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CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine, established in 1986, is the nation's first and only career-guidance and recruitment magazine for people with disabilities who are at undergraduate, graduate, or professional levels. Each issue features a special Braille section.

CAREERS & the disABLED has won many awards, including several media "Award of Excellence" acknowledgments from the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

This magazine reaches people with disabilities nationwide at their home addresses, colleges and universities, and chapters of student and professional organizations through a paid subscription.


CAREERS & the disABLED

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 A Bright Financial Future

 
 
By Barbara Woodworth
 
 
The financial and insurance sectors abound with careers for those with disabilities.
 
 
According to recent U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, individuals with disabilities now have greater opportunities for jobs within the finance and insurance arena. The outlook is promising, especially as identified and projected needs for new entrants are noted.
Advantageous, too, are the many available avenues possible when establishing a career within these sectors. Persons with disabilities will find that true at companies such as Charles Schwab, MetLife, Allstate and the Lincoln Financial Group - all of which offer a welcoming and inclusive workplace environment, as described by the individuals featured here.
 
 
Moody & Cornejo Garcia Underscore Allstate’s Inclusivity
Rebekah Moody received an early childhood diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a progressive condition that affects the peripheral nerves in the hands and feet. It also caused her fingers, at times, to curl into her palms, making it difficult for her to write and text. However, she didn’t use a wheelchair full-time until about 10 years ago.
“Allstate was my first professional job since graduating from Trinity International University with a degree in English and communications, and I’ve been with this more than 41,000-employee company since 2011,” says Moody, who’s now senior recruiter, talent acquisition, at the Northbrook, IL-headquartered firm.
Following a summer internship with a corporate public relations department, she volunteered with an Illinois congressional campaign, “doing a little of everything,” until the end of the political season. “After that, I spent about six months looking for a full-time job, during which time I encountered some awkward interviews,” she relates, adding that as a social experiment she didn’t mention using a wheelchair prior to interviewing.
“I subsequently found some people uncomfortable with my disability, and in several cases was left alone to locate an entrance with a wheelchair ramp. I also often found interviewers focusing on my hands instead of looking at me directly during the interview. At Allstate the response was totally different. That’s when I decided Allstate was the company for me!” she remembers.
Starting as a contractor “running reports,” Moody worked her way into a full-time role. “I’ve since been promoted and know other promotions are possible should I want to move to a different position. My disability is almost a non-issue - except for fire drills, when I receive advance notice so I can take the elevator downstairs,” says Moody, who’s starting a new employee resource group for “Allstaters” with disabilities with three other employees.
Describing her job as a recruiter as a great position for a person with a disability - as most communication with prospective employees is carried out via phone or computer - Moody contends Allstate went even farther.
“During inclement weather I’m able to work from home, and last year, after a couple of falls and a severe burn, I had the opportunity to do a significant amount of work remotely,” she relates, adding that since then, everyone on the talent acquisition team has the option to work from home as needed.
Moody counsels: “Know you’re a valuable employee, you work hard and have even a greater ability to do so based on coping with challenges in your everyday life. Research, in fact, shows people with disabilities are more motivated and have a higher retention rate than non-disabled employees. This perspective has given me confidence to be a local voice for others with disabilities via my blog [and] feeling confident to ask for help if I need it.”
“At Allstate, it’s our differences that drive our success - both as individuals and as a company. The fact we welcome different ideas, cultures and backgrounds gives us a competitive edge in a diverse and changing marketplace,” notes Stephen Cornejo Garcia, director, inclusive diversity and a graduate of DePaul University. He leads Allstate’s diversity department and is a board member of the Chicago Business Leadership Network (CBLN), which aims to provide enhanced resources and promotes equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
“Our commitment to diversity influences how we do business and helps us connect with our customers and each other. This includes having a dedicated team that provides accommodations for our workforce to ensure that their workplace and workspace meet their individual needs,” he adds.
Follow Allstate career paths at allstate.com/careers.aspx. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+.
 
