eSight Community News

If you have questions you may contact Karen Race at (202) 456-5979 [Voice/Relay] or at intern_application@whitehouse.gov

Posted by Nancy at 05:41 PM | Comments (0)

Join Eric Damery of Freedom Scientific on Tuesday, February 13 - at The Carroll Center - Newton, MA

"The Past, Present and Future of JAWS Screen Reading Technology"

Date: February 13, 2007
Time: 9:30 am - 12 noon
Location: The workshop will be held in the Carroll Center Computer Training Center, 770 Centre Street Newton, MA 02458

Eric Damery, Vice President of Software Product Management, for Freedom Scientific Blind/ Low Vision Group will discuss the evolution of JAWS screen reading technology. Eric will detail the key milestones in the development of JAWS, current features in JAWS 8.0, as well as, what the future holds for JAWS.

Participants* in this workshop will learn more about accessibility to the PC and key applications utilizing JAWS screen reading software. Specific areas to be covered will include JAWS interfacing with desktop applications; navigating the Internet; Braille support; communicating with offsite computers and integration with other Freedom Scientific software and hardware technology. The new Windows VISTA operating system will be covered as well.

One session will be held at The Carroll Center in Newton, MA from 9:30am to Noon.

*The workshop(s) is designed for

• JAWS users;

• Assistive Technology/ Information Technology professionals;

• Teachers of the Visually Impaired;

• Disability Service Providers and Special Educators.

  Space is limited so please RSVP to register for this event. To register by phone/ email - contact:
  The Carroll Center at 617-969-6200 x 274
  Email: nicki.haller@carroll.org

  
  

  Posted by Nancy at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

  January 23, 2007

  Los Angeles Career Expo For People With Disabilities, January 30th

  For Immediate Release Contact:
  John Miller
  EOP, Inc.
  631/421-9421, ext. 20
  jmiller@eop.com

  Unemployment rate for people with disabilities still at 68%, 15 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

  Los Angeles CAREER EXPO 2007, January 30th, brings together industry and government with entry-level college graduates and professionals with disabilities. Job candidates with disabilities can pre-register for the CAREER EXPO at: www.eop.com/exporegistration.html

  A diversity of leading companies and U.S. Government agencies are participating at the Los Angeles CAREER EXPO on January 30th. To mention a few: NASA, Amgen, Honda, Aerospace Corporation, Boeing Company, (Bronze Sponsor), Epson America, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, U.S. Coast Guard, Northrop Grumman, (Silver Sponsor), Social Security-OESP, State Compensation Insurance Fund, Toyota, (Bronze Sponsor), and the U.S. Comptroller of the currency.

  Fifteen years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 19 million people with disabilities who want to work still have challenges from the able-bodied workforce, many of who are unable to discard prejudice and be comfortable with people with disabilities.

  "Companies and government agencies try to deal with the 'Fear Factor' from their able-bodied workforce, and confirm that it is all about educating them that people with disabilities are not only a vital talent pool of very capable people, but are also just like you and me," says John Miller, chairman and CEO of EOP, Inc., publisher of CAREERS & the disABLED magazine. "If only given the chance, people with disabilities will work extra hard to succeed. Some have to spend two hours to get ready for work each day yet they are at work earlier and stay later than many of their able-bodied peers."

  Miller, who hired and trained Procter & Gamble's first African-American salesman in 1966, founded EOP with his African-American partner, the late Alfred Duckett. Together they made history by forming the nation's first interracially owned and staffed company and starting the nation's first career magazine for college graduating minorities, Equal Opportunity magazine in 1969. They were interviewed live on the "Today Show" by Barbara Walters during United Negro History Week.

  Trying to overcome challenges in the workplace for people with disabilities, the nation's leading career magazine for people with disabilities, CAREERS & the disABLED, (now in its 20th year) sponsors the largest career fairs in the country helping industry and government connect with entry-level college grads and professionals with disabilities.

  Now in its second year for the Los Angeles, Ca. job market, the CAREER EXPO for people with disabilities, averages attendance by over 500 pre-registered candidates and leading companies and government agencies that seek to recruit people with disabilities.

