VOICEAMERICA.com
INTERNET RADIO SHOW
"DISABILITY MATTERS"
HOST: JOYCE BENDER
GUEST: JOHN KEMP
Captioning provided By:
Caption First, Inc.
********
Communication Access
Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to
facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally
verbatim record of the proceedings.
********
>> Welcome to "Disability
Matters" with your host
>> JOYCE BENDER: And welcome to the show. And as all my listeners know, that music in
the back, that sound track, is Ms. Patti La Belle, one of my all-time
favorites. But the reason I chose her
for the sound track is because of the song she is singing. "New attitude" And isn't that what
we need throughout the country, a new attitude when it comes to the issue of
employment for people with disabilities?
And I have to tell you, you are all in for a
really big treat. You are. Because our guest today is so revered for the
work he has done in the area of disability, he is truly a champion and someone
that I look up to and think so highly of.
John Kemp. President
and CEO of HalfthePlanet Foundation, but also Principal
with Powers Pyles Sutter and Verville. And it's an honor to have him on our show
today.
He
is an American legend in the world.
John Kemp, welcome to the show.
>> JOHN KEMP: Thank you so much. You're making me blush. It's my privilege to be here with you.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, it's an honor to have you. We have listeners throughout the world, so
I'm thinking there are probably only two who don't know who you are. But for the two who
don't know who you are, tell our listeners how long you have been a leader in
the disability area and an advocate in the disability area.
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, Joyce, I'm 54 years old. I was born with my disability. I was born without arms and legs off at the
elbows and the knees. And I got
prostheses when I was young. Age two I
got arms and age 4 I got legs. So I've
grown up with my disability all my life and I think my dad made me into an
advocate from the very start. My mom
unfortunately died of cancer just after my little sister was born, so my dad
raised three of us kids. And I'm the
middle child. I think he made us all
advocates for one thing or another. So I
guess I'd say almost all my life I've been an advocate.
>> JOYCE BENDER: That does not surprise me. I have to ask you a question. You made this decision to do this. But let's face it, there are many Americans
with severe disabilities, and not all of them decide they want to do this. Would you say then it was your father that,
you know, caused you or what made you decide to dedicate your life to freedom
for Americans with Disabilities?
>> JOHN KEMP: There were some very important people in my
life and I think this is true for a lot of folks out there with disabilities
who influence us so tremendously. And I
was influenced to become a lawyer by a summer job that I had in a law
firm. My dad raised me to be very aware and
be very proud of who I am and who I was with a disability. And so that growing up he would talk to me
often about what was a handicap and what was a disability. So from the very beginning, he always knew
that I had a disability, even before it was popular to say that phrase. Handicap was something that was actually used
when I was growing up. But he
distinguished right away and said if people don't like you, it's their
fault. If people don't accept you for
who you are, it's not something that you need to carry around with you.
He gave me a great deal of pride in being who
I am. And I swear that made me become an
advocate, to be proud of who I am and not to accept anybody else putting me
down. So I guess it's my dad and other
influencers in my life.
The Catholic Church was an influence. I went to Catholic grade school and high
school. And I went into some
inaccessible places and climbed up steps I didn't want to climb up and had
difficulty going. But for the most part,
I'm an advocate all by choice. I had
influencers, but I chose this path and I just can't imagine doing anything
else.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Thank goodness you chose that path. We wouldn't know what to do without you. Thank you for making that decision.
>> JOHN KEMP: I'm proud of you for getting the word out
around the world about the issues facing people with disabilities. And I'll follow you anywhere,
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, let me tell you, the feeling is mutual
for millions of Americans when they think of you.
As a matter of fact, we have a question for
you from the west coast. And the
question that came in is: John, I heard
you speak many times. You are
phenomenal. Thank you for what you're
doing for Americans with disabilities.
What do you suggest when you have a child who has a severe disability
that cannot deal with the way people make fun of him at school?
>> JOHN KEMP: Oh, my goodness, that hurts I'm sure. You can just -- I thank you, thank the writer
for the nice words.
I think we all feel like education is the
most important issue here and familiarity.
And you know it's by putting ourselves in society and putting our
children in schools that we ultimately will educate the rest of society about
the needs and wants of People with Disabilities. I think that's what my dad did when he put me
into a regular school system. I went to
kindergarten all the way through in a regular setting in the early '50s. And my dad was the big advocate who said it's
about letting you see John on a regular daily basis every day, with the same
wants and needs and desires, with a bit of assistance, and learn about
him.
