Health agreed that a single point of contact and

an employer toolkit of best practices would be helpful. And those tools need to 

be marketed heavily. She also noted the need for interagency connections so

that people can jointly source talent. 

30 
 

 

 

 

•	 Aaron Konopasky of EEOC reiterated the need to revamp the technical

standards that are currently functioning as a set of standards for every nursing

job in the country. The chances of every single nursing job in the world requiring

those same standards are slim. 

•	 Kim Vitelli of ETA said her agency wants to focus on positioning AJCs as a nexus

for employers and job seekers with disabilities. AJCs are a resource for 

employers on Section 503 and VEVRAA, and people need to know about them. 

•	 Karen McCulloh of NOND said her number one priority is a national

clearinghouse on information related to disability hiring in the health care field.

NOND is willing to get involved in creating this, but it needs funding. She also 

noted the need for research that is directed toward the cultural competencies that

people with disabilities bring to the health care industry. Best practices need to

be packaged and marketed among employers and learning institutions. Finally, 

we must conduct outreach to youth with disabilities. They need to know that

health care careers are open to them, and what classes they need to take to

pursue those careers. 

31 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next Steps
 

In a short period of time, the Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends,

Best Practices and Call-to-Action Policy Roundtable has stimulated the national 

dialogue about the employment of people with disabilities in nursing and allied health, providing a forum for discussing difficult issues for an industry facing major workforce

development challenges, including some impacted by state and federal policy.

Participants were clearly engaged and enthusiastic to learn and share their

observations, experiences, and recommendations for future action. To build upon this

momentum, potential next steps include the following (in addition to aforementioned

participant recommendations): 

•	 Share the event report with all participants and other key stakeholders. 

•	 Facilitate ongoing dialogue between event participants to encourage the

continued sharing of ideas and experiences around the topics discussed. This 

dialogue could be achieved virtually through an online Community of Practice

under ODEPʼs ePolicyWorks initiative. 

•	 Host a national online dialogue to gather more information on the issue. This 

online dialogue could solicit ideas from nurses, nursing students, employers, and

educators about how to create more disability-friendly programs and/or

workplaces in the health care industry. 

•	 Establish a Federal interagency working group on the issue, with representatives

from ODEP, EEOC, DOJ, ETA, HHS/HRSA, ED/RSA, and ED/OCR and other

relevant agencies. 

•	 Hold a series of small follow-on work meetings, each focused on one of the

common themes as a way to flesh out corresponding recommendations and

develop implementation plans. 

•	 Seek opportunities to raise awareness of the issue via blog posts and articles in 

the health care industry, workforce development, and HR publications. In a 

similar vein, participants could collaborate to propose presentations at relevant

workforce development, HR, and health care industry conferences. 

•	 Include the topic of accommodations for nurses and allied health professionals in 

JANʼs monthly webcast trainings. 

•	 Seek ways to infuse the health care industry in ongoing disability employment

awareness efforts, including the ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability 

Employment and National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).

For instance, a health care worker could be featured on a future NDEAM poster. 

•	 Develop a targeted outreach strategy to educate Federal contractors in the health 

care industry about their new responsibilities under Section 503 of the

Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA. 

•	 Consider adding a health care focus to future grant awards, such as those under

ETAʼs Workforce Investment Fund, and HRSA grants. 

•	 Explore idea of a student association to build capacity of the future workforce to

advocate for their rights. •	 Make the roundtable a biannual event to discuss and share progress made. This 

roundtable could be facilitated by attaching it to a workforce development or

disability employment conference. 

