September 2006                                                                           www.floridabln.org
Florida BLN Steering Committee
  
CHAIR
Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR
ITM Group, Inc.
VICE CHAIR
Sue Moore
Walt Disney World Co.
  
PAST CHAIR
Rita Barreto Craig
The Craig Group
  
VR LIAISON
Eladio Amores
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
  
BIG BEND BLN CHAIR
Sarah Butters
Holland & Knight
  
BREVARD BLN CHAIR
Douglas Barclay
Mercedes Homes, Inc.
BROWARD BLN CHAIR
Steven McCarty
Enterprise Rent-A-Car 
  
EMERALD COAST BLN CHAIR
Kari Beckwith
Target
 
FIRST COAST BLN CHAIR
Ira Wittenstein
Merrill Lynch

MIAMI-DADE BLN CHAIR
Bob Bromberg
Bromberg & Associates
  
PANHANDLE BLN CO-CHAIRS
Lara Burnside
The Studer Group

Jennifer Grove 
Gulf Power 

POLK COUNTY BLN CO-CHAIRS
Julie Hansen
Holland & Knight
  
Vivian Campbell-Williams
Polk Works
  
AT-LARGE MEMBERS
Cassandra Black
NASA
  
Steve Eisenhardt
Walt Disney World Co.
  
Christi Sutherland
Walt Disney World Co.

About the Florida BLN
The Florida Business Leadership Network is a peer-to-peer membership group of employers seeking resources to recruit, hire and market to persons with disabilities. Members include small and large businesses who recognize that success in the 21st century hinges on a diverse workforce that includes employees with disabilities.
For more information about the Florida BLN, visit www.floridabln.org.
To suggest an article or upcoming event to be included in this newsletter, e-mail the editor at kristen@abletrust.org.

 
Message from the Chair

 This month, Connections is full of great stories about businesses that are committed to the employment of Floridians with disabilities. Read about the winners of the Employer of the Year awards or check out one BLN chapter that's making its first year incredibly successful. Also, learn about how companies like Walgreens and Monster.com are making the web more accessible for jobseekers. 

    You can also read more about Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), scheduled for October 18, 2006. DMD is a great way to get involved and help provide career development to students and job seekers with disabilities.

    Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events section for local BLN chapter meetings and some other great events coming up around the nation.

For more information about these and other activities follow the links within the articles or visit http://www.floridabln.org/ .

   Finally, The Able Trust would like to extend a special thank-you to everyone who attended its first-ever Florida BLN Employability Symposium. The event was a tremendous success thanks to its participants and more importantly, the sponsors that helped make it possible: Darden Restaurants, Walt Disney World Co., Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Governor's ADA Working Group and HR Florida State Council.

   

 Ability Awards Winners Honored

     The Able Trust was pleased to honor the 2006 Employers of the Year at the 10th annual Ability Awards on August 18 in Tampa. Three employers were honored for their genuine commitments to supporting the employment of people with disabilities. Winners were chosen in three subcategories: Small Employer of the Year, Large Employer of the Year: Public Sector and Large Employer of the Year: Private Sector.

    Dunkin Donuts on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami was awarded the Small Employer of the Year award for its accommodations for employees and customers alike. These include disability awareness training sessions for the entire staff, ongoing idea exchanges with the Center for Independent Living, peer mentoring, job training and coaching for those employees who needed added support to be successful on the job. As a result, Dunkin Donuts' business has increased, staff morale has improved and the store has expanded to serve an additional untapped market - customers with disabilities.

    The Large Employer of the Year Award: Private Sector went to Miami-Dade County Government (MDCG) is a national leader in providing services to persons with disabilities, especially in the area of employment. In 2005, they implemented the "Outreach Intern Program for Individuals with Disabilities". This unique effort provides opportunities for County employment to the disability community. The program offers a 1-year paid internship for individuals with disabilities, helping them gain clerical or professional work experience, as well as an opportunity to develop marketable skills and the poitential for future employment with the County.

