Information and Outreach Workgroup Report to the Steering Committee
Submitted: September 23, 2002
To: the Rhodes to Independence Steering Committee
Workgroup Membership
| Donald Deignan |
Work Group Chairperson, Governor's Advisory Council on Blindness |
| Susan Shapiro |
ORS, Executive Director, BPAO grant |
| Lorna Ricci |
OSCIL |
| Vicki Ferrara |
Sherlock Center |
| Frank DePetrillo |
Department of Human Services |
| Kim Bose |
DHS, MIG grant staff |
| Linda Dziobek |
Travelers' Aid |
| Janet Breckenridge |
Social Security Administration |
| Jeanne Panarace |
Department of Health |
| Diane Kayala |
Department of Human Services |
| Ann LeClerq |
RI Public Transit Authority |
| John Dupre |
Consumer /advocate |
| Robert Cooper |
Governor's Commission on Disability |
Purpose
The Information and Outreach sub-committee of the Rhodes to Independence Steering Committee met periodically to develop strategies and to formulate recommendations which, when implemented, will enhance employment prospects and opportunities for large numbers of Rhode Islanders with various disabilities. It is our belief that such people ought to be given every opportunity to work if they wish to do so. Government agencies and private employers, by forging effective partnerships, can create a positive atmosphere in which opportunities to work become increasingly available for people with disabilities. It is our conviction that Rhode Islanders with all kinds of disabilities represent a skilled, largely untapped, potential workforce resource which, in an increasingly competitive global economy, our state and nation cannot afford to waste.
Summary of Meetings
Meetings were held on a monthly basis between March and September, 2002 at ORS, 40 Fountain Street, Providence. In an effort to insure a broad perspective on effective outreach to all constituencies, invitations to join the committee were sent to many organizations and groups. Efforts were made to reach out to consumers as well. Format was predominately discussion and brainstorming. On one occasion, a speaker was invited to address the work group. Donalda Carlson addressed the welfare reform marketing campaign undertaken by the Department of Human Services and what contributed to the success of that campaign. Recommendations were reached by consensus. The committee focused on the broad goal of information distribution across many audiences and access of information at the time it is needed.
Executive Summary
In order to achieve the goal of increasing meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities, as established in the Purpose statement, the work group has developed the following three (3) broad recommendations which will help the Steering Committee and other decision-makers in the business, political, advocacy and rehabilitation communities effectively to reach the target audiences which we have identified. First, a clear and consistent message that work is both possible and beneficial for people with disabilities must be developed and disseminated throughout our state. Second, a professional marketing campaign, carefully monitored and refined by all interested parties as it unfolds, should be mounted to spread the beneficial employment message. Third, because of the inherent complexity of this task, the proposed marketing campaign must be carefully coordinated to take advantage of all existing resources and its approach ought to be "multi-modal" in character.
Our Audiences
The recommendations outlined above were shaped by the awareness that our essential message, "people with disabilities can work and will improve the quality of their own lives by doing so", must be delivered simultaneously to various, specialized audiences in order to be successful. Our primary audience is, of course, people with all kinds of disabilities themselves. This group includes not only current recipients of SSI and SSDI benefits but also an undetermined number of additional individuals with disabilities who, whether by accident or choice, fall outside the social service delivery system. These core groups aside, our message must also be tailored to reach the family members of such people as well as advocacy organizations, healthcare providers, rehabilitation professionals, business and political leaders, and other "custodians of information". Last but not least, we must deliver our message to taxpayers whose contributions will literally underwrite the campaign that we are proposing.
Recommendations
1. We recommend the formulation and dissemination of the message that
"PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CAN WORK AND SHOULD BE
GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO!"
Elements to stress in the crafting of this message include:
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Work benefits both the person who performs it and the society which promotes it. A real job gives a person a sense of dignity and independence and lessens the burden to society by the amount of their contribution.
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A regular job is the first step toward economic self-sufficiency.
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Work Incentives contained in TWWIIA provide a "safety net" for people with disabilities who seek full-time employment.
