Wells Fargo ADA Conference 2022-07-27

Wells Fargo ADA Conference

[On July 27^th, 2022, I was on a panel at a Wells Fargo meeting commemorating the 30^th anniversary of the ADA. The answers I gave represent where I was at the time.]  

First, I want to thank Tali for inviting me to speak today and being my re-voicer. Some of you may be wondering why I am not talking by myself. Shortly before retiring from Wells Fargo, my spine began compressing. I now need attendants for all my activities of daily living, including verbalizing. I cannot understand a damn word that I say!

As I write this, I feel very nostalgic about my career at Wells Fargo. Primarily I miss the people. I miss coming in every morning and saying "Hi, how are you?" I miss the many meetings we had to discuss how to solve a problem or design a system. I even miss the calls in the middle of the night. My first job at Wells was as a proof-of-deposit programmer. We programmed the IBM 3890 check sorter using the MICR Software Coding Interface language – S C I. We would get called that the sky fell.

Since I began working at Wells Fargo, I have said that the business community is ready to include people with disabilities. I realize that not everyone may share this experience, but I always found that it doesn't matter what a team member looks or sounds like or their skin color as long as they work hard and do a good job. People with disabilities should know their skills, what they need to be productive, and whether they need someone to advocate for them.

As a Wells Fargo manager, I found that almost every employee with or without disabilities asks for reasonable accommodations. These include time off, a different work area, a new gadget, an app, etc. There is usually a way to fulfill the need for valuable employees who explain how their request will benefit their productivity. My favorite example of this happened near the beginning of my career before there was online computing. The check sorting system crashed at 1:00 AM. My van was in the shop, and trains in the Bay Area don't run all night. Wells Fargo sent an armored van to transport my 300 pounds powered wheelchair and me to the data center.

My disabilities, especially my speech and how I sit, are apparent. I expect some people will be uncomfortable with my presence. I assume I am responsible for enabling people to want to include me. Taking this responsibility gives me the power to do something about it. I often loved rolling into meetings where people did not know me. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. At first, no one would make eye contact, but as the meeting gained momentum, there was a great sense of relief when the team began to focus on my ideas rather than my disability. People sometimes struggled to understand my speech, but there was always someone in the group who could help interpret and communicate with me. Inevitably, by the end of the meeting, I found myself chatting with folks and feeling like part of the team.

The ADA is a remarkable piece of civil rights legislation. Tony Coehlo deserves many accolades for his part in writing the ADA. (if there is no applause – please applaud.) During the Clinton Administration, Tony chaired the I was co-chair of the President's Committee on Employment for People with Disabilities, and I was one of his vice-chairs.  Since 1990, the physical environment has significantly changed. I am thrilled to see all the ramps, the curb cuts, the audio traffic lights, and the public bathrooms. I still smile whenever I see a wheelchair symbol on a storefront or a bus. When I moved to California, Berkeley was the only city where I regularly saw people with disabilities roaming the streets. It is now common to see that in almost every city in the U.S. Best of all, I love listening to students with disabilities describe their college experiences and career aspirations. All these things are attributable to the ADA. 

In hindsight, we should have named the ADA MAMA – Making America More Accessible. Too often, when we think that we are doing something for people with disabilities, we are doing something for society. For example, curb cuts are used more frequently by people pushing baby carriages than by wheelchair users. Second language learners use close captioning more often than those who are deaf or hard of hearing. The disability community texted decades before the iPhone was developed.

Assistive technology is another misnomer. My Wells Fargo Visa card is a great assistive technology. I'm amazed at how much better store clerks understand me when I show them my card. Perhaps the most important piece of assistive technology is the drinking straw. The main things that differentiate assistive technology from other technologies are their high costs, low reliability, and narrow marketing. I've often been asked my opinion regarding a new app or gadget that someone is developing for people with disabilities. My first question is, "how can the general public use it?" People with disabilities are much more likely to know about a new app or gadget marketed and used by the mass market.