Wong & Nelson Champion D&I at Charles Schwab
As managing director of diversity and inclusion at San Francisco, CA-headquartered Charles Schwab, Deloria Nelson works diligently to ensure that the workforce, workplace and marketplace understand and benefit from Schwab’s commitment to D&I.
“It’s essential we create pipelines and relationships that attract and retain great talent from all dimensions of diversity,” she says. ”Through workplace-provided training and education, engaged employees live in an inclusive culture, consistently comfortable in bringing their whole selves to work.”
At Schwab the corporate culture is one in which all employees, via their diverse abilities and experiences, contribute to the company’s growth, innovation and client loyalty. “Schwab embraces diversity and commits to providing equal opportunities to all employees and job applicants,” says Nelson. “Schwab additionally trains all managers in ADA and internal accommodation processes. Everyone has unique talents to contribute to the workforce and the world. Being differently abled is all about perspective and utilizing those unique abilities.”
For Joseph Wong, managing director, Schwab Bank Compliance, that’s definitely the case. Hearing-impaired since early childhood, it took many years before he felt comfortable making his disability known.
“I chose not to wear a hearing aid to avert the stigma of being labeled ‘disabled,’” recalls Wong.
But 13 years ago he decided to adopt Fuzz, a service dog, who was trained to alert him to critical sounds. Today Fuzz - who wears a bright orange vest that proudly displays “Hearing Dog” - goes to work with Wong, assisting him in publicly acknowledging his disability.
Though he didn’t plan on it, Wong selected a career that was a good match for a hearing-impaired person: “Working within bank compliance, it’s essential to corroborate all verbal information with written documentation. Fortunately, especially early in my career, I learned to rely heavily on my 20/20 vision as well as my ability to ask probing questions.”
A graduate of U.C. Berkeley and the Haas School of Business, Wong is a certified public accountant (CPA) and certified fraud examiner (CFE), who worked for several financial institutions before joining Schwab 12 years ago. A passion for international travel led him to work abroad, in multiple countries, for many years.
“During this time I furthered my reliance on non-verbal communications skills as many clients didn’t speak English,” says Wong, who soon became expert at reading lips and facial expressions. “My passion for international travel eventually led me to Schwab, just at the time it launched Schwab Bank and was in the process of launching a new credit card.”
He now manages the bank compliance testing and monitoring team, which evaluates the effectiveness of internal controls and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements.
Of the opinion the banking industry is missing the opportunity to tap into the talents of people with disabilities, Wong says, “Differently abled people face a social stigma and are often believed to be unable to perform and function ‘normally.’ They literally face a glass ceiling.”
Schwab, he contends, recognizes this untapped market, and Wong assists the company with finding qualified potential employees with disabilities. “There are many opportunities, in-house and online, for companies to provide training and guidelines for people who work with employees with disabilities.”
For individuals with disabilities, Wong’s advice is to embrace one’s disability and be open about it. “Even though I’ve been hearing-impaired most of my life, it wasn’t until a few years ago I learned hiding my disability came with many disadvantages. Today adaptability and achievement are my strengths, which are capitalized on by my manager and the company as they consistently look for opportunities to involve me in new projects to explore how things can be done even better.”
Log onto aboutschwab.com/work-at-schwab to view Charles Schwab job opportunities. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Google+.
 
Rogers & Nieto Highlight MetLife’s Commitment to Global Diversity
Since joining MetLife Elizabeth Nieto has defined and implemented this New York City-headquartered company’s first global diversity and inclusion strategy that’s supported by a Global Diversity and Inclusion Council chaired by the company’s CEO.
“I work with senior leaders to ensure inclusive behaviors, befitting a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, are acquired and/or enhanced,” says Nieto. According to the global chief diversity and inclusion officer, MetLife’s in-house accommodations process fosters its ability to capitalize on the talent people with disabilities bring to the workplace.
MetLife DiverseAbilities (MDA) is one of seven Diversity Business Resource Networks (DBRN), and boasts 800 members. It not only champions disability inclusion and awareness among employees, customers and communities, it also offers educational seminars about various medical issues and supports Disability Mentoring Day, which promotes career development for students and job seekers with disabilities.
“MetLife provides reasonable accommodations to associates and applicants as appropriate to enable them to effectively succeed in performing the essential functions of their jobs while ensuring them the same opportunities to develop and succeed,” states Nieto.
For the past three years, Cris Rogers, senior project lead, global technology and operations, has been among MetLife’s 69,000 “best.” Says Rogers, “I share a body with Cervical Dystonia; a roommate that, without medication, generates debilitating pain that has, in the past, adversely impacted my job search and entrepreneurship as a small business owner.”
Rogers’ renewed job-search after being previously laid off as part of a force reduction centered on companies with a reputation for hiring and retaining qualified employees with disabilities. It led him to MetLife. Impressed with the firm’s dedication to improving the culture within the company and the community, he regards MetLife as his employer of choice.
In his current role Rogers orchestrates the tasks, budgets and schedules for IT projects from server replacement to huge transformation initiatives. Working diligently to deliver the goals of the project at hand, he finds the attributes most needed are patience, tenacity and perseverance.
“These are skills people with disabilities have strong experience with, as answers to problems requiring a deductive or creative nature are always needed when ‘wheels fall off the bus’,” he comments.
He also advises individuals with disabilities to focus their attention on companies that value diversity and invites employees to self-identify: “This will help lift the stigma and provide the opportunity for others to realize one can be diversely abled and not ‘disabled.’ Creating awareness around vision, hearing, pain and chronic conditions that people have long been told to ‘just deal with,’ has the potential to wash away some outdated thinking.”
As the technologist for MDA, and local MDA co-chair, Rogers helps support other DBRNs with their technology initiatives. “The current trend of tech companies hiring people with disabilities is heartening, as is the presence of various employee resource groups. I believe there’s a long and storied path for anyone considering IT within the finance and insurance sectors as many companies now focus on how technology impacts their business in addition to knowing people will always want to manage risk,” he states.
A mentor for a student with a disability via the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN), Rogers comments, "What I most enjoy is helping others achieve more. It may be an egalitarian point of view, but my satisfaction comes from people achieving and exceeding their expectations with a little help from a friend.”
Discover MetLife jobs at metlife.com/careers/index.html. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
 
