Please get the worms are welcome to our

guests.

Afternoon.

This is like every other
auditorium in America no no clock.

Now you would like to have a clock would.

So thank you so much so much for
coming down last year a story with you

let me ask you how many
of you have children.

Good.

So.

Let me show you my family.

The only reason I come here is I could
show you a picture of my family and

my pictures greatness pictures.

That's that's my family yes my wife in the
middle my son now is twenty six at Austin

my youngest daughter who lives here in
Atlanta for three last three years.

In my eldest daughter Sarah who's just
turned thirty she's got married in

October yes.

Both of them are off the dole Yes.

It.

Wouldn't be fair to say that
every child is a lesson.

Sometimes by what they say sometimes by
what they do sometimes just who they are.

That's true for all my children.

My son there on the right
Austin who is now twenty.

Twenty seven twenty eight you know
you lose track after about age two.

My son there has autism he was
diagnosed at about age three.

I thought he was and
he wasn't speaking and he had

odd behaviors he didn't like women as much
as he did me and he would always run out

of the house when he could i thought i
would be practice for being a teenager.

He put himself to bed which is it we
did have that experience with our

with our daughter he would go up
when he get tired of us he disco put

himself in bed even when he was two
years ago didn't speak at age three so

we have diagnosed he was diagnosed with
autism which caught us completely by

surprise because we thought boys
are delayed they grow out of it.

He didn't speak at age three four
five six seven eight nine ten.

And he's been making up for ever since.

He is a expert he spends a lot time on the
computer which is not not surprising for

for kids like Austin he learns
everything he knows everything about

the Beverly Hills police department you'd
like to know that the chief of police

there he knows that when
we went out to Los Angeles

we went to Beverly Hills we went in
there and said My son is really love

the Beverly Hills Police Department
giving us a tour and they did A and

they were very gracious except as they're
walking down the hall Austin starts

talking about the police chief and all the
different officers and I say you know does

he know somebody here and I said Yeah he
knows a lot more than you think he knows.

They've showed us where they held
Lindsay Lohan they gave us a behind the.

Scenes tour.

He loves the Simpsons he does
American Airlines if I'm asking if I have

a flight on American Airlines and I ask
what the typical equipment they use where

the BE A seven thirty seven eight
hundred or nine hundred he will tell me.

He.

He loves surprisingly he's
got interested in the U.S.

labor movement so if any of you I really
would like to know some history about that

I would give us number because he
would like to talk to you about this.

Over and over and
over my fact Austin we never

talked about autism until you know is
it now he he refers to his autism but

as he was younger he knew that he
knew he was a little different but

we had to kind of figure out
a way to help him understand it.

And because he would like to watch his
room is right next door to ours and so

we would hear him late at
night rewinding V.H.S.

first now it's D.V.D.
So it's faster Simpson episodes clips and

laughing over and over and over.

And then when he was
say something to us or

keep talking about the same topic
we have to explain to Austin.

We are one timers you're in over and

over one timers don't like to listen
to the same thing over and over so that

became our code we understand he was as
that person over and over they a one time.

Fact had asked Austin one time Austin
was you prefer to be around over and

over are one timers.

And he says I like one
timers you know over and

over is really keep talking about
stuff I don't want to hear but.

No surprise there.

He drives he drives he's It was a first
kid first person with autism go to school

system regular school system go through
through driver's ed pass tests first time

is well my fact he's my driver when
he's working now believe it or

not this is a nice into the store
he works full time now.

He drives he drives me the airport
on days he's off and I pay him

twenty dollars it's usually
sixty dollars if I use a cab.

But I justified because
he's using my quit.

And he'll get up he'll get up at the
earliest hours or wherever he's home and

take me to the airport and

every experience is the same as a Austin's
time to get taking the airport because

he's dressed and he's ready to go sit on
the stairs ready to go take my bags out so

he will get better service than I I
don't tell him that's extra service but.

He'll do that he'll bring the bags in
every experience the same will get up

early the morning will drive
the traffic in Chicago trying.

If it can be bad in the morning.

We'll get there in every time it's
the same when I get to the airport

he pulls me up and I say Austin.

You did a great job you got up you got me
here you drove safely no you can't play

a little bit about the traffic but that's
normal you got me here safely and on time.

I appreciate it.

And I love you.

And every time he will
say to me twenty dollars

I.

But despite.

Despite his skills.

And sometimes his charm he
has lots of challenges he

probably reads at fourth
fifth grade level.

He has difficulty in conversations
typical conversations.

You know something immediately is
different about him than when you if you

start to talk to him he I have
never played a game with my son

not even not a game of checkers not a game
of catch not a single type of game he

has no interest in he has no peer friends
never even been invited to a party.

And if he is like a typical person
with autism odds are ninety five

maybe better now or a little better
than that he'll never be offered a job.

That's what we were facing.

And a job is something that we parents
of sure of parents of children with

disabilities start thinking about
almost from the day of the bad news.

And one thing I have found to
be true every parent of a child

with this ability has a saying hope.

One day longer than a child that's all
we want to live maybe just one day our

one hour after.

Because we know what's waiting for
them what will be waiting for

them in the outlook is not good.

But a job.

