Autonomous Vehicles: Driving Employment for People with Disabilities — October 20, 12:00-1:00 PM ET
ePolicyWorks invites you to participate in our Twitter chat, “#EPWChat — Autonomous Vehicles: Driving Employment for People with Disabilities,” on October 20 from 12 to 1 p.m. ET. This interactive conversation, co-hosted with Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), will feature special guests Amitai Bin-Nun, SAFE’s Vice President of Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility Innovation; Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind; and Kent Keyser, Policy Fellow, United Spinal Association. Through this event, ePolicyWorks is seeking to gather insights on transportation technologies such as autonomous vehicles (AV) and how they can best serve to increase workplace participation for the disability community. Participants can join this real-time Twitter conversation by following and tagging their posts with the hashtag #EPWChat. This chat is being held in tandem with the ePolicyWorks online dialogue, “Autonomous Vehicles: Driving Employment for People with Disabilities” that runs from October 10 to October 20.

Advancing Disability Employment in Your State: Resources and Information — October 18, 3:00-4:30 PM ET
Are you interested in national and state-level disability employment statistics, policy and initiatives? Join this LEAD Center webinar to review the valuable comprehensive resources on the newly branded Data and Resources to Inspire a Vision of Employment (DRIVE) web platform. This website houses over 80 disability-employment related statistics, state disability employment policies by various categories, information about WIOA implementation from a disability perspective, capacity-building information and more. Learn how to compare state statistics and policies side by side, and how to find very specific and useful information.

ODEP Releases #ApprenticeshipWorks Guides
Apprenticeship is a growing strategy for connecting more workers with the skills they need to get jobs. ODEP’s efforts in apprenticeship promote inclusive program models that fulfill employer needs by attracting a diverse array of candidates, including people with disabilities. Now ODEP has released its #ApprenticeshipWorks Guides, which introduce youth, educators, service providers, and businesses to the benefits and opportunities of inclusive apprenticeship.

Buy IT! Offers Guidance on Purchasing Accessible Technology for Your Workplace
Implementing accessible technology in your workplace means buying accessible tech in the first place. Just in time for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology has launched “Buy IT!: Your Guide for Purchasing Accessible Technology.” This free online resource helps employers and their resource purchasing staff build accessibility and usability into their information technology (IT) procurement processes. Featuring background and sample language, Buy IT! offers step-by-step guidance on researching IT vendors, specifying accessibility requirements in your RFPs, and validating the accessibility of your product choices. As such, it addresses a crucial step in reducing the technology-related barriers facing many employees, job seekers, and customers with disabilities by helping businesses buy and implement technology that works for everyone.

JAN Announces Its 2017-2018 Monthly Webcast Series
The Job Accommodation Network announced its 2017-2018 Monthly Webcast Series schedule. These hour-long, free webcasts will allow participants to learn from the experts and help refine the way to resolve accommodation situations. The series will provide more information on job accommodations for motor, sensory, psychiatric and cognitive issues. Topics will also address telework, modified schedules, parking and current events, as well as the annual update on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Certificate of participation are provided.

JAN Publishes New Blogs and Consultants’ Corner
With new blogs and a Consultants’ Corner publication, the Job Accommodation Network is keeping up to date with hot topics in the field of accommodations. Blog topics include “All Disabilities Matter in an Inclusive Workplace” and “Workplace Supports for Employees with Breast Cancer.” The Consultants’ Corner takes on the issue of “Getting to Work on Time.”

Technology Changes Everything: Innovating to Include People of All Abilities in a More Diverse Workforce — October 26-27
Jennifer Sheehy, deputy assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy, will be a presenter at the Technology Changes Everything Forum, sponsored by the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. Through several panels and keynote speakers, this event will highlight existing and emerging innovations promoting greater disability inclusion in the workplace. Topics to be addressed include: workforce development initiatives in technology and tech-intensive industries, training initiatives in the tech sector for people on the Autism Spectrum, inclusive design in tech products and services, entrepreneurship training and promotion for individuals with disabilities, and a discussion on how recruitment, screening, career development and job matching online tools can be designed to facilitate greater inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.