  "Many people have been hired from the event," notes Miller, "and we are making progress. But we have a long way to go. As the late Evan Kemp, past chairman of the EEOC and a wheelchair user, told me back in 1997, 'I feel that it will take another eight to ten years before people with disabilities will believe that companies and government agencies are well intentioned for the right reasons, and for companies to take ownership of the hiring process to affect meaningful employment for people with disabilities as they have done for women and minorities since Title VII of the EEOC was passed by Congress in 1964 under President Johnson.'" Miller added to Kemp's comments, "We need the same push that Title VII gave to women and minorities for people with disabilities. Clearly, the ADA has not achieved that objective. Proof of that is the unemployment rate of 68% for people with disabilities is virtually the same since its passage became law on July 1, 1992."

  This year, as last, the CAREER EXPO in Los Angeles will be held on Tuesday, January 30th at the L.A. Convention Center, 2nd Floor Concourse Hall, 1201 Figueroa Street, (www.lacclink.com), between 10 am and 3PM. Job applicants who wish to preregister and attend the event, can go online at www.eop.com/exporegistration.html and attach their resume that will be included on a CD disk given to all of the recruiters. The FREE service also applies to those unable to attend.

  "We want all of our career events for people with disabilities to be accessible and, although we encourage everybody to attend the event, it is not a requirement for those who are outside the area or are challenged with transportation issues," Miller adds. "We hire many sign-language interpreters to help attendees who are deaf and hard-of-hearing communicate with the recruiters," says Miller.

  The Los Angeles CAREER EXPO for people with disabilities is hosted by EOP's CAREERS & the disABLED magazine and sponsored by the California Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, The California Department of Rehabilitation, the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD), and COSD, Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities. "An 8xlO-foot booth costs $3200 (industry), and $2950 (government)," says Dana Gabriel, National Sales Manager of EOP's Career Expo Show Division. (631-421-9421, ext. 25). “Details regarding exhibiting at our Los Angeles CAREER EXPO can be found online at our website: WWW.EOP.COM,” said Gabriel.

  "Scholarships are awarded each year to deserving candidates to further their education, and are presented on behalf of our sponsors of each event. Northrop Grumman Corporation is a Silver Sponsor this year," says Jim Schneider, Editorial Director of EOP, Inc. "On its behalf we will present a scholarship at the Los Angeles 2007 CAREER EXPO for people with disabilities to a well-qualified college student with a disability: Erin Stewart who is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, and an Electrical Engineer. Erin has had a bilateral hearing loss since birth."

  CAREERS & the disABLED magazine is published by Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc. EOP publishes six additional affirmative action/diversity career magazines: Equal Opportunity (The nation's first career magazine for college graduate minorities), Woman Engineer, Minority Engineer, Workforce Diversity for IT and Engineering Professionals, African-American Career World, and Hispanic Career World. The company headquarters are in Melville, NY, at 445 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 425, 11747. Website: WWW.EOP.COM. Phone: 631-421-9421.

  Posted by Nancy at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)

  DiabilityWork.com Launches, Helping Employers Reach Untapped Worker Pool

  Contact: Samuel Hawk, DisabilityWORK.com
  888-221-7606

  SIOUX FALLS, SD, January 2007—Access Solutions, LLC has announced the launch of DisabilityWORK.com, a service that brings employers and people with disabilities together. Employers can expect to reach an untapped pool of qualified workers, while people with disabilities have a new venue in which to showcase their talents.

  DisabilityWORK.com consists of several different services for both employers and people with disabilities. Employers can search a database of resumes to find prospective candidates to fill needed positions. They can also post their job openings on the website (www.DisabilityWORK.com) and utilize DisabilityWORK.com's headhunting services. People with disabilities can not only post their resumes on the website, but they can also use an array of services ranging from resume-writing and career coaching to job placement and job coaching.

  "Disabled Americans are a great untapped labor pool," states Samuel Hawk, founder and president of DisabilityWORK.com. "Anecdotal evidence suggests that they work harder and are more reliable than the general population. With unemployment levels near historical low levels, employers are turning to non-traditional populations to fill their vacant positions."

  The service is also available to employment service agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation offices which can peruse these services in their daily efforts to assist disabled clients with gaining employment.

  Being deaf himself, Hawk has first-hand knowledge of the challenges disabled people face in the working world. As a teenager, he was denied the chance to take over his grandfather's business because the executors of his grandfather's will felt that a deaf person would not be able to manage certain aspects of the business.

