This document shares data on the first US Rally celebrating having disability and obtaining living-wage employment as a community issue. It walks the reader through who was involved, what worked and how to improve it for those who would aspire to conduct a similar event in their local communities

1. POST EMPLOYABILITY RALLY REPORT
October 28, 2010
Arizona State Capital Mall
The 1st Annual EmployAbility Rally was held at the Arizona State Capital Mall on October 28, 2010. The
purpose of this Rally was to celebrate the transformative power of achieving the American right to decent
work and fair treatment. This effort was dedicated to updating public perceptions and attitudes towards
the capabilities of people with disabilities.
Information booths and representations from approximately twenty organizations were available from 9
am-12 noon at this first time event. These sponsors include:
 Ability Magazine  Goodwill Industries
 Americorps Arizona  Jobing.com
 Arizona Bridge to Independent Living  Life Development Institute
 Arizona Commission for the Deaf & Hard-of-  LINKAGES
Hearing  Magellan Health Services
 Arizona Employer’s Advisory Council  Maricopa Association of Governments
 Cenpatico  Staffing Management Association
 Chicanos Por La Causa  STARS
 Developmental Disabilities Planning Council  United Cerebral Palsy
 DeVry University  Untapped Arizona
 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  Valley of the Sun Human Resource
 Ernst Young Association
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2. The keynote speaker for this celebration was Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment
Policy at the US Department of Labor. Other speakers included:
 Andy Imparato, CEO, American Association of People with Disabilities
 Larry Clausen, Executive Director, Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
 Ken Jacuzzi, Pioneer and champion of civil rights for people with disabilities
 Thomas Means, Senior Auditor, Ernst Young
 Col. Joey Strickland, Director, Arizona Department of Veteran’s Services
167 People officially pre-registered and another 45
People registered in person at the Rally.
Though not everyone who registered attended, the
demonstrated data collected is as follows.
Percentages are not shown as many of the people
listed themselves under more than one category.
Accommodations ensured included…
 Accessible:
o Parking
o Paths-of-travel
o Restrooms
 ASL Interpreters
 Assisted Listening Devices
 Large Print
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3. Of those who registered, the following agencies were represented:
 ACYR  Goodwill  SMMHC
 ADHS/BHS  H.P. Consulting  Southgate Academy
 Anthem College Online  Life Development Institute  Southwest Behavioral
 Area Agency on Aging  Magellan Health Services Services
 AZ Commission for the Deaf  Marc Center of Mesa  Southwest Network
and Hard of Hearing Arizona  TecMarc
 AZ Dept of Health Services  Maricopa Association of  Tetra Services
 Brookline College Governments  The Arizona Department of
 Career Counselor To Go  Maricopa County Administration
 Cenpatico Behavioral  Maricopa Workforce  The Real Deal Re-Entry
Health of Arizona Connections Program
 Chapel Haven West  MIKID  Ticket to Work w/Goodwill
 Chartis  National MS Society and Rebecca Burt
 ChoicesNetwork  NAU / IHD  TRBH
 City of Tempe Diversity  NCADD  UCP of Central Arizona
Dept.  Parent of a spectrum  Untapped Arizona
 CPSA Child  USDOL/OFCCP
 Designed for living inclusive  Partners In Recovery  Valleylife
communities  People Of Color Network  YMCA / HomeBase Youth
 DK Advocates  PIR Services
 Environarts, nc.  Save the Family
 Family Partners  SequelCare of AZ
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4. Following the event, a Post-Rally Survey was sent 5
out to everyone who registered prior to and on the
9
day of the event. Forty-five (45) people responded
to this survey. The results are as follows:
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1. Did you attend the EmployAbility Rally?
39 of the 45 who responded to the survey stated that
they attended all or part of the event. If the
Yes-Whole Event Yes-Part of the Event No-Did not attend
responded answered “No” they taken directly to the
end of the survey to answer the final questions.
P le a s e e v a lua te the e ffe c tiv e ne s s o f v a rio us a s p e c ts o f the E mp lo y A b ility
R a lly .