So as difficult as that is, the parent is
doing absolutely the right thing.
Hopefully with discussion with the school district, with the teachers,
and maybe doing disability awareness for the other students and allowing their
child to have some hard times, and maintain their dignity, I think they're
making the right decision.
>> JOYCE BENDER: And that is hard. No doubt about it.
>> JOHN KEMP: It's very hard.
>> JOYCE BENDER: But I agree with you. As a woman with epilepsy and a hearing loss,
I know many people tell me how, you know, you don't know what it's like for a
7th grader to have a seizure, to have a seizure in school right in the middle
of the day, in the hall. Lose bodily
control. Come to and have everyone
making fun of them. But the thing is, we
have got to be out there and we have got -- we have to be included. We have to be included.
Now, I think one of the keys you brought up
there is doing everything we can to get different organizations to go into the
schools and educate them.
>> JOHN KEMP: You bet.
You know, everybody advances a year, each year. And we change and we have different neighbors
in our communities and different school mates and different coworkers. And a certain amount of recurrent training or
regular training and awareness is really an important issue. You know, airlines require their flight
attendants and personnel onboard to go through recurrent training. Well, we should expect that of corporations
and we should expect that of our school systems and anywhere where people need
some kind of awareness training experiences.
Training is an important issue here and often done by people with
disabilities.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Feelings of discrimination start at a very young
age. That's why the sooner you can get
into the elementary schools and start working with children, the better it is,
no matter what the group, diverse group is that you're
dealing with.
>> JOHN KEMP: You bet.
I must tell you this little story.
I went into a grocery store to get some goods, and I was standing in
like aisle 4. And this kid came up to me
and said at the top of his lungs, said Mama:
That guy ain't got no
hands. And he is pointing and
screaming. The mother came up and
grabbed the kid's head and twisted it about 180 degrees and started shaking her
finger. No. Don't embarrass that man. I said look, in this situation he is doing
everything right. He is curious. He doesn't understand. He wants to learn. I want to tell him. You know, if you
don't let me tell him, you're the one that is causing the barrier here. I need to tell him because he is
curious. And I really appreciated this
woman listening to me and letting me talk to her child.
He had about seven questions. The curiosity was gone. In fact, he probably thought I was an okay
person, not somebody to fear, even though I have what look like hooks or
clamps. And I was very proud of that parent
for allowing me to have this discussion.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Yes, because I always tell people to not
communicate is the worst thing you can do.
We cannot answer a question unless you ask.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's great.
Excellent.
>> JOYCE BENDER: You're a principal with Powers Pyles Sutter and Verville. What do you do for that firm? What area do you work in?
>> JOHN KEMP: My dad is proud because I finally applied my
law degree to the practice of law. I'm a
partner here in a law firm in D.C. I work closely with my colleague Peter
Thomas. And our law firm, with 28 lawyers,
is principally a healthcare rehabilitation and disability law firm. And we also do tax exempt organization work
and higher education.
In the disability world, we do lobbying and
legislative work. We go down to Capitol
Hill on behalf of clients and try to persuade staffers and Congress about
whatever are the changes, whether it's about IDEA or the ADA or whatever it
might be. We are down on the hill on
behalf of clients, urging them to be more inclusive about people with
disabilities. And I love it. That's about a third of my practice doing
that.
I run three nonprofit organizations from the
law firm, under professional services agreements. And then I speak, as the previous e-mailer
noted, I give a number of speeches each year across the country, keynote
addresses.
>> JOYCE BENDER: See, this is what's wrong. You don't do enough things.
>> JOHN KEMP: I love what I do. Just like you do.
>> JOYCE BENDER: You just aren't doing enough!
>> JOHN KEMP: I love what I do. And you know if it feels good and we think we
are helping humanity, you know, amen.
That's what this is all about, I think.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, you know what? I have to tell our listeners, if you ever are
looking for a speaker, John Kemp is without a doubt one of the best speakers I
have ever heard anywhere. And I would
encourage anyone -- whether you're a corporation or government, I don't care
what you're in. If I had to work with
someone as an advisor, this is the person that I'd call.
