December 20, 2007

NYC Employment & Training Coalition 2008 Jobs & Labor Trends Forum

WHERE ARE THE JOBS?

Where is the most entry and mid-level job growth occurring in New York City?

What is the economic outlook for 2008 and are we headed toward a recession?

What are the emerging job trends in tourism, hospitality, retail, health care, and other "hot" NYC industries?

These questions will be answered and more topics will be discussed at NYCETC’s 2008 Jobs Outlook and Trends Forum.

Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Location: Con Edison Headquarters, 4 Irving Place, 19th Floor, Union Square in New York City.

NYCETC invites training providers, government officials, foundations, local development corporations and others to participate and get the latest jobs information from labor market experts, industry representatives, and business and economic development leaders.

The event will feature panels of labor market experts, industry representatives, business and economic development leaders, and others who will provide the latest jobs information to help you with program design and job development.

Space is limited, so we recommend registering early. If you sign up before January 18 you'll receive a discount.

For questions regarding registration, please contact Lisa Moore at or 212.253.6811 or lmoore_AT_nycetc.org
Please replace the word _AT_ in the address with the appropriate symbol.

Posted by Nancy at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2007

Congressional Research Awards

The Dirksen Congressional Center invites applications for grants to fund research on congressional leadership and the U.S. Congress. A total of up to $30,000 will be available in 2008. Awards range from a few hundred dollars to $3,500.

All proposals must be received no later than February 1, 2008.

The competition is open to individuals with a serious interest in studying Congress. Political scientists, historians, biographers, scholars of public administration or American studies, and journalists are among those eligible. The Center encourages graduate students who have successfully defended their dissertation prospectus to apply and awards a significant portion of the funds for dissertation research.

The awards program does not fund undergraduate or pre-Ph.D. study. Organizations are not eligible. Research teams of two or more individuals are eligible. No institutional overhead or indirect costs may be claimed against a Congressional Research Award.


There is no standard application form. Applicants are responsible for showing the relationship between their work and the awards program guidelines. Applications are accepted at any time. Applications which exceed the page limit and incomplete applications will NOT be forwarded to the screening committee for consideration.

All application materials must be received on or before February 1, 2008. Awards will be announced in March 2008. Complete information about eligibility and application procedures may be found at The Center's Web site. Frank Mackaman is the program officer.

The Center, named for the late Senate Minority Leader Everett M. Dirksen, is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to the study of Congress and its leaders. Since 1978, the Congressional Research Awards (formerly the Congressional Research Grants)program has paid out $680,000 to support 350 projects.

Posted by Nancy at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2007

Alert: IRS warns new scam emails offering refunds

Updated Nov. 2007 - In a variation, an e-mail scam claims to come from the IRS and the Taxpayer Advocate Service (a genuine and independent organization within the IRS whose employees assist taxpayers with unresolved tax problems). The e-mail says that the recipient is eligible for a tax refund and directs the recipient to click on a link that leads to a fake IRS Web site. The IRS recommends that recipients do not click on links in, or open any attachments to, e-mails they receive that are unsolicited or that come from unknown sources.

Suspicious e-Mail/Phishing

Phishing (as in "fishing for information" and "hooking" victims) is a scam where Internet fraudsters send e-mail messages to trick unsuspecting victims into revealing personal and financial information that can be used to steal the victims' identity.

Current scams include phony e-mails which claim to come from the IRS and which lure the victims into the scam by telling them that they are due a tax refund.

You Can Help Shut Down Phishing Schemes

The good news is that you can help shut down these schemes and prevent others from being victimized. If you receive a suspicious e-mail that claims to come from the IRS, you can relay that e-mail to a new IRS mailbox, phishing@irs.gov.

The IRS can use the information, URLs and links in the suspicious e-mails you send to trace the hosting Web site and alert authorities to help shut down the fraudulent sites. Unfortunately, due to the expected volume, the IRS will not be able to acknowledge receipt or respond to you.



Posted by Nancy at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

November 19, 2007

The Charles H. Revson Fellowship

The Charles H. Revson Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for self-development in mid-career for urban leaders who have made a substantial contribution to New York City. Each year, the program selects ten Fellows of diverse backgrounds and fields of achievement. Established in 1979, the Revson program has welcomed over 290 leaders to the University, providing tuition and financial support, academic guidance, and access to University resources. Revson Fellows engage in weekly seminars together while also pursuing individually designed programs of intellectual enrichment.