2. Please evaluate the effectiveness of various aspects of the EmployAbility Rally.
4.28 4.14 4.11 4.09 4.19 4.14 4.17
4.50 3.97 3.86
4.00 3.59
3.31
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
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5. 1. Infomercials should have been at the end of the event as we began losing people in the middle of
the rally. Tables should have been closer to stage and not so spread out.
2. Sun was a bit bright, but so was the mood of the audience!
3. It would have been nice to see more local businesses there looking for resources.
4. Great Job
5. I was very pleased with the event! I just wish that I would have heard about it sooner so that I
could have spoke to others about the event. I would love to see a lot more people next year, we
need these events so badly. Thank you all for hosting this, and I would love to be more involved
next year.
6. Shade will make a big difference next year!
7. I was told my entry was in there but did not put it there myself. Was it? I think that it definitely
needed more employer representation and maybe if you didn't charge the amount you were
charging some would have came. Isn't that the point?
8. Would have been better to have seating in the shade since it was a bit hot that day. Also seems
there were no "infomercials" on TV (or I didn't know where they were!)... definitely need more
marketing. Recommend better partnering with government agencies to ensure better message-
spreading and attendance.
9. I need to know more about the hard-line goods available to the hearing impaired. Is there an event
somewhere I can attend to learn about what is available to people who are hearing impaired in the
Phoenix metropolitan area? Thanks.
10. The heat was a bit of an issue. I think perhaps greater efforts to move the chairs out of the sun
earlier may have been helpful.
11. More general seating and shade. Food options would be nice.
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6. 12. for more feedback, please call me...480.588.8428. Barbara
13. I wish the Exhibitor Tables had stayed available longer. As soon as the speeches ended the
exhibitors closed up and I didn't get a chance to spend as much time as I would have liked
gathering information and familiarizing myself with services being offered.
14. I thought that this was about Veterans, since I was invited via a leading Veteran. I think that this
needs to be inside on a hot day, and on an even flooring for those in wheel chairs and who are
blind, for bouncing or tripping on grass does not support a sense of well-being. As for parking, I
have a handicap decal as I cannot walk a great length and I had to walk two blocks from the
parking lot as whatever Handicap parking spaces there might have been, were blocked off by a
wire which was closer to the event. Last, if you want to have the event outside, then find a place
that has more covered seating or rent a canopy. Hope this was all helpful. Sincerely, Barbara
Samuels
3. Please evaluate the effectiveness of the Speakers:
4.3
4.22
4.2 4.16
4.13
4.1
4.1 4.06
4 3.94
3.9 3.84
3.8
3.7
3.6
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Rob Ken Jacuzzi Col. Kathy Larry Thomas Andy
Crawford Strickland Martinez Clausen Means Imparato

7. 1. Would have liked to see as much energy from each person speaking as Andy showed
2. I left early and did not hear the last 3 presenters.
3. I was pleased to see those speakers who struggle the most give effective speeches of hope for
themselves and others. Their mentors have done an excellent job of helping them overcome their
handicaps and to inspire them to move forward even in tough economic times. We all need that
hope to have a better quality of life. Life is too precious to ignore and it is wonderful to know that
there are people out there in a position to help others find that better quality of life throughout life's
journey.
4. All had great energy and targeted messaging.
5. Those were the three I heard....
4. If you have specific feedback for any of the Rally speakers, please provide that so we can pass
that along to each of them.
Rob Crawford
 Great
 Fun and kept it moving along nicely
 Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at 8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of
information.
 Thank you for keeping the message positive- a real celebration!
Ken Jacuzzi
 His speech was very moving
 Ken, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done and are doing. And it was great to
finally meet you and a pleasure to hear you speak. Thanks, Michael Carpenter
mike.carpenter@marccenter.com
 GREAT! A hero of our time.
 Too many dates
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8.  Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at 8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of
information.
 Inspirational-I need a Friend exactly like him to exchange business ideas & Creative Writing How-
To's
 Thank you for asking people to work and vote. Sometimes it is all about expectations!
