October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which celebrates the contribution of people with disabilities in the workplace as well as brings awareness about equity and diversity for employers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) creates the theme, and this year it is “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.”
The Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands (DRCVI) is spearheading the events this year along with several partners, including the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, Virgin Island University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI VIUCEDD), the Virgin Islands Small Business Development Center (VI SBDC), the Governor’s ADA Coordinator, Island Therapy Solutions, VI Division of Disabilities and Rehabilitation Services (VIDDRS), and the Virgin Islands Department of Labor (VIDOL).
This employer partnership group was created in July 2020 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and continues throughout the year with quarterly events in partnership with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Miami office.
“A strong workforce is the sum of many parts, and disability has always been a key part of the equation,” said Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn M. Williams.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month events will occur the week of Oct. 24. DRCVI and its partners are inviting the community to the following workshops:
Bill Sanchez, director of San Juan EEOC office, will be the guest speaker for the training for employers. Additional speakers include:
Shayne O’Rourke-Testa, program director for VI Supported Employment Specialist, a division of Island Therapy Solutions
Kimberly Washington, acting administrator, Department of Human Services, VIDDRS
Shammi Carr, advocate, DRCVI
Shelley Timmons, DPT, ATP, assistant director of Clinical Development Research and Grant Writing, UVI VIUCEDD
An additional online event, entitled, “NDEