Baseball Great Dave Dravecky Honored for Community Leadership

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao praised the nine winners of the Secretary of Labor's 5th Anniversary New Freedom Initiative Award for their outstanding efforts to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The awards ceremony took place today at the Washington Renaissance Hotel.

"Americans with disabilities are a valuable part of our workforce," said Secretary Chao. "The New Freedom Initiative Award ceremony is a great opportunity to recognize the employers, organizations and individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to equal access and opportunity for Americans with disabilities."

Secretary Chao also awarded the SPIRIT (Strength, Perseverance, Integrity, Role-model, Independence, Trailblazer) Award to Dave Dravecky, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. Following his battle with cancer, Dravecky and his wife, Jan, established the Outreach of Hope ministry, which offers referral services and resources for those facing significant medical or physical challenges, especially people with cancer or amputation.

The Secretary of Labor's 5th Anniversary New Freedom Initiative Award recognizes exemplary and innovative efforts to recruit, hire and promote people with disabilities and to incorporate into workplaces the principles of President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative. Introduced in 2001, the New Freedom Initiative is a comprehensive set of proposals designed to give people with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of community life, including employment.

Profiles of the winners are available at www.dol.gov/odep. A list of winners follows:

INDIVIDUAL: Ilene Morris-Sambur,Marshall, Va.NON-PROFITS: Disabilityworks, Chicago, Ill.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester, N.Y.

PRIDE Industries, Roseville, Calif.

The Rave Program University of Alabama at Birmingham

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WASHINGTON —U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced grants of nearly five million dollars for pilot projects and research to develop systems models designed to increase self-employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

"Self-employment and entrepreneurial pursuits could provide many individuals with disabilities good opportunities to optimize their talents and earn a good living for themselves and their families," said Secretary Chao. "These $5 million in grants further President Bush's New Freedom Initiative goal of helping workers with disabilities pursue their career dreams and give our nation the benefit of their participation in the workforce."

The grants include a cooperative agreement for $1,499,767 to Virginia Commonwealth University, which will be partnering with Griffin-Hammis Associates LLC, to establish a National Self-Employment Technical Assistance and Research initiative. This initiative will provide direct technical assistance to the Sub-National Projects of Systemic Innovation and Technical Assistance; develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for increasing the capacity of existing systems for providing self-employment services to people with disabilities through training, technical assistance, and research; conduct research and analysis of resources currently available to persons with disabilities for pursuit of entrepreneurship; and analyze structures currently in place that either promote or impede the expansion of business ownership in the disability community. The cooperative agreement will be funded for 36 months.

The grants also include cooperative agreements to Sub-National Projects of Systemic Innovation and Technical Assistance in the amounts of $1,199,959 to the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education in Anchorage, Alaska; $1,044,957 to the Onondaga County Department of Social Services in Syracuse, N.Y.; and $1.2 million to the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovations in Tallahassee, Fla. Grantees will use these funds to research, test, and evaluate innovative models of self-employment service delivery that can be adopted nationwide. The cooperative agreements will be funded for 36 months.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced a grant of $500,000 to Syracuse University's Burton Blatt Institute: Centers of Innovation on Disability, to lead a national research consortium to study employer practices in employing, retaining and promoting people with disabilities.

"This $500,000 grant will help identify effective employer policies and practices for recruiting, retaining and promoting workers with disabilities," said Secretary Chao. "This research is designed to further President Bush's New Freedom Initiative goal of helping Americans with disabilities enter the workforce and build solid career paths."

Other members of the consortium are the Program for Disability Research at Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations and the Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations School.

During an 18-month period, the research consortium will develop a standard design methodology and conduct case studies. The research will identify ways in which an organization's structures, values, policies and day-to-day practices promote the employment and retention of people with disabilities and benefit the organization as a whole. The information generated will result in individual case studies that can serve as models for other employers nationwide.

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WASHINGTON — Preparing America's youth, including those with disabilities, for today's job market is an important task. Unfortunately, workforce development professionals have not always had access to the proper training they need to help youth to succeed. But in the 21st century, that is changing thanks to innovations funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

ODEP and the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth), today announced a new credential — the Youth Services Endorsement — recognizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of youth service practitioners. The credential was recently approved by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP), and it will be added to the association's Certified Workforce Development Professional program.

