Technology firm wins accommodation award
Helps disabled employees return to work
The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act formally refocused attention on the obligation employers have to employees with disabilities, but some firms traditionally have demonstrated a commitment to those employees that goes far beyond mandated accommodations.
One of those companies is DynCorp, a Reston, VA-based employee-owned technology company. DynCorp, which outsources employees to client companies, has received this year’s CNA Disability Accommodation Award. The award was established in 1995 by the Chicago-based CNA Group Benefits to recognize employers who demonstrate outstanding leadership in support of accommodating disabled employees.
"Some employers comply not only with the letter of the law, but also the spirit it embodies," said CNA president and CEO William Seyboth in presenting the award. "The company serves as a role model for other employers."
"Helping the disabled return to work isn’t only the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do," notes Roxanne Kerr, DynCorp’s senior vice president of human resources. "In our business, people are our product. We can’t afford to lose the talents and abilities of our disabled employees. We realize how difficult it is to live with a disability, so our goal is to support a smooth and timely transition back to work."
One grateful employee
One DynCorp employee, Barbi Williamson, a configuration manager at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, FL, is especially grateful to her employer for helping her return to a productive working life after an unfortunate accident in October 1997. She fell on a piece of ice in her kitchen, dislocating her pelvis and fracturing her hip and neck. As a result, she is paralyzed from mid-thigh down on her right leg, and from the knee down on her left leg.
While her job, which entails keeping track of over 3,000 software packages that have been tested at Eglin, may not have particularly demanding physical requirements, she recognized that "they could have laid me off, or my position could have been dissolved. There are a lot of ways you can get rid of an employee legally if you want to do it."
Instead, DynCorp did just the opposite. "When I was injured, my husband took me to the emergency room," recalls Williamson, who has worked for DynCorp for four years — but only one year at the time of the injury. "The doctors told me it looked like I would be home for quite a while. DynCorp said, You have leave time coming, and short-term disability. We’ll take care of you; we can figure a way to work this out.’ And that’s been their attitude all the way. The Air Force people were the same way; they have a family attitude toward the people who work for them."
DynCorp has provided Williamson with a laptop computer and a docking station so she can work from home three days a week. When she’s not telecommuting, she’s given a flexible work schedule so she can keep her medical appointments.
Williamson is convinced that DynCorp’s supportive response did far more than merely help her get back to work sooner. "It wasn’t so much getting back to work sooner, but getting back to work at all," she notes. "The doctors kept telling me I was totally disabled. I was really bummed, and my brain could have hit the floor. If DynCorp had not responded the way they had, I would have gotten wrapped up in a Poor me, why me?’ attitude. Since I’ve been back at work, there’s just so much to do it keeps me real busy. And because I’m so tired after work, I sleep a lot better."
Williamson also credits the nurses at her disability company with her successful recovery. "They told me to take a hard look at what I could do at home, as well as at work. I can connect with the LAN [local area network]; I’m just way, way, way down the hall! I have e-mail, and even instant messaging."
[For more information, contact: DynCorp, 11710 Plaza America Drive, Reston, VA 20190. Telephone: (703) 264-0330. Web site: www.dyncorp.com]
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