32 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix A – Meeting Sponsors 

Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends, Best

Practices and Call-to-Action Policy Roundtable
 

Meeting Sponsors 

ODEP: The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) was authorized by Congress in the

Department of Labor's FY 2001 appropriation. Recognizing the need for a national policy to 

ensure that people with disabilities are fully integrated into the 21st Century workforce, the 

Secretary of Labor delegated authority and assigned responsibility to the Assistant Secretary for 

Disability Employment Policy. As a sub-cabinet-level policy agency in the Department of Labor, 

ODEP's mission is to develop and influence policies and practices that increase the number and 

quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. To fulfill this mission, ODEP 

promotes the adoption and implementation of ODEP policy strategies and effective practices

that impact the employment of people with disabilities. For more information, visit 

www.dol.gov/odep/about/ 

ETA: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers Federal government job 

training and worker dislocation programs, Federal grants to states for public employment service 

programs, and unemployment insurance benefits. These services are primarily provided through 

state and local workforce development systems. The mission of ETA is to contribute to the more 

efficient functioning of the U.S. labor market by providing high-quality job training, employment,

labor market information, and income maintenance services primarily through state and local 

workforce development systems. ETA's vision is to promote pathways to economic liberty for 

individuals and families working to achieve the American Dream. ETA administers effective 

programs to enhance employment opportunities and business prosperity. For more information

visit www.doleta.gov/etainfo/ 

NOND: The National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND) is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit

organization founded in 2003 in the State of Illinois. NOND is administered by an all-volunteer

board of directors where more than 60 percent of the directors are nurses with disabilities.

NONDʼs mission is to offer an open membership, cross‐disability, professional organization that 

works to promote equity for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions in nursing

through education and advocacy by (1) promoting best practices in education and employment;

(2) providing resources to individuals, nursing and disability organizations, and educational and 

health care institutions; (3) influencing the provision of culturally responsive nursing practice;

and (4) creating systemic improvements in education and employment. For more information, 

visit www.nond.org 

HRSA: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access

to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. HRSA

was created in 1982, when the Health Resources Administration and the Health Services 

Administration were merged. HRSA works to strengthen the health care workforce, build healthy

communities, and improve health equity. HRSAʼs grantees provide health care to uninsured 

people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and pregnant women, mothers, and children. HRSA also

supports the training of health professionals, the distribution of providers to areas where they

are needed most, and improvements in health care delivery. HRSA oversees organ, bone

marrow, and cord blood donation. It compensates individuals harmed by vaccination, and

maintains databases that protect against health care malpractice, waste, fraud and abuse. For

more information, visit www.hrsa.gov/about/ 

33 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix B – Participant List 

Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends, Best

Practices and Call-to-Action Policy Roundtable 

Participant List 

Paula Alfone 

Director, Mid Atlantic Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) 

Loyola University

Baltimore, MD

palfone@loyola.edu 

Edward Anthony

Deputy Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC

Edward.anthony@ed.gov 

Marie Barry

Senior Practice and Policy Analyst, American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

A subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA)

Silver Spring, MD

marie.barry@ana.org 

Lindsay Beaver, Esq., Legislative Affairs Associate 

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

Chicago, IL 

LBeaver@ncsbn.org 

Mary Beth Bigley

Director, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Rockville, MD

mbbigley@hrsa.gov 

Carol Boyer

Senior Policy Advisor, Employer and Workplace Policy Team 

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

Boyer.Carol@dol.gov 

34 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Brooks

Education Program Specialist, College and Career Transitions Branch 

Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE)

U.S. Department of Education 

Washington, DC

Nancy.brooks@ed.gov 

Kelly Buckland

Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)

Washington, DC

kelly@ncil.org 

Sandy DeRobertis

VR Program Specialist, VR Unit, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC

Sandy.derobertis@ed.gov 

Ron Drach 

Senior Advisor, NOD Wounded Warrior Careers

National Organization on Disability (NOD) 

Washington, DC

consultrwd@yahoo.com 

Carol Dunlap

Business Development Specialist

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
 U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

Dunlap.Carol@dol.gov 

Bronwynne Evans

Vice President, National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND) 

Professor, Arizona State University

College of Nursing and Health Innovation 

Phoenix, AZ

Bronwynne.Evans@asu.edu 

Suzanne Feetham 

American Academy of Nursing (AAN)

Co-Chair, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee 

Children's National University of Wisconsin, College of Nursing 

Milwaukee, WI

stfeetham@earthlink.net 

35 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roxanne Fulcher 

Director, Health Professions Policy and the Health Professions Center

American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) 

Washington, DC

rfulcher@aacc.nche.edu 

Nancy Glowacki

Manager, Women Veteran Program

Veteransʼ Employment and Training Service (VETS)

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

glowacki.nancy@dol.gov 

Jim Godwin 

VP, Human Resources

Bon Secours Virginia Health System, Inc.

