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ODEP News Release: [05/29/2007]
Contact Name: Richard Manning or Jennifer Kaplan
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
Release Number: 07-0555-NAT
‘Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team!’ is 2007
National Disability Employment Awareness Month theme
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced that "Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team!" will be the official 2007 theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is observed in October nationwide.
"The 2007 'Talent for a Winning Team' theme captures the heart of the president's New Freedom Initiative, which is that Americans with disabilities are an underutilized reservoir of ambition, talent and skill ready to make great contributions in the workplace," said Secretary Chao.
Each October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month by congressional designation. The Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) leads the nation's activities and produces materials to increase the public's awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. Typically, private sector; federal, state and local government; and advocacy organizations piggyback on the same theme to plan events and programs that showcase the abilities of employees and job candidates with disabilities.
"America's employers benefit when they provide opportunities for Americans with disabilities to work," said Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary of labor for ODEP. "A winning team will include people with disabilities."
ODEP is the nation's first assistant secretary-led office that specifically addresses policies that impact the employment of people with disabilities. For example, ODEP has developed methods for the 3,500 One-Stop Career Centers nationwide to serve people with barriers to employment, including individuals with disabilities. Also, collaborating with sister Labor Department agencies — the Employment and Training Administration and the Civil Rights Center — ODEP developed a disability checklist to assist with implementation of Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act at the local level.
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