  Hawk continues, "With DisabilityWORK.com, people with disabilities have an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of a receptive audience -- i.e., interested and motivated employers."

  Perusing DisabilityWORK.com's services is as simple as creating a profile at the website, then scanning the various pages, inputting specific search parameters to generate desired results. The website can be found at www.DisabilityWORK.com.

  DisabilityWORK.com is a service of Access Solutions, LLC which is a one-stop shop for products and services geared towards the community of people with disabilities. Access Solutions is also operated by Hawk.

  Posted by Nancy at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)

  Call for Papers - Dance Beneath the Diamond Sky with One Hand: Disability and Music

  Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal (www.rds.hawaii.edu)

  Alex Lubet and Na'ama Sheffi, Guest Editors

  Disability studies scholars as distinguished as Simi Linton and Rosemary Garland-Thompson have spoken at length about the unique beauty and iconic cultural status of the dance that is a highlight of the annual meeting of the Society for Disability Studies. This is but one indication of the major role that music plays in the lives of our community. Sam Sullivan, the quadriplegic mayor of Vancouver, prepared himself to lead the world's most livable city in part by founding and directing the Vancouver Adapted Music Society and leading the band Spinal Cord. And Neil Young, contemporary music's great anti-war poetic voice, is also a disability activist.

  We are honored that the theme for the special forum of /The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal /will be disability and music. We implore our potential contributors to show our community's customary fearlessness by casting aside dependence upon the all-too-often oppressive paradigms of music theory, music criticism, and musicology, and by refuting the negative disability stereotypes of popular media (such as the Black-Eyed Peas' "Let's Get Retarded"). Marginalized cultures worldwide have rich, centuries-old musical traditions to draw upon to build community. As in verbal literatures, our community is far too often defined by the dominant culture rather than by ourselves. One problem has been the inability of a broad public to eroticize disability in the manner of "Others." If sex is sexy and race racy, where has that left disability? The nature of the music business has provided few opportunities for broad public venues for disability-positive lyrics and other forms of presentation. While music has often provided employment for blind people worldwide, lyric content has been primarily in response to the demands of sighted audiences.

  Traditional academic disciplines in music are cultural institutions that have so far thoroughly excluded or otherwise marginalized people with disabilities. Popular music criticism continues to portray extreme stereotypes of disability as the norm. Our project must be an entirely new paradigm, an authentic, utterly interdisciplinary disability studies of music. Thus, we urge potential contributors, regardless of their fields of training, to articulate their ideas about music and disability through heretofore unimagined and unarticulated means and methods.

  Potential contributors to this Special Issue might consider:

  1. Is there "disability music" and what is its nature?

  2. What is the intersection of music composition and impairment?

  3. How have disability and impairment been expressed lyrically?

  4. How is disability represented in visual performance by PWD and able-bodied artists?

  5. How has disability played a role for people choosing music as a career?

  6. What has been/will be the role of technology in enabling universal participation in music?

  7. What is the relationship of music with Deaf Culture and deafness?

  8. How can music education transcend the limitations of music therapy?

  9. How might "mainstream" repertoire (such as the line from Bob Dylan from which our title derives) serve disability culture?

  10. What are the heretofore hidden stories of disability that are manifest in mainstream music? (For example, country legend Hank Williams had Spina Bifida.)

  11. How does music serve the needs of those whose cognitive, neurological, and emotional disabilities and mental illnesses are rooted in political conflicts, including violent altercations and the threat and implantation of terror tactics?

  We welcome contributions from all disciplines as they intersect with issues of disability and music. In the interest of accessibility, we encourage a jargon-free environment and cannot accept articles with examples in music notation. We hope to provide web access to audio examples, but at this time encourage authors to make this optional-only.

  Send via email 250-word abstracts, by *(insert date here*) to Guest Editors Alex Lubet (School of Music/Center for Jewish Studies/Program in American Studies, University of Minnesota) lubet001@umn.edu
  and Na'ama Sheffi (Communications, Sapir Academic College, Israel)naamash@sapir.ac.il. Please be sure to send abstracts to both editors.

  For those abstracts that are selected, we will request completed articles of approximately 3000-5000 words. Note that an invitation to submit an article based on an abstract does not guarantee publication of that article in /The Review of Disability Studies/.