"It is vitally important that youth have the guidance they need to make the best choices about their employment and training," said Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for ODEP. "This new credential will ensure that the workforce development professionals who assist them are well qualified and prepared to help our youth succeed in the work world. In addition, better-prepared youth will help the workforce development system address employers' needs for qualified workers."

The Youth Services Endorsement adopts competencies that NCWD/Youth developed over the past three years through an ODEP grant aimed at improving the workforce development system for all youth, while focusing on policies and practices that enhance services for youth with disabilities.

Recent studies point to lower rates of graduation from high school and lower teen employment as indicators of the need to better serve youth in education and in preparing for the workplace. Led by the National Youth Employment Coalition, the NCWD/Youth's Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) Initiative seeks to improve the competencies of professionals who work daily with youth, as a critical step to improving the opportunities and outcomes for all youth.

For more information on NCWD/Youth and the KSA Initiative, please visit: www.ncwd-youth.info.

For more information on NAWDP's credential process, please visit www.nawdp.org/certification.htm.

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today applauded the success of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in helping tear down barriers to equality for disabled Americans.

"Sixteen years ago, President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act to remove barriers that made much of our society inaccessible to millions of people with disabilities," said Secretary Chao. "In his first month in office, President George W. Bush launched the New Freedom Initiative to make our society more inclusive of persons with disabilities so they can access better employment opportunities, and America can benefit from their talents."

On February 1, 2001, President Bush initiated his New Freedom Initiative (NFI) to fulfill America's promise to persons with disabilities of a more inclusive society and a better quality of life. The NFI is a government-wide initiative involving many agencies within the Executive Branch.

The Department of Labor (DOL) plays an important role in ensuring that people with disabilities have greater employment opportunities through its Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). For example, since October 2000 DOL has been improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities by enhancing DOL's One-Stop Career Center services. Some of those efforts include providing assistive technology, conduct accessibility reviews, training of One-Stop Career Center staff, developing resource guides and other tools to assist the employment of people with disabilities, and employing disability resource specialists. DOL also is building a pipeline to economic self-sufficiency through its Employer Assistance and Recruitment Network (EARN). Employers interested in hiring talented or skilled employees with disabilities can consult the Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network, a free DOL service available at www.earnworks.com.

DOL and the Department of Defense created the REALifelines Program to assist returning vets. The Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines) involves a personalized assistance network to ensure that seriously wounded and injured service members who cannot return to active duty are trained for rewarding new careers in the private sector. Visit www.dol.gov/vets/realifelines for more information.

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) has placed more than 300 qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities in summer positions. The placements were made through a free database of 1,900 candidates seeking summer and full-time employment that was distributed on a compact disc this past spring to public and private sector employers.

The Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Department of Defense jointly sponsor the WRP. This year, the program celebrates its 11th year of helping public and private sector employers meet their staffing needs and diversity goals.

"We are very proud of the success we have had with the Workforce Recruitment Program, as a number of those hired have found permanent jobs and careers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This program is an example of what is possible if agencies work together on programs that benefit the nation as well as the people participating."

Using the complimentary database, employers can search from a pool of pre-screened students and recent graduates who have skills in a broad range of areas including computer science, business, public relations, science, engineering, law, and office administration. Searches generate candidate profiles, academic and demographic data, and contact information for students from more than 200 colleges and universities in over 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

"The Workforce Recruitment Program offers employers an excellent source of well-educated and skilled job candidates who are ready to get to work and explore real career options," said Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy.

To request a copy of the CD-ROM, send your name, company name, address and phone number to wrp@dol.gov or call ODEP at (202) 693-7880.

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Goal is to Support What Works Well, Leads to Success

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is making available up to $5 million to fund pilot projects aimed at increasing self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities have much to offer in the 21st century and are able to contribute more than ever thanks in part to more innovative educational opportunities and technology," said Dr. Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "This funding will allow us, in partnership with others, to develop and test strategies and models for successfully increasing self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities."

A national technical assistance and research cooperative agreement award will be funded for up to $1.5 million for a 36 month period of performance. Sub-national research and technical assistance pilot cooperative agreement awards will be funded for a total of up to $3.5 million. Awards may range from $800,000 to $1,200,000.

ODEP'S unique mission is to provide national leadership by developing and influencing disability-related employment policy and practice affecting the employment of people with disabilities. Congress designated these monies to ODEP to further the development of self-employment policy for individuals with disabilities.

Applications must be received by July 3, 2006 and must be mailed or hand-delivered to: U.S. Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, Attention: Cassandra Mitchell, Reference SGA 06-07, Room N5416, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.