Open House for Applicants: Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 7-9 p.m. Columbia University. Reservations required (location details given with r.s.v.p)2008-2009 Fellowship Application: Postmark deadline is February 1, 2008. Applicants may download an application, apply directly online, or request an application be mailed to them. Information is available at www.revson.columbia.edu.

Please email revson@columbia.edu or call 212-854-6029 with any questions or to reserve a space at the Open House.

Posted by Nancy at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2007

NYLPI'S Opportunity & Access Survey

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc. (NYLPI) is a public interest law office that serves New York City residents with disabilities regarding disability-based discrimination and access issues. NYLPI has an intake line which receives thousands of complaints per year, but we want to hear from New Yorkers with disabilities who don't regularly contact us.

That is where you come in. We are reaching out to you to find out what barriers to services and to physical settings are most important to you. While we may not address each of the concerns you raise, the information you give us will help guide the policy direction of NYLPI's disability rights efforts.

For purposes of this survey please consider the following:


Examples of Service Access

Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey.

If you have any questions about the project or about the survey, please contact Dennis Boyd at 212-244-4664 (voice); 212-244-3692 (TTY); dboyd@nylpi.org
or access@nylpi.org

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc. (NYLPI)
is located at 151 West 30th Street, New York, New York 10001.

Thank you.

Posted by Nancy at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2007

"A Brand You World - Global TeleSummit"

logo for A Brand You World

Date: Thursday, 8th November 2007.

The event will run for a period of 12 hours commencing at the following times:

This free event has content streams for career success, entrepreneurial succes and talent management.

Check out the impressive line of up confirmed speakers

e-mail registration required.

Posted by Nancy at 06:26 PM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2007

Employment Support Services Survey: Ottawa

Disabled Persons Community Resources, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the independence, participation and integration of people with physical disabilities in the Ottawa area is conducting a survey.

They want to hear from working aged adults with physical disabilities about their experience with accessing and using employment support programs in Ottawa.

The survey is posted online:

Posted by Nancy at 06:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2007

Assembly Task Force On People With Disabilities: NYC -Tuesday, September 25, 2007

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SUBJECT:

The recent movement to reform the current service delivery system for people who are blind or visually impaired in New York State.

PURPOSE:

To determine what, if any, changes should be made to the existing service delivery system for people with vision impairments in New York State, including oversight of the system, and whether or not the recent alterations (both proposed and actual) to the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) were necessary or adequate. It is the goal of the Task Force and Committees to give all affected parties the opportunity to answer these important questions and have their voices heard on this issue.

New York City
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
10:30 am
Assembly Hearing Room, Room 1923, 19th Floor
250 Broadway, New York, NY

The New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped provides and oversees services to blind and visually impaired individuals throughout the state. In recent months, there has been a move by some advocates and government representatives to make changes to the existing service delivery and oversight system. The Governor's 2007 budget presentation included a proposal to replace the existing CBHV, which is currently located within the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), with a newly-created Office for the Blind. While this proposal was not included in the final budget, the establishment of a new Executive Board within CBVH was. This hearing is intended to solicit the opinions and recommendations of all of the stakeholders regarding the effectiveness of the service delivery system for blind and visually impaired individuals in New York State.

Please see the reverse side for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Task Force and Committees at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation of the hearing.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Task Force and Committees will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Assembly staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Task Force and Committees would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Assembly's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

Michele R. Titus
Member of Assembly
Chair
Task Force on People with Disabilities

Richard N. Gottfried
Member of Assembly
Chair
Committee on Health

William Scarborough
Member of Assembly
Chair
Committee on Children and Families

Catherine T. Nolan
Member of Assembly
Chair
Committee on Education

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. Is the current service delivery system adequate to provide appropriate services to people who are blind and visually impaired in New York State?

2. What reforms are necessary to improve the service delivery system?

3. Is the proposal made in the Governor's 2007 budget presentation to replace the existing Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) with a newly-created Office for the Blind an appropriate response?

4. Is the new Executive Board which was established within CBVH as a result of the 2007 State Budget a sufficient response to foster reform?


PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing regarding the recent movement to reform the current service delivery system for people who are blind or visually impaired in New York State are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and send it to:

Judi West
Legislative Analyst
Assembly Committee on Children & Families
Room 522, Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
E-mail: westj@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4371
Fax: (518) 455-4693


I plan to attend the following public hearing regarding the recent movement to reform the current service delivery system for people who are blind or visually impaired in New York State to be conducted by the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities, the Committee on Health, the Committee on Children and Families and the Committee Education on September 25, 2007.

