What is the "Windmills" Training Program?
Revised in 1993, "Windmills" is a high-impact, attitudinal training program developed by the California Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. The curriculum consists of 11 sections (modules) that use participation and discovery as learning vehicles.
How can the "Windmills" Program Help my Organization?
Many organizations would like to employ persons with disabilities but find that fears, biases and myths create barriers in the hiring process. The training focuses on attitudes and human factors, but it also concerns issues including legal requirements and accommodation. The modules primarily consist of exercises relevant to the everyday world of work to which participants can relate and then remember on the job. The new "Windmills" program also incorporates language and requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
How is the Program Designed?
This curriculum was designed to be easily portable, and it is comprised of 11 training modules that take about one hour each to complete. The modules may stand alone, or a number of modules can be incorporated into a longer presentation. The program features six audio cassette tapes that explain how to use the curriculum. It is designed so that the modules can be used to supplement and enhance ongoing training programs within the organization. The program targets mid-level managers, human resources professionals and first-line supervisors; however, it can be an effective tool for any employee. Users of the complete training program will find increased communications among organizational departments.
Although recent federal and some state laws prohibit employment discrimination against persons with disabilities, attitude often remains as the most significant barrier to employment. The new "Windmills" curriculum seeks to remedy attitudinal barriers.
"Windmills" Training Modules
"Windmills" works! Employers who use the program report a significant increase in the hiring of people with disabilities. Supervisors feel more confident in working with disabled persons after the training. Managers feel more confident about supervising people with disabilities. "Windmills" helps employers successfully include persons with disabilities as an excellent labor resource.
MODULE 1 - Establishes group and individual identity. Provides opportunity for participants to better understand their own feelings and the feelings that an employee with a disability may experience in a first-encounter situation.
MODULE 2 THE STORY - A warm-up exercise that allows participants to share personal experiences they've had with disabilities or with persons who have disabilities.
MODULE 3 THE CALENDAR GAME - Shows the intensity of competition among people and manifests the dynamics of group interaction. Illustrates how a disabled employee can be excluded from contributing to a company.
MODULE 4 RUMOR GAME - Shows that rumors can be frequent fixtures in the work place. Shows how and why rumors quickly become distorted as they spread and how they can have a negative impact on the job environment for a person with a disability.
MODULE 5 PROFILE - Points out how employers have a tendency to predetermine where a person with a disability can work. This may be attributed to an employer's lack of experience or limited exposure to the wide range of disability. Job matches on a case-by-case basis are explored.
MODULE 6 INTERVIEW - Demonstrates the critical importance of asking questions in the interview to resolve concerns about hiring. Participants receive helpful hints on what to say and how to say it.
MODULE 7 PICK A DISABILITY - Allows individual fears and stereotypes about disabilities to surface. Such attitudes that are based on experience (or a lack of experience) of a disability affect a person's willingness to hire a disabled individual. It brings out participants' fears about disability and demonstrates how easily emotional reactions to disabilities can be transferred.
MODULE 8 ASK IT BASKET - Provides a safe environment for participants to ask questions about disabilities by giving them the opportunity to question anonymously. Embarrassment is avoided, and the answers come from the group.
MODULE 9 ENCOUNTER - Includes discussion with a panel of individuals with disabilities in a non-competitive, relaxed and information-sharing atmosphere.
MODULE 10 WHOSE FAULT - Demonstrates how prejudices cause us to personally limit the employment of persons with disabilities because of our limited exposure to the variety of disabilities.
MODULE 11 REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION - Looks at potential needs of workers with disabilities and possible solutions. Includes a review of the enclosed ADA question/answer sheet on the more frequently asked questions about ADA requirements.
APPENDIX Includes a "Windmills" program planning guide and checklist, examples of job accommodations, a list of recommended, related films/videos, a disability etiquette guide, an overview of disabilitylegislation, and general resource information.
For additional information, download the Windmills Fact Sheet and Order Form (PDF, free Adobe Acrobat Reader required), or contact:
Governor’s Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities
Voice: (916) 654-8055
TTY: (916) 654-9820 (TTY)
Fax: (916) 654-9821 (FAX)
