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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
WASHINGTON - Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor will host a national Summit
on the 21st Century Workforce on Wednesday, June 20, 2001 at the MCI Center in
Washington, D.C.
The day-long event will cover a number of issues, including
how jobseekers with disabilities can better gain access to the 21st Century
Workforce. The day will begin with a breakfast featuring Federal Reserve
Chairman Alan Greenspan at 8:30 a.m. The public portion of the program will
begin at 9:30 a.m. with remarks from Secretary Chao, and a variety of speakers
and events lasting until 4:30 p.m.
"This summit is a wonderful opportunity for leaders in the
disability community to gather and discuss the transformation impacting our
nation's workforce in the 21st century," Chao said. "Our country needs to focus
on how we can best utilize technology and other changes to empower Americans
with disabilities to become a greater part of the 21st Century workforce."
Participants in the day's activities include: Chairman of the National
Organization on Disability (NOD) Mike Deland; President of NOD Alan Reich;
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers' Steven James Tingus;
Paralyzed Veterans of America's Lee Page; Senior V.P. of the Institute for
Rehabilitation and Research at Baylor University Lex Frieden; and V.P. of
EnabledOnline.com Betty Easler. ABC Television's Cokie Roberts will moderate
the morning session of the program and FOX's Tony Snow will moderate the
afternoon.
Summit Highlights:
- Launch of a groundbreaking public service announcement to combat
negative stereotypes of people with disabilities featuring celebrities
including Harrison Ford, Angela Bassett, Stevie Wonder, and Christopher Reeve.
The PSA was developed via a public-private partnership between the National
Organization on Disability, Microsoft, and American Express, with partial
sponsorship by the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with
Disabilities. Secretary Chao chairs the task force.
- Job fair - free and open to the public - with 128 regional employers
on the MCI Center's two concourses. The job fair will run from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Doors for the summit and job fair open at 8:00 a.m. Six Department of
Labor job sites across the country will participate in panel discussions via
satellite. The entire event will be broadcast live over the Internet at
www.dol.gov. Those who wish to participate in
the summit can go tohttp://www.dol.gov/21cw/summit.htm for more
information and to register. Media who wish to cover the event should contact
Bennett Gamble or Mike Shields at (202) 693-4650. Press must be credentialed
prior to the event.
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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.
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