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Classroom Accommodation Network(CAN)
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Employability Day On October 24, 2007, the FLCDI partnered with the Kent State University Center for Disability Studies, the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission and VocWorks to provide an employability seminar and mentoring program for employers and individuals with disabilities. Over 50 student job seekers, faculty, rehabilitation professionals and business people attended the day-long event which was held in the Kent State Student Center. Dr. Richard Roessler from the University of Arkansas, a renowned author, Professor of Rehabilitation and expert on the employment of individuals with disabilities, hosted the day. Employability Day was designed with the goals of three constituent groups in mind: students and jobseekers, mentors, and employers and organizations. For students and jobseekers, Employability Day enabled them to learn about the trends in employment of people with disabilities, to network with mentors in their targeted careers, to obtain information relevant to their job search, and to meet with leaders in the industries/occupations they have chosen. Mentors who attended the event shared their experience in their careers, provide students and jobseekers with information related to networking with specific employers and professional organizations in those occupations, and shaped the future of their industries and co-workers. Finally, employers and organizations used the event to learn about successes in employing and retaining individuals with disabilities, to learn about the latest trends in the employment of individuals with disabilities including ADA and other relevant legislation, to be spotlighted in a local, state and national presence for their successes in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and to shape the future of potential employees of their companies or their specific industries. In addition, CEU credits were available for rehabilitation professionals who attended the event. To meet the needs of each of these groups, Employability Day was comprised of two coordinated, but distinct, components: 1) a morning seminar featuring information from national speakers and organizations, and state and local rehabilitation professionals regarding current employment trends and incentives for hiring individuals with disabilities; and 2) an interactive afternoon session featuring meetings where mentoring professionals and their assigned “job seekers” shared information related to job searching, preparation and career openings. Feedback from evaluation forms reported that participants from all three groups overwhelmingly found the day informative, helpful, and even entertaining. Participants wished that they had been given even more time for interaction and expressed an interest in attending the event again in the future. |
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Kent State University,
Center for Disability Studies, 414 White Hall, PO, Box 5190 Kent, Ohio 44242
home |about us | Faculty Learning Community on Disability Issues | Professional Development Institute Questions or problems regarding this web site
should be directed to can@kent.edu . |