While I'm on that subject, how would they
reach you at that firm?
>> JOHN KEMP: They can call me at 202-466-6550. 202-466-6550. If they want to e-mail me, it's
John.kemp@ppsv.com.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, you make sure you do that. Because he, as I said, a phenomenal person he
is to work with.
John, here we have another question for you
from the east coast. And this question
is: What have you experienced in your
life as an adult with discrimination? Is
it as it was when you were little?
>> JOHN KEMP: That's a great question. I think I probably don't feel it as much,
because I think my coping skills have gotten better. But, every once in a while I do wince at some
of the language that is used and quite -- most of the time indirectly, or
accidentally, putting me in a secondary role in society. I think I've done better to cope with some of
the discrimination and I feel, because I use a scooter wheelchair to get around
for longer walking, I find still some of the inaccessibility and the
insensitivities to be just unbearable at times.
I get very frustrated.
I'm amazed when I come in and out of
buildings that people can't hold the door for me in my scooter. And I'm amazed at the lack of civility at
times in society. But I don't want to
whine here, because I do think that society has learned a lot.
We
have grown a lot over the last 40, 50 years and I think we are much more
accommodating and accepting.
I do think that people with psychiatric
conditions and mental illness and other kinds of disabilities like that, I
think, are still the ones who suffer the most discrimination.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Hold that thought. We will be right back after this break with
John Kemp, a true legend in this country.
This is
>> Welcome back to "Disability
Matters" with
>> JOYCE BENDER: And we're back with our guest John Kemp, who
does 20 million jobs, one of which is President and CEO of HalfthePlanet
Foundation, well-known throughout the world.
But in addition, he is a partner with Powers Pyles
Sutter and Verville in D.C.
But I know that you're a cofounder of the
American Association of People with Disabilities, which is a phenomenally great
organization. Could you tell our
listeners about your role and tell them why you think AAPD is so important to
our listeners.
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, I'm proud to. Paul Hearn, who was a legend in the
disability world and passed away about six years ago, we were best of friends
for a number of years. I moved to DC in
1990 and we would fill in a little evening time with a couple of cold adult
beverages. And over those adult
beverages, we would dream up like what does the disability movement really
need? And we talked a lot about the need
for an individual membership organization, where anybody across the
And we created the American Association of
People with Disabilities. It was born on
the 5th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on
>> It's all about advocacy. It's about empowering people with
disabilities in the political and economic times of our lives. And it's really making a difference. So I'm very proud of what we started. And can't wait to see where we go with
it.
>> JOYCE BENDER: It is a great organization. And by the way, for any listeners, if you
want to also hear Andy talk about AAPD, about -- I'd say four or five weeks ago
he was a guest on our show. As you know,
when you go to www.benderconsult.com, you can listen to all the other shows and
other guests. And I agree with you,
John, that he is such a dynamic, passionate leader for people with
disabilities.
Also, AAPD is involved with disability
mentoring day.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's a great program that is
worldwide. We have participation each
October from every part of the world.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Isn't it great how that has grown, the
disability mentoring day?
>> JOHN KEMP: I'll tell you one other thing that AAPD
does. We should be proud of it. Jim Dixon, who is on the staff of AAPD, has
been a real leader in accessibility of voting, voting machines and the whole
civic participation of People with Disabilities. And AAPD has filed lawsuits against
jurisdictions that have been continuing to buy inaccessible voting
machines. It's just forcing government to
comply with a civil right that is so fundamental to the
So thank you for letting me speak about
it.
>> JOYCE BENDER: I'm so proud of it, too. And I just wanted to tell you that I said
this on other shows and I know John will concur with this: If you are listening to this show, you must
register to vote. Everyone must register
to vote. That's why I'm proud that AAPD
joined.
You know, John, just a few weeks ago, a woman
in our organization is a person who is deaf had never voted, and so we went to
our website, because we have “Rock the Vote” on our website. You have the ability now to register to vote. Now she is registered to vote. I can't tell you that one thing, how proud
that made me. And I always tell people
with disabilities, they are the sleeping giant.
Imagine if you could just get a percentage of this population to vote.
>> JOHN KEMP: You bet.
You know, we don't -- at AAPD we don't suggest that you need to be a
democrat or Republican. It's up to you
to live your own values. But you need to
participate and you can't really complain if you don't participate.