Richmond, VA

Jim_Godwin@bshsi.org 

Anne Hirsh 

Co-Director, Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

ODEP-funded Technical Assistance Center 

University of West Virginia

Morgantown, WV

hirsh@jan.wvu.edu 

Robert (Jake) Jacob

Director, Health and Productivity Development

Unum US-National Client Group

Portland, ME

rjacob@unum.com 

Robin Jones 

Project Director, Great Lakes Americans with Disabilities Act Center, Region 5

Instructor, Department of Disability and Human Development

Applied Health Sciences

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, IL

guiness@uic.edu 

Karen Kesten 

Director of Educational Innovations 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Washington, DC

kkesten@aacn.nche.edu 

36 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaron Konopasky, Esq., Senior Attorney Advisor, ADA/GINA Division 

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Washington, DC

aaron.konopasky@eeoc.gov 

Stan Koutstaal 

Program Manager, Health Opportunity Grants Program

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Washington, DC

Stanley.koutstaal@acf.hhs.gov 

Janet LaBreck 

Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) 

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC

Janet.LaBreck@ed.gov 

Charlotte Lanvers, Esq.

Staff Attorney

Office of Civil Rights (OCR)

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC

Charlotte.Lanvers@ed.gov 

L. Scott Lissner 

Coordinator, Ohio State University Americans with Disabilities Act, and 

President, Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) 

Columbus, OH

lissner.2@osu.edu 

Serena Lowe 

Senior Policy Advisor, Workforce Systems Policy Team 

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

Lowe.Serena.D.@dol.gov 

Beth Marks 

President 

National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND), and

Research Associate, Department of Disability and Human Development University of Illinois at

Chicago

Chicago, IL

bmarks1@uic.edu 

37 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy Martinez

Assistant Secretary

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

Martinez.kathy@dol.gov 

Karen McCulloh 

Founder and Immediate Past President 

National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND), 

President and CEO, Karen McCulloh and Associates Consulting, and 

Presidential Appointee to AbilityOne Commission 

Morton Grove, IL

karenmcculloh@gmail.com 

Marty McGuinness

Vice President, Unum

Washington, DC

MMcGuinness@unum.com 

Colet Mitchell 

Supervisory Policy Advisor, Employer and Workplace Policy Team 

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

Mitchell.colet@dol.gov 

Leslie Neal-Boylan

Associate Dean and Professor 

Quinnipiac University

Hamden, CT

Leslie.Neal-Boylan@quinnipiac.edu 

Sara Oliver-Carter 

Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion

Highmark Health

Pittsburg, PA

sara.oliver-carter@highmarkhealth.org 

James Pace 

Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs

Clinical Associate Professor 

New York University College of Nursing 

New York, NY

Jcp12@nyu.edu 

38 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phyllis Ruppert

Diversity and Inclusion Business Consultant

Highmark Health

Pittsburgh, PA

phyllis.rupert@highmarkhealth.org 

Eric Seleznow 

Acting Assistant Secretary

Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
 

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

Seleznow.Eric@dol.gov 

Janette Shell 

Management Analyst, TA Unit

Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC

Janette.shell@ed.gov 

Suzanne Smeltzer 

Professor and Director of the College of Nursing Center for Nursing Research 

Villanova University, and

President, Alliance for Disability in Healthcare Education 

Villanova, PA

suzanne.smeltzer@villanova.edu 

Marian Smithey

Project Officer, Nursing Practice and Workforce Development Branch

Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Rockville, MD

msmithey@hrsa.gov 

Rose Marie Toscano 

Professor, Department of Liberal Studies

Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)

