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Remarks Prepared for
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
DisabilityInfo.gov 5th Anniversary Ceremony
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, October 26, 2007
Thank you, Karen [Czarnecki, Acting Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy]. And thank you for your leadership!
Good morning everyone, and thank you for being here today during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This morning I have the pleasure of welcoming all of our important partners and stakeholders to today's exciting event. It's the 5th anniversary of the groundbreaking website, DisabilityInfo.gov.
Let me first recognize the representatives from our 22 federal agency partners who are here. Without you, DisabilityInfo.gov would not be the success story it is today. Your efforts have created a truly one-stop website where Americans with disabilities can access the information to pursue their personal and professional ambitions.
In 2002, President George W. Bush called for the creation of DisabilityInfo.gov as part of his New Freedom Initiative. Since then, this website has had some tremendous achievements. The daily rate of visitors to the site has more than doubled over the past five years. And as of this month, total visitors to the site have reached more than 7 million from 180 countries. So it is an added achievement that this project has attracted the interest of people worldwide, and perhaps set an example for others to emulate.
DisabilityInfo.gov has also won numerous awards, including the e-Gov Institute's Knowledge Management Award and the Web Managers' Best Practice Award. These recognitions are a tribute to the collaborative effort of more than 100 individuals from our agency partners. They include content providers from the Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy, and those from other federal government agencies. By posting the most up-to-date information online, our contributors help make DisabilityInfo.gov the leading source for federal, state and local disability-related information.
On this fifth anniversary milestone, with so much shared success, there is also a lot more good work we can begin. So at today's event, we'll premier an educational video that highlights the benefits and accomplishments of DisabilityInfo.gov. This film also promotes the many uses of the website. We hope you will encourage others to download it from the DisabilityInfo.gov homepage and share it with your friends and colleagues.
We'll also take lessons and inspiration from our website's latest federal agency partner, the Corporation for National and Community Service. David Eisner, the Corporation's CEO, is here to tell us how his agency provides people with disabilities opportunities to volunteer in service to their country. He'll also explain how technology has opened doors for the community. And so we're eager to hear his perspective, and to share goals and best practices.
We're also very pleased that Major Daniel Gade, White House Associate Director for Domestic Policy, has joined us today. Major Gade is a 1997 graduate of the United States Military Academy. He is also a double Purple Heart recipient who has served our country during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In his position at the White House, Major Gade is responsible for disability and healthcare issues, as well as matters relating to active military personnel and veterans. Please join me in welcoming Major Daniel Gade!
And, finally, we will have the privilege to present awards to our federal partners who have shown a remarkable commitment and support to DisabilityInfo.gov. Each honoree shows us that our partners — from agencies, down to the individual — have all played a key role in our website's success. And in doing so, each has helped Americans with disabilities access the information to live more independently, and with dignity.
Before I hand over the program, let me thank each and every one of you for supporting Americans with disabilities. All of you have played an important role in DisabilityInfo.gov's first five years. And I'm sure that the next five years of our website will deliver even more benefits for those who rely on its many resources.
Thank you.
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