I plan to make a public statement at the hearing. My statement will be limited to 10 minutes, and I will answer any questions which may arise. I will provide 10 copies of my prepared statement.

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:


I do not plan to attend the above hearing.

I would like to be added to the Task Force and Committees mailing lists for notices and reports.

I would like to be removed from the Task Force and Committees mailing lists.

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required:

NAME:

TITLE:

ORGANIZATION:

ADDRESS:

E-MAIL:

TELEPHONE:

FAX TELEPHONE:

*** Click here for printable form ***

New York State Assembly

Posted by Nancy at 01:38 PM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2007

Study to support new Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0)

As some of you may know, there are a set of guidelines to help web developers produce web sites that are accessible to people with disabilities, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These are currently being revised and my university (the University of York in England) is helping to conduct a study of the draft of the new version. We are need to check the many recommendations of the new guidelines (there are some hundreds of them), so we need many people with different disabilities to try out little bits of code with different combinations of web browsers, screen readers, assistive technologies etc. Participants don’t have to know anything about web accessibility, or be particularly technical to participate, just answer simple questions about very simple web pages. And we will reimburse people for their time! The material is divided up into blocks of 20 simple (I hope!) web pages and questions, and for each block completed you get an Amazon gift voucher for US $15.00 (or local equivalent). And people are welcome to do as many blocks as you like.

We are particularly looking for people who are visually disabled (who might use screen readers, screen magnification programs, or enlarge the material on a webpage using the options in their browser or in the operating system), people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, people with dyslexic, and people with physical disabilities, but all disabilities are needed.

You do need to register, but that is simply to find out what combination of operating system, browser, screen reader, other devices etc you use, so you can be presented with appropriate questions and we can reimburse you with the appropriate number of gift vouchers. All information you provide is absolutely confidential and anonymous.

You can register by going to: http://bentoweb.org/amfortas/register.html

You then do the questions by going to: http://bentoweb.org/amfortas/sign-in.html

This is a small and easy way to have a say in improving the accessibility of the web in the future!

If you have any questions or comments, please contact:

Joe E. Wheaton, Ph.D.
A334 PAES Bldg.
305 W. 17th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210

614-292-8313 (voice)
614-292-4255 (FAX)
http://education.osu.edu/jwheaton/

Posted by Nancy at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

The Urban Justice Center's Innovations in Social Justice

The Urban Justice Center (UJC) has created the "Innovations in Social Justice Award." The Award will provide seed money to an individual to start a new, innovative Project at the UJC. We seek a highly qualified individual to develop a Project that will advocate for a marginalized and under-represented population in creative ways. Factors for selection include the applicant's experience and creativity, and the likelihood that the applicant will have a high impact and successfully maintain the Project after the conclusion of the Award. Advocacy methodology is limited only by the creativity of the recipient and may include litigation, public education, coalition building, and grass-roots mobilization.

The winning candidate will start a Project within the UJC's New Project Initiative under the supervision of the Executive Director.

Award

The award will be $100,000, which will be used for salary, fringe benefits, overhead and other project expenses. The funds must be budgeted to last for a minimum of one year. The salary level will depend on the experience of the recipient and will reflect a fair wage for public interest work in New York City. The candidate that is selected will start a Project within the UJC's New Project Initiative under the supervision of the Executive Director.

The application can be accessed at:

http://www.urbanjustice.org/ujc/contact/fellowships.html

Posted by Nancy at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

AAPD Call for Action: Chamber of Commerce Opposes ADA Restoration

On Tuesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation, in a letter addressed to the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, went on record as opposing the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 (H.R. 3195) and urging Members not to co- sponsor or show support of the bill. The Chamber's letter mischaracterizes the ADA Restoration Act as an expansion of the ADA, when in fact, it is, as its name suggests, a restoration of the original intent of Congress when passing the ADA in 1990, which was to create a level playing field for everyone who wants a job to have an equal opportunity to work. Just like other civil rights laws prohibit employers from basing decisions on characteristics like race or sex, Congress wanted the ADA to stop employers from making decisions based on disability.