A job a job could change all that a job
could be independence a job could mean

friendships a job could be engaged she
gives him something to do that are you

all those kind of things that we
typically able people think of.

A job would make a huge difference and
if having a drivers license so

by the way for
us the equivalent for us for that.

For us and get a driver's license was
like getting summa cum laude for a Ph D.

from from MIT.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

That's what I say is just
suck up to them are not.

Exactly or we didn't aim that
high we didn't know how high.

But a job a job would
be like a Nobel Prize.

Job they like a Nobel Prize.

And I see this is a saw this you know we
didn't come look I don't know anything

about disability for
I had to come live with it and

be confronted confronted with it and
I would go to those i e pieces individual

education programs that
erase group sessions that.

Children disabilities parents meet
twice a year also start three

age twenty one so
eighteen I went to thirty six of those.

Everyone was the same we get there
would be a set of parents in there

dealing with a round
Round Table of teachers.

Going through the good things and
bad things the tough things laughter tears

come out we go in and
come out the you know the parent there.

What we learned disabilities
plays no favorites.

To do.

Parents nontraditional parents all the
races all the creeds all the traditions.

And I would think about all those people
who work in our stores who are making

ten dollars an hour twelve dollars or
whatever it is then laying in bed at

night saying thinking the same thing
that I was thinking how can I ever

save enough to make sure
that my son is safe and

has a reasonably good
chance at a full life.

If I'm laying in bed.

What it must be like for them.

Now at the same time I see this
in my other role here I am this

big cheese executive in charge of
a division of ten thousand people.

And we're grow.

A thousand new employees
a year in my division.

And also I saw I saw the challenges
that Austin faces but it but

I also saw the possibility I never
would have thought he would drop.

There's so many things that he has been
able to do I would have never guessed and

guess what it aged twenty
one he hasn't quit learning.

He continues to surprise me.

Seeing this seeing this challenge
in this possibility and

having this opportunity over here.

Why couldn't we do something.

America to get to the be the question is
if we can't do something about it who can.

So we started out.

We started we started out contacting high
schools I started off in a leadership

I started off with typical way leadership
starts out with a really good speech.

To direct reports and so we got to do some
didn't have a plan didn't have anything

specific to do let's go out talk to
school systems so some of the people did

do something what here and there and it
worked out OK but they weren't very big.

Numbers and we were getting kids that I
thought were not really that challenged.

I've come to understand they may not be
that challenge but they're two inches

underneath the surface of the water
when it comes to getting the job and

you still drown in two inches as much as
you do in two feet or two hundred feet.

But it didn't have a big impact and
so then we said let's.

Let's go out in get an agency
that can bring people in love

larger number of people disabilities and
we will let them do the ancillary

jobs like like labeling merchandise or
custodial or

whatever and it worked out great mare
fact we could have gotten awards people

were calling us up same voice you're
a great employer you're doing this and

I did you want to give us plaques and
everything.

And I remember going to our Dallas intern.

And we had an enclave there
is called an enclave and

this woman comes up to me and
she tells me.

This is working out great.

Merit fact we've given him T. shirts like
team members we've given him team member

matches like team members so
they feel part of the team.

And she showed me a picture of
the group and she was in it.

If I had a picture I could I could have
brought it to you because I still have

that picture because I always remember it
and she was in it and I was not sure who

she was you know was she
a member of the group or not.

And she must have seen the puzzlement
My face because she said But

I'm not one of them.

Under sponsor.

There he had.

Us them.

They wanted us and
they weren't them it wouldn't.

And they weren't doing mission critical
work they weren't integrated doing side

by side work we had to do better so
then we thought.

What we'll do is we'll go out I asked the
managers saying we have all these people

in our enclave they've been in
our building for a year working

certainly some of those
folks could do this work.

Why don't we hire some out of the group
as our employees and we did and

one of those people was
a fellow named Chuck.

In our.

Bits of a new senator Chuck has is on the
on the spectrum higher in the spectrum and

aspergers.

Chuck is weird.

Weird because I kind of way in that.

We know his favorite color is purple we
put him on a line with two women on high

speed line they would support him work
with ING he did did a job just fine but

he loves purple in reason we know because
every time a purple plastic toed passes

area about two or three times a day
Chuck would stop start dancing.

And yell out.

And we thought.

Is this appropriate behavior for
the workplace.

Can we accommodate this.

They were meeting sales.

And I wasn't there but
I imagine it went something like this.

OK we got this guy has
a performance great.

Ear problem with No but
this dance and think.

Somebody probably said OK I wish
to we prefer among our employees

complaining or dancing.

Let's go with the dancing go with
what Chuck taught us that performance

comes in lots of different packages and
it kind of opened up our eyes.

So then came along the opportunity
room build a new center

somewhere between Atlanta.

In Anderson South Carolina in the US on
the border here at South Carolina border

and we wanted to be in.

Ground Zero was downtown Atlanta.

But we couldn't find two hundred acres in
downtown Atlanta that we could fill so

we had to kind of back off now remember
going up some of the cities up the up

the highway and

we're the one the town that came back and
your own for a while are supposed to.

You know really want to I really
kind of had a preference for

that because maybe you know Alec and
Kim would have me over something that

we looked at that time but
we got the Anderson we.

