The complete manager's guide to integrating disability into business.

If you discovered a new market comprising 53% of the world’s population, would you act to invest in it? There are 1.3 billion people around the world who identify as having a disability. When you include friends and family, the disability market touches 53% of all consumers. It is the world’s largest emerging market. Unleash Different illustrates how companies like Google, PepsiCo, and Nordstrom are attracting people with disabilities as customers and as employees. Replacing “nice to do” with “return on investment” allows market forces to take over and the world’s leading brands to do what they do best: serve a market segment — in this case, the disability market. Business managers will come to understand how taking a charity-oriented approach to people with disabilities has failed, what action is required to capitalize on the world’s biggest emerging market, and how their organizations can grow revenue and cut costs by attracting people with disabilities as customers and talent. Rich gives the reader a peek into how he rose from a Canadian school for “crippled children” to manage $6 billion for one of Wall Street’s leading firms. He makes it easy to relate to the business goal of serving disability — because he has actually done it.

This comprehensive volume examines the `big business', such as health care corporations and insurance companies, that has grown up around rehabilitation of the disabled in the United States, and the impact that this has had on care. Albrecht discusses how the quality of care is influenced by income, income potential and insurance cover and traces how the financial growth in this industry has changed the nature of the care provided. He also presents a realistic assessment of the policy options and solutions available to a society that values equity in ensuring that quality rehabilitation services are equally available to all.

If you're on long term disability and thinking of starting or buying a business, you face problems most people don't ever worry about. At the same time, you have two advantages. You have plenty of time to devote to starting the business and you may have a source of capital -- the insurance company that holds your policy. Through this book, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the risks and benefits of operating a business. You'll learn the questions you need to answer beforehand in order to maximize your chances of success. You'll learn how to develop a simple business plan that will help you avoid common pitfalls. This book is not intended to encourage you to go into business, but if that's what you think you want to do, it will help you sharpen your ideas and get into action.

Annotation Hogan (a consultant) offers businesses advice on relating to employees and customers with disabilities, presenting ideas for socially responsible business practices compatible with a competitive strategy. While focusing primarily on the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the book also provides guidance on marketing and employment inclusivity, the promotion of diversity and the dispelling of myths, and matters of etiquette. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

In this user-friendly book, parents learn revolutionary common sense techniques for raising successful children with disabilities. When we recognize that disability is a natural part of the human experience, new attitudes lead to new actions for successful lives at home, in school and in communities. When parents replace today's conventional wisdom with the common sense values and creative thinking detailed in this book, all children with disabilities (regardless of age or type of disability) can live the life of their dreams. Readers will learn how to define a child by his or her assets - instead of a disability-related "problem," and how to create new and improved partnerships with educators, health care professionals, family and friends

Disability and Self-Directed Employment: Business development models