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
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
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.
To suggest an article or upcoming event to be included in this newsletter, e-mail
the editor at kristen@abletrust.org.
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Message from the Chair
In celebration of Disability Employment
Awareness Month, this month's issue of
Connections is packed with updates and activities surrounding the employment of citizens with disabilities.
You can
read more about becoming a mentor on Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), scheduled for October 18, 2006. Or learn more about local chapter activities, including the kickoff of the First Coast
BLN and the upcoming Connections event in Broward County.
We’ve added new links to the BLN web page at www.floridabln.org, including downloadable resource guides and links to help you search for valuable employees with
disabilities. And we regularly update the News & Events section of the site with local and statewide disability employment events.
For next month’s issue, we’d like to hear from
you, the members of the Florida BLN. The BLN is an opportunity for you to share best practices about disability hiring challenges or successes.
Do you have a best practice scenario you would like to share or is there a particular issue you’d like more information about? If so, please
email us at Kristen@abletrust.org so we can make sure we are meeting
your needs each month through the website, this newsletter and other FBLN
activities. |
Get Involved with Disability Mentoring Day 2006!
Mentors are still needed for Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), 2006! DMD, held October
18,2006, is a national event that allows students and job seekers with disabilities the opportunity to be mentored in career fields that interest
them. This year, Marc Buoniconti, a nationally recognized champion for research to cure spinal cord injuries, was named honorary chair of Florida DMD
2006 by The Able Trust.
DMD is part of a 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 or organizations wishing to
participate in a job shadowing experience during Disability Mentoring Day or interested in sponsoring the statewide kick-off event can contact
Kristen Knapp, APR, at (888) 838-2253 or Kristen@abletrust.org or visit http://www.floridadmd.org/ today.
Don't Forget!
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. For a poster and other information, visit the Office of
Disability Employment Policy website at www.dol.gov/odep
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Governor Bush Promotes Jobs for
People with Disabilities
Governor Jeb Bush recently
joined members of the newly established First Coast Business Leadership Network to launch a campaign to encourage employers to recruit and hire
qualified individuals with disabilities in the Jacksonville area.
"Florida’s growing economy and job market should be open to the largest minority group in our state, persons with
disabilities,” said Governor Bush. "By fostering employment opportunities, we can empower persons with disabilities to live the American
dream. Individuals can become active in their communities, and employers benefit from hiring qualified and hardworking employees.”
The First Coast Business Leadership Network is one of 11 local BLN chapters across Florida.
The chapter is kicking off activities with an Employer Awareness Campaign that will include public service announcements produced by Comcast Cable and
aired on the cable stations statewide.
"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is pleased to serve as the lead employer sponsor of
the new First Coast Business Leadership Network. We are a company with a long standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we find it
especially rewarding to participate in an organization that opens the doors of meaningful employment to people with disabilities," said Robert I.
Lufrano, M.D., Chairman and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, lead employer for the First Coast BLN.
For more information on hiring
qualified workers with disabilities or joining the First Coast Business Leadership Network, visit http://www.apd.myflorida.com/ http://www.myabilities.org/.
Department of Justice Course -
Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Justice's Disability Rights Section's has
an online course for businesses, “Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities.” The course explains how the ADA applies to businesses in
ten short lessons. Putting these lessons into practice enables businesses to both comply with the ADA and attract the disability market. The course is
available online at http://www.ada.gov/reachingout/intro1.htm
Two Guides available on the Basics of Hiring People with
Disabilities
The US Department of Education’s Office of Special
Education & Rehabilitation recently released their revised Disability Employment 101 and the companion piece Disability Employment 101
for Your Business. These guides offer how-tos, checklists, and models of best practices. They can be downloaded here
here
and here from the US Department of Education website.
BLN
Local Chapter News
Big Bend Chapter
The next Big Bend Business Leadership
Network meeting will be held on November 16, 2006 from 7:30-9:00 AM.
Miami-Dade Business Leadership
Network
The Miami-Dade BLN, now established as a 501c3
nonprofit organization, was recently awarded a grant from The Able Trust in the amount of $35,000. The grant award will help create a paid
internship program designed to provide employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities and change employer's attitudes about hiring
individuals with disabilities.
Upcoming Events
Broward County's Connections Event
The
Second Annual Career Fair and Workshop Series focused on Individuals with disabilities features a job fair, best practices workshops, and
national speakers. The event will be held Tuesday, October 10th from 8am to 4pm at the Signature Grand in Davie, Florida. For more
information visit www.connectionsevent.com.
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).
Annual Federal Disability Conference
December 6-8,
2006 at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. Program registration and information are available here.
CLM Workfroce Connection Free Seminar for Supervisors, Managers and HR Professionals
October
12, 2006
CLM Workforce Connection is
hosting a free, half-day seminar for business professionals on October 12, 2006 from 8am to 1pm in the Klein Conference Center located on the Ocala
campus of Central Florida Community College. Breakout session topics include, tax incentives for businesses that hire people with disabilities,
successful hiring practices being used in local, school districts and government agencies, affordable technology and accommodations, complying with
the ADA and getting to know local resources and how they can help your company. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, so reservations are required.
Contact Emma Eldred at 352-873-7939 ext. 1234, or eeldred@clmworkforce.com. This program has been
approved for four recertification credits for PHR and SPHR through the Human Resource Certification Institution.
JAN Webcast: Addressing Substance Abuse in
the Workplace
October 17, 2006
Register for a Job Accommodation Network Webcast addressing substance abuse in the workplace. This Webcast will
provide information on all types of challenges substance abuse poses for employers, employment laws related to employees with substance abuse, and
ideas and resources to help employers deal with this issue in the workplace.
The fee for the Webcast is $25 per Internet Connection. To register, visit www.jan.wvu.edu/teleconf/Register/. For more information, email training@jan.wvu.edu.
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