There are a lot of things we think we
fell in love with city one was they had

a local agency that took the challenge of.

Hiring a lot of people
disabilities now when we started.

We wanted to aim high.

We wanted to we took the advice
of a famous Chicago builder

who said make no small plans
make no small plans for

they fail to stir a man's blood.

And we took that as a guideline and
we ask a disability expert saying

OK we're not going to
spend a bunch of money so

we're going to use our peers out there
to be the supports and help train.

How many typically abled people there be
no it typically able to is because there's

no such thing as normal look around
there's no system is normal typically able

penny typically able people would we need
for say a person with an intellectual

disability like autism even though we're
going to hire all kinds of disabilities.

And he said probably too so there we
had our plan there we had our study

one out of three people in this building
would be a person with a disability.

Two hundred in total two
hundred six hundred people.

And when I took it to the.

Board of Directors and
explain this building I laid out to

all the things we typically do
the return on invested capital and

the productivity way rates we hope to get.

The advantages and Obama the way

a large number of people will
be people with disabilities.

They only have one question.

Can you imagine what that is.

What if it doesn't work.

And I said it'll be like any other thing
we have in business we do all kinds of

initiatives that don't work if it doesn't
work we'll adjust and they said OK.

Now.

I'm going to show you a film of those so

you get an idea about about
what this building is it's

a it's a big building it's you know
it's over one hundred feet tall and

we didn't look very quick thing about
the person in the disability community

that we talked to we said we're going to
have seventy five people Day one ready.

He had never placed more than
thirteen in a single year.

But we did know that.

And he was asked that question.

He said no problem.

Anyplace So seventy five in the two
hundred and two hundred fifty so

this is a story the building they did
destroy very soon after we opened we

got.

You know.

We were.

Ready.

When.

We were.

We were.

Here.

Though.

We were.

There.

Or were.

There.

We.

Were.

There.

And are.

Only if you aren't.

A building open two thousand seven Such
been open nine years Julia retired.

Four years ago.

She went home to take care
of her aging parents.

And her parents said.

The daughter we sent you.

Is not the woman we got back.

And there'll Perry the guy who did love
the Saints I go into him after that ask

him one time where you were Udall job age
he said you know you help me with my tips

you said that Phil uses I don't need
it why do I have them how needed.

And there were hundreds
of stories like this.

Now as you get to this is a real massage
yet there you go this is Anderson

these are these are where our distribution
centers are across us and when we made

the announcement that we were going to
hire two hundred people with disabilities.

You would have thought
that we cured cancer.

People all over the United States
when the word got out

there articles about and Wall Street
Journal we ever pass pacifically for

leaders with disabilities who and managers
to we were to successful as we thought

because what we found out most people
who are already in positions tend not

to move very much because they
worry about if it didn't work out.

Wall Street Journal on and on and on and

one of the people who saw the saw the ad
saw this article or heard about it was

this woman named Deseret Neff
she was in in San Diego.

Working as a temp at a some
finance operation she uses

a walker Deseret has a a a rare muscle

condition that sometimes she has use
a walker in one day she goes to work and

her boss says what's
the deal with the walker.

Deseret says Well sometimes I need it.

And he says great.

Come back when you don't.

Deseret packed up her family moved
across the country not know anybody in

South Carolina moved to Anderson a year
before we opened just to be in line for

a chance for a job.

She and her son both worked there and
she is a manager there now.

A person whom we had we not
been specifically looking for

people with disabilities
we would never hire Deseret

because we would have that we would have
looked at her for two ways we probably

looked at her employment record and seen
that had probably been had some spade.

It is in there that we didn't like.

Or we would have looked at the Walker and
thought well.

You know it's a big building in case
there's a far you have to run she's not

going to be very fast of a baby year maybe
with maybe just take the next person.

That was that's what we probably
would have done as a right or

you saw engine the film.

The one with the several policy.

Angie with the clips and
all A's undergraduate graduate school

all A's three hundred resumes she sent
out thirty in person interviews and

not a single job offer.

Angie is the head of our outreach was
the head of our outreach means works

work with all the agencies and helped us
coordinate all this kind of stuff and

now and so by the way she is probably
the best H. one of the best H.R.

people we have in the two hundred forty
thousand employees in the water income and

she's been promoted the head of H.R.
in Pendergrass right up the road her own

building but we would have never probably
Hardanger either because we would have

looked at Angie or tried to talk to you
know she hasn't difficulty speaking and

you really have to really have to pay
attention it's really noisy out there so

some of our team members may have
difficulty understanding Angie or

Angie we always have this thing about far
maybe she can't walk fast enough to get

out here in case we're far and
we always use that or

maybe because Angie the way she has to
talk her way she has to move around

maybe she'd make people uncomfortable.

Because it's easy to do that not
interview for fit or the right fit.

Or Harrison Harrison this was great
when we made this announcement

the city really need some space because
we were into a large number of people

seventy five people Day one boom.

So we gave the the city.

The agencies the community rinsed in
space and we gave him some equipment and

people came and trained in they got
volunteers in the community to train

all these folks some people worked in
their year in a training learning what it

is to have a job showing up on time
the work rules those kind of things so

they did would be ready when we started
Harrison was one of those kids that came

out the school system he has autism
I met him at the training center.

