Live Work Achieve: November 2014

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

Special Edition – November 4, 2014

Welcome to Live.WORK.Achieve, a monthly e-newsletter targeting anyone interested in and supportive of employment for youth and young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Live.WORK.Achieve is offered through the Institute for Disability Studies in collaboration with the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities and Disability Rights Mississippi and includes resources and information on employment and career development.

Call for Mississippi disAbility MegaConference Presentations Is Now Open

Take part in the 2015 Mississippi disAbility MegaConference by submitting a presentation proposal to one of the most diverse gatherings in the state. This year’s conference is scheduled for June 18-19, 2015, at the Mariott-Downtown Jackson, located at 200 East Amite Street.

The Mississippi disAbility MegaConference is soliciting presentations on all topics important to people with disabilities and their families. This year’s conference has a particular focus on celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Information for and about veterans is also welcome. Proposals are encouraged from presenters with disabilities and their families. For a copy of the Call for Presentations application, visit http://www.msmegaconference.org/. Please submit your proposal to Polly Tribble at ptribble@drms.ms or fax it to 601.968.0665. Presenters must be available to present on June 18 or 19, 2015. The Program Committee reserves the right to schedule your one-hour presentation at any time on those two conference days. Proposals must be submitted by email or fax.

Important Deadlines

· Final Submission: Friday, January 16, 2015

· Notification of Selection: Friday, February 6, 2015

· Submission of Presenters’ CEU Forms: Friday, February 27, 2015

· Assistive Visual Tool Submission: Monday, March 30, 2015

· Registration Deadline for Presenters: Tuesday, April 7, 2015

***PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to access any of the links in Live.WORK.Achieve, please make sure the entire link is highlighted. If a link is not highlighted, please copy and paste the entire link into your Web browser.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Live.WORK.Achieve~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Live.WORK.Achieve is sponsored by the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment (MSPE) for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities, Including Intellectual Disabilities project. MSPE is funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is managed by the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities (MS CDD), Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS) and The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS).

***********************************

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

***********************************

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this mailing was forwarded to you and you are not already subscribed to the Live.WORK.Achieve listserv, here’s how you can become a subscriber:

TO UNSUBSCRIBE

Unsubscribe online at https://mailman.usm.edu/mailman/listinfo/mspe and login with your email address and your password. If you do not have a password (they are emailed to members at the beginning of every month), contact one of the administrators listed below.

****************************************

Please visit the IDS Calendar of Events at http://www.usm.edu/ids/calevents/.

Questions may be addressed to

Alma.Ellis@usm.edu

Jerry.Alliston@usm.edu

_______________________________________________

MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

mspe@usm.edu

https://mailman.usm.edu/mailman/listinfo/mspe

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

November 2014

Inside this edition:

1) Defense Department Working to Hire More People with Disabilities

2) 2014 National Study of Employers: Including the Talents of Employees with Disabilities

3) Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research Includes Disability Employment Policy Area

4) Workplace Flexibility Fact Sheet and Toolkit

5) Two New Fact Sheets from AbleData

6) Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT)

__________________________________________________________________

1) Defense Department Working to Hire More People with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is taking steps to become a model employer of people with disabilities. The agency’s new director of disability programs, Randy Cooper, is leading a department-wide effort to hire more people with disabilities, including troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information, read this article http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123484.

2) 2014 National Study of Employers: Including the Talents of Employees with Disabilities

The Families and Work Institute (FWI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) have published the 2014 National Study of Employers: Including the Talents of Employees with Disabilities. Based on a survey of small and large employers related to the use of workplace flexibility (workflex) and the provision of reasonable accommodations, the report proposes recommendations for employers invested in improving employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. With workflex and other reasonable accommodations, employers can create workplaces that support the diverse talents of all employees. For a copy of the 15-page report, visit http://www.familiesandwork.org/downloads/nse-14-disabilities.pdf.

3) Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research Includes Disability Employment Policy Area

The U.S. Department of Labor's Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research (CLEAR) is designed to make research on labor topics more accessible to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and the general public so it can inform their decisions about labor policies and programs. CLEAR now features a Disability Employment Policy topic area that focuses on research determining which programs have been most effective at improving direct labor market outcomes such as employment and earnings, improving education and health status which may affect a person's ability to work, and decreasing federal disability. To see recent areas of research, visit http://clear.dol.gov/topic-area/disability-employment-policy.

4) Workplace Flexibility Fact Sheet and Toolkit

The US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has released a new fact sheet, Workplace Flexibility: A Strategic Business Approach for an Inclusive Workplace. The fact sheet provides private-sector business examples outlining the benefits of workplace flexibility as well as the federal government's use of this approach. The fact sheet also addresses how workplace flexibility can help employers comply with many federal regulations. In addition, ODEP has provided the Workplace Flexibility Toolkit to assist employers with implementing flexible workplace policies and practices. For a copy of the three-page fact sheet, visit http://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/workplaceflexibility.pdf. View the toolkit at http://www.dol.gov/odep/workplaceflexibility/.

5) Two New Fact Sheets from AbleData

The AbleData project funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has released two new information products on assistive technology (AT). Try AT Products Before You Buy outlines how users can gain hands-on experience of AT products via a demonstration at an AT center, a home trial, or short-term loans. View this five-page article at http://abledata.com/abledata_docs/Try%20AT%20Products%20Before%20You%20Buy_PDF.pdf. How AT Can Help You at Play offers tips on choosing the right AT to help staying active with a disability. View this five-page article at http://abledata.com/abledata_docs/How%20AT%20Can%20Help%20You%20at%20Play_PDF.pdf.

6) Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT)

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has announced the launch of PEATworks.org—a comprehensive web portal spearheaded by the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT). From educational articles to interactive tools to expert interviews, PEATworks.org has something for everyone. To stop by, explore, and get excited about accessible technology, visit http://www.peatworks.org/.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Live.WORK.Achieve~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***********************************

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

***********************************

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this mailing was forwarded to you and you are not already subscribed to the Live.WORK.Achieve listserv, here’s how you can become a subscriber:

TO UNSUBSCRIBE

****************************************

Please visit the IDS Calendar of Events at http://www.usm.edu/ids/calevents/.

Questions may be addressed to

Alma.Ellis@usm.edu

Jerry.Alliston@usm.edu