>> JOYCE BENDER: That's right.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's my fundamental feeling. You can whine and you can complain and you
can brag if you participated in the process that got us where we are
today. And if you want to improve the
life of people with disabilities and society as a whole, you need to vote, like
you're saying.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Yes. The power of the vote.
Just as you said, I agree. I told
someone the other day, it's not who you vote for, it's that you vote. That's just part of our history, part of the
American way of life.
Before we move on from our conversation about
AAPD John, do you want to tell them about the Gala coming up?
>> JOHN KEMP: I sure do.
I want to find out when
So AAPD is going to have a big Gala
celebration that we do once a year, March 16, here in DC. Tickets are $85. You can find out more information by going to
the AAPD website. And we are going to
have Tony Coelho as the Master of Ceremonies.
We are going to have SAP as one of the lead corporate sponsors, along
with Independence Technologies of Johnson and Johnson. And we recognize the Betz Award winner, Dr.
Susan Daniels. And we recognize three
Paul Hearn leadership awardees. Among
other things, other people, we have Congressmen and women coming, Senators,
high ranking dignitaries, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Transportation, Mineta, just a bunch of wonderful dignitaries and people
committed to the disability rights movement here in DC.
Joyce, you'll be here?
>> JOYCE BENDER: I will.
I won't miss it. I must say it's
a really great event. And I'm very
excited to see Dr. Susan Daniels receive that award. So that's very nice. That's a wonderful thing.
>> JOHN KEMP: You have to come and party with her.
>> JOYCE BENDER: That's right.
That's right. Come and party with
her is right.
John, how about telling our
listeners about HalfthePlanet. First, why the name? You know, how did this all come to be? What is your role there?
>> JOHN KEMP: HalfthePlanet grew
out of a dot com based in
(Lost audio)
Now back to "Disability Matters,"
here's
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, John, we know you have a lot of fire
power, but I've never had a guest on my show ever be able to blow out a
satellite that goes around the world.
You're the first. And, you know, only I have fire power, since I have epilepsy. This is what I always tell Tony Coelho. See, as you know, for my listeners, when you
have a seizure, too many neurons are going off.
So I tell people that fits my personality,
because I have too much fire power. So
John Kemp and
>> JOHN KEMP: I think it was you and your explosive,
wonderful personality.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Either that, or boy, we have really offended
someone. We have offended someone
worldwide, John. We have offended
someone throughout the world. For you listeners throughout the world, sorry about that. But we're back. We just had a momentary explosion here on the
satellite system.
Anyway, John, back to HalfthePlanet,
you were starting to tell us about HalfthePlanet. Go ahead.
>> JOHN KEMP: HalfthePlanet got
its name because 20 percent of our population is people with disabilities. And at least another 30 percent are friends
and family members of People with Disabilities, thus HalfthePlanet. It's run together and it's HalfthePlanet Foundation.
And what an exciting name and we get so many compliments on the name and
it really says, in one breath, or one phrase, the power of our market for
people with disabilities. That's how big
the disability market really is.
>> JOYCE BENDER: That's right.
Well, if there's 54 million Americans with
disabilities, and then if you add husbands, wives, grandparents, sons,
daughters, think of the group you're hitting.
>> JOHN KEMP: And everybody in your family cares about what
happens to you as a person with a disability and everybody in mine. So it could be more than HalfthePlanet. We wanted to say the whole darn planet, but
that would have been too much. That
would have been a little too much braggadocio.
>> JOYCE BENDER: It may have been almost the whole darn
planet.
What does HalfthePlanet
do?
>> JOHN KEMP: HalfthePlanet is
focused today on youth, leadership and development for people with
disabilities. We focus in on young
people. And we are working with
organizations, such as Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, which is our
partner in working with Boys and Girls Clubs, the National 4-H Council and the
National Wildlife Federation, to make sure that those organizations include
young people with disabilities on the board, as staff and as program
participants. We do a youth leadership
employment program in
>> JOYCE BENDER: That is wonderful.
>> JOHN KEMP: Very exciting.
>> JOYCE BENDER: And you're the President and CEO.
>> JOHN KEMP: I'm the President, CEO,
we have a six person board of directors.