And I remember I remember the day
he met he says Randy I can process

ten cases a minute that's on our receiving
dock we have to make sure it's the count

is right the right supplier nothing's
damaged you have to prepare it for

being able to where it's going to be
located I said Harrison that's great but

we don't measure in minutes we measure
hours how many cases can you process in

an hour if you can do ten a minute
how many is that in an hour.

And I paused and had to think about that.

What is ten times sixty.

It was my head it was ten times
sixty Harrison says I don't know.

I don't know now I know that that's
six hundred Our expectation is

four hundred and
here is a young man who performs

that job at one hundred fifty
percent of expectation.

And every other job we've given him.

In the areas all across the D.C. and

Harrison is the person when in areas
behind it we got to get those trucks out.

Harrison is the person they call for
to come out and help catch up.

We would have never hired Harrison
because he can't multiply

ten times sixty in he would have never
gotten through that arithmetic test.

That's what we learned and
people ask what kind of disability can.

We not hire.

We haven't found one yet
that we say automatically exclude.

Because we've discovered this technology
about hiring people with disabilities and

I'm going to share it with you today and
it's.

Public domain so you can't don't go out
there and try to trademark it because

we beat you but
you can have it's called a.

T P ask the person.

Thank you so

what it was that me for
example are the process that we have for

screening people in qualifications that we
spent millions of dollars to do says that

when we handle a case you handle it with
two hands so you can handle it safely so

if you applied with one arm or
one hand you're not qualified.

What we do now is ask the person
how they would do that

job we show on the job how would
you do this because guess what

that person probably has a life time
of figuring out stuff like this

are they even in our store is the deaf
person it's a clerk how would.

A.
Customer

get their attention if they're
definitely have their back to them.

We would say a deaf person can do
this job now we asked the depth and

how would you do the job when my favorites
about deaf people is the belief is

they cannot operate equipment safely like
forklifts Irena with a forklift looks like

what it is it's usually elect
battery powered It's quick it's.

It's it's quick it's big and

it's dangerous around pedestrian sorta
like a Prius without the smog factor.

So how can a deaf person operate
safely because the procedure across

every every center that uses
forklifts is around protest.

Tap your horn if you're coming to
an intersection tap your horn so

the procedure every day is to test
your horn to make sure it works so

how could a deaf person test their horn.

Asked the person so he went down
to the floor ask them deaf people

how would you test your horn first person
what I would do is where the Callan

is is I would put my hand there and
tap the horn I could feel it.

Works I like the second person's answer
what I would do is pull up behind

a group of people who are just talking.

You know where that well.

But those are the kinds of
things that we learned in

the impact that it had on us
was incredible Now here was

the interesting thing how the story worked
out it would add one two hundred became

two hundred fifty four to forty
percent of the workforce.

And the building.

Became the most productive in
the history of the company.

It's the safest it's got the highest
quality the lowest cost.

And we sit and we started there and
we realized it was not about all this

technology we had at it it
was about the will to do so.

And we brought in all the other senior
managers and we let them see it.

And they decided they wanted it to so
they set a goal.

Let's How are a thousand people with
disabilities as have a thousand people

with disabilities working in our centers
with him for years ten percent of

the entire workforce something is not
I don't know it existed anywhere.

Of this scale and guess what the recession
kind of slowed it down by six

months but they made that go and then we
called them together say what's the next

go we've achieved that and they said let's
go to twenty percent let's make that the.

Long term goal.

And one of the things we also side to do
on the very front end since this works

we're going to open it up to the world.

Lesson body even our competitors and

give it away Ellie everything
we've learned we give it away and

we invited a lot of other companies
they came in they launched their own.

This is just some of the companies Lowe's.

I remember when dotted
the lows person to come.

If you go to a low store if
you're going to a low store

it's little different than
a watering store and.

You know we're going to
start carrying lumber.

Not so and we knew there centers weren't
like ours by told the guy named Steve

to use his their supply chain
go look at it call me him so

he would tell me what you think
it's going to you're in a year and

see stuff in there that it will
not be a political to you but

I think what you see
about culture will be.

I expected him to call me about cup you
know how we do things we go visit each

other Center and we get around to calling
the other person saying OK it was OK I

complied with my C.E.O.'s desire that
I go out and do this OK He called me

he called me not later he called
me as he was leaving the building.

And he says I saw it I got it.

I won it.

And they lost initiative and they have
about six hundred people in there centers.

P. and G. Just recently they probably
don't announce publicly because

they're afraid they're going to get killed
by the public if they don't execute but

internally they have a desire to do this
in all their plants across the Americas.

U.P.S. has about guarding about
a thousand in Louvel center

is what they're trying to aim for Marks
and Spencer when you case do same thing.

No tear on the right side in
Brazil I manufacture cosmetics and

vitamins Toys R Us Hershey largest.

Grocer ins in Sweden and
we hope there are more.

And again this became the most efficient
center in history hundred ten years

of history at the time now
why are we excited about.

The impact it's had on
management when people come see

this we call it the yes Virginia
there is a Santa Clause two or.

