February 1st, 2018 Newsletter

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Brewing Inclusion in Milwaukee
Last week, members of the EARN team were in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they had the opportunity to hear and learn from local employers about their experiences recruiting and retaining people with disabilities and discuss strategies for improving education around the issue in the state. The event, which included representation from Baird, Manpower and Aurora Health Care, among others, was organized in collaboration with the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce and TransCen, Inc., a disability employment and training service provider with offices in Milwaukee as well as Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Learn more about the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber or TransCen, Inc.

Workforce Recruitment Program
In a recent U.S. Department of Labor blog post, Lauren Karas, a business development specialist in the Office of Disability Employment Policy, shared how the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) helped launch her federal career – and that of many young students and recent graduates with disabilities from colleges and universities across the country. She also explained how the program benefits employers, both federal agencies and private-sector, by connecting them with highly qualified students and recent graduates and offering the opportunity to assess the skills and abilities of potential future hires. Read the blog post or learn more about the WRP for federal or private employers.

American Heart Month
Fittingly, February is American Heart Month, a national annual campaign that educates about heart disease and how to prevent or manage it. As such, the month is also an opportune time to learn about workplace accommodation ideas for employees who may have heart conditions. As part of its Accommodation and Compliance Series, the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers a wealth of information on the topic. Like EARN, JAN is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. Learn more about accommodations for people with heart conditions or American Heart Month.

Thinking Accessible
A new video put out by BuzzFeed News educates about how people who are blind or visually impaired, including one of BuzzFeed’s News Editors, use and interact with different types of technologies. It also illustrates how technology – if it’s accessible – can drastically enhance life and workplace productivity for people with a range of disabilities, just like it does for all people. Fully captioned and audio described, the video itself is also an example of accessible technology in action. View the video or learn more about workplace accessible technology.

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February 22, 2018, 1:00 p.m. ET
Webinar: Intro to Accessibility: What Employers Need to Know to Create a Technology-Accessible Workplace
Today, technology is one of the central drivers of productivity, for all workers. But when technology isn’t accessible, it can cause employers to miss out on potential talent. In this webinar, EARN and the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) will discuss the basics of accessible workplace technology and strategies for integrating accessibility standards and best practices into the workplace, as well as tips for creating accessible documents and websites. Register for the February 22 webinar.

March 1, 2018
Deadline: Disability Employment Tracker
The deadline to participate in the 2018 Disability Employment Tracker™ is March 1, 2018. Sponsored by the National Organization on Disability (NOD), this tool provides companies a confidential assessment of their disability inclusion policies and practices, providing tailored reports in four areas. By completing the 2018 survey, companies may be eligible to compete for the 2018 “NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal” and the 2018 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. Learn more about the Disability Employment Tracker.

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