  *For more information about /The Review of Disability Studies/, please go to www.rds.hawaii.edu

  Posted by Nancy at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)

  Proyecto Visión 's January-February 2007 News Now Online

  The latest issue of the Proyecto Visión newsletter is now available online at http://www.proyectovision.net/english/news/index.html. It includes details on a report issued by the World Institute on Disability about improving the employment status of Latinos with disabilities in the U.S. A writer from Salinas, CA, contributed an article about planning events at labor camps to connect disabled Latinos in rural settings to benefits and services. Puerto Rico-based author Eric Jackson-Rivera profiles a woman who describes how helping others has become a way to help herself.

  El ejemplar más reciente de Proyecto Visión está ahora disponible electrónicamente en http://www.proyectovision.net/spanish/news/index.html. Incluye detalles de un informe publicado por World Institute on Disability (Instituto Mundial de Discapacidad) sobre los niveles de empleo que tienen los latinos con discapacidades en EE.UU. Un escritor de Salinas, CA, contribuye un artículo sobre planificación de eventos para que los latinos en campamentos rurales de trabajo tengan acceso a beneficios y servicios. El escritor Eric Jackson-Rivera, que vive en Puerto Rico hace una reseña de una mujer que describe cómo el ayudar a otros se ha transformado en una forma de ayudarse a sí misma.

  Posted by Nancy at 01:03 PM | Comments (0)

  Visit booth 722 at ATIA Conference and Meet "the Accessibility Anywhere people" from Serotek Corporation

  Serotek Corporation, the Accessibility Anywhere people, would like to invite trainers, rehab engineers, vocational rehab counselors, and just about anyone visiting the ATIA conference in sunny Orlando to come and see how Serotek's award-winning products change the way you look at accessibility. From our personal solutions such as System Access and the FreedomBox Network on a U3 smart drive memory stick, to our fast-track training program and our cutting edge enterprise solutions, you are sure to come away from this year's conference with a fresh view of accessibility and how you can increase personal productivity, open new job opportunities, and cut the time of adaptive technology training to weeks instead of months for both you and your clients.

  Visit booth 722 and experience the latest in computer technology from our partners HP and Microsoft using Serotek products. Sign up to win a shiny new Key to Freedom, a $599 value, on January 25 as part of Microsoft's Windows Vista Vendor Day event. The raffle drawing will be held during an evening reception in the exhibit hall from 5:00 to 6:00 PM on the 25th.

  For an even deeper hands-on experience you can take advantage of one of four sessions with Serotek CEO Mike Calvo, lead programmer Matt Campbell, and Dena Shumila from De Witt & Associates as we demonstrate new courseware and remote training tools that allow you to support your students or clients from anywhere via an Internet connection. Join Mike and Matt for a look at all the new and exciting possibilities with Serotek's award-winning System Access on Windows Vista both at home and at the office. Mike and Matt will also demonstrate new technology developed by Serotek that gives blind network administrators and help desk technicians remote access to computers in the enterprise and beyond, using the world’s first low-cost, fully accessible computer remote control solution. This package is already being tested by several state agencies and companies that need remote access to customer computers and have blind technicians that have never before been able to provide this level of support.

  Courseware and remote training sessions will be held in the Boca 3 room on Thursday and Boca 2 room on Friday from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM. Demonstrations of Windows Vista and Serotek's enterprise solutions will be presented from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the same rooms. We know that you have many choices at ATIA and even more choices in fun-filled Orlando; but we hope you'll take the time to visit with us this year. We promise you'll look at accessibility in a whole new way.

  For more information about Serotek's products, visit us on the Web at www.freedombox.info.

  Posted by Nancy at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)

  January 16, 2007

  NYC: Theater By The Blind presents A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare

  The Company:
  George Ashiotis, Jon Levenson, Ann Marie Morelli,
  Erin O'Leary, Andrew Rein, Nicholas Viselli

  Director - Ike Schambelan; Sets - Merope Vachlioti; Costumes - Brad L. Scoggins; Lighting - Bert Scott; Stage Manager - Francis Eric Montesa

  A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is a magical show - funny, fast and joyous. Our production is ultra faithful to Shakespeare's rules yet thoroughly modern. As The Times said of last season's Hamlet, the "actors show signs of having actually analyzed Shakespeare's language... the audience can understand the meaning of every word" and the show is "playful, punchy and contemporary."

