ODEP Releases Roadmaps II
Introduction and Overview
On September 24, 2007, a Business Dialogue on Accessible Technology and Disability Employment was held in Orlando, Florida. The Business Dialogue was sponsored by the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) and the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) with the participation of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. Department of Labor, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the Business Dialogue was to provide cutting-edge business leaders and decision-makers with the opportunity to develop consensus Roadmaps to enhance the hiring, retention, and advancement of persons with disabilities and others through accessible technology.
The Business Dialogue Roadmaps (also referred to as Roadmaps for Enhancing Employment of Persons with Disabilities Through Accessible Technology or Roadmaps I) affirm current successful business policies and practices and identify new strategic policies and practices. The Roadmap for the business community identifies the actionable steps that can be taken by the business community to facilitate the widespread adoption of these policies and practices by businesses. The Roadmap for the federal government identifies actionable steps that can be taken by the federal government to facilitate implementation of successful policies and practices by businesses on a large scale. The official launch date of Roadmaps I was January 31, 2008, at the ATIA Leadership Forum on Accessibility in Orlando, Florida.
Roadmaps I PDF
Roadmaps I Word Doc
The AT Collaborative – a group of national organizations funded by ODEP and CESSI to address AT issues and provide policy recommendations related to the employment of individuals with disabilities – considered the issue of AT and employment from the perspective of AT service providers and disability stakeholders who work directly to assist individuals with disabilities. The AT Collaborative consisted of eight national organizations and four state partners that were selected due to their experience and expertise in AT. The work of the AT Collaborative on AT and employment was coordinated by the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and resulted in the report entitled Roadmaps II for Enhancing the Employment of Persons with Disabilities Through Accessible Technology.
Roadmaps II provides an overview of federally funded AT programs and information on the creation of the AT Collaborative; a compilation of some of the barriers impacting the use of AT by individuals with disabilities regarding employment; and recommendations to increase and enhance the employment of individuals with disabilities though AT (including a response to the Business Dialogue Roadmaps). The official launch date of Roadmaps II was April 21, 2009, at the 2009 Annual Conference of AT Act Programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
