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Initiatives and Accomplishments

Add Us In (2011-continuing)

ODEP funds four additional consortia under the Add Us Initiative, bringing the total number of grantees to eight. These consortia are charged with identifying and developing local-level strategies for increasing employment of people with disabilities by small businesses, especially those owned and operated by minorities.

Add Us In Expert Strategy Meeting

As part of its Add Us In initiative, ODEP convenes an Expert Strategy Meeting to explore replicable strategies for disability inclusion among small businesses, including those owned by diverse individuals.

Add Us In National Diversity Forum

ODEP convenes Add Us In grantees and national disability and diversity experts for a National Diversity Forum.

Assistive Technology Training and Employment Notice (TEN)

ETA and ODEP jointly distribute a TEN to inform the workforce system about the availability of and funding sources for Assistive Technology (AT) resources for customers with disabilities.

Center of Development Expertise (CODE) for Accessibility Task Force

ODEP engages the Assistive Technology Industry Association's Accessibility Interoperability Alliance (ATIA/AIA) to establish the CODE Task Force. Comprised of executives and developers from leading information technology companies, the group considers ways to promote accessible design in software and hardware development, especially related to workplace information and communications technology.

Customized Employment Videos

ODEP produces a series of videos illustrating customized employment strategies at work.

Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)

ODEP and ETA jointly fund and administer seven additional DEI cooperative agreements to become Employment Networks and improve education, training and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults who are unemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits.

Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma Report

The Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma, co-chaired by ODEP, releases a report illustrating the importance of listening to people who have been directly impacted by trauma and describing "trauma-informed care," a new approach to addressing trauma that can be implemented in any setting. ODEP writes the section on women with disabilities and trauma issues related to employment.

Financial Services Workers with Disabilities: Career Trends and Current Practices Summit

ODEP partners with The Financial Services Roundtable to host the Financial Services Workers with Disabilities: Career Trends and Current Practices Summit to discuss strategies for increasing the recruiting, retaining and advancing of people with disabilities in the financial services industry.

Health Care: Career Trends, Best Practices and Call-to-Action Summit

Together with Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, ODEP hosts the Health Care: Career Trends, Best Practices and Call-to-Action Summit to explore strategies for increasing employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities in the health care industry.

HIV/AIDS Employment Roundtable

In coordination with the Office of National AIDS Policy, ODEP convenes the HIV/AIDS Employment Roundtable to explore ways to improve employment and job training outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS.

"I Can" PSA

After two years of circulation, the ODEP-funded "I Can" PSA surpasses $17 million in donated media airtime and receives accolades from four organizations: Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PR Week, PR News and the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Increasing Participation in the Ticket to Work Program Training and Employment Notice (TEN)

ETA and ODEP jointly distribute a TEN that provides information to state workforce agencies, local workforce investment boards and One-Stop Career Centers on the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program.

Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Case Study

ODEP launches a longitudinal research and demonstration project designed to understand the effectiveness of ILPs; this state-level analysis uses a multifaceted approach including research and evaluation; information dissemination; training and technical assistance; and partnerships and collaborations.

Integrated Employment Initiative

ODEP launches an Integrated Employment initiative to promote the value and benefits of integrated, community-based employment at competitive wages for individuals with significant disabilities. A key feature of this initiative, an online toolkit, highlights relevant research findings, educational and policy information, and real-world success stories.

Partnership for Public Service Alliance

ODEP signs an Alliance Agreement with the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that works to encourage a new generation to serve in the federal service.

"Ready and Able"

ODEP publishes a case study analysis of 13 diverse examples of employer workforce-intermediary partnerships with a track record of helping employers recruit, hire, train and retain employees with disabilities.

"Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline" Roundtable Proceedings

ODEP publishes the proceedings of the Strategies for Including People with Disabilities in the Green Jobs Talent Pipeline roundtable; included are recommendations for promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in green jobs initiatives. A companion guide, Green Jobs: A Resource for Individuals with Disabilities, details major employment and training opportunities and job skills associated with emerging green jobs occupations.

Workplace Flexibility Forum and Report

ODEP and DOL's Women's Bureau (WB) co-host the Advancing Workplace Flexibility Policies and Practices forum, during which workplace flexibility and disability subject matter experts share best practices and research, identify knowledge gaps and offer suggestions for moving workplace flexibility forward in American workplaces.

Workplace Flexibility-Universal Design Employer Demonstration Project

ODEP launches a pilot project to promote the use of flexible workplace strategies that will assist in the recruitment, retention and advancement of aging workers and individuals with disabilities, including those with significant disabilities.

Workplace Flexibility-Universal Design Employer Demonstration Project

ODEP implements an employer pilot demonstration project designed to expand and promote the adoption of flexible workplace strategies that will assist in the recruitment, retention (including return-to-work) and advancement of aging workers and other people with disabilities, including significant disabilities.

Youth Service Professionals' Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) Training Modules

ODEP's Youth Service Professionals' KSA initiative releases eight professional development training modules covering the following competencies: Knowledge of the Field; Communication with Youth; Assessment and Individualized Planning; Relationship to Family; Career Exploration & Workforce Preparation; Community Resources; Employer Relations; and Program Design, Delivery, and Administration.