We have a Vice President of Youth Programs, named Stephanie Stroup. And she comes from the World Institute on
Disability, is a person with a disability, and we have a network of folks that
we work with around the
>> JOYCE BENDER: That's wonderful. What is the website?
>> JOHN KEMP: HalfthePlanet.org. HalfthePlanet.com will get you there.
>> JOYCE BENDER: And if a company or corporation would want to
contribute funds or sponsorship to this organization, who should they
contact?
>> JOHN KEMP: They could contact me at
Jkemp@HalfthePlanet.org. Thank you for
that.
>> JOYCE BENDER: A lot of times corporations, people tell me
they want to get involved with youth leadership or doing something to help
young people with disabilities. Here is
a great way right here.
>> JOHN KEMP: You bet.
And we have got some curriculum that will -- I think could be helpful to
organizations and corporations. And if
they wanted us to assist them in the training, we could certainly do that as
well. But we really think that young
people with disabilities who want to transition from high school to either
college or the world of work, especially the world of work, at some point
really need to -- we need to focus on how they go about that transition,
feeling good about themselves, but also creating a receiving and wonderful
environment in which to go, the employer community.
>> JOYCE BENDER: So is the main focus working with high schools
and universities to find these students; how do you get them referred?
>> JOHN KEMP: We primarily work through the workforce
investment boards and their youth committees.
And we find a very wonderful network already existing throughout the
country, workforce investment boards.
They all have youth committees, and we are about educating them to
include young people with disabilities and the youth committees and on the
board of directors, and then we work with companies as well.
>> JOYCE BENDER: And when you say "getting young people
on boards," of what? What type of
organizations?
>> JOHN KEMP: Board of directors of mainstream nonprofits,
getting them into hopefully leadership positions, getting them past the entry
level positions in companies, having companies think about hiring people with
disabilities in professional and management positions. Not everybody is, you know, has to go through
the very first Rung of the ladder. There
are many qualified individuals with disabilities at various levels. But we are all about creating opportunities
at all levels, especially for young people with disabilities.
>> JOYCE BENDER: And have you been successful in getting young
people with disabilities on major boards?
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, I would say yes, without a doubt. We have been working now with the National
4-H council. They have now included
young people with disabilities on their National Board of directors. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, I must
say, is really committed. There are 3600 Boys and Girls Clubs across
the
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, that is phenomenal. This is a huge impact.
>> JOHN KEMP: And this is really guided by the leadership of Rana Alward who said: The nonprofit sector as a whole just isn't
doing enough to include people with disabilities on boards of directors and in
staff positions and in programs. And she
set about to drive this. And we are her
partner. We are the partner in this
project.
>> JOYCE BENDER: She is another phenomenal person.
>> JOHN KEMP: She is, like you, a dynamo.
>> JOYCE BENDER: She is a dynamo. Her organization was behind the high school
high tech program in
>> JOHN KEMP: Thank you.
Thank you.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Now, a question that we have here from a
listener that e-mailed us prior to this show is: John, I've read about you. I know a lot about you, and it's all
good. Congratulations on the work you've
done helping people with disabilities.
My question to you is: What do we
need to do to get people with disabilities united that work at various
organizations?
Boy, is that a big question?
>> JOHN KEMP: That's a huge question.
>> JOYCE BENDER: That's a really big question.
>> JOHN KEMP: You know I'm going to approach this from a
slightly different angle here, and Joyce I think, please help me here on this
because I don't think enough people with disabilities acknowledge that they
have disabilities and are out about who they are. I would think that the number, this is scary,
but I think that the number of people who have disabilities but don't acknowledge
it at all might be 60 percent, 70 percent of the entire disability
population. There are a lot of people
who have health conditions that would -- that would put them in a position of
being under the definition of
My dad is 85 and has Parkinson's and lives in
the
Part starts with the acknowledgement of us
taking pride of who we are, and that's where AAPD and all the training you do
and the speaking that I do, this is about empowering people with disabilities
to acknowledge who they are and to take our rightful place. Once we do that, we will have a huge
population of voting, a voting block, economic power, so that if we said, you
know, some company isn't doing us right and they are openly discriminating
against people with disabilities, let's stop buying their products, let's stop watching
the TV shows that they advertise on, we could make a difference. Right now we are not strong enough yet. And I think we are all about building this
muscle that we need, economic and political muscle that we need in this
country.
