Employment First Initiatives
➤A Better Bottom Line
A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities was an initiative of Delaware Governor Jack Markell during his 2012-2013 term as Chair of the National Governor’s Association. The goal of this initiative was to advance employment opportunities for individuals with significant disabilities by:
- Educating both private-sector and public-sector employers about accommodating people with disabilities in the workplace and the benefits of doing so;
- Supporting state governments in joining with business partners to develop blueprints to promote the hiring and retention of individuals with disabilities in integrated employment in both the public and private sectors; and
- Establishing public-private partnerships to build out those blueprints and increase employment of individuals with disabilities.
2014 Employment First Oversight Commission Retreat
To develop its strategic direction and priorities, the Employment First Oversight Commission held a retreat over several days during 2014. The retreat developed plans to address the following priority areas:
- Data standards, needs, and analysis
- Strategic recommendations and reporting
- Education, awareness, and advocacy.
Here is the final draft of the report issued by the Commission: FY13-FY14 Employment First Commission Annual Report
Employment First Leadership State Mentoring Program
The U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy recognizes that many states desire to align their policy and funding in support of an Employment First approach but may not yet possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and/or resources necessary to lead and facilitate such change. To address this need, ODEP has initiated the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP), a cross-disability focused, cross-systems change initiative. The program began in Fiscal Year 2012, with services to four core states. In FY ’15, an additional 15 states, including Delaware, will participate in the program. Read More.
