|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date. Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-6373 ext. 4
Continuing its efforts to address employability in the
global economy, the Department of Labor (DOL) will co-host a conference with
the European Union on the use of information and communication technologies to
expand employment of people with disabilities. The conference is scheduled for
Monday and Tuesday in Madrid, Spain.
"The challenge of the global economy is for governments to
harness the talent of its workers and to find new ways to prepare its workforce
for the economic, social and technological changes on the horizon," said
Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman. "We know workers with disabilities will be
more needed in the next decade and with technological advances we have greater
opportunities to make use of their abilities and energy. By the same token,
with these technological gains they can have a better chance to get into the
mainstream economy. This international meeting permits us to proactively meet
these changes."
The conference combines DOL efforts on labor issues agreed
to under the New Transatlantic Agenda and the work of the Presidential Task
Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities chaired by Secretary Herman.
Tony Coelho will lead the U.S. delegation. He is chairman
of the President's Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities and
vice chairman of the Presidential Task Force headed up by Secretary Herman.
Representatives from private industry, labor unions, DOL and other federal
agencies will attend.
"Problems and solutions in the global economy must be
viewed from a multinational perspective. Collaboration with our colleagues in
the European Union is essential and welcome. We are most anxious to share
information on practical solutions which have produced concrete results and
also to learn about other countries' successes. We need to explore the best
uses of all human resources," said Coelho.
The Madrid conference will focus on the best practices
which have produced tangible results in increasing the employment rates of
people with disabilities in the U.S. and the member countries of the European
Union. Conference goals are to: identify technologies; determine why they
succeeded; and, propose ways in which the technologies could further support
increased employment levels. Agenda topics will include equal opportunity to
work, universal design in information technology, incentives and disincentives
to work, structure of government support benefits and self-employment. The
organizers intend to have a conference featuring practical examples of private
and public programs which actually raised employment rates for people with
disabilities. Two of the featured U.S. programs will be the national,
community-based High School / High Tech program and Ideal of NCR.
This conference is an initiative of the working group on
employment issues set up under the New Transatlantic Agenda. The agenda, signed
in December 1995 by the United States and the European Union, calls for, among
other matters, cooperation between the parties in the field of jobs and growth.
In particular, the areas targeted by the working group include new forms of
labor-management cooperation; increased investment in human resources;
smoothing the transition from school to work and from job to job; active labor
market policies and the relationship between work and welfare; employment and
new technologies; and encouraging entrepreneuralism.
Information on the US/EU conference can be found on the
Web at
http://www.conf-us-ue-disability.org.
Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
| 