Because when you come you're not going
to see people with disabilities that's

the first reaction anybody comes in OK you
know where the people with disabilities

because they don't see anybody
this see people working.

And then what we typically do is that come
in and bring your questions the questions

that you're afraid to ask in public and
we'll sit you down with management and

what goes on in this conference
room stays in this conference or so

ask the questions that you might
not be afraid even to be afraid ask

how do you fire a person
with a disability.

What does this really work what's a bad
day like here those kind of questions.

So.

The answers to those what people
will say it's made them better and

it's made the hope place better and
the things they've learned to do for

people with disabilities they do for
people without disabilities and

guess what it's better for all people
any change we made to equipment or

process or policy works for
all people better and

we've told managers we're going
to manage Not so much by rules

we're going manage by principles
we're going to make some mistakes.

And when we ask people and
I ask you Would you rather work

in a place that has an iron clad
rules cross the line you're out or

would you rather work on a place with
principles and we're going to try to.

I live up to our principles because I
found people like rules when they fall in

their favor and they don't like rules
when they don't follow in their favor.

I haven't found a group yet
that prefers rules.

And that kind of freedom to go the extra
mile if it gets in the way of an effective

and inclusive workforce
we're willing to bend it.

That's what we're for so
I'm going to show a film what happened is.

This a filmmaker from
Hollywood came out and.

Filmed about it but
he end up creating a movie and

this is his pre production version so

it's got it's got some errors in it in the
quality is not what he wanted to be and

I got the final one but it didn't play so
we're going to play the the the rough cut

so this is a rough cut director's cut.

Instils short story about about this
OK fair enough so you get multimedia.

So we got.

Our own.

He took a telling take that watery
stuff out because this was a Seems like

propaganda and it should be out because
what one reads didn't do it didn't do it

about the end Walgreen's Baldy's did it
because it was the right thing to do.

In the if we really had not
talked about it that much.

Imagine having a building where
everybody thinks about each other and

making each other successful
where everybody's lined up

around Mission in accomplishing something.

What kind of place with that.

Let me tell you it is like lightning in
a bottle that's what people come in the.

You see when they sit down with
management and they say I want this.

This is not just as good when I said in
that interview this is not just as good

it's better.

A question is.

Why do people not do more there's a story.

There's a story by.

The Irish poet laureate Seamus Heaney he's
writing about Troy the Trojan War and it's

about this character named for luck to
tease who says who finds a who has this.

Magic bow but
he's been disfigured in battle in and

disabled in deserted on this island.

Alone and deserted by his friends in.

Greece finds himself in this war and they
remember a flock to teach has this magic

Boselli they wrote to the island in
finding him and they say forgive us.

But join us to because the fate of the
country the fate of the nation falls upon

you and he does he goes with them and at
this point in the play The author writes

about how all the disappointments of the
past tend to repeat themselves history.

Over and over we see the same
disappointments the same thing the status

quo but then occasionally an act of
hope can change everything and this

is a part to play he writes history tells
us not to hope on the side of the great.

But then once in a lifetime along for
Todd a wave of Justice can rise up.

And hope in history rhyme so hope for

a great sea change in believe that
a further shore is reachable from here

believe in miracles believe in
cures believe in healing wells.

And like flock to these in that story.

We found people with disabilities
away to us a way to us to do.

Cover their gifts they wait
us to harness their abilities

they wait us to value their contribution.

And that's why we started off
now why don't people do more.

One reason is most of us I think go
through daily life in an author ox

we don't look up we're not aware of.

But even when people become aware only
one out of ten companies that come do

something.

What's the difference.

We show in the numbers.

We talk about the risks
they talk to everybody.

Fears.

Fears if you all heard Mary and we
instantly wrote what is our deepest fear.

I.
Became aware of it not to remarry and

we have some but
I watch coach Coach Carter.

Because I go same movies with those
I don't ride on plane anymore.

Because the point is
what is our deepest fear.

Our deepest fear is not that we
are inadequate or deepest fears that we're

powerful beyond measure it is OUR like
that frightens us not our darkness.

Fear makes a small.

It makes us wrinkle way the world tells us
I can I'm just one person what difference

can I know that see in the boardroom

scene executive sessions I
see it on the shop floor.

It has kept me quite when
I should have spoken.

It's kept me still when I
should have acted on no fear.

So what are we to do now for me.

My fear was to get it
to the end of my career

knowing I could have done something.

And not have and looking back in
thinking I was afraid to do it and

when most executives I talk to in at the
end of their career what are they proud

of their proud of their complements
are proud of people are proud of people

that they've helped out of they
talk about people that help them

that's why retirement dinners
are never going to reach.

Karma dinner and everybody kind
of lays out there for a one K..

And when I talk to them privately one of
the regrets the regrets are typically

around I wish I had more courage to
do this I wish I had taken this risk.

It's all about fear.

Well let me tell you about
somebody that I was a.

I was in.

California going to our
center in Sacramento and

I was in Sam Cisco had to get a car had
pick it up at the St Francis Hotel.

And being a good plan or a new had to
go to washroom beforehand because it

was a two hour drive and one stop and
there's this long haul probably

twice as long as this aisle here and at
the end of the hall is the men's room and

left in there's a shoeshine stand
there in the guy was there and

this is why he looks like this is.

