Speaker Emphasizes Being Proactive About Access and Equity for Workers With Disabilities
During Randy D. Cooper’s school years, he would sometimes find himself behind because of accessibility issues involving textbooks.
“Now we just download a book,” Cooper, who is legally blind, said Monday during a lunch and learn presented by Exchange Special Emphasis Program ABLE. “But I would have to wait three months into a class before I would get a textbook on a cassette tape. You just missed the first three months of the class.”
Issues such as these led Cooper to develop a federal career centered on advocating equal opportunity and civil rights for people with disabilities. In his current role, director of the Defense Support Services Center’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), he oversees an accessibility-focused program that provides assistive technology and devices as reasonable accommodations to support people with disabilities and helps wounded, ill and injured service members throughout the Department of Defense access information and communication technology.
“I was very fortunate that I had a mother and family who supported me and encouraged education,” Cooper said. “I was very independent and I wanted to be successful. … I wanted to be in the State Department. I wanted to be a foreign service officer. I don’t think the Foreign Service Office was hiring a blind individual. I wanted to go to law school. There were so many obstacles.
“But there were many who didn’t have the same opportunities that I had,” he added. “I’m very thankful, and graciously thankful for the opportunities that I was given because of the support of friends and family, and a willingness of people to take a chance and be proactive.”
Cooper’s talk, presented for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, was titled “The EnABLEd Workplace—Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.” He addressed the effect the act has had on the workplace, as well as talking about the importance of Special Emphasis Programs, improving access and equity and the impact that diverse hiring has on organizations.
According to the Department of Education website, the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination based on disability in any program or activity operated by recipients of federal funds. But, Cooper said, it’s more than that.
“The Rehabilitation Act is something that goes well above and beyond affirmative action, affirmative steps,” he said. “Unlike other nondiscrimination laws in the federal government, it means that we have to be proactive. We have to take affirmative steps to ensure full access. We have to proactively ensure not only equal access but take those extra steps to ensure that we’re accommodating, that we’re providing programs like the Computer/Electronics Accommodation Program.”
Even events such as Monday’s lunch and learn are connected to the Rehabilitation act,” Cooper said.
“I know that 50 years of the Rehabilitation Act has dramatically impacted my life,” Cooper said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here today talking to all of you if it wasn’t the case. … Today’s event is part of the regulatory requirement that every federal agency recognize the importance of inclusion of individuals with disabilities, so events and activities demonstrating individuals’ capabilities and contributions are important.”
Cooper said that an M-Enabling Summit that took place in October to promote accessible technologies provided a preview of possible further improvements in accessibility.
“There were several discussions about artificial intelligence,” Cooper said. “I think that AI is going to be one of those truly dynamic opportunities for us, people with disabilities, and I see goodness out of it. It will help us advance capabilities, opportunity access and things of that nature.”
The challenges of the COVID era, and the increase in remote work, showed that there are still lessons to be learned in computer and electronic accommodations for people with disabilities, Cooper said.
“I don’t think we have all the answers yet,” Cooper said. “I think we still need to continue to try to improve, observe, adjust. I always tell the team, let’s anticipate the challenges, identify the problems and let’s figure out a solution so we can support our team across DoD.
“One of the challenges our organization has is end-of-year acquisitions and initial startup,” he continued. “So we’ve been focusing on ways to make sure there’s never a work stoppage for our customers who need assistive technology, making sure there’s never a reason that can’t be resolved to getting assistive technology in the hands of our customers, making sure that the expertise on employment-support services is across DoD so that it’s not so complex or challenging that it prevents a manager from hiring someone who requires support in personal assistance services.”
At the beginning of the lunch and learn, Mid-Central Regional Vice President Scott Bonner made his debut as a co-executive champion for ABLE (Able, Believe, Lead, Empower). Bonner shared how disabilities have touched his own family—including himself. But when he looks at them, he added, he doesn’t see their disabilities but their achievements and talents.
“When I look in the mirror … I see me. This month, as we celebrate and observe Disability Employment Awareness Month,” he said, “I encourage you to learn more about diversity in our workforce, how we benefit from that diversity and from the courage to overcome adversity. … Let’s collectively look beyond anyone’s impairment, visible or not, and see how we continue to empower everyone to live their best life without stigmas or unconscious bias.”
To learn more about the Defense Support Services Center’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program, visit its website by clicking here.
The lunch and learn concluded with an appearance by Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, who paid tribute to Executive Vice President and Chief Logistics Officer Karen Stack, ABLE’s longtime executive champion, and Associate EEODI Officer Valerie Wagoner, both of whom will retire before year-end.
Brenda Hester, senior transportation analyst, is ABLE’s program manager. E-Comm copywriter Aaron Gadson is assistant program manager.
If you’re interested in joining ABLE, contact Hester at hesterb@aafes.com or Gadson at gadsona@aafes.com. All associates are welcome. For more about ABLE, click here. To learn more about Exchange Special Emphasis Programs, click here.
If you missed the lunch and learn, you can watch it here.
