Jumpstarting a Conversation about Mental Health
Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor observed the 26th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a special event focused on mental health. The event featured a screening of the documentary, “Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw,” followed by a discussion with the film’s director and Holdsclaw herself, a former basketball star who now dedicates her time to advocating for better supports for others with mental health conditions, including in the workplace.
Display Your Support for NDEAM
With National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) 2016 right around the corner, now is a great time to plan how your business will observe and show support. One simple way is to display this year’s official NDEAM poster. Hard copies of this year’s poster in both English and Spanish are now available for free by mail. Order them today to send a colorful reminder to employees that #InclusionWorks – for business, for opportunity and for innovation.
It’s Back to School Time!
In many places across the nation, children are heading back to school. As a result, it’s a perfect time for educational institutions to understand accommodations for educators with disabilities. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers a range of resources, including a guide focused on educators with disabilities, to assist employers in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing appropriate and effective accommodations. Like EARN, JAN is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.
Still Time to Nominate a Disability Champion
There is still time to nominate someone for a 2016 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award, named in honor of one of the world’s foremost advocates for people with disabilities, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Bestowed annually by the Viscardi Center, these awards recognize leaders who have helped improve quality of life for people with disabilities in all areas of community life, including employment. This year’s selection committee is co-chaired by Robert Dole, former U.S. Senator, and Sherwood D. Goldberg, Esq. (Col. Ret), Senior Advisor for Asian Affairs Center for Naval Analysis.
Speaking the Same Language: Making Closed Captioning Work
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016, 2:00 – 3:30 P.M. ET
WEBINAR
Today, more and more tools are available that allow businesses to create their own videos in-house, whether for purposes or training employees or promoting their products or services. But, it’s important for such videos to include captions for accessibility. In this webinar, Beth Lund, a Technology Accessibility Specialist with Ashford University, will discuss free and low-cost tools available to help and standard best practices for creating captioned videos.
Disability Diversity in the Higher Education Workforce
October 13, 2016, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
WEBINAR
Hosted by EARN in collaboration with the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), this webinar will address how to incorporate disability into college and university workforce diversity plans as a way to foster a more inclusive academic environment and campus community. Eight important dimensions to disability inclusion in the higher education environment will be discussed, as well as best practices being utilized by HERC member institutions.
Sean Callaghan works as a general manager for Sodexo, leading a team of food service workers who have a range of disabilities. Recently, the Ontario Disability Employment Network awarded Callaghan a Champion’s League Award for his dedication to breaking down barriers for employees with disabilities. According to Callaghan, the decision to hire people with disabilities began as a way to give back to the community, and has proven to be an all-around good business decision.
Last month’s anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act presents an opportune time for employers to brush up on their knowledge of the law’s employment provisions. This page on the EARN website provides a broad overview of the law, including employer coverage and who is a qualified person with a disability under it. It also touches upon what employers can and cannot ask applicants, job candidates and current employees related to medical conditions.
The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) is a resource for employers seeking to recruit, hire, retain and advance qualified employees with disabilities. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy under a cooperative agreement with The Viscardi Center. For more information, visit AskEARN.org
Preparation of this material was funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, Grant No. [OD-26451-14-75-4-36]. This document does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