Rochester, NY

rmtnge@ntid.rit.edu 

Sarah Triano 

Executive Officer 

California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities 

Sacramento, CA

striano@dor.ca.gov 

Kim Vitelli 

Chief, Division of National Programs, Tools, and Technical Assistance 

Employment and Training Administration (ETA) 

U.S. Department of Labor

Washington, DC

vitelli.kimberly@dol.gov 

Alicia Wallace 

Director, EEO Compliance, HR

WellPoint 

Indianapolis, IN 

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Alicia.wallace@anthem.com 

Katie Wolfe, Esq.

Senior Trial Attorney, Disability Rights Section 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Washington, DC

Kathleen.Wolfe@usdoj.gov 

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Appendix C – Agenda 

Health Care Professionals with Disabilities Career Trends,

Best Practices and Call-to-Action Policy Roundtable
 

Host Organizations:

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)/Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in collaboration

with the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND) 

Co-Sponsored by:

U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USHHS)/Health Resources and

Services Administration (HRSA)
 

March 18, 2014, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST

United States Access Board
 

1331 F Street, N.W., Eighth Floor Conference Room, Washington, D.C. 20004
 

AGENDA 

Opening Remarks

8:30-9:00 a.m. 

Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy, USDOL

Karen McCulloh, Founder and Immediate Past President, NOND; President and CEO, Karen

McCulloh and Associates Consulting; Presidential Appointee, U.S. AbilityOne Commission

Eric Seleznow, Acting Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, USDOL 

Mary Beth Bigley, Director, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, Health

Resources and Services Administration, USHHS

Janet LaBreck, Commissioner, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office of Special

Education and Rehabilitative Services, USED 

Laying the Foundation: Meeting Objectives and Proposed Outcomes

9:00-9:10 a.m. 

Serena Lowe, Senior Policy Advisor, Workforce Systems Policy Team, Office of Disability

Employment Policy, USDOL 

Understanding the Barriers: Accessing Careers in Nursing and the Allied Health

Professions 

9:10-9:30 a.m. 

Bronwynne Evans, Vice President, NOND; Professor, Arizona State University, College of

Nursing and Health Innovation 

The Need to Diversify the Workforce to Address Growing Health Care Employment

Demands: A Landscape Assessment of the Opportunities for Jobseekers with

Disabilities and Veterans 

9:30-9:50 a.m. 

Kimberly Vitelli, Chief, Division of National Programs, Employment and Training Administration, 

USDOL 

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BREAK 

9:50-10:00 a.m. 

Panel Session One 

10:00-11:15 a.m. 

Driving Access to Post-Secondary Educational Programs in Nursing and Allied Health

Professions for Prospective Students with Disabilities and Returning Veterans 

Panelists: 

Roxanne Fulcher, Director of Health Professions Policy, AACC 

Leslie Neal-Boylan, Associate Dean and Professor, School of Nursing, Quinnipiac University 

Charlotte Lanvers, Staff Attorney, Office of Civil Rights, USED 

Robin Jones, Project Director, Great Lakes Americans with Disabilities Center; Instructor,

Department of Disability and Human Development, Applied Health Sciences, University of

Illinois at Chicago

Beth Marks, President, NOND; Research Associate Professor, Department of Disability and

Human Development, Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago 

Facilitator: Mary Beth Bigley, Director, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, Health

Resources and Services Administration, USHHS 

Group Discussion of Outcomes

11:15-12:15 p.m.

Strategies for Promoting Access to Nursing/Allied Health Professions Post-Secondary

Education for Students with Disabilities and Returning Veterans
 

LUNCH 

12:15-1:15 p.m.
 

Panel Session Two
 

1:15-2:20 p.m.