More information about the solicitation can be found by clicking [Text] or [PDF] and in the Friday, May 19th Federal Register beginning on page 29172.

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WASHINGTON — DisabilityInfo.gov, a comprehensive one-stop federal Web site for disability-related information and resources, has received the American Association of Webmasters (AAWM) 2006 Gold Award for outstanding design and quality of content. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) manages the Web site, which can be found at www.DisabilityInfo.gov.

With 21 federal agencies contributing content to this Web site, DisabilityInfo.gov contains extensive, frequently updated information on a host of cross-cutting topics. Easy to navigate, DisabilityInfo.gov is organized by subject areas that include benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology and transportation.

"DisabilityInfo.gov is an excellent resource for individuals, families, employers and caseworkers, offering them easy access to disability-related information," said Assistant Secretary of Labor Roy Grizzard, who heads ODEP. "We are also pleased that more than 4,000 people a day from 180 countries visit the site and, to date, DisabilityInfo.gov has had more than 5.5 million visitors."

The AAWM Awards recognize webmasters and designers who have shown outstanding achievement in Web design, content and creativity and who have spent considerable time building and creating their sites not just to benefit themselves, but to also make a positive contribution to the World Wide Web community by "Bringing The World Closer To Us," according to the Association's Web site.

As part of his New Freedom Initiative to ensure that people with disabilities are offered opportunities that help them to live full and more independent lives, President Bush directed the development of DisabilityInfo.gov as a one-stop Web site for federal, state and local programs related to disability. The site was launched in October of 2002.

Last year, DisabilityInfo.gov won the Web Content Managers Best Practice Peer Award. The Web Content Managers Forum is a peer group comprised of more than 900 federal, state and local government Web managers.

For more information about DisabilityInfo.gov, contact Kevin Connors, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), at Connors.Kevin@dol.gov or 202-693-7880. To place a link to DisabilityInfo.gov on your Web site, please visit the "Link to Us" page at www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=7.

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WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao this week announced that "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce" will be the official theme for October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is celebrated nationwide.

"The 2006 theme — "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce" — highlights the fact that workers with disabilities are an underutilized and ambitious group of Americans eager to pursue their career dreams," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This theme echoes the President's New Freedom Initiative which has been out in front in recognizing the need to promote greater job opportunities for workers with disabilities."

The private sector; federal, state and local governments; and advocacy organizations can now use the theme to plan events and programs that showcase the abilities and skills of employees and job candidates who have disabilities.

"This year's theme reflects the fact that increasing the opportunities for Americans with disabilities in the workforce can produce far-reaching, positive results for employers," said Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

ODEP is the nation's first assistant secretary-led office that specifically addresses policies that impact the employment of people with disabilities. For example, ODEP has developed methods for the 3,500 One-Stop Career Centers nationwide to serve people with barriers to employment, including people with disabilities. Collaborating with sister DOL agencies — the Employment and Training Administration and the Civil Rights Center -- ODEP developed a disability checklist to assist with implementation of Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act at the local level.

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today urged corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in enhancing employments opportunities for workers with disabilities to apply for the 2006 New Freedom Initiative award. Nominations must be submitted by May 31.

"The New Freedom Initiative Award recognizes employers who are making a difference in helping people with disabilities access gainful employment in our economy," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "Americans with disabilities are a talented and underutilized pool of workers and this award highlights organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to increasing employment opportunities for all Americans. This ceremony also provides a forum for sharing best practices of strategies to bring Americans with disabilities into the workforce."

The award recognizes public-private partnerships and programs that have had a positive impact on the employment of people with disabilities through access to assistive technologies, the use of innovative training, and hiring and retention techniques. It also recognizes organizations, businesses or individuals who develop comprehensive strategies to enhance the ability of Americans with disabilities to enter and advance within the workforce of the 21st century.

Additional information on the award and specific nomination criteria are available at the U.S. Department of Labor's Web site at www.dol.gov/odep under the New Freedom Initiative tab. The information is also available by calling the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Education and Outreach Division at (202) 693-7880.

President Bush introduced the New Freedom Initiative on Feb. 1, 2001, within a month of taking office. The initiative contains a comprehensive set of proposals designed to ensure that Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, make choices about their daily lives and participate fully in their communities. ODEP has primary responsibility for implementing the employment-related aspects of the New Freedom Initiative.

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