In case you missed it, Wednesday’s edition of The Boston Globe contained an op-ed calling for greater collaboration among employers, foundations, and the public sector to bring more employment opportunities and career training for people with disabilities in Massachusetts. “A template for job training programs for people with disabilities” was co-authored by the leaders of two [...]
Massachusetts is one of seven new states joining the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), a program of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) designed to advance education, training, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. On Friday, Shaun Heasley of Disability Scoop reported that ODEP has allocated more than $20 million [...]
Time to take a break from big-picture policy issues facing people with disabilities and look at some of the ways these individuals are making life matter through employment in their communities. Let’s start with a hearty congratulations to Wood County, Ohio, which last month was recognized by the state for having the highest employment rate [...]
Between former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s rundown on education reform in his state, and both Delaware Lieutenant Governor Sher Valenzuela and Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) making heartfelt connections to families of children born with disabilities, it’s likely that the Republican National Convention more directly addressed these individuals that its Democratic party counterparts did a week [...]
To no one’s surprise, monthly unemployment statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor continued to disappoint. People with disabilities could not even share satisfaction in the minuscule reduction of the unemployment rate from 8.3% to 8.1%. That figure is still better than the 0.3% increase in experienced by this demographic. Shaun Heasley of Disability Scoop [...]
As athletes tested themselves against the stopwatches, scorekeepers, and their fellow competitors at the 14th Paralympic games in England, another type of drama was unfolding outside of the event venues. It began bubbling during the Opening Ceremonies, when it was noted that athletes for the host country had tucked their ID lanyards inside their warm-up [...]
The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism website, IowaWatch, published a very thought-provoking article yesterday by staff writer Sujin Kim. Entitled “Adults with autism struggle getting jobs, assistance,” Kim’s article combines text, photography, and video in a multi-dimensional look at the needs of people with disabilities and whether they are being met adequately by employers [...]
A letter to the editor found in the August 13 edition of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reminds us of the importance role service centers can play in making life matter for people with disabilities. Ken, Sue, and Kris Kleinmeyer all signed the letter expressing concern over potential cuts in funding to prevocational programs [...]
Traveling in August typically means getting away for some rest and relaxation; but for Patricia Shiu, a recent 10-day, eight-city trip was anything but a vacation. The Buffalo News reporter Matthew Parrino caught up with the director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) during the last stop of her [...]
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the Department of Defense (DOD) is one of the leading employers of people with disabilities. The military’s culture of taking care of its own and “No Excuses” attitude combined with access to technological advancements give it certain advantages in both the recruitment and retention of these [...]