 Employment of people with disabilities is the one area that has not seen significant improvement. Millions of dollars are spent annually by government and not-for-profit agencies working diligently to improve the employment rate of people with disabilities. Many incentive programs exist to persuade employers to hire this cohort, remove them from Social Security's rolls, and lift them out of poverty. Many incentive programs entice SSI/SSDI recipients to find employment. Despite these efforts, the employment rate of people with disabilities continues to be pitifully low, with a 2021 employment rate of just 19.1%. Most households with disabled members live in poverty. We believe a significant reason for this is the ongoing need for Medicare and Medicaid. To receive Medicare/Medicaid, most people with disabilities must be recipients of SSI and or SSDI. Recipients must prove their inability to be gainfully employed. For this reason, decoupling Medicare and Medicaid from SSI/SSDI could be a powerful tool for improving the employment of people with disabilities.

 SSI/SSDI is our country's safety net. It is an income replacement system that enables people to live when they cannot participate in substantial gainful work. Undeniably, some people with disabilities need SSI/SSDI. Regardless of our ability to work, we all need good, affordable, and accessible healthcare throughout our lives. We also may need good, affordable, and accessible long-term services and supports (LTSS), including personal assistant services, ongoing therapies, maintenance medication, and durable medical equipment. Healthcare and LTSS are not part of a safety net. They are part of our civil rights. We must acknowledge that LTSS are also part of civil rights. Decoupling SSI/SSDI from Medicare/Medicaid is essential in addressing this need for people with disabilities. Please go to Abilicorp.com to find out more.

 In my ‘retirement,’ I started the Abilicorp Foundation, which aims to initiate and promote Disabled Owned Businesses. Our first project is establishing the  Abilicorp – Personal Assistant Services(ABPAS). ABPAS is an attendant referral and management agency that will provide people with disabilities, elders, and their families complete control of their attendants' employment, training, scheduling, and management. ABPAS will also ensure that attendants receive livable wages, healthcare options, paid time off, training opportunities, and support. To learn more about ABPAS, please go to the Abilicorp website.

Wells Fargo taught me that working twelve hours a day is working half-time. Assuming this is still true, please continue to work hard, keep the stock price high, and don’t forget to have fun and Go-Go-Go!

 Questions for Neil

·        (question)  You started your career at Wells Fargo before the ADA became the law of the land. What changed, if anything, after that event?

Before I answer that question, I want to tell you that hearing there are now more than 9000 members of Disability Connections. When I started working at Wells, there were 10000 employees, and we thought that was a large number!

There was a heightened awareness that people with disabilities are more than charity cases. After the ADA, Wells Fargo hired a disability benefit expert in their corporate HR department. I was often surprised that although the Bank was always good about hiring people with disabilities and providing accommodations, it had a hard time seeing us as a diverse market segment. When the Small Business Division set goals for the number of loans they aimed to make to Women-Owned, Black-owned, Latino-owned, and LBTQ-owned businesses, there was no mention of Disabled Owned Businesses. The quarterly managers’ HR report told how many people from each diverse segment got hired or promoted; there was no mention of people with disabilities. I was thrilled when Kathy Martinez became the first manager of the disability market segment. The ADA was and continues to be the catalyst for making people aware that we are more than a charity.

 (question) You mentioned that sometimes people struggle to understand your speech. Did you ever intentionally alter your speech to be less understood?

What makes you think that I’d do anything like that? LOL. A few times, the police pulled me over for speeding. They asked whether I knew I was driving over the speed limit. I mumbled that I was in a hurry to go nowhere. Is it my fault that they didn’t understand and said, “Oh, OK. Just try and slow down.”

 (question) You appear in the Netflix documentary Crip Camp. Was there anything the filmmakers did not include that you had wished they had included?

A film called “Crip Camp; The Cutting Room Floor”  has scenes that didn’t make it into the movie. I strongly suggest that you watch it. Since Crip Camp was released, I have given many presentations about it. Most audiences react to the political aspects that the movie presents. In hindsight, we should have shown more about the social elements that Camp Jened offered. Feeling good about who you are, appreciating yourself, and knowing how to have fun are essential to living, working, and accepting others. That’s why I end all Crip Camp presentations by saying have fun! And Go-Go-Go!”