Opportunities and Promising Practices for Jobseekers with Disabilities and Veterans in

Nursing and the Allied Health Professions (AHP)
 

Panelists: 

Jim Godwin, VP, Human Resources, Bon Secours Virginia Health System 

Sara Oliver-Carter, VP, Diversity and Inclusion, Highmark Health 

Nancy Glowacki, Women Veteran Program Manager, Veteransʼ Employment and Training 

Service, USDOL

Aaron Konopasky, Esq., Senior ADA/GINA Division, EEOC 

Katie Wolfe, Esq., Senior Trial Attorney, Disability Rights Section, USDOJ 

Facilitator: Kimberly Vitelli, Chief, Division of National Programs, Employment and Training 

Administration, USDOL 

BREAK 

2:20-2:30 p.m. 

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Group Discussion of Outcomes

2:30-3:45 p.m.

Strategies for Engaging Jobseekers with Disabilities and Returning Veterans to Meet the

Growing Demand for a Qualified Nursing/AHP Workforce 

Wrap-Up: Summary, Outcomes and Next Steps

3:45-4:00 p.m.

Serena Lowe, Senior Policy Advisor, Workforce Systems Policy Team, Office of Disability 

Employment Policy, USDOL 

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Appendix D – Technical Standards Handout 

Technical Standards 

Nursing education requires that the accumulation of scientific knowledge be accompanied 

by the simultaneous acquisition of skills and professional attitudes and behaviors. The 

nursing degrees awarded by the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies

at the completion of the educational process certifies that the individual has acquired a base 

of knowledge and skills requisite for the practice of nursing at the respective undergraduate 

or graduate level. 

To this end, all courses in the curriculum must be completed successfully. In order to

acquire the knowledge and skills to function in a variety of clinical situations and to render a 

wide spectrum of patient care, candidates for the undergraduate and graduate degrees in

nursing must have abilities and skills in five areas: 

Observation 

Communication 

Motor 

Conceptual-Integrative 

Behavioral-Social 

Technological compensation can be made for some disabilities in certain of these areas, but

a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner and exercise

independent judgment. 

Observation 

The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and participate in didactic courses

and simulated learning opportunities. A candidate must be able to observe a patient

accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation requires the use of common sense,

as well as the functional use of the senses of vision, audition, olfaction, and palpation. 

Communication 

Candidates must communicate effectively using English in clinical and classroom settings.

A candidate must be able to elicit information from patients, describe changes in mood,

activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate must be able to

communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only 

speech, but reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively

and efficiently with all members of the health care team in both immediate and recorded

modes. 

Motor 

Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by

palpation, auscultation, percussion and other assessment techniques. A candidate

should be able to perform nursing skills requiring the use of gross and fine motor skills (e.g. 

IV insertion, venous blood draw, urinary catheter insertion). A candidate should be able to 

execute motor movements reasonably required to provide nursing care and emergency

response to patients. Examples of emergency responses reasonably required of nurses are 

cardiopulmonary resuscitation, medication administration, and application of pressure to

stop bleeding. Candidates must perform actions which require the use of both gross and

fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision. 

Candidates should also be able to assist and/or participate in various lifting activities. 

Conceptual-Integrative

These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, synthesis, and 

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retention of complex information. Critical thinking requires all of these intellectual abilities in 

order to provide optimal nursing care. In addition, the candidate should be able to 

comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of 

structures. 

Behavioral-Social 

Candidates must possess the emotional health required for the full use of their intellectual 

abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities

attendant to the care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective 

relationships with patients. Candidates must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads 

and to function effectively under stress in the classroom and clinical area.

They must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and learn to 

function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical environment. Compassion,

integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal 

qualities that are assessed during the admissions and educational process. 

Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case by case basis for individuals

who meet eligibility under applicable statutes. Any person expecting to need

accommodations should request them prior to beginning the program, as some

accommodations may not be considered reasonable and may impact an applicantʼs ability 

to complete all components of the program. 

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