“TAPPING INTO HIDDEN HUMAN CAPITAL,” A NEWLY RELEASED BOOK BY DEBRA RUH, DEMONSTRATES HOW LEADING GLOBAL COMPANIES IMPROVE THEIR BOTTOM LINE BY EMPLOYING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Atlanta, GA. 07/18/2016 —

G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies announced today the publication of a new book authored by Debra Ruh, G3ict’s EmployAbility Program Chair.

In this book, Tapping into Hidden Human Capital: How Leading Global Companies Improve their Bottom Line by Employing Persons with Disabilities,” Debra Ruh presents a new, game-changing perspective about the employment of persons with disabilities. By documenting existing practices of some of the largest companies in the world, the author shows that employees with disabilities are proactively recruited for their positive contributions to the competitiveness and financial performance of major businesses.

While Debra Ruh documents case studies that are eye-opening, her detailed analysis of the success factors in recruiting, hiring, and managing persons with disabilities are a must-read for any Human Resources professional and top executive of large organizations operating in highly competitive employment markets, such as those in the field of technology.

Debra Ruh’s book guides global corporations, as well as beginning entrepreneurs on how to integrate persons with disabilities in every aspect of the workforce. It takes the reader through each step, from recruiting and interviewing to employing and retaining persons with disabilities in the organization as vital employees. The book offers insights and strategies on how to accommodate employees with disabilities, how to fully leverage their skills and talents, and transform challenges into successes. Additionally, Debra Ruh includes personal accounts from global leaders about how persons with disabilities have enriched their businesses, increased productivity, and lowered turnover rates.

“This is an outstanding compendium of practical solutions for all employers. From large organizations with a global footprint to entrepreneurs with a few employees, attracting and retaining the right talent is the most critical success factor for their business. This book will definitely be looked upon as a milestone in how companies think about recruiting persons with disabilities,” commented Axel Leblois, G3ict President and Executive Director. “We are very pleased to publish Debra Ruh’s latest work and to make it available through all major book distribution channels worldwide.”

Tapping into Hidden Human Capital is available in paper back on the G3ict website.

Click this link to order – “Tapping into Human Capital”.

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About the Author
Debra Ruh is a Global Disability Inclusion Strategist and serves as the EmployAbility Program Chair for G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs. She is a seasoned entrepreneur having founded three firms including Ruh Global Communications, TecAccess and Strategic Performance Solutions. At TecAccess, more than two third of her employees were persons with disabilities, serving as a best practice for many employers. Her client-centric focus and ability to promote successful disability employment programs has created relationships with many multi-national firms including Accenture, AT&T, ATOS, Avanade, Best Buy, Bloomberg, Canon, Capital One, CSC, CVS, Disney, Dell, Deloitte, E&Y, El Al Israel Airlines, HP, IBM, McDonalds, MCI, Merck, Microsoft, TD Bank, Verizon Communications, Verizon Wireless, VMware, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo and many others including United Nations agencies, international governments, federal, state and local agencies.

About G3ict
G3ict – the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies – is an advocacy initiative launched in December 2006 in cooperation with the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN DESA. Its mission is to facilitate and support the implementation of the dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the accessibility of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and assistive technologies. G3ict relies on an international network of ICT accessibility experts to develop and promote good practices, technical resources and benchmarks for ICT accessibility advocates around the world. It is incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the State of Georgia, USA, and headquartered in Atlanta. Visit www.g3ict.org.

– See more at: http://g3ict.org/press/press_releases/press_release/p/id_98#sthash.AUP98R9o.dpuf

The 25th Anniversary of the ADA Series: Disability Inclusion in the Workforce – Training & Finding Champions

Training will save an organization a lot of time and effort as well as reduce risks. Disability inclusion should be integrated into all corporate training, writes Debra Ruh.

– To see the full article by Debra Ruh, visit G3ict

25th Anniversary of the ADA Series: Marketing to Persons with Disabilities is a Business Advantage

Making it possible for stakeholders with disabilities and age-related limitations to access your goods and services is not only an important part of complying with federal – as well as international — accessibility standards but also a strategic aspect of any organizational management plan.

– To see the full article by Debra Ruh, visit G3ict

We watched the media surrounding the signing of the ADA on television 25 years ago. My husband and I had followed the efforts being made in Washington, D.C. with great interest as persons with disabilities championed for the passage of this important legislation. It had become personal to our family. Before it became personal we believed that all Americans should have equal rights, but we did not understand all the implications and nuances.

Our daughter Sara Ruh had been born a few years earlier with Down syndrome (DS). She was not diagnosed until she was four months old, which was unusual at the time. I was 28 years old when I got pregnant with Sara and so the doctors did not recommend prenatal testing because there was no history of disabilities in my family.

I do remember that right after Sara was born a strange thought floated through my mind that she looked like a baby with DS. I immediately dismissed this because I did not know what babies with DS looked like and I did not know anyone who had it. Plus I was on pain medication because of the difficult birth.

A few months later, following some tests, a doctor diagnosed Sara as having DS. The doctor called us into the office and gave us the news that changed our lives. He doctor told us that she would be easier to raise than a child with ADHD. He also noted that she might never learn to walk or talk. He sent us to a geneticist and we were told that she might get pregnant at 16 so be careful. These well-meaning doctors were not very helpful. We decided to not listen to their negative comments with information that seemed out of place.

As we sat in the meeting room, hearing the news that our daughter’s path was going to be much different than what we had anticipated, we did not realize that people all over the United States were fighting for the rights of persons with disabilities.

The 25th Anniversary of the ADA is powerful for our family and for people all over the world. The ADA was one of the most powerful civil rights legislations of our time. The United States has accomplished so much during the 25 years of the ADA. Our family is so thankful to the people that fought for Sara and other persons with disabilities.

Sara Ruh did not get pregnant at 16 and she learned to talk and walk. Today she is an artist, a thespian, a dancer, and a motivational speaker. She has spoken all over the world to audiences as large as 5,000 at a time. She has been employed with Nordstrom’s for the last 9 years.

Sara has a good life and she spends a lot of time volunteering and helping other people. Her life matters and she has more options because of the people that fought for her rights and got the ADA passed 25 years ago.

The United Nations promulgated the Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and unfortunately, the United States has yet to ratify it despite the fact that 150+ other countries have done so. There’s a perception that signing the CRPD is unnecessary as we have the ADA. However, in order to incorporate newer benchmarks of accessibility, we need to be part of a global mandate that fosters a culture of inclusion for all citizens, including senior citizens. Disability is not a narrowly defined concept, but a spectrum that is inclusive of all abilities.

Join G3ict and other leaders in helping assure that persons with disabilities have access to ICT, education, employment, and a host of services that go towards making life productive, successful and valuable.

To learn more about Debra Ruh please visit: www.RuhGlobal.com.

– See more at: http://g3ict.org/resource_center/newsletter/news/p/newsletterId_/id_534#sthash.qrCQAYZn.dpuf