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October is National Disability Awareness Month
Speed Networking Creates More Opportunities for Job Seekers with Disabilities
CBLN meets CPLN
Members of the Chicagoland Business Leadership Network (CBLN) met members of the Coordinating Council of the Chicagoland Provider Leadership Network (CPLN) for an afternoon of speed networking held at Maggiano's Little Italy in Chicago, September 23, 2008. CBLN member businesses interested in hiring people with disabilities engaged in a highly interactive fast-paced networking 4 minute sessions with service providers who provide employment placement services with people with disabilities.
This exciting and highly charged luncheon resulted in providers developing a greater understanding of the workforce needs of individual businesses and created linkages with service providers that represented a cross-disability population of job seekers with disabilities. Service provider CPLN Coordinating Council members are now more accessible to the CBLN business members that attended this Speed Networking event.
The original idea for this event came out of Mayor Richard M. Daley's Task Force on the Employment of People with Disabilities (2002-2005). The event was sponsored by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce - disabilityworks program where the primarily support comes form the IL Dept of Commerce and Economic Opportunity under the leadership of Director Jack Lavin and is part of Gov. Blagojevich's workforce development initiatives. This event supports the disabilityworks mission of increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Putting Disabilities to Work!
Mark Schiller, President of Quaker Oats PepsiCo Chicago Gives Keynote Address
Director Jack Lavin, IL Dept. of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity (DCEO)provided opening
remarks to a packed house at a luncheon event
called "Putting Disabilities to Work" held in
Northbrook, IL on September 17. Director Lavin
also introduced the disabilityworks video. DCEO
provides the primary support for disabilityworks
which is part of Governor Blagojevich's Worforce
Development Inititiative.
Mark Schiller, President of Quaker Foods and
Snacks, PepsiCo Chicago, presented the keynote
address where he described PepsiCo's EnAble
Resource Group which assists the corporation in
creating a disability-friendly workplace.
Barbara Herber, Employment Services Specialist, accompanied by Shawna Young, Business Services Coordinator, both from the IL Dept. of Employment Security spoke about tax incentives that are available to businesses in hiring people with disabilities. 
Senator Susan Garrett, Illinois 29th
District organized this event in
collaboration with the Northbrook
Chamber of Commerce, disabilityworks
and the IL Dept. of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity. The event was
also sponsored by other Chambers in the
north suburban area.
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Disclaimer: disabilityworks is unable to verify that every job lead or announcement that is sent out through www.disabilityworks.org is from disability-friendly employers or organizers. Rather, news and job leads are sent to give disabilityworks members more access to employment information.
Increasing Economic Opportunities for People with Disabilities
disabilityworks, an exciting initiative from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the City of Chicago, is designed to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout Illinois.
- Is your web site fully accessible so that people with disabilities can use it? Learn more about web accessibility.
- Learn about our Healthcare Industry Project.
A Hub for Three Groups
Through disabilityworks, employers, people with disabilities, and disability/employment service providers are strategically linked:
- Employers will understand the business benefits of hiring qualified people with disabilities and will gain access to a large pool of productive and diverse employees.
- People with disabilities will have access to job opportunities and choices for full inclusion and specialized services. This includes accessing our CPLN list of Job Placement & Occupational Training Providers.
- Providers will operate as a resource to employers and people with disabilities, training people with disabilities and referring them to the right jobs. The term "providers" in this site refers to organizations that offer job readiness, job training, job placement, and educational services to people with disabilities.
What can disabilityworks do for you?
disabilityworks can link you to the following economic opportunities:
- Employers can join a network of business leaders that have expanded their bottom lines through the hiring of people with disabilities (CBLN), and learn about tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities.
- Find small business development opportunities or centers (SBDC)
- Find jobs in the non-profit sector.
- Colleges, universities and job placement/training organizations can join a network of disability/employment service providers (CPLN).
- Find work incentives and supports for people with disabilities.
- Gain access to employment services. Note that disabilityworks does not do direct job placement. Rather, we refer to the CPLN service providers in our network.
- Gain access to transition information from K-20 educational programs.
disabilityworks Online Calendar of Events
disabilityworks encourages people with disabilities, employers and service providers to submit relevant events for posting on the www.disabilityworks.org website. Appropriate calendar postings include the following:
- Career or employment related events
- Training events
- Disability related events with an emphasis on workforce issues.
Other events may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Click here to submit events.
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