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ODEP News Release: [12/02/2003]
Contact Name: Michael
Volpe
Phone Number: (202) 693-7909
Labor Secretary Chao Keynotes Seminar on Emergency
Preparedness for People with Disabilities in the Federal Government
WASHINGTON—Today U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
delivered the keynote address at the two-day Labor Department event entitled
“Emergency Preparedness For People With Disabilities: An Interagency
Seminar Of Exchange For Federal Managers.”
“Every single day, more than 120,000 employees with disabilities go
to work in the national headquarters buildings, regional offices or field
locations that are owned by or leased by the federal government. Their safety,
and the safety of all federal workers, is a top priority,” said Secretary
of Labor Elaine L. Chao in the keynote address.
“At the Department, we have always taken the safety requirements of
our over 1,000 employees with disabilities very seriously. We are constantly
revising and fine tuning our emergency preparedness plans,” said Secretary
Chao.
The Secretary also noted that the seminar would help to advance
President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative, which has the goal of fully
integrating people with disabilities into the workforce.
“There is no one size fits all when it comes to emergency
preparedness,” said Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Disability Employment Policy, the host agency for the Seminar. “By sharing
what we know with each other and asking the critical questions, we will be able
to create thorough and comprehensive emergency preparedness plans for all
federal employees in an emergency situation.”
Over 200 people from 90 different federal, state and local agencies and
outside organizations will discuss effective strategies for building,
implementing and maintaining an emergency preparedness plan that involves
people with disabilities in the workforce. In addition to Secretary Chao and
Assistant Secretary Grizzard, other speakers at the December 2-3 event will
include Daniel Sutherland, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, US
Department of Homeland Security, and Pamela Butler, Defense Intelligence
Agency, U.S. Department of Defense.
All aspects of the two-day Seminar are open to accredited media except
for breakout sessions. Copies of the agenda and additional information for the
media are available from Michael Volpe of the Department’s Public Affairs
Office at (202) 693-7909.
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