    Hilton Reservations and Customer Care (HRCC) of Tampa was awarded the Large Employer of the Year: Private Sector Award for their accommodation of employees and potential employees with disabilities. HRCC has made a number of modifications to accommodate its visually impaired employees including developing alternative formats for training materials, flexible work schedules around employees' public transportation needs and using adaptive technology. They also developed hiring checklists to clarify job functions and created awarness among its management and staff through disability ettiquette training.  

    Congratulations to all the winners and nominees of The Able Trust Ability Awards for your outstanding efforts to employ people with disabilities!

 

Get Involved with Disability Mentoring Day
    Mentors are needed for Disability Mentoring Day, October 18, 2006. Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is part of a national, broad based effort to promote career development through hands-on exploration, job shadowing and internship or employment opportunities. DMD promotes career development for students and job-seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration. 
     Employers interested in participating in Disability Mentoring Day are connected with a Community Liaison who will assist your company with becoming a workplace Mentor. Whether you have one employee or several interested in participating in DMD, there is an opportunity for you. You can participate in one-to-one job shadowing or groups of mentees can tour the workplace, meet with various employees on the job and learn first hand about different types of jobs and related opportunities within that career field.
    To find a Community Liaison in your area click here. To find out more information about Florida Disability Mentoring Day and other ways you can get involved visit http://www.floridadmd.org/ today.

 

 
Florida BLN Chapter of the Year
    During the recent Ability Awards, The Able Trust honored the Panhandle Chapter of the BLN as the 2006 Florida BLN Chapter of the Year. Established in August of 2005, the Panhandle Chapter has recruited over 60 members, 20 if which have hired 30 people with disabilities. The membership is committed to improving their education and awareness about disability employment issues not only among themselves, but also throughout the entire community. Congratulations on your success in such a short period.

Walgreens Launches Accessible Employment Website 

Walgreens recently announced its outreach initiative to hire people with disabilities at its new distribution center in Anderson, S.C. Scheduled to open in June 2007, Walgreens goal is to have at least one-third of its 600-person workforce, including management positions, consist of employees with disabilities. You can visit the site and learn more at http://www.walgreensoutreach.com/.

Monster and Hire Disability Solutions Introduce Site for Career Seekers with Disabilities
Monster and Hire Disability Solutions, LLC, recently unveiled a co-branded career resource section on HireDS.com's site. This joint initiative is intended to make Monster job search tools, career content and resume posting capabilities more accessible to individuals with disabilities. To view Hire DS's website, go to http://www.hiredisabilitysolutions.com


JAN Announces a New Employment Guide for Individuals with Disabilities
JAN consultants have developed an employment guide for job seekers as well as job candidates entering the workforce. The new on-line tool, "Finding a Job that is Right for You: A Practical Approach to Looking for a Job as a Person with Disability", can be found at: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/job/. 

Emergency Preparedness Guide For Local Governments Available

The US Department of Justice has made available an illustrated guide to help local governments meet their ADA obligations during emergencies. The guide, "Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to People With Disabilities" can be found online at http://www.ada.gove/emergencyprepguide.htm

BLN Chapter News  
Big Bend BLN Meeting
The next meeting of the Big Bend BLN will be held on Thursday, September 14, from 7am - 9am at Tallahassee City Hall in the Tallahassee Room.

Miami Dade BLN Meeting

The Miami Dade BLN will hold their next meeting on Thursday, September 28 from 8:30am to 10am at SunTrust Bank.

Upcoming Events


Accommodation and Compliance Audio/Web Training Series

November 14, 2006.

For more information on the Accommodation and Compliance Audio/Web Training Series, visit training@jan.wvu.edu or call 800-526-7234 (V/TTY).


J.A.N. Conference 2006

September 18 -19, 2006 at Hilton Boston Logan Airport. For more information email conference@jan.wvu.edu or visit http://conference.jan.wvu.edu/

USBLN Conference Scheduled for October
 October 4-6, 2006 at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center in Minneapolis. Information is available at the USBLN's website at http://www.usbln.com/.

Annual Federal Disability Conference

December 6-8, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. Program and registration information will be available in September at www.grad.usda.gove/perspectives.