| October 8, 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Virtual Celebration Join U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams for a virtual celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the 20th anniversary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. The event will be held on October 20 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET. It will feature insightful dialogues and a video showcase highlighting strategies in action for an equitable, disability-inclusive recovery. Featured guests will include Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Director Jenny Yang and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Jennifer Sheehy. ODEP at 20: Driving Change through NDEAM The Office of Disability Employment Policy's Assistant Secretary Taryn Williams published a blog on "ODEP at 20: Driving Change through NDEAM." In the blog, Williams discussed the importance of promoting disability inclusion through changing people's attitudes and behaviors. She highlighted National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the Campaign for Disability Employment as powerful tools to make progress. "NDEAM, the CDE and our other awareness-building activities are important complements to ODEP's policy work, helping illustrate, through positive imagery and stories, the importance of our work to advance disability equity and inclusion, every day of every month," said Williams. ODEP at 20: Leading Voices – Dr. Roy Grizzard In celebration of the Office of Disability Employment Policy's 20th anniversary, ODEP Deputy Assistant Secretary Jennifer Sheehy posted a blog on "ODEP at 20: Leading Voices – Dr. Roy Grizzard." In the blog, Sheehy interviewed Dr. Roy Grizzard, ODEP's first assistant secretary from 2002-2007. He reflected on the accomplishments during the early days of ODEP, including initiating the process of adding disability employment-related questions to the Current Population Survey, which is the primary source of labor force statistics for the United States. COVID-19 and Competitive Integrated Employment The Employment First Community of Practice webinar on "Lessons Learned from COVID-19's Impact on Competitive Integrated Employment" will be held on October 13th from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. In the webinar, David Mank and Rich Toscano will discuss their findings from group interviews with national and international leaders on COVID-19's impact on competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities. They will also present strategies for employers and providers to consider post-COVID-19 to maximize CIE for people with disabilities. AI & Disability Inclusion Toolkit The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology launched the "AI & Disability Inclusion Toolkit." This online resource helps organizations implement equitable and inclusive artificial intelligence in the workplace. Within the toolkit is a 10-step "Equitable AI Playbook" for organizations to follow as they procure, develop and implement AI technologies in the workplace. Inclusive, Immersive Workplace Technologies The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology collaborated with the XR Association to release two resources focused on inclusive, immersive technologies. The introductory brief on "Inclusive, Immersive Workplace Technologies: Bringing Accessible XR Technologies into Fast-Growing Fields" gives leaders a summary of how accessible extended reality tools can benefit their organizations. The in-depth white paper on "Inclusive XR in the Workplace: How Accessible Immersive Technologies Can Help Employers Upskill and Enable an Increasingly Diverse Workforce" covers why workplaces should implement inclusive XR and how they can get started. Inclusive Apprenticeships The Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship published "The Value of Inclusive Apprenticeships." This resource helps employers determine the benefits of creating inclusive apprenticeship programs. It offers tips for calculating the return on investment of these programs, how employers can create an apprenticeship program, resources for including people with disabilities, and information on how to fund an inclusive apprenticeship program. Disability Employment in State Government The State Exchange on Employment & Disability hosted a presentation and listening session on "Hiring and Retaining Persons with Disabilities in the Workplace" during the National Association of State Personnel Executives annual meeting. The session included remarks from David D'Arcangelo and John Oliveria of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, as well as an interactive discussion led by SEED on the challenges and successes state governments experience in hiring and retaining people with disabilities during the pandemic and beyond. COVID-19 Federal Guidance The Council of State Governments, as part of its collaboration with the State Exchange on Employment & Disability, published a new resource on "COVID-19 Federal Disability-Specific and Other Related Guidance." The webpage summarizes updated guidance from federal agencies that can assist states and localities in ensuring their COVID-19 recovery policies align with civil rights laws and other disability-related policies. | 
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