by Brooke Carbo
The AWARE Disability Management Program at UAB is celebrating “the skills, talent and value employees with disabilities bring to the workplace and to the economy,” said AWARE Program Coordinator and UAB Human Resources ADA Specialist Dina Jones.
The theme of this year’s initiative is Access to Good Jobs for All, which Jones said re-affirms the AWARE Program and Human Resources’ commitment to helping the community at large obtain jobs they can be proud of at UAB.
“Along with securing access to good jobs for potential applicants, retaining employees is also a priority AWARE takes seriously,” said Jones.
In her role with AWARE, Jones has noticed an increase in accommodation requests from employees with “invisible” or “neurodiverse” conditions. To help the UAB community be more aware of its neurodivergent population, AWARE is introducing two new learning opportunities through LinkedIn Learning.
The Neurodiversity in the Workplace Learning Path is a series of short videos designed to give users insight into understanding neurodiverse people. Hiring and Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace is a two-hour course that looks at how to recruit and support neurodivergent talent, while building understanding of what supporting neurodiversity in the workplace involves.
“We wanted supervisors, managers and co-workers to get more education on how to work with these unique individuals,” said Jones.
Access to LinkedIn Learning is free for all full-time regular and temporary employees as well as part-time regular, interns/residents, 3/12 shift employees, weekend staff, post-doctoral scholar trainees and employees. Visit uab.edu/linkedinlearning to learn more.
In addition to these new offerings, AWARE will once again host the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services for a virtual training session for UAB employees on Nov. 4, 2024. Disability Etiquette Training features a discussion on the preferred manner of interacting with individuals with disabilities and an overview of varying types of impairments. Participants should be prepared to join with both audio and visual capabilities due to the interactive nature of these presentations. Check the UAB Campus Calendar for details.
UAB employees with a disability are encouraged to self-identify using the Disability Self-ID Form in the Oracle HR & Finance System, which is found on the myUAB portal. Individuals may provide this information at any time during their employment with UAB. Submission is voluntary, and refusal to provide it will not result in any adverse treatment. The information is kept strictly confidential within UAB Human Resources and used only in compliance with federal reporting and record-keeping requirements. Visit the AWARE Program online for instructions and more information.