His name is Alan Feaster So
I go in the washroom come out

he looks at my shoes I think
he does history by the way.

Asked me you know says you need
some help here about a shine so

I get up on the juice and
stand in Allan are about same age

he's the most charming guy you've probably
ever met and I ask him how long he'd

been doing as he said Well long or
you know a long time I said.

It was making conversations
you're think about retiring.

And he says yeah I am and
I said What are you thinking about doing.

He says I'm thinking about changing
the California penal system.

Now that wasn't even on
the list of things I thought.

Any perceived to pull out this notebook.

This notebook of clippings and
he starts telling me stories he has it is

I forget three or four children he said
my son during when he was fourteen

got in trouble with the law he got
sentenced to for a period of time to the.

Fornia Youth Authority.

Which is young offenders to age
twenty one fourteen twenty one.

And when derail went in there he
didn't go in there without hope but

within three months a period
of months I don't know for

sure he was found hanged in a sale.

My son.

Did not go in that hopeless there's
something wrong with incarcerating

fourteen year old boys with
twenty one year old men and

I want to do something about it.

In East as he started openness and started
look at this it's picture of Alan in front

of the California legislature testifying a
picture of him with the governor a picture

him all these rallies
all these this thick and

I went home and I Googled it.

Six hundred ninety seven references.

And when I googling last year it was
about twelve thousand reference.

A person whose office
is a shoeshine stand.

Is making a difference and I say I can't
make a difference somebody with less

dated power than everybody in this room.

What about fear.

What can we do it so
we'll hope in history run.

We we choose sent those
are moments that we get to choose.

They come in a few moments in our career.

But as for
me I choose to believe in miracles and

cures and healing whales I believe each of
us can have a huge impact on this world

where the B. disability or whatever thing
that we cause it makes a difference

in this world because that's
the only thing that ever will.

I choose to believe in miracles and
cures and healing Wells I

believe we can make a difference I
believe we have to make a difference.

And I believe that time starts with us and
it starts now thank you very much

was.

So we have some questions you may has a.

Yes but I wanted to tell you that I don't
think in George is the right word for

your talk but I was very stirred
moved by and I by Georgia Tech has

the Bobby Dodd workshop which I hope
you will find out about before you

leave here because they ploy a lot
of people with special abilities and

so forth which is just what
you talked about today so

learn about the Bobby Dodd workshop buy
your entire town I did want to ask you

in reference to Walgreens and
since they have acquired booths and

I think ride eight has they adopted your
policies and one other question about

workman's compensation in
surance How has that affected.

This distribution center OK for
all you could ever hear the question.

We started doing this in stores so

you know the question is about ride eight
in and boots I don't know about boots but

ride eight and
Maureen store started out stores and

built around a training program up it's
a little different method than we do in

our distribution centers because they
don't have all the local H.R. support so

it's built around a training program
called as call ready you can go online

retail employment disability
initiative Walgreens ready.

Dot com dot com.

And there are set up programs
around the around the state so

that's the Briley depends on.

The district if they volunteer
a story to be this training store.

It started probably four years ago and it
continues now eight across eight thousand

stores it's going to take a while to do it
they put me in your report five years ago

so you need to write to them in cases
get behind the objective was to have one

out of ten new hires in our stores
to be a person with a disability so

that will continue on yes but
Ford was calm that's a very

good question this going to cost us a lot
of money our insurance to go we were so

we're self insured our insurance cost
did not go up our workman's cost

cop for people with disabilities was
approximately half of what it was for

a person without a disability.

So that that and I think you know when you
talk to other companies they find the same

thing maybe it's because we have better
compliance with the safety rules

than we do the problem that's typically
able people work creative and

we won't take shortcuts
most accidents happens and

people trying to take a short
cut do something faster.

We found that a lot of people think
that that was a good question though.

Yes.

My name is Zach Batson I work in Decatur
and it's at that the school I work for

is called the Community School
it's a learning environment for

people specifically on
the autism spectrum and

living with other learning disabilities
and one of the biggest things that we

focus on is Job Support and you know
seeking out stuff or job placement and

the second biggest thing we thought
was on is independent living.

So a company that is as large as
Walgreens do you see potential for

like outreach programs through
the company that can assist people on

the spectrum with different disabilities
whatever you want to have what have you

taking the strength and stuff that
you're building into the programs in

the corporation and
using that to sort of facilitate.

The types of for.

A program that would help people like
well they're working for you kind of get

the skills they need or help build more
skills in terms of independent living.

I think the focus of Walgreens right
now is to create opportunities for

people with disabilities that's the that's
the that's the place of authority we have

we have to hear here is a question you
know everybody knows that disability and

transportation is a problem right so it's
a big problem so we had that bus line and

Anderson.

Come by start coming by
the distribution center so

we thought there'd be great more
people get ride the bus and

I was there one day there weren't
that many people riding the bus.

And we thought Also we would
have a ride share program.

And I was talking to and yes they were
more people ride the bus we got two

hundred fifty people with disabilities
they can't all be driving but

they're not riding the bus and
you said something very prescient.

I had to use that word today I read it and
it was done.