  Midsummer runs 90 minutes, has 9 songs and takes 6 actors who each play an Athenian, a "rude mechanical" and a fairy. The whole troupe does the play-within-a-play as Shakespeare intended, snapping the piece into focus.

  "An extraordinary troupe designed to defy expectations." - The New York Times "One of the most enjoyable companies in the country." - The New York Post
  "Long purveyors of quality drama." - The Village Voice

  January 27 - February 25, 2007
  Wed & Thurs at 7pm, Fri & Sat at 8pm, Sat & Sun at 3pm
  and Tues, Jan. 30 at 7pm.

  Barrow Group Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, west of 8th Ave. , NYC, take the front elevator to 3 or the side elevator to 3W. Wheelchair users should use the side elevator. Vision-impaired patrons are invited onstage to explore the set 30 minutes before curtain. Open captioned performance Sat, Feb 10 at 3pm. For more information, visit our website, www.tbtb.org.

  Tickets $40
  Special Offer - $30 with code SMART

  Theater By The Blind is a participant in the New Generations Program, funded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group, the national organization of the American theatre.

  
  How To Order

  On Line: www.smarttix.com
  By Phone: 212-868-4444
  Discount Code: SMART
  Venue Information

  The Barrow Group Theatre
  312 West 36th Street
  NY, NY 10018
  (8th to 9th Ave)
  
  Terms and Limitations: This offer is valid for new purchases only and is subject to availability. This offer may be revoked at any time and may not be combined with other offers. Limit 8 tickets per order and normal service charges apply.

  Posted by Nancy at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)

  Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference: March 19-24 2007

  The up-coming Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference is scheduled to take place March 19-24 at the Los Angeles Hilton, Marriott and Renaissance Hotels.

  
  Here are just a few highlights and updates to provide you with a preview of what you can expect this year:

  • Conference Registration will open the week of January 22, 2007. Please check our web site at for procedures and the link for on-line registration .

  • The 2007 USSAAC Biennial Conference - USSAAC's "Building ADVOCACY Skills: Encourage, Inform, Inspire" promises to be an exciting event celebrating the AAC community in collaboration with the CSUN Conference. For more information, visit www.ussaac.org.

  • Keynote Speaker - John D. Kemp - With more than 30 years experience, Mr. Kemp is one of the most well-known and respected advocates in the disability civil rights movement. His address is guaranteed to inspire and enlighten you.

  • Pre-Conference Workshops - Come early and learn more! 12 informative and in-depth presentations on the latest topics in assistive technology have been scheduled. View the complete listing on the conference web site at www.csun.edu/cod/conf.

  • TEITAC Forum - The latest information on Sections 508 & 255 will be available at the conference in a panel discussion and an exclusive interactive venue for CSUN attendees.

  • Higher Education - Presentations from the Chief Information Officers of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system focusing on the Assistive Technology Initiative (ATI) only at the 2007 Conference. Extensive information from the staff of the largest public 4 year institution in the nation will be shared on the priorities, strategies and implementation of this mandate.

  • The Aging Track - Experts in the field of aging-related or aging-acquired disabilities will share their knowledge and the latest trends. The Renaissance Hotel is the site for this new track!

  • Young Researchers Consortium - General Sessions presented by selected students in advanced degree programs will be presenting their research, findings, and general studies in relation to Assistive Technology.

  More highlights and updates will be coming your way - just remember to save the dates for the Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference this March 19-24, 2007.

  
  
  

  Posted by Nancy at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)

  January 11, 2007

  Serotek Announces Vista-Ready Product Line

  Assistive Technology Products Work With Vista
  For Accessibility Right Out of the Box
  
  Las Vegas, Nev. – January 11, 2007 – Serotek Corporation, the leading provider of Internet and digital information accessibility software and systems, today announced that its entire product line, including FreedomBox and Key to Freedom with System Access software, is now integrated with Microsoft Windows Vista and available for download. The announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), an invitation-only technology trade event taking place this week in Las Vegas.

  This is not a beta; any current FreedomBox user or anyone with Vista can download the software from the company’s web site www.freedombox.info.

  Blind and visually impaired Information Technology managers who are testing Vista for their organizations can now use Serotek’s Key to Freedom to conduct the testing. Key to Freedom features Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech (TTS). Fonix DECtalk “speaks” screen content to the user in clear, understandable TTS voices in multiple languages.