AAPD and other groups like that are very
important to this development. So that's
the way I'd approach it. Let's start
with ourselves and build our own strength up.
But we have a lot of power in where we are today. We can only get stronger for the future.
>> JOYCE BENDER: I agree.
Well, first of all, there are people with epilepsy that won't disclose
that they have epilepsy. I know, I'll be at a meeting and halfway through my discussion
people will say: You know what? I have epilepsy, and everyone else falls off
their chair because they had no idea.
And the person says: I never
disclosed this. I never wanted to talk
about it because of the stigma attached.
So there are a lot of people with epilepsy who don't disclose.
So in addition to people with mental
disabilities, there are people with cancer who would not disclose and a lot of
other people with disabilities who don't disclose. Of course, it's fear. Fear if they are employed,
fear of what would happen because of the discrimination that exists today.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's right.
>> JOYCE BENDER: But until we get to the place where we can
acknowledge this, we can't deal effectively to fight the discrimination.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's right.
It's a multi-pronged approach.
But one of the prongs is let's acknowledge who we are and be proud of it
and get over this like hiding it and fearing it. We can't move as a movement, we can't get
organized as a movement unless we have everyone out about it. And so that is one starting point.
And the other is what -- what part of our
life is perfect? You know, what -- we
have -- do we have a seamless integration of services across the spectrum of
our lives? No. Is it a patchwork of services that get people
with disabilities to a minimum level of quality of life? That's really what we have today. And we have a hard road to hoe here, and I
really think we need the political power and the political strength and the
political will to stand up to some of the cuts that are being made and the
devastation that is happening in many people's lives.
And we really need to be more expressive and
to then back it up with big numbers of votes in our community.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Yes. Absolutely. Think
what power we would have if we had, as Andy said, there are 32 million who can
vote, registered to vote, how much power we would have.
>> JOHN KEMP: My goodness.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Here is what I think we need to do. I think all the organizations, we all need to
get together, put you on a retainer and have you go across the United States to
all the different disability groups. Because you are a very good ambassador. And you would be able to work on getting everyone
united to work together.
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, I will accept that challenge in a heart
beat.
>> JOYCE BENDER: You're nicer than I am here. When we are talking here, I'm thinking what
could we do? I was thinking wouldn't it
be great if we had someone like you on retainer to go to the head of every
group, from UCP, the Epilepsy Foundation, every group, and start the how we
need to work together, not be fragmented, work together with one mission. And then go to the, as you said, the
workforce investment boards. And then
just go to -- just keep going to all the different groups until we get that
message out. Because we do have so much
power, it's just we don't know we have that power.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's right.
We don't even know how strong we are.
We are like bam-bam. We don't
know how strong we are.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Anyone listening out there. I'm telling you, I say we nominate John Kemp
to do it. You're nicer. You won't get mad at any one.
I wanted to ask you to move ahead and ask you
a question about someone that we know. And if we have to go to break, we
will. But Tony Coelho. You know Tony very well?
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, I'm probably one of about 10 million
people who are in his fan club, and maybe 100 million. This is a leader of leaders. One of the most outstanding
human beings that ever walked the face of this earth. And one of the most magnanimous and
intelligent and caring people in this world.
And I know, Joyce, how much he means to you. And he means that to me and to millions of
People with Disabilities.
>> JOYCE BENDER: We are first in line for his fan club, the
two of us.
>> JOHN KEMP: You bet.
And he --
>> JOYCE BENDER: As you said, of the 100 million!
>> JOHN KEMP: That's right.
He is an astounding power and force in this country. And he continues to demonstrate his
commitment to the disability movement by challenging presidential
candidates. Who among us can really
communicate on a peer to peer level with members of Congress and political
candidates? Presidential
candidates? Tony Coelho is the
only one I know.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Me, too.
>> JOHN KEMP: And he takes that responsibility. He doesn't let it go by. He takes that responsibility and sends out
this challenge, where he asks them to declare, you know, will you do certain
things if you became President? Will you
commit to strengthening the
>> JOYCE BENDER: He did.
Listen, we will go to break and we really are going to come back with
John Kemp, champion, champion for people with disabilities. This is
>> You're listening to
VoiceAmerica.Com, the world's leader in Internet talk radio.
