Disability Inclusion In The Workplace: Nicole Suydam Of Goodwill of Orange County On How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Have a Disability
An Interview With Eric Pines
Change is good. Embrace it. I’m proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone. I’ve grown substantially by taking roles that stretched and challenged me beyond anything I thought was possible.
As we all know, over the past several years there has been a great deal of discussion about inclusion and diversity in the workplace. One aspect of inclusion that is not discussed enough, is how businesses can be inclusive of people with disabilities. We know that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. What exactly does this look like in practice? What exactly are reasonable accommodations? Aside from what is legally required, what are some best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities? To address these questions, we are talking to successful business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about the “How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Are Disabled “.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Suydam.
Nicole Suydam has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience working with local and national nonprofits dedicated to meeting human service needs. She currently serves as president and CEO of Goodwill of Orange County (Goodwill OC).
In 2024, Goodwill OC celebrates its 100th year serving the Orange County community, including individuals with disabilities, and providing meaningful career opportunities. Goodwill OC currently employs nearly 1,800 team members, manages 23 local thrift stores and ShopGoodwill.com (the online e-commerce marketplace for Goodwills across the country), and serves more than 18,000 individuals annually through its innovative programs and services aimed at providing pathways to opportunity and sustainable jobs. Goodwill OC envisions a caring and connected community where everyone has access to meaningful career opportunities.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you ended up where you are?
Growing up in a low-income, single-parent household gave me a unique perspective and calling to serve others. My mother showed me from a very early age that we all have the ability and the opportunity to positively impact the community around us. She showed me that helping others, sharing what you have and giving your time and your compassion was the most rewarding way to live. It was her selfless way of living that really propelled me into working for nonprofits. I’ve now been serving as a leader in the nonprofit industry for more than two decades and have no desire to stop anytime soon!
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Faith. My faith as a Christian keeps me centered in my everyday life and helps me overcome personal and professional challenges. Both my mom and grandmother have served as role models for me in living a life with a strong faith foundation.
- Integrity. My career and responsibilities grew quickly at a young age because colleagues and bosses knew that I was someone they could trust to follow through on commitments and go above and beyond what was expected.
- Collaboration. It’s critical that everything I do be in harmony and collaboration with my team, board, and community partners. I love forming and working with teams to accomplish big goals.
Can you share a story about one of your greatest work related struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?
While the COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis for our organization, it also created a unique opportunity for us to dig-in to our e-commerce operation. When all our stores, both here in Orange County, Calif. and nationwide, were forced to close for the first time in history, the only thing left open was our online business, ShopGoodwill.com. ShopGoodwill.com was created in Orange County in 1999 and currently lists unique donated items from more than 100 Goodwills across the country.
With the temporary closure of our retail locations, the pandemic necessitated investment in the and significant acceleration significantly acceleration of the platform. Our team led a full platform transformation and branding refresh for the site as well as the launch of the ShopGoodwill mobile app. The site has generated more than $2 billion since its inception, with more than half of that revenue coming in the last four years.
By harnessing the power of thrifting online, we’ve cemented ShopGoodwill.com as a significant and critical revenue and mission services driver for the Goodwill network. ShopGoodwill sales equate to more mission services delivered and more lives changed through employment opportunities around the country. And that’s why we do this work!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
It is a very exciting time for Goodwill OCOC! 2024 marks our centennial year — 100 years of making an impact in our beautiful community. As we celebrate all that we’ve accomplished, we are also looking boldly to the future of connecting even more people in Orange County with life-transforming opportunities. We are one year into our new Strategic Plan that outlines major expansion goals. We aim to Double Our Impact & Footprint over the next ten years. We are doubling down on our work to build career pathways and 21st century skills for every individual who wants to work — and our thrift stores make this mission work possible. Every new store equals more jobs, more career training and more opportunity.
Fantastic. Let’s now shift to our discussion about inclusion. Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to promote Diversity and Inclusion? Can you share a story with us?
When we think about serving the Orange County community, that means supporting everyone — every individual that makes our community diverse and beautiful. As an organization, we envision a caring and connected community where everyone has access to meaningful career opportunities.
When looking specifically at the disability community, we recognize that some people may have a built-in system that supports them on their journey, while others may need more support to find their pathway. There are many people who have obvious challenges, such as a specific or visible disability. Others may have less obvious barriers, such as mental illness or lack of English proficiency, that make finding and keeping a job difficult. At Goodwill OC, we believe that everyone is capable of being productive and finding a sustainable career pathway. It’s the journey to get there that may look different for individuals with varying abilities and backgrounds.