  “Accessibility is not an option, it’s a commitment,” said Daniel Hubbell, Technical Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation, “With the release of Windows Vista compatible products, Serotek continues to make the computer accessible for users of all abilities. And with the integration of media support, these products will help set a new baseline for the industry as a whole.”

  As part of its ‘Vista-ready’ rollout, Serotek will be working with Windows Media Player11 and the new URGE online music store. This allows the blind and visually impaired to use portable MP3 Players to participate in the legal downloading of online music for the first time without buying customized computer scripts.

  Serotek products also work with Windows Vista Media Center and the new Aero Glass interface for electronic mail, right out of the box, without requiring settings changes or software installations required by other screen readers.

  “When we say we work with Vista, we mean across the board – remote control and all,” said Mike Calvo, CEO, Serotek Corporation, “so the blind can use the electronic program guide on cable television and record programs just like the mainstream using Windows Media Center.”

  
  Serotek Corporation
  Serotek Corporation, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a leading technology company that develops software and manufactures accessibility solutions under the brand name FreedomBox. Committed to the mission of providing accessibility anywhere, Serotek launched the FreedomBox family of products and services and the FreedomBox Network, an online community specifically designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Serotek provides powerful, affordable solutions that require minimal training. In 2005 the company was awarded the prestigious da Vinci award for innovation in universal accessibility by the National Multiple Sclerosis Association.

  For more information visit www.freedombox.info.

  Fonix Corporation

  Fonix Corporation (OTC BB: FNIX), based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an innovative speech recognition and text-to-speech technology company that provides value-added speech solutions through its wholly owned subsidiary, Fonix Speech, Inc., currently offering voice solutions for mobile/wireless devices; interactive video games, toys and appliances; computer telephony systems; the assistive market and automotive telematics. Fonix provides developers and manufacturers with cost-effective speech solutions to enhance devices and systems. Visit www.fonix.com for more information, or call (801) 553-6600 and say “Sales.” Fonix DECtalk text-to-speech technology has been developed and refined over the past 20 years and is specifically designed for limited memory applications. Fonix DECtalk is the smallest footprint, full-featured, multi-language text-to-speech engine in the industry. DECtalk supports the widest array of hardware platforms and operating systems on the market and offers nine voices (four female, four male and one child’s voice) and seven languages (U.S. and U.K. English, Castilian and Latin American Spanish, French, German and Italian).

  
  Contact:

  Janelle Schulenberg
  Tacet Resources
  612-720-1068
  janelle@tacet.biz

  
  

  Posted by Nancy at 06:09 PM | Comments (0)

  January 09, 2007

  CareerBuilder.com Career Fair NYC 1/10/07

  Date: Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

  Location:

  Metropolitan Pavilion
  North and South Pavilions
  125 W. 18th Street (Chelsea)
  New York, NY 10011
  
  Time: 10 am - 3 pm

  Details:

  One Day Only.
  Free Admission.
  No Pre-Registration Required.
  Business Attire and Resume Required.
  
  Leading New York City employers are coming together at the CareerBuilder.com Career Fair to screen & hire qualified candidates...and you could be one of them. Whether you are looking for a better job, re-entering the workforce or are just starting your career, this is your chance to find your better job.

  Get "face to face" time with quality employers and interview on the spot.

  Posted by Nancy at 12:16 AM | Comments (0)

  January 08, 2007

  DOJ On-Line Course On Reaching The Disability Market

  The U.S. Department of Justice's Disability Rights Section's has an online course for businesses, "Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities." The course explains how the ADA applies to businesses in ten short lessons. Putting these lessons into practice enables businesses to both comply with the ADA and attract the disability market. The course is at http://www.ada.gov/reachingout/intro1.htm

  Posted by Nancy at 11:57 PM | Comments (0)

  Disability Matters

  This Internet talk radio show hosted by businesswoman and disability employment leader Joyce Bender can be heard live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern at http://www.voiceamerica.com/ . The broadcast is also closed captioned and has a toll free caller/listener number, 1-866-472-5788. Transcripts and re-broadcasts can be found at http://www.benderconsult.com/.

  Posted by Nancy at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

  Final Report On Best Practices For The Employment of People With

  A comprehensive report on the efforts of nine states to employ more people with disabilities in government jobs has been released by the EEOC. The best practices related to recruiting and hiring of people with disabilities for state jobs includes:

  • providing reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities;

  • retaining and advancing persons with disabilities within state government; and

  • employing people with disabilities more generally in public- and private-sector jobs.

