Florida BLN Steering Committee
CHAIR
Sue Moore
Walt Disney World Co
PAST CHAIR
Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR
ITM Group, Inc.
VR LIAISON
Eladio Amores
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
HR FLORIDA LIAISON
Catherine Mallozzi, SPHR
Florida Metropolitan University
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 CO-CHAIRS
Sheryl Hollarn
MTI/MTC Technologies
Gail Waller
Ft. Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce
FIRST COAST BLN CHAIR
John Wagner
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
FT. MYERS BLN
Erin Wilkinson
SunTrust Bank
GREATER ORLANDO BLN CHAIR
Mayra Hernandez
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
MIAMI-DADE BLN CHAIR
Bob Bromberg
Bromberg & Associates
PALM BEACH BLN CO-CHAIRS
Rita Barreto Craig
The Craig Group
Rose Lee Archer
Rose Lee Productions Inc.
PANHANDLE BLN CO-CHAIRS
Lara Burnside
The Studer Group
Jennifer Grove
Gulf Power Company
POLK COUNTY BLN CHAIR
Karen Mitchell
Lakeland Regional Medical Center
TAMPA BAY METRO CHAIR
Angela M. Rosario
JOBING.com
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.
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Message from the Chair
There are a variety of new and updated resources and online opportunities at your disposal in this month's issue. Learn about college recruitment of talented students with disabilities through the unique Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) database. Gain more insight on accommodating and communicating with deaf or hard of hearing individuals with resources like the Department of Justice's (DOJ)Tool Kit Materials and the Health and Human Services' online publications. Take part in rich online communities devoted to educating employers on innovation through ability and customized employment.
As always, we want to continue to keep you informed on activities of the Florida BLN local chapters as well as other disability related events. Featured in this issue are three upcoming national conferences: Bridges to Employment, Job Accommodation Network (JAN) and the US Business Leadership Network.
Finally, I'd like to welcome our newest Florida BLN Steering Committee member. Ms. Catherine Mallozzi, SPHR, joins the Florida BLN as our Human Resource Association of Florida (HR Florida) Liaison. Catherine serves as the Workforce Readiness Chair for HR Florida and is Director of Career Services for Florida Metropolitan University in Melbourne. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with HR Florida and want to welcome Catherine to our team.
Please be sure to visit our Florida BLN website at http://www.floridabln.org/ for additional helpful resources and information. If you have an event or best disability employment practice you'd like to share with the membership, please email or call Kristen Knapp at the Florida BLN at Kristen@abletrust.org or toll-free 888-838-2253.
The 2007 Workforce Recruitment Program Database Released
Through a coordinated effort of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense, the 2007 Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) Database was finalized and released on March 21, 2007.
This nationwide database is an excellent resource for recruiting talented college and university students and recent graduates with disabilities for summer or permanent positions. The database holds over 1,500 talented students with disabilities from over 200 colleges and universities, across all majors. These applicants have been pre-screened through face to face interviews allowing a database of accurate profiles and qualifications.
The database can be accessed through the Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN). Contact an EARN Employment Specialist by calling 1 (886) 327-6669 or email at earn@earnworks.com.
USBLN/JAN Webinar Series
The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) in partnership with the Job Accommodations Network (JAN) initiated a new webinar series. This series focuses on employers, providing detailed topics on innovation, raising expectations and results and the focus on ability.
There are three upcoming sessions, May 17th, June 15th and July 19th. These series will touch upon recruitment and employment of college students with disabilities, maximizing the disability community's potential through "complex but systematic" jobs and the roles and responsibilities for accommodating people with disabilities, respectively.
All sessions are from 2pm to 3pm. For more information, please visit JAN at: www.jan.wvu.edu/blnwebinar.
DOJ Releases Additional Tool Kit Materials
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently released additional technical assistance materials in conjunction with the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments. This tool kit is designed to help communities better understand the issues involved in providing equal access for people with disabilities and to provide a reasonable approach to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The new materials address effective communication requirements under the ADA and emergency communication services. This includes information on auxiliary aids and services, written and face-to-face communication, automatic identification features and TTY systems.
The tool Kit and other ADA materials are available at www.ada.gov.
Web Based Materials To Assist Hospitals in Effective Communication
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has several online publications and resources designed to assist hospitals in meeting the communication needs of individuals who lack English proficiency or who are deaf or hard of hearing. These materials ensure compliance with the ADA and enables proper medical care and treatment.
Among the publications is the ADA Business Brief, which focus on effective communication with deaf and hard of hearing people. For details on the HHS's initiative and to view publications, click here.
Webcast Series on Customized Employment
Hurry! There are only three of Work Support's seven series webcast on customized employment left. These remaining sessions engage in the following topics: transition to meaningful adult roles, organization change and customized self employment. These unique sessions feature a live video presentation with great speakers and a 30 minute chatroom session following the presentation. The upcoming dates are May 15th, May 22th and June 12th, respectively.
For more details visit Work Support at: www.worksupport.com/training/webcastSeries.cfm.
Florida BLN News
BLN Local Chapter News
Miami BLN Chapter
The next meeting of the Miami BLN Chapter will be held on Tuesday May 1, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM. The meeting will be hosted by Miami Dade College-Wolfson Center. Please contact Bob Bromberg for more information at BobBromberg@aol.com.
Panhandle BLN Chapter
The Panhandle BLN meets the last Wednesday of each month from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for May 30th at the Lakeview Activity Center. The chapter is also hosting a learning session on May 25th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For details on this or other events, contact Lara Burnside at lara@studergroup.com.
Upcoming Events
Bridges to Employment Conference: Exploring Career Opportunities for Latinos with Disabilities
On June 13-15, 2007, the national Bridges to Employment Conference will be held at the Radisson Miami Hotel in Miami, Florida. This event is hosted by Proyecto Vision, the national technical assistance center on employment, in partnership with Best Buddies and AT&T. Click here for details about registration and fees and a sample itinerary.
JAN 2007 Conference
The Job Accommodations Network (JAN) will hold its annual conference on August 6-7, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia. Held in a different state each year, this conference provides employers, service providers and individuals everywhere an opportunity to gain valuable disability information from the JAN staff. Visit www.jan.wvu.edu for more information.
2007 USBLN Annual Conference
The USBLN Annual Conference will take place on September 24-26, 2007 at the Lake Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Florida. The theme will be Building the New Workforce-Inclusion and Innovation. It will also feature a career fair for high school and college students with disabilities, hosted by The Able Trust. Visit http://www.usbln.com/ for more information.
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