For more information on any of these articles, go to www.dol.gov/odep.
Planning for a Year of Disability Employment Action – Assistant Secretary Martinez’s Blog
In a blog that looks ahead to the FY 2015 budget year, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathy Martinez outlines some of the priorities for the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Among them are a focus on community colleges in the transition of youth with disabilities to the workplace, a commitment to providing technical assistance to employers regarding the new Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act regulations, and a continued collaboration with the Employment and Training Administration on the Disability Employment Initiative.
Join the National Online Conversation for Change on Social Media Accessibility – March 17 – April 4
Members of the public are invited to participate in a national online dialogue, “Advancing Accessibility and Inclusion in Social Media – The User Experience,” to examine the accessibility barriers of social media tools faced by individuals with disabilities, including job seekers and workers. Co-hosted by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the National Council on Disability (NCD), this event aims to explore the value of social media in the lives of people with disabilities, particularly around work, and to identify accessibility issues and creative approaches to making social media tools more accessible and usable for everyone. The information gathered from this dialogue will then help NCD and ODEP further collaborate with the social media industry to implement solutions and improve the accessibility of these online tools. The dialogue, to be held March 17 to April 4, 2014, will be the first in a series of three social media accessibility online events to take place over the next three months.
ODEP Info-Comic Illustrates the Benefits of Individualized Learning Plans for Youth
An Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) is a set of activities that helps youth take charge of their future. It does this by connecting what youth do in high school with college, job and career goals. ODEP and its research partners have found that ILPs positively impact all youth’s self-determination, leadership abilities, and awareness of career opportunities. As an example of the process, ODEP created an info-comic in which high school senior Shelly learns how to take charge of her future by using an ILP. ODEP also has a “Kickstart Your ILP” toolkit available on its website.
HUD Announces $120 Million for Housing for People with Disabilities
To help prevent thousands of people with disabilities from experiencing homelessness or unnecessary institutionalization, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced about $120 million in funding for state housing agencies to provide long-term rental assistance. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA) enables persons with disabilities who earn less than 30 percent of their area’s median income to live in integrated mainstream settings. The program reinforces the guiding principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the landmark 1999 Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., which require state and local governments to provide services in the most integrated settings appropriate to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. Application deadline is May 5, 2014.
Maintaining Employment through Economic Advancement Strategies – LEAD Center Webinar – March 26, 3:00-4:30 PM EDT
This webinar, as part of LEAD Center’s Employment mini-series, will provide information on strategies for enhancing employment stability and improving time on the job through the use of economic advancement strategies. Participants will learn how to integrate these strategies into their return to work services and hear stories about on the ground implementation. The webinar will be held March 26, 3:00-4:30 PM EDT. All LEAD Center webinars are captioned and presentation materials are sent to participants in advance of the webinar. For any other reasonable accommodation requests, please contact Brittany Taylor at btaylor@ndi-inc.org.
Disability Status Report Webinar – April 1, 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) will host a free online webinar on April 1 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT to present the findings of the 2012 Disability Status Report. This presentation will explore the Census Bureau’s December 2013 release of data from the 2012 American Community Survey (ACS) related to disability and employment, education, poverty, household income and labor earnings.
Cornell University researchers will present the latest information and issues associated with disability statistics and the circumstances that people with disabilities face. The webinar will be captioned.