Hot Off the Press
April 2, 2009
Self-Employment Web Courses and Webcast Series
START-UP/USA, ODEP's cooperative agreement with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is offering an online Overview of Self-Employment for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (April 27-May 31, 2009). The course will cover Strategies for Exploration & the Discovery Process, Writing a Business Plan, Conducting a Feasibility Study. Accessing Community Supports, Identifying Funding, and Using Work Incentives and other topics. Tuition is $60 per person. Registration and course brochure are available at: http://www.start-up-usa.biz/training/webcourses.cfm.
2009 Self-Employment Live Webcast Series (Starting on April 1, 2009; all begin at 2:00 pm ET)
START-UP/USA is offering six (6) presentations and earn CRCs on the following current topics: Negotiation Strategies for Business Owners (4/01/2009), Inclusive Entrepreneurship (5/20/2009), Three Models of Self-employment (6/17/09), The Customized Self-Employment Model (7/22/09), Current Research in Self-Employment (8/19/09), The Financial Side of Self-Employment (9/16/09). Registration and course brochure are available at: http://www.start-up-usa.biz/training/webcasts.cfm.
Jan. 14, 2009
ODEP's Customized Employment Initiative Receives 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Awards Recognition
Harvard University's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation recognizes ODEP's Customized Employment initiative as noteworthy, placing it among the top 20 percent of more than 600 applicants. According to Stephen Goldsmith, Director, Innovations in American Government Awards, Harvard University's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, ". . . this identification is the result of their belief that the program implements established best practices."
The Innovations in American Government Awards Program is a significant force in recognizing and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector. Through its annual awards competition, the Program provides concrete evidence that government can work to improve the quality of life for citizens and that it deserves greater public trust. By highlighting exemplary models of governments’ innovative performance, the Program serves as a catalyst for continued progress in addressing the nation’s most pressing public concerns.
June 30, 2008
ODEP's Customized Employment Initiative Adopted by Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett praises the County’s Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) report on County Government Hiring of Persons with Disabilities and highlights a unique public internship program designed to create flexible work opportunities in County government for individuals with significant disabilities. The County Customized Employment Program is administered through the Montgomery Works One Stop Workforce Center, one of ODEP's Customized Employment funded intiatives. Read more.
May 23, 2008
The Business and Professional Women's Foundation (BPWF) is highlighting four of ODEP's and ODEP's funded projects' employment strategies in its Successful Workplaces Digest. The Digest, a companion to BPWF's June 2008 National Employer Summit, will showcase promising practices, great ideas, and applied research that builds diverse, equitable, and flexible workplaces. Submissions were contributed by a diverse pool of employers, researchers, and advocates. ODEP's customized employment, mentoring for youth, recruitment and retention of mature workers, self-employment, and universal design strategies targeted to employers and workforce development systems are among the four Digest strategies.