>> Welcome back to "Disability
Matters" with
>> JOYCE BENDER: And we're back with John Kemp, President and
CEO of HalfthePlanet Foundation and Partner with
Powers Pyles Sutter and Verville. And most importantly,
international disability leader who has been recognized for all of his great
work. I'll tell you something,
John, I can tell you, you are someone that has had an impact on me that I very
much look up to you and I am very, very blessed to have met you in my
life.
>> JOHN KEMP: Thank you very much, Joyce. And you and I will be friends for the rest of
our lives. I admire you so much.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, we were talking about our other big
friend, and why I brought Tony Coelho up is because I knew you were familiar
with this Coelho Challenge. Isn't that a
great thing he did?
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, it's phenomenal, and each of the
candidates needs to be responsive to the disability community. I mean, if we really are representing 20
percent of the population and have 20 percent of the vote, they need to be
talking to us about our lives and how government can play a role in helping us
accomplish what we want to accomplish.
So, Tony puts the mark right on the spot. I love it.
>> JOYCE BENDER: I do, too.
And I just want to tell our listeners if you go to benderconsult.com,
you'll go into the front page and you'll see a photograph of Tony. And you will be able to read the Coelho
Challenge, which he challenged the Presidential candidates and the President in
October. And really was saying, in so
many words, we are a powerful group. You
need to care about us. You need to care
about our quality of life and employment.
Here are the challenges I want.
And, you know, if you want us to vote for you, here is what we want you
to do, which I think is so great.
And I tell everyone about the Coelho
Challenge and I hope more and more people will get it out. I know that AAPD, you talked about before,
did a nice story in their newsletter about that. But we do need to keep that story out there.
But
you know, John, you know my big thing is employment.
>> JOHN KEMP: Yes.
>> JOYCE BENDER: So I have to ask you. You know, here we are, we
still have an unemployment rate of over 70 percent. Sometimes it's so disheartening when
companies talk about it but don't do anything about it. I often say I'll go to a corporation. They will take me in and they will say we
really get it, look what we have done.
We have a ramp. We have spent so
much money to be, you know, accessible.
We have TTY’s. We have Braille on
all the elevators. And they have
everything except one thing: Employees
with disabilities. I don't know why they
spent this money when they don't have people working there.
But, you know, in your opinion, why do you
think we still have such a problem getting people with disabilities
competitively employed?
>> JOHN KEMP: I think it's the attitudes. I still think it's the attitudes of those who
are in hiring positions. I think we have
created a perception, possibly, that everybody needs accommodations. And, you know, while everybody has a right to
an accommodation, not that many people with disabilities really need
accommodations, reasonable accommodations.
But if they did, it should be taken in the same vein as any good human
resource manager would be doing for any employee. Can I get you a different chair? Can I give you a different light? Can I, you know, get a desk that fits your
body better? You know, whatever it
is. This is what companies do
today.
And yet when we think about disability, we
tend to think about it as a special program, and a -- it's such a challenge,
and it's so difficult.
And
you know then we have got small business out there that really wants the cream of
the crop and at the same time they think hiring a person with a disability is
going to be putting too much of a burden on them. And they want a jack of all trades and a
person with a disability doesn't allow them to hire a jack of all trades.
Well, I've got news for them. There are a lot of Jack
of all trades in the disability community and a disability doesn't necessarily
interfere with accomplishing everything that a small business might want. So I think we have got to change the
perception of this a bit and really invite employers again to consider hiring a
tremendously underutilized resource, and that is people with disabilities.
>> JOYCE BENDER: What do you think, in the disability
community with our leadership and all the groups that you're involved with and
I'm involved with, what do you think we can do?
What can we do more to try to break down those attitudinal
barriers?
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, one is honor champions who are doing
it. Honor companies that really do hire
people with disabilities. And not in a -- not those that hire in a paternalistic way, but
those who hire because it's good business. And I would celebrate those successes. And I think you have probably done as much as
any human being in this country to set the right workforce and to actually
supply qualified individuals with disabilities.
I think you do that in
I hasten not to pursue the tax code
incentives and other kinds of incentives, because I tend to think it's somewhat
false. You know, it makes us different
and separate and, you know, I just have a little trouble with trying to give
money to corporations just because they do the right thing. We need to let them know that we are a ready,
capable workforce available to assist them.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Yes. I
know exactly what you mean there, John.