Lincoln Financial’s Swarner & Jordan Raise Awareness
For 111 years Lincoln Financial Group has been providing advice that helps Americans take charge of their financial lives. It’s also committed to providing optimal workplace environments to approximately 10,000 employees, including those with disabilities.
According to Nancy Jordan, senior vice president, individual annuity operations, and a member of the corporate leadership group, “Lincoln Financial is an equal opportunity employer, committed in policy and practice to recruit, hire, compensate, train and promote applicants, in all job classifications, strictly on the basis of job qualifications.”
Radnor, PA-headquartered Lincoln Financial provides interactive, classroom D&I awareness and training sessions to all employees and skill-and-behavior-based D&I training focused on micro-inequities such as subtle, subconscious behavior that can interfere with workplace inclusion.
“D&I policies and practices are baseline, with one of the eight modules dedicated to providing an in-depth understanding of engaging employees with disabilities [and] concentrating on skills needed for managing inclusivity,” notes Jordan.
Having joined the firm 29 years ago, Jordan is a CPA and Certified Information Systems Auditor who holds FINRA Series 6, 26 and 27 registrations. She is co-chair of the People with Disabilities Business Resource Group (BRG), which provides education, networking, recruiting and on-boarding to support people with disabilities at Lincoln Financial and within its candidate pipeline.
“Our People with Disabilities BRG members are passionate advocates for enablement. They represent the employee voice necessary for enhancing our workforce culture, marketplace outreach and community engagement,” states Jordan.
With employees involved at every level, including individual members, team leads, executive sponsors and business unit alignment, the company’s Group Protection business partners with the People with Disabilities BRG to drive product relevance and workplace support.
Bill Swarner, an underwriting auditor who’s been with the firm eight years, is a member of the People with Disabilities BRG. He also serves on the technology committee for the Association of Home Office Underwriters, as a volunteer technical consultant to Outdoors Without Limits, and as a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, among other organizations. With mobility challenges that prevent him from working in a more physical capacity, Swarner adamantly advises members to focus on their abilities and not their disabilities.
“Particularly in life insurance underwriting, mental acuity and interpersonal, technical and negotiating skills, along with the ability to pay attention to detail, is extremely important,” maintains Swarner, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education and several other industry designations, including Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Fellow of the Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU).
Reflecting on the premature end of his naval career due to a mobility disability, Swarner says, “That led me to pursue a college education and subsequent teaching position. And, like many underwriters, I fell into the profession by accident.”
In his case, entry into the insurance industry came as a result of taking a customer service job with an insurance company during his school’s summer vacation: “Once there I found I enjoyed the work, the salary and the many advancement possibilities. Knowing Lincoln Financial was at the top tier of the industry, when I had sufficient experience to be considered, I applied. Not only was I hired, I was afforded the opportunity to telecommute - a real blessing given my mobility challenges.”
Because consistent changes in this industry require constant learning, Swarner finds each day makes for a varied and interesting career: “In fact, that’s one of the aspects of my job that I like the best.”
Locate Lincoln Financial jobs at jobs.lincolnfinancial.com. Connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
 
 
Business & Financial Occupations Outlook
Employment of business and financial operations occupations is projected to grow eight percent from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations, adding about 632,400 new jobs. A stronger regulatory environment is driving the demand for more accountants and auditors who prepare and examine financial documents.
This median annual wage for business and financial occupations was $65,710 in May 2015, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $36,200.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
 
 
Financial Careers Snapshot
Accountants and Auditors
Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records. They ensure financial records are accurate and taxes are paid properly and on time. Accountants and auditors assess financial operations and work to help ensure that organizations run efficiently.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $67,190.
Financial Analysts
Financial analysts provide guidance to businesses and individuals making investment decisions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds and other types of investments.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $80,310.
Financial Examiners
Financial examiners ensure compliance with laws governing financial institutions and transactions. They review balance sheets, evaluate the risk level of loans and assess bank management.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $78,010.
Insurance Underwriters
Insurance underwriters decide whether to provide insurance and under what terms. They evaluate insurance applications and determine coverage amounts and premiums.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $65,040.
Loan Officers
Loan officers evaluate, authorize or recommend approval of loan applications for people and businesses.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $63,430.
Personal Financial Advisors
Personal financial advisors provide advice on investments, insurance, mortgages, college savings, estate planning, taxes and retirement to help individuals manage their finances.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $89,160.
Tax Examiners, Tax Collectors & Revenue Agents
Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents ensure that federal, state and local governments get their tax money from businesses and citizens. They review tax returns, conduct audits, identify taxes owed and collect overdue tax payments.
A bachelor’s degree is required.
2015 Median Pay: $51,430.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
 
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