For several years, we have also committed program resources to helping individuals with a history of justice system involvement. Many individuals who are justice-involved find it a tremendously challenginge to find their pathway to success due to their history. However, we believe that every person deserves a second chance. In partnership with Goodwill Industries International, we have launched an innovative initiative called Young Adult Lifelaunch which helps justice-impacted youth start fresh with the building blocks to create a career. We start by developing the many foundational skills, often called soft skills, that are needed in the employment landscape. These skills can be as simple as being on-time or as complicated and nuanced as building emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. We’ve found that when individuals come to a job setting with these skills in-hand, it can have a profound impact on their success and overarching career journey.
Since its launch, this program has been extremely successful. One specific success story that comes to mind is of a young person who came to us having never been employed before. At only 17, she was on her own in life, and by 18, she had made a regrettable decision which led to time spent in the justice system. After leaving the justice system, there were not a lot of career opportunities for her. She enrolled in Young Adult Lifelaunch to start a new chapter. She completed soft skills training as well as practice interviews and on-the-job problem-solving exercises. Ultimately, she was able to build a foundation of skills that created opportunities for her future. Today, she is employed at one of our retail locations and continues to grow in her career development journey.
This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have an inclusive work culture?
It is critical for businesses and organizations across every industry to have an inclusive work culture for many reasons. Here are three reasons that rise to the top of my list:
- Diversity of background and experience makes teams stronger and more resilient. Studies from McKinsey and Company, Deloitte and others confirm diversity and inclusion in the workplace correlates with greater productivity, collaboration, employee engagement, employee retention, profitability and business growth.
- Providing opportunities to all people is the right thing to do. Without a doubt, the entire country benefits when everyone who wants to work is given the opportunity to do so. Neglecting job applicants with disabilities is not only a disservice to them, but also to the American economy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics, only about 22.5% of Americans with disabilities participate in the labor force. That is a stark contrast to the more than 67% of people in the general population who are working.
- The workforce of today and tomorrow does not want, and will not accept, a monolithic environment. Talent expectations are changing. The upcoming workforce wants more than competitive wages — they want to work for a company whose values align with their personal beliefs; and they seek a diverse, collaborativecollaborative, and inclusive environment to motivate them.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. For the benefit of our readers, can you help explain what this looks like in practice? What exactly are reasonable accommodations? Can you please share a few examples?
Reasonable accommodations are all about employers making small changes that create big, positive differences in a person’s ability to perform their job. For example, a person who uses a wheelchair may be the most qualified candidate for your graphic design position or finance team opening. But, if your business does not offer a workspace that the person can access, then you are preventing them from doing that job and denying your company top-level talent, simply because your office does not accommodate their wheelchair. In this case, a reasonable accommodation would focus on furniture layout, arrangementarrangement, and type to ensure that all people could access your office and do their job effectively.
Other types of reasonable accommodations may include providing assistive technology or communication aids, adjusting work schedulesschedules, or modifying job duties. At Goodwill of OC, we offer several programs that help to address these needs and provide the technologies, servicesservices, and information necessary to empower employers and employees as they look at workplace accommodations.
One program we operate that focuses on accommodations is the Assistive Technology Exchange Center. Assistive technology can give a voice to an individual who cannot speak, or hands to an individual who has lost their ability to write and type. Assistive technology ranges from special devices that can translate text to speech to activating programs that adjust the font size on a computer. Through our Assistive Technology Exchange Center, our team of speech pathologists and rehabilitation engineers evaluate individuals, develop tailored strategiesstrategies, and provide equipment that enables and empowers individuals at home, in school and in the workplace.
For individuals in our community who are Deaf or Hard-of Hearing, we operate a Deaf Resources program. Deaf Resources provides awareness, accessibility and accommodation education for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing individuals, and organizations and businesses in the community. The program connects communication service providers with people who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing and matches them with sign language service providers for a variety of meetings and events, including interviews, orientations and trainings, staff meetings and more. By connecting employers with interpreters, individuals who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing are given the opportunity to thrive in the workplace.
Aside from what is legally required, what are some best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities? If you can, please share a few examples.
I think many organizations consider disability inclusion from the viewpoint of ADA requirements, compliance with the law and meeting bare minimum standards. However, viewing disability and inclusion in this way is a disservice to your organization. Instead, employers should think about inclusion from a people-first standpoint, considering every individual and their unique needs. Focus on their strengths and what they can do instead of focusing on what they cannot do. Shift your focus away from disabilities and start thinking about the abilities and unique skills each individual brings to the table. By having a person-first mindset, you can create a strong sense of belonging and inclusion for every team member within your company.
