Massachusetts is one of seven new states joining the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), a program of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) designed to advance education, training, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. On Friday, Shaun Heasley of Disability Scoop reported that ODEP has allocated more than $20 million [...]
While working on yesterday’s post about the success of Gitanjali Gems, the headline of another Harvard Business Review blog post caught our eye even though it did not directly address jobs for people with disabilities. After reading it, however, it may help explain the why companies that hire these individuals are rewarded with enthusiastic and [...]
What began as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative for an Indian gem and jewelry business has turned into a wise business decision that has made a positive impact on its bottom line; all thanks to investing in employment and career training for people with disabilities. The success story of Gitanjali Gems was chronicled by [...]
Time to take a break from big-picture policy issues facing people with disabilities and look at some of the ways these individuals are making life matter through employment in their communities. Let’s start with a hearty congratulations to Wood County, Ohio, which last month was recognized by the state for having the highest employment rate [...]
While we were in the midst of analyzing how the respective platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties would impact people with disabilities during the current election cycle and enjoying some terrific action from the 2012 Paralympic Games, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the winners of the $10,000 Disability Employment App Challenge it launched [...]
Between former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s rundown on education reform in his state, and both Delaware Lieutenant Governor Sher Valenzuela and Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) making heartfelt connections to families of children born with disabilities, it’s likely that the Republican National Convention more directly addressed these individuals that its Democratic party counterparts did a week [...]
Advocates for people with disabilities were no doubt pleased to see their constituents given specific attention in the democratic party platform document, which was released on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this month. The copy of Moving America Forward found on the Democratic National Committee website has a [...]
To no one’s surprise, monthly unemployment statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor continued to disappoint. People with disabilities could not even share satisfaction in the minuscule reduction of the unemployment rate from 8.3% to 8.1%. That figure is still better than the 0.3% increase in experienced by this demographic. Shaun Heasley of Disability Scoop [...]
Fans of the Paralympics rejoiced when YouTube made its 11th hour announcement that a special channel would broadcast 500 hours of live events from the London games. With NBC planning to air recap programs only, it was a boon to people in the United States and Canada who wanted to watch world-class athletes with disabilities [...]
While broadcast coverage of events like the Paralympics will always leave some wanting more, we are fortunate to live in an age when anyone can add their two cents to the international conversation via blogging. Let’s look at some of man and woman-on-the-street accounts from netizens celebrating the achievements of people with disabilities. Traditional media [...]