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Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin'
Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind, and they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it"
--“Workin’ 9 to 5” written/sung by Dolly Parton

Whether they were owners of entrepreneurial start-up businesses, took over a family business, or are middle managers, baby-boomers are retiring faster than Hollywood stars change partners. As a result, U.S. employers are bracing for a shortage of 10 million workers by 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, the jobless rate among disabled workers is estimated at 65-75 percent.

Dolly Parton’s caustic words about the work force may be applicable in many cases—but first, you’ve got to have a job.

Maria J. Clark-Adragna targets that topic when she speaks to corporate groups or other organizations; she effectively did just that in a keynote address at the three-day World Congress and Expo on Disabilities at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. There she discussed “Interviewing Skills—Interviewing a Candidate with a Disability,” as she zeroed in on both the interviewer and the interviewee.

She maintains, "If you don't make waves, no one will know you've been swimming," and her seminars/workshops for businesses, educators, medical communities, and the public are intended to help recognize and understand the laws concerning people with disabilities.

Brittle Bones
It wasn’t easy from the get-go. Clark-Adragna doesn’t know her father, was long ago estranged from her mother, and was raised by her grandparents, Camillo and Mary Adragna.  She revered this Sicilian couple so much that she has attached their name to hers. She was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (or “Brittle Bones”) a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily, often for no apparent cause. The genetic disorder affects the body’s production of collagen. Clark-Adragna had collagen deficiency, but after puberty the amount of bone breakage declined. Six surgeries corrected her arms and legs, which were bowed.

She directed her attention to becoming an actress and has been featured in the musicals Beehive, Godspell,and Anything Goes. She has performed roles in off-Broadway plays, including Another Person is a Foreign Country, The Perfect Life, Romance Mystery Theater, and her own one-woman show about her life, Maria. She created and hosted a talk show, “The Open Circle,” aired on access cable stations across New Jersey.

As an advocate, Clark-Adragna has worked with the Middlesex County (NJ) Dept. of Human Services and the County Office for the Disabled. A professional speaker on diversity and disability awareness, her speaking engagements have been for Drew University, Exxon Corp., Johnson & Johnson Co., United Way, Rutgers University, and New York University, among others. On those occasions and others, she has emphasized “misconceptions that surround disabilities can generate discrimination in the workplace as well as housing and social situations.”

WCD Expo is one of the largest events for people with disabilities and all who are affected, such as family members, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and educators. More than 200 exhibitors displayed products and services designed to ease and enrich the lives of individuals facing a range of challenges.

Important components
For the interviewer, Clark-Adragna stresses the first consideration is setting up the interview: “For example, is the office wheelchair accessible? What questions can and cannot be asked, plus what are the issues regarding interviewing and hiring a candidate with a disability. For the interviewee, often the most difficult hurdle is addressing misconceptions an interviewer has regarding disability.” She claims “functional disability statements” allow those with disabilities to address issues that prospective employers have related to hiring them, and she contends the most important components of a functional disability statement are:

• Focus on your positive attributes
• Use no medical jargon
• Emphasize how you can do the job using compensatory skills
• Address common misconceptions
• Answer questions you think the employer may hesitate to ask you.

People with disabilities remain a largely untapped workforce, says John Wagner, president of the First Coast Business Leadership Network in Jacksonville, Fla. The network, which includes about 50 employers, promotes hiring and training of people with disabilities. Gov. Jeb Bush was the keynote speaker at the group's kickoff event at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida headquarters. Wagner said hiring the disabled can help ease the impending U.S. labor shortage as millions of retiring baby-boomers leave for points undiscovered. Employers expect a shortage of 10 million workers by 2010, states the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate among disabled workers is 65-75 percent.

Employer attitudes are one reason for the high unemployment rate, advocates say. Some business leaders worry they might have to incur added costs to retrofit offices for wheelchair-bound or visually-impaired employees. About "75 percent of the folks with disabilities require accommodations that cost less than $1,000," Wagner said. They know nothing about the federal tax breaks.

Take charge
Clark-Andragna asserts, “It is now more important than ever to be proactive in understanding these concerns and issues.”

From her wheelchair, she wants to teach others how to take charge of their handicaps “instead of letting their handicaps take charge of them.” She figures “75 percent of the disabled population is unemployed. There’s so much out there for them, but the issues they’re facing are getting hired and getting to and from work.” A full-time representative for Borders Books in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Clark-Adragna meets and deals with a variety of people daily. Some are able to address her properly, others choose to avoid her. Then, there are some children who can’t help but point and stare.

“I’m three feet tall, so I’m their size,” she said. “I usually tell them, when they’re young, I say, ‘I’m small like you, but I’m older like you’re mommy.’ But I’ve had parents literally take their child and turn them around in the other direction. I’ll move so I’m in view of the child. When I have discussions with children and parents, I stress to them that just because you’re different doesn’t mean something’s wrong.”

To Clark-Adragna, her handicap is merely an accessory, like glasses. Her condition has never stopped her from living. She drives a van and lives in an apartment that isn’t handicapped-accessible. “Borders is being extremely encouraging because they know this is where my heart is,” she said. “I have something people are generally curious about. At some point you have to measure what you’re worth.”

In his wheelchair, Jacksonville, FL resident Herb Drill heads Able Me & Associates. His e-mail address is herbdrill@notaccessible.com.