One area where we have seen a lot of success in building a more connected and inclusive culture is with peer support and mentorship. Through these programs, we create opportunities for team members to interface with someone with a similar background, but with more work experience. This mentorship allows team members to connect with someone who has overcome similar challenges and found a successful pathway and to get one-on-one advice and guidance on their own career journey.
Can you share a few examples of ideas that were implemented at your workplace to help promote disability inclusion? Can you share with us how the work culture was impacted as a result?
One simple idea that we’ve implemented at Goodwill OC id ensuring a sign language interpreter is present at most meetings to support team members who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. After implementing this policy, we’ve seen our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing team members more connected than ever to peers, and our strategic initiatives and growth plans.
Additionally, we recently had a shift in focus in our e-commerce department hiring practices to focus more strategically on how inclusion can benefit the bottom line. Previously, our hiring practices were built on finding individuals that could fulfill very specific and detailed job descriptions. We found it difficult to find individuals that could fulfill all these needs and were often left understaffed and with many open positions. As a team, we decided this model wasn’t serving us and that we needed to shift our hiring practices to instead focus on hiring individuals who could fill existing gaps within the organization –especially opportunities where individuals with disabilities could find success and thrive. Since changing our hiring mindset, we’ve found great success — both as an employer and for our employees. For example, jewelry donated to Goodwill OC often comes tangled and mismatched, which is a huge pain point when getting these items ready for sale. We knew there was a need for employees who could help solve this problem and enjoy the challenge of this daily meticulous task. Our team identified an individual with autism within the Goodwill OC system who was struggling with his customer service job and looking for a position that offered more routine and focus on detail. Matching him with the open position in the jewelry department resulted in a win-win; he is happy working, untangling and sorting all the jewelry pieces that come in, while we’re filling a big need in our operation.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started My Career”?
- Find a mentor right away. I was nervous to ask for help early in my career. It took a few years for me to be vulnerable with a trusted mentor and truly experience the benefits of having someone to lean on with big questions and ideas. Once I was able to take that step, I found that my career benefited greatly.
- You’re going to make mistakes. But don’t be hard on yourself because you will learn from them. Some of my biggest mistakes were moving too quickly on decisions at work before truly understanding how they might impact other team members. I had to learn to give myself grace and embrace those mistakes as a way to learn and grow.
- Make the time to take care of yourself. The work will always be there. It’s taken me several years to have a more balanced approach to work. I now make the time to exercise regularly, take time to enjoy life, and try to avoid working long hours. Work will always be there.
- Don’t be intimidated. Be curious and ask as many questions as possible. It took me some time to feel comfortable expressing my point of view in group settings. Today, I encourage people starting their careers to approach situations from a position of curiosity. This mindset will help you learn more and contribute to projects faster.
- Change is good. Embrace it. I’m proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone. I’ve grown substantially by taking roles that stretched and challenged me beyond anything I thought was possible.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
“What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?” — Unknown. I have always been very inspired by this quote, and it really resonated with me when I decided to take the CEO position at Goodwill OC. I knew this job would be a huge responsibility, and I had to really draw from my inner confidence to be able to take this position on and be successful. I had to overcome doubts and fear, and when I did, I realized that this was more than job, but a life calling.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I’m so glad you asked this question! As we celebrate our 100 year anniversary in 2024, we are challenging people to add more kindness to their communities. 100 Moments 4 Good is a campaign that encourages everyone to pledge to create meaningful acts of kindness and goodness in their own communities. It’s about paying it forward — doing something nice or thoughtful for someone else. It could be as simple as asking someone how they are doing, buying a stranger’s coffee, or giving a monetary gift to a nonprofit making a big impact in your community. Every act contributes to a community and to creating a larger society dedicated to the common good.
As we look back on a century of good moments, we want to create a future of impact and positivity. Will you join us in this kindness pledge? Find out how you can get involved at ocgoodwill.org.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow along with our good work here in Orange County at ocgoodwill.org. You can also shop with us 24/7 at ShopGoodwill.com. To get involved with the Goodwill organization in your local community, visit goodwill.org.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.
While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.
Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.
Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.
Disability Inclusion In The Workplace: Nicole Suydam Of Goodwill of Orange County On How Businesses… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.