  The report highlighted some practices that may inadvertently act as barriers to employment for people with disabilities in the states surveyed, the EEOC said. The report can be viewed on-line at:
  http://www.eeoc.gov/initiatives/nfi/final_states_best_practices_report.html

  Posted by Nancy at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)

  Over the Horizon: Potential Impact of Emerging Trends in Information and Communication Technology on Disability Policy and Practice

  National Council on Disability Explores Emerging Technology Trends and Provides Strategies for Change: The National Council on Disability (NCD) recently released Over the Horizon: Potential Impact of Emerging Trends in Information and Communication Technology on Disability Policy and Practice , a policy paper that explores key trends in information and communication technology, highlights the potential opportunities and problems these trends present for people with disabilities, and suggests some strategies to maximize opportunities and avoid potential problems and barriers.

  Posted by Nancy at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

  Workforce Recruitment Program

  The WRP is a summer work program for college and university students with disabilities co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Department of Defense. Students are interviewed by federal agency staff at their colleges during late January through most of February. Hiring is done directly by federal offices throughout the country. White the majority of positions offered are for the summer and with federal agencies, students in this database may be recruited for full time positions by either the federal government or the private sector. For additional information, visit http://www.dol.gov/odep/programs/workforc.htm

  Posted by Nancy at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)

  Report on U.S. Latinos with Disabilities Reveals High Obstacles to

  Proyecto Visión, the National Technical Assistance Center on Employment for Latinos with Disabilities, released a report that examines the low employment status of disabled Latinos and recommends ways to improve their job and other opportunities. Latinos with Disabilities in the United States: Understanding & Addressing Barriers to Employment presents a snapshot of this growing population. It outlines factors affecting the extent of participation, and degree of success, of disabled Latinos in the service delivery system; highlights innovative research and employment projects that are working to reduce barriers; and presents profiles of individuals and families who have attained success and others who have fallen between the cracks.

  "In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau released data showing that 24 percent of working-age Latinos in the United States had a disability compared to 18.6 percent for all groups," said Arturo Lopez, administrator for the largely rural San Joaquin Valley district of the California Department of Rehabilitation. Lopez, a Proyecto Visión advisory board member, continued, "Working-age Latinos are becoming disabled from injuries in dangerous work environments and heavy manual labor including farm work; lack of access to medical care and insurance; complex health conditions such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes and obesity; and violence, including the effects of firearms."

  "What happens to Latinos in the United States after they become disabled depends on many variables such as level of acculturation, English proficiency and where they live," said Proyecto Visión project director Kathy Martinez. "As a blind Latina who is the child of immigrant parents, I have first-person experience with the low expectations and assumptions of the majority culture. I have seen many disabled Latinos live down to these diminished expectations. They become overwhelmed by isolation, are disconnected from the service delivery system and don't have disabled Latino professionals to look up to or network with. Unfortunately, even those who do access resources often are not receiving appropriate service."

  The report combines information gathered from reviewing scores of studies and research papers with the first-hand knowledge that Proyecto Visión and its regional partners gleaned from five years of providing localized technical assistance to disabled Latinos across the U.S. in diverse communities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Salinas, California.

  It summarizes innovative job preparation and placement programs providing culturally responsive services that address the multiple dimensions of jobseekers' identities, including disability, race/ethnicity, language and gender. In addition to featuring successful project models, the paper outlines four priorities for improving the success of vocational programs at including and serving disabled Latinos:

  • Improve Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Latinos;

  • Re-envision the Disability Community's Approach to Latinos;

  • Build the Latino Community's Capacity for Including People with Disabilities;

  • Increase Overall Visibility of Disabled Latino Leaders.
  
  About the World Institute on Disability

  Proyecto Visión is operated by the World Institute on Disability (WID) based in Oakland, CA. The mission of WID is to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities through research, training, advocacy and public education. WID emphasizes social and economic equity for people with disabilities by creating increased opportunities to live independently as productive and contributing members of society.

  Development of this report was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration.

  To purchase the report or for more information, visit www.proyectovision.net or contact Robin Savinar at robin@wid.org or (510) 251-4325.

  Posted by Nancy at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)