>> JOHN KEMP: I'm really reluctant to pursue this tax idea
that everybody gets a tax break just for hiring folks with disabilities. I don't like it.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Versus hiring this person because they have
tremendous ability and they are going to be a good investment for your
company.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's right.
I think we have just as many super stars with disabilities as there are nondisabled super stars that are waiting to be found. And the disability is really the only factor
that is making that difference.
I want to suggest that there are as many
goof-offs with disabilities as well. And
not everybody with a disability is a star.
And you need to be firm and fair and disciplined in the way you go about
your hiring as well as your firing of people.
But for the most part, there are a lot of folks out there with
disabilities who really can contribute to a company's bottom line and they are
not being included in the hiring decision.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Yes.
Because the difference is, there is such a large amount unemployed that
of course you're able to select from a much, much larger population. And just as you said, I agree with you, what
Tony Coelho always says: “Right to be
hired, right to be fired”. No pity. That is the worst thing that can happen. You just bring aboard a great person for
their abilities.
>> JOHN KEMP: That's right.
And if they need some type of change in their work environment to make
that an opportunity, an equal opportunity, then you
make that. You do that for any employee,
to enhance their productivity and their ability to contribute to the bottom
line. I want the HR managers to really
start thinking about this, the SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management,
now led by Sue Meissinger, who was involved in
disability issues for 20 years and is the new CEO there. She would contribute greatly to the knowledge
base of companies around the country.
And I think SHRM is another resource for those folks.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, that's good. That's wonderful. I'm happy to hear that, because we need more
people in human resources to open the door.
>> JOHN KEMP: You bet.
>> JOYCE BENDER: That's good.
Well, John you obviously are an example of what you were talking
about. You know, when you were talking
about people who are a jack of all trades.
Very successful, able to do and contribute so much. You surely are that star example.
So tell me, what do you attribute to this
tremendous success you had in your life?
>> JOHN KEMP: Goodness sakes. Well, I think it's because I was taught at an
early age that I have to contribute to the well-being of my community. I'm really responsible for myself. And I also have a wonderful wife, named
Sam.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Let me tell you, Sam is another tremendous
person who also gives back to -- helps the disability community. Tell them what she does.
>> JOHN KEMP: The Senior Vice President for Marketing and Events
for the Lupus Foundation of
>> JOYCE BENDER: She is a terrific individual.
>> JOHN KEMP: She is the love of my life, my best friend,
and thank you for asking about her.
>> JOYCE BENDER: So I guess that she is one of the reasons
that you feel you've been successful?
>> JOHN KEMP: I absolutely put it at her doorstep. She has given me all the love and support and
respect that I possibly can ever imagine.
She is a great partner.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Tremendous.
Well, what do you, through your life, when you look back, what would you
say is your -- in your opinion, what are you the proudest of?
>> JOHN KEMP: Well, oh, my goodness sakes. I'm proudest of being a good friend. I'm proudest of my family. I'm proudest of AAPD. I'm proud of the organizations and the
volunteers that I worked with over the years.
I'm proudest of People with Disabilities who, facing horrific challenges
in their lives, pull themselves up every day and go out there and do something
about it. And I think that's what gives
me a lot of pride in being a person with a disability. That I'm joined, I'm joined worldwide by
people with disabilities who care and that want to do something about it.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Yes, I agree with you 100 percent. And that surely is a tremendous and wonderful
group of people. Isn't it?
>> JOHN KEMP: I couldn't be prouder of being with any other
group. This is my family. And this is -- our family, Joyce. We're brother and sister in this.
>> JOYCE BENDER: Well, I'll tell you, John, it has been truly
an honor to have you on this show. I
just want to remind everyone, they can reach John Kemp through either
HalfthePlanet.com, or through Powers Pyles Sutter and
Verville. He
is a champion. He is someone you will be
honored that you met.
And with that, every show we end with a
quote. Our quote today is a quote from
Tony Coelho: "This election has to
be about our right to succeed, our right to prosper and pay taxes, our right to
lead independent lives, our right to provide for our families. These are our goals. And we must make ourselves heard."
This is
>> VoiceAmerica
would like to thank you for tuning in. Please
join us next Tuesday at
********
Communication
Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in
order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally
verbatim record of the proceedings.
********