I don't know if it's political but
very smart was very smart and knowing.

She said you know it's incredible when you
pay people living wage then figure out how

to get to work.

So I think what Walker what
I think are wheel house is

business is listen to the businesses.

If we can get people paying living wage
jobs a lot of these other problems will

go away so I think all the energies around
that and that's where I spend my time to.

Where we are we still we we play in
the same band just different instruments.

Yes hi.

Hello there hi my name's event and I was
fortunate enough to be named the first

woman of color and Georgian to have
a word the Miss Will Tear Us a crown and

thank you thank you and
only four years ago I became disabled and

I've just recently had an opportunity
to work with the Georgia Council on

developmental disability which is
the first thing I've ever done.

Since I became disabled so I get the not
get having a job thing and I thank you for

what you're doing.

My questions are Were there any
questions of liability in the workplace

when you put this program together
do you have any sensory stations

in the distribution unit for
people with disabilities and

does the integrated work
staff those with traditional.

Work Experience get training prior to
working with people with disabilities

was a long question what was a first
part again I'll have a source bonanza or

any liability questions when you
introduced this to your board and

started training other companies were
they concerned one of those secret

room questions about liability is it
workman's comp isn't it right example but

just liability in general like
myself being in a wheelchair or

falling or like that one and
sensory and sensory station and

OK I got that one and then training
training part that is not just

a little I'm a real Remember
this is test for me OK.

People asked the question.

And we said we couldn't find any
data this said it was a problem so

here's what I read do is give it a try if
it comes a problem we're going back off.

That what is easy is that and

it didn't become a problem
sensory rooms we've discussed so.

When we started I remember even
one workstation we have a thing

you could pull down the.

Shade So you because we saw some people
not be distracted by all the things around

we haven't had anybody require that yet
if they CAN WE privacy in the bin and

the right washrooms where
we could we can lower the.

The deal so they could they could do
that we haven't had much of a problem on

the sensor Do we have a special room now
we've got a lot off as it are empty that

somebody needs to chill out we do that so
most of our common climate Asians.

Which I have to say from a business when
you use those terms with business that

means trouble means lawsuit
you know that the adjustments

we had to made the average cost of our
adjustment was less than twenty five

dollars most a most have more paper and
pencil.

For instance the person who had O.C.D. who
focused on how he was going to cut the box

instead of how quickly he could cut the
cut how many could cut open his manager

came up with the idea what I'm going to
do is I'm going to put a little card it's

got the little boxes for every case he's
supposed to do in thirty minutes and he's

going to click those off so he has changed
he's transferred his compulsion to that.

Versus something else my son this was
great about doing something good.

Meyer I never had a dream that my
son would ever have a job like this

because we didn't live near a distribution
center that always thought well I guess

we could move across the country to
Anderson and one of where we have one but

Meyer is one of those companies and they
called me up the president called me up so

we'd like to Austin be one of our first
employees so he drives an hour each way.

Up there works full time
makes thirteen fifty an hour

in his in has had some
struggles which is good and

I told him I said he's a nice perform but
Austin likes to get his work done.

And they have a system where
they just give you a job and

they tell you how you did after you did it
which is not really good Austin likes to

get through stuff so finally they figured
out what we're going to do is give him so

much work they figured out how much
work should be before his break and

they say get this thing done then you go
to break and they were to give you another

pile then you go to lunch then into your
glass break didn't go home he went from

sixty percent efficient
to one hundred ten.

Just by being clever like that most
of our in managers figuring out

that I'll tell you one can say one
story because when I go to the D.C.

distribution center I love to
hear the managers talk and a lot.

They were going to act talk about when
they when I get around to say look it's

all about numbers and production we
know that but the best part of my job

is making somebody successful we hired
this woman named artists she has C.P.

she is has three teenage kids or
two teenage boys two two or

three had never worked before
had be on public support

her entire life we hired her own line and
run in a machine

the picking machine it has lots of buttons
and one of the buttons has a collar on it.

You know collar goes around and buttons
even so U.K. it's usually for a start

button so you don't start to but you know
you don't start a machine by accident but

Iris had a problem with her hand
she didn't have the dexterity so

she couldn't make what we call make re
do the number of the expectation so

we called a disability expert here.

He looked at the job he looked at
Arias looked at things around thinking

accommodative you're going to let her go.

Her supervisor said I don't think so.

We got to do something better so he got
with a mate and sky and they looked at it

and they went to Lowe's because they
are doing is we're very loyal to them now.

Lowes I say that again and
got a ratchet set and

got a big ratchet in
fitted over the collar and

cut off a broomstick inserted in there so
it sticks above it in she uses it.

And then the maintenance guys it's this
is great but we make do better now you

made old mill thing that there has
a little thing on top of it and

she when ours is used in a scene she
takes it off and sets it on the shelf and

when she's used machine she puts it on and
she makes great just by.

That man as you will be telnet
story the rest of his life.

Training initially we send out people to a
North Carolina Chapel Hill for a week or.

Managers are our managers now we
have two levels of managers we have

managers we have supervisors function
function leaders we sent them up there so

they would be exposed.