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Employers should be taught to see workers with disabilities as "a Resource not a Risk".
Our first priority is the development and propagation of "The Message".
2. Secondly, we recommend the creation of A PROFESSIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO SPREAD "THE MESSAGE".
This marketing campaign should incorporate the following concepts:
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Its communication plan(s) should address the specific, specialized outlooks and needs of the distinctive audiences identified above. It should take a discreet, rather than a ‘cookie-cutter' approach to promotion of the "MESSAGE" .
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"Focus Groups" representing people with disabilities and members of the other constituencies identified above should be involved at every stage in the development of the marketing campaign.
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Once the campaign is up and running, it should be carefully monitored on an ongoing basis to make certain that "THE MESSAGE" is continuing to be delivered effectively to each of its intended targets.
The crafting of a positive and compelling message is of immediate importance. The secondary challenge will be to keep the core idea fresh and vital as the long-term marketing campaign unfolds over the months and years after its initial launch. In support of that message, information regarding the availability of work supports must be delivered.
3. Finally, we recommend that the professional marketing campaign, because of the inherent complexity of this task, must be carefully coordinated to take advantage of all existing resources, and be "MULTI-MODAL" both in character and approach. Because the only thing that binds vast numbers of people with disabilities together is their "HIGHLY INDIVIDUALIZED RESPONSE TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM," the stewards of the marketing campaign will have to be exquisitely sensitive to discreet differences within and among the target populations which they are expected to reach.
Because each of us learns in our own particular way, various approaches to the dissemination of information must be taken by the marketing campaign. These could include, but not be limited to, the following:
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Posters mounted on RIPTA buses and RIDE vans, and at bus shelters.
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Brochures in English and various other languages detailing "THE MESSAGE", distributed to and through agencies, organizations, RIDE drivers, libraries, meal sites, medical offices, and through temporary housing shelters and Traveler Aid offices (to reach homeless population who do not access information from traditional sources).
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Public and Commercial Media: TV, Radio and Print to spread "THE MESSAGE". (ABLE too, Tea w/Marie, PSAs, interviews, articles, etc.)
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Use of Computer Websites, listservs, and other electronic links.
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Insertion of information in Newsletters of consumer organizations, public/private agency service providers, and community-based groups (churches, libraries, social clubs) of all kinds. (articles that highlight Successful work outcomes, program information, events and activities)
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Traditional conferences/forums such as the PARI/OSCIL annual state-wide events or the yearly TechAccess exposition.
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Kiosks in public places, particularly shopping malls.
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Person-to-Person Contact. Nothing is more powerful than the transmission of experience from one trusted friend/colleague to another.
This recommended multi-modal approach to information dissemination is as complex and ambitious as it is necessary if we hope to succeed in reaching the varied populations that we are targeting. The campaign marketer has to be committed, in principle, to carrying out this unconventional, flexible, multifaceted, imaginative strategy if the project is to work.
Financial Implications
All this being said, we recognize that the implementation of such a complicated plan will take considerable time and money. Given the current financial condition of our State, it may be best to develop the marketing campaign and its multi-modal communication program in stages. What should not be delayed, however, is the development of ‘THE MESSAGE" itself. Once it is properly conceptualized and articulated, the idea that "PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CAN WORK AND CONTRIBUTE" will remain relevant and important into the indefinite future.
Rather than delay this plan until sufficient monies are available to underwrite the full cost of this program, creative alternatives should be sought. Utilization of interns from graduate student programs in marketing and advertising may offer low or no cost talent that will develop viable materials and a marketing approach that will be effective. (Most recently, Bryant College students developed an effective marketing campaign for OSCIL.) In addition, utilization of funds already allocated for purposes of informing people with disabilities about available benefits and services should be considered for this undertaking. Adding this message to outreach campaigns already underway or to be developed in the future should be considered.
As the economic climate of the state changes and additional funds become available, professional marketing and advertising consultants can be hired to build upon the base in place.
