In Focus
CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine recognizes the Department of Labor as Public Sector Employer of the Year
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Assistant Secretary Neil Romano accepts award from James Schneider, Editor of CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine |
On April 10, 2008, Assistant Secretary Neil Romano attended the CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine awards ceremony in Boston, MA, to accept its 2008 Public Sector Employer of the Year Award on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor. Mr. Romano also toured a job fair for people with disabilities, sponsored by the magazine, the following day.
A publication of Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc. (EOP, Inc.), a diversity recruitment publishing firm for over 35 years, CAREERS & the disABLED Magazine was established in 1986 as the nation’s first and only career-guidance and recruitment magazine for students and professionals with disabilities.
At the awards ceremony, Mr. Romano talked to the audience about his own experience as a person with a learning disability, and how a job fair like theirs helped open doors for him when he was experiencing difficulties finding a job. He commended them for their work in furthering employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and encouraged the audience to continue their work to develop a vibrant, inclusive workforce.
"Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team" - May 2008
Isaac V: Finding Employment and Housing
Isaac found familiarity with a job in the kitchen of an El Salvadorian restaurant, where he worked for several years and leased an apartment with some friends. Lay-offs at the restaurant affected several employees, including Isaac, causing his mental health problems to resurface into a downward spiral that resulted in his use of alcohol and drugs, and finally homelessness after losing his apartment.
Assistant Secretary Neil Romano speaks about the Workforce Recruitment Program on Federal News Radio and DisabilityNewsRadio.com
On April 9, Federal New Radio’s Daily Debrief host Amy Morris spoke with Mr. Romano about the Workforce Recruitment Program. You have the choice of listening to the interview in either the MP3 or WMA format here.
Also on April 9, DisabilityNewsRadio.com’s Monica Moshenko spoke with Mr. Romano about the WRP and ODEP. You have the choice of listening to the interview in either the MP3 or XML Podcast here.
If you are a private sector employer and wish to participate in the WRP, click here.
ODEP's Universal Design and Universal Strategies explained
Good customer service means providing a welcoming environment, respectful treatment and needed information. Universal Design provides an important toolset for companies seeking to provide these advantages for their customers and for their employees, who also want to feel welcome and respected, and who require adequate and timely information to do their jobs.
Employers May Access more than 1,700 Job Candidates with Disabilities through the Workforce Recruitment Program
Employers nationwide now have access to a free database of 1,769 new job candidates with disabilities seeking work in a wide variety of fields. Federal employers can tap into this ongoing recruitment resource online, and private sector, other government and nonprofit employers can request unlimited searches by calling a toll-free telephone number.
"Finding and retaining qualified workers is vital to all employers," said Karen M. Czarnecki, acting assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "The Workforce Recruitment Program serves as a pipeline for organizations to hire workers in summer jobs, train and evaluate them, and then transition them into permanent positions when they graduate from college."
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Calls for 2008 New Freedom Initiative Award Nominations
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao has called upon nonprofit organizations, small businesses, corporations and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in advancing the employment and workplace environment of people with disabilities to submit entries for the 2008 Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award.
"The New Freedom Initiative Award celebrates innovative efforts to advance accessibility to the workplace for Americans with disabilities," said Secretary Chao. "The New Freedom Initiative Awards ceremony is an opportunity to showcase worthy organizations that are welcoming Americans with disabilities into the workplace."
Criteria for the award and details for the submission of entries are available in the January 29, 2008 issue of the Federal Register.