And they got trained up there
about people with autism so

they got exposed to autism not that
every disability is different but

what the it did kind of open after
their mind to it we will probably

when we open we probably gave
a day worth of training and

just didn't you know just
about sensitivity but

here was the thing we also put up
the manager had every meeting at

the end of the day when we were actually
working and had everybody come in and

they could write their question down
on a piece of paper folded up and

put a hat anonymously and
they could ask that question about

whether they would ask and he would take
one out and he would talk about it and

he would have an answer for
some and sunny go I don't know.

I don't know what we're going to
about this we'll figure it out.

And we have figured out because all of
the quest all the questions we thought

beforehand it would be problems
like this since are the room or

the privacy that really did have but
a lot of other things happened that

we forgot here's one more story can
I tell you one more about Jeffrey.

Jeffrey has a work it works in an area and
he has to.

He has to prepare merchandise so
when you get when you get your.

Toothpaste it waterings it comes in a case
to us and we'll ship out one to you.

We ship out minimum us
we only ship out men and

musk to a store when we open it because
it's days or until we close that store

twenty years later we know that because
we were local Really relocate that store

we take the merchandise one store the
other we always take them in a must go.

And put it out.

So we're taking cases of one
hundred forty four of something and

shipping one to the store so

part of the deal is to break that case up
in prepared so it's for you can be fast.

When we pick it because we pick it it's
going to be picked in in a box and

in the store.

So this operation had it
sometimes you have to cut case or

your car was box now so it's dangerous so

Jeffrey had a problem when people come
into the area so one day one of our.

Maintenance folks or custodial folks
came in walked in there was cleaning and

Jeffrey kind of got upset instict
takes his box cutter in his hand

starts screaming now you can imagine
a person with a broom that was

the fastest that there had
been swept out of there.

So what are we going to do so

here's what his managers do this is where
we'd have experts what are we going to do.

So what they did is they went to Walgreens
Walgreens invite those big letters like

for her birthday party and
put Jeff's work area hung it above so

you could see it then they took tape and
taped it around his area so

you could see it on the floor and
then they got a tube out for

a little platform and got one of those
electronic bells and put it on here and

put a sign that said ring
bell before entering.

They change train Jeffrey
when you hear the bell.

When you hear the bell put your
knife in your in your apron turn and

face the person inviting me.

That's an accountant.

Yeah.

That's that's that's the good
parts the sad part of the story

Jeffrey well too it was not successful.

But the victory was everybody
can sleep at night.

And that was the standard because we all
feel good even with not a sense of we can

do everything we can and that's only only
thing we hope we can't make guarantee or

a successful but by gosh we're
going to sleep well at night.

You know one more one more question I'm
sorry like you for being here today.

I certainly enjoyed your talk I'm a father
of six and to have our own spectrum but

my question is this we have
a foundation that we help families

that have children with developmental
disabilities and one of the things we want

to do is know how can we as a foundation
make contact with you all so

that we can introduce this to local
businesses even within our communities and

within our realm of influence how do
we make that contact who do we call and

how do we how do we set up if we have
a businessman that has twenty employees or

two hundred and says I want to go
see this how do they do that and

how do you get people once they come

even coming back in the training I think
the mission is getting a supervisor or

manager some idea behind this OK Well I'll
answer the question I think I think

I think I got it how do you get in contact
say with Andersen to be able to see that.

Anderson opens itself up to business so
if you have a business group or

a business to go but
we can't what we started early.

First we open it up to teachers want to
come see it parents want to come see it

businesses want it we and we can
have had to limit that because again

the wheel house is the other business
is business will talk to business so

if you want to go see it have a business
it wants to come in even better have

a group of businesses want to come and
see it and the heart of the executive

the better because we they've sort of
had to limit this thing I'd say yes but

I'm not there anymore and I've discovered
there was a rented tuxedo is a I

got to wear the taxi it was I was there so
it that's what they they ask for and

then I'll just find the address of
the person and I'll leave it here so

you all can you know can find out
who the person is in contact him but

that's that's the power of this
thing is let businesses ask.

Questions By the way you know you fire
person with out with a disability.

The same way you how far a person without
a disability because if it's it needs to

be different you're foreign people
without disabilities the wrong.

Randy can you close.

Before you find out where it's just to
tell us a story my favorite story in

that the guy who can't come
back from break on time.

About accommodations this
is this is it Anderson.

But by the way you know Rico in a story
about managing with love with fear I mean

he's great spokesman we gave
Rico he's he's a hard nosed.

Guy I had never imagined place like this
so his first job we gave him to train for

deaf people would be lived Reivers.

And he'd never work person with
a disability it was the best job he's ever

ever had when he first got there so

we had this one guy who would never come
back he would get distracted on breaks.

And he would never get back from
break on time that's really key to us

you know because if you're not
there work and you get back so but

he love he love Barack Obama he
loves he still does love Obama so

we got one of those full size
things right there and we put.

But the thing words I forget let's say
let's say his name was Ron whatever

Ron get back from break on time.

And it worked.

And it worked so.

Well you're being creative it goes the
kind of things that we've learned doesn't

most fun part most Doing good is
a lot more fun than just trying to

make about you know stuff out everybody
got to get their victory it's theirs

let's just like it to be yours.

Thank you think you think.