However, that original, bipartisan, bicameral intent has since been distorted by the Courts through extremely narrow interpretations of the ADA. The employment rate of people with disabilities has not improved and two-thirds of people with disabilities who do not have a job indicate they would work if they could only find employment. What's more, for those fortunate enough to find jobs, Courts are deciding against people with disabilities who challenge disability discrimination 97% of the time, often before the person with a disability even has a chance to show that the employer treated them unfairly!

The Chamber argues that they "strongly support equal opportunity in employment" yet they adamantly oppose H.R. 3195 which seeks to make equal opportunities for people with disabilities possible!

TAKE ACTION

React directly to the Chamber regarding their opposition to ADA Restoration by writing or calling the Chamber of Commerce at:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce 1615 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20062-2000 Main Number: 202-659-6000 Customer Service: 1-800-638-6582

Send your complaints to the regional Chamber offices, too. To determine contact information for the regional office nearest you, go to: http://www.uschamber.com/about/contact/regional.htm

To read the letter the Chamber of Commerce sent to the U.S. House of Representatives, go to: http://www.aapd.com/News/adainthe/070827uscc.htm

Posted by Nancy at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2007

Alert: phishing targeting people who have posted resumes on Monster.com

Do NOT download "the Monster Job Seeker Tool."
It is not from Monster.
It will load a Trojan on your computer.

There has been a Massive Data Hack At Monster.com

Read Monster's Security Notice

The Fallout From The Monster Hack

Posted by Nancy at 02:32 PM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2007

Alert: Toothpaste Recall

Contaminated toothpaste recall expands.
New brands added to list of contaminated toothpaste from China.

Posted by Nancy at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2007

Apply now and you could be -- An ICT trainer of the Blind for United Disability Empowerment (UDEK) in Kenya

People with disabilities have special communication needs e.g. Braille for the blind, computer speech software (JAWS), and sign language for the deaf. National flag of Kenya These needs are often not catered for in computer training institutes in Kenya. UDEK is a cross disability organization that seeks to unite groups/associations of persons with disabilities and provide them with opportunities.

Purpose of the role

UDEK has limited capacity to afford to pay qualified ICT instructors. By volunteering you'll help to build the capacity of UDEK by providing comprehensive courses, relevant to the needs of the local market, for people with disabilities.

Job summary

Professional requirements

You'll need a bachelor's degree in IT and at least 2 years experience in the ICT sector. You'll be confident with communication aid programmes such as JAWS, and have experience of working with people with disabilities. Any experience in teaching IT would be welcome, as would the ability to read Braille.

Personal requirements

You'll need to be adaptable; the centre will not have the same abundance of resource you may be used to working with. You'll need to pair this with being self-sufficient, as well as sociable and outgoing to ensure you engage with your students and colleagues. Maturity, willingness to integrate are also very useful skills to enable you to integrate into your new society and achieve professional and personal satisfaction. You'll be able to exercise patience when training students who may be slow learners.

Duration: 24 months

VSO volunteers receive a modest living allowance, return flights, accommodation provided by the local employer, medical and travel insurance cover, visas and work permits, grants before, during and after the placement and a guaranteed minimum of three weeks holiday per year.

Please specify your interest in this particular position when you apply to VSO Canada. For more information call us toll-free at 1-888-876-2911.

To apply go to http://www.vsocan.org/display.aspx?pid=519&cid=143 and complete our online form.

Posted by Nancy at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)

June 08, 2007

Sign Up for Priority List to Be Notified for Future Study Groups

Thank you for your interest in participating in the research study. The response exceeded our expectations and the group filled very quickly.

Because the response has been so tremendous I have created a priority list that we will use to contact people for future studies.

If you would like to be notified of future research studies please fill out this brief form at http://www.esight.org/forward.cfm?pid=288

People who are on this list will be contacted prior to any invitations being posted on eSight or distributed on any lists.

Thank you, again for your interest in participating in this study.

Posted by Nancy at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007

"Building Your Future" - July 25-29, 2007 at Visions VCB, Rockland County, NY

Details at http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1110

Register at http://www.visionsvcb.org/participant_registration_form.html#Content

Program Highlights and Speakers

Keynote Address by Dr. Karen Wolffe, Director, Professional Development and CareerConnect®, American Foundation for the Blind.