Col. Strickland
 Col. Strickland was an outstanding speaker and is a great voice for Veterans and Native Americans
 Very military oriented and I was never in the service, but helpful for many, I assume.
 Great motivational speaker
 Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at 8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of
information.
 Thank you for being open and sharing about your life.
Kathy Martinez
 It was great to meet Kathy and her speech was inspirational
 Interesting but too long
 Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at 8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of
information.
 Thank you for coming to Phoenix. You inspire, therefore a true leader!
Larry Clausen
 Great
 Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at 8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of
information.
 Loved the people sharing their success.
Thomas Means
 Great
 Very powerful, especially for us deaf and hard of hearing folks!
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9.  Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at 8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of
information.
 You are a stellar young man!
Andy Imparato
 Great
 Thank you--more time is needed for next year. Maybe start at
8 am? Felt rushed at the tables of information. Couldn't leave It was too far
work, 1 away, 1
 Passion and wisdom- thank you!
5. If you are getting this survey question, you signed up for the
EmployAbility Rally but were not able to attend. Please help us
No
understand why so we can hopefully address any issues that
transportation
hindered your attendance: ,0
Only 3 of the people who did not attend the event completed Emergency, 1
answer this question and gave the reasons listed to the right.
6. How can next year’s EmployAbility Rally be more effective for you?
1. Get more people to show up that have disabilities, employers to show support & recruit, factor in
the sun if it is outdoors. All in all a wonderful event I was proud to be part of!
2. More local business representation
3. Still wish to be part of the committee
4. We need more involvement from the community, local politicians, news outlets, community based
organizations who work to employ the disabled.
5. Start marketing sooner to grow attendance. Other than that it was outstanding!
6. Hopefully I'll be able to attend!
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10. 7. Maybe having more media coverage and getting the information out to people sooner.
8. Shade would be the biggest thing! :-) Keep the wide range of speakers, great to hear from a
diverse range of folks about their situations and successes. Keep it real with personal stories. In
short this year's EmployAbility Rally was a success and really did a great job in uplifting all of us
lucky enough to attend.
9. Better outreach to those who would not otherwise be aware of the event or have a vested interest in
it. I saw several community organizations present who specifically deal with disability awareness or
employee recruitment, and good representation from political figures and select government
agencies, but very little representation from other employers such as large corporations, small
businesses (whose mission/purpose is not directly related to disability employment), and institutions
of higher learning. It was a nice rally but I felt like attendance was small, and those who did attend
were also in some way participating already, or aware of many of the issues discussed. (It felt a
little like "preaching to the choir.") Next year I think it would be great if there could be people in
attendance from ALL of our downtown banks, hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, retailers, etc --
there's no reason why they shouldn't be out there representing their businesses' mission, policies,
and practices!! Getting ASU involved might be nice too as I bet they have on-campus advocacy
groups and student populations that could make a lot of positive impact.
10. More more more!!!!
11. We need to determine how we can better market the event to staff who work with people with
disabilities, as well as people with disabilities as well. By partnering with agencies to provide
transportation, I suspect we might have better attendance.
12. The speakers were very effective, the setup was good and the trees were very beneficial for those
who could sit under them in the heat of the sun. I had hoped to have more time to visit the tables of
information made available to those who needed to see what was available to them. More
information needs to be presented about the types of help available to those with disabilities. Where
to contact that help or the different health formats and hard-line goods available that are safe to
use.
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11. 13. I don't know at this point other than I hope to be able to attend.
14. Could use Catering because of my Semi-Diabetic condition
15. Ask other people that come their too, if they are taped or untapped instead of just ones that where
picked before the day of the EmployAbility Rally.
16. I do not know at this time. I am currently looking for a place to live.
17. By having actual employers there to possibly contract with organizations that have there people
ready.
18. allow time either before or after the speakers presentations for interaction with the Exhibitor booths
19. Maybe have a bit more seating arranged.
20. More resources for East Valley residents.
21. Began on time
22. I probably won't attend since I learned which agencies do what.
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