Seminars on Employment Legislation, Advocacy and Benefits Planning:

Presentations on Career Development, Networking, Entrepreneurship, Interviewing Techniques, and Resume Writing:

Hands-on Workshops and Seminars:

Technology Exhibits, Workshops and Product Demonstrations:


This Institute is offered by VISIONS Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired with funding made possible through a grant from the Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation.

Posted by Nancy at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2007

Robert Greenberg Award

The Dr. Robert Greenberg Award for Innovation will be given to a person, institution, employer or program / initiative that demonstrates cutting-edge and new techniques or strategies in the area of preparing or recruiting or hiring college students with disabilities.

Dr. Robert Greenberg, the Co-Founder of COSD, recently retired after a 21-year distinguished career as the Director of Career Services at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Bob provided the foundation for COSD, based on his vision to be more inclusive of college students with disabilities in his Career Services office. That vision has grown to a national organization that is continuing to expand and be more influential in assisting college students with disabilities in planning and executing their future careers.

If you would like to nominate someone (yourself or someone you know) who has created or expanded a great idea that assists college students with disabilities, please go to http://career.uark.edu/cosd and complete the form and click on submit.

This great idea can be found in:

An esteemed panel of four judges will review the nominations and the winner will be presented at the COSD 8th Annual National Conference during Lunch on July 31 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. Further details about the award can be found at http://career.uark.edu/cosd. Please note that the deadline for nominations is July 1.

The University of Arkansas Career Development Center and Barbara Batson, Director, will host the Robert Greenberg Award for Innovation Nominations and for being one of the judges.

If you have any questions regarding the Robert Greenberg Award for Innovation or any aspect of the COSD 8th Annual National Conference, please e-mail Alan D. Muir, Executive Director of the Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) at amuir@tennessee.edu
or call him at 865-974-7148.

Posted by Nancy at 01:52 PM | Comments (0)

May 01, 2007

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st, 2007

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st 2007
Visit Blogging Against Disablism Day for a list of links to everyone who has made a commitment to speak out on Blogging Against Disablism day.

Don't miss

Posted by Nancy at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 01, 2006

Tell Your Representatives to Help People with Disabilities Find Work

Tell your Representative and Senators to address the unemployment crisis of people with disabilities during their election campaign: send them a quick e-mail now.

Encourage your friends to take action as well.
http://ga4.org/campaign/laborday

Posted by Nancy at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2006

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The United Nations (UN) is currently negotiating a treaty, known as Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to ensure that human rights standards are extended to people with disabilities.

In order to help promote the adoption of the Convention, the Center for International Rehabilitation (CIR) has launched the ConventionYES! website where you can find news and updates on the Convention, background material and a petition to express your support.

Posted by Nancy at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2005

DHS National Emergency Resource Registry Activated

The Department of Homeland Security is coordinating response efforts to provide necessary assistance to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The Homeland Security Operations Center (HSOC) serves as the nation's nerve center for information sharing and domestic incident management. At the request of the HSOC, the National Emergency Resource Registry has been activated.

The NERR stands ready to assist the coordination efforts between the resources that are needed and the resources that may be available from the private and public sectors.

If you or your organization / agency / corporation have resources that may be made available to the response agencies, please list them in this Resource Registry.

What's Needed Most?
Housing
Transportation
Emergency Supplies

https://www.swern.gov/

FEMA registration numbers:

Every single hurricane survivor with a disability MUST register to be able to receive the full range of federal assistance. Registrants MUST make clear that they have a disability or chronic health care need.

1/800-621-FEMA
1/800-462-9029
1/800-462-7585 TDD/TYY
http://www.fema.gov/about/process/ (For on-line registration)

Posted by Karen Thomas at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2005

Social Security Information for People Affected by Hurricane Katrina

Go to the website for more links:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency/


The Social Security Administration is doing everything it can to ensure that monthly payments get to beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Katrina.

For paper checks

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has suspended mail service in some areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina. USPS is establishing temporary mail delivery stations so you can pick up your Social Security check. To find these locations, check the USPS National Mail Service Update page.

To help prevent identity fraud, USPS will ask you for a photo ID.

If you are not able to go to a temporary mail delivery station, you can go to any open Social Security office and request an immediate payment.

For Direct Deposit

If you receive your Social Security payment by direct deposit, your Social Security payment is scheduled to be deposited to your account as usual. However, if you experience any difficulty getting your payment, you can go to any open Social Security office and request an immediate payment.

Closed Social Security Offices

As of 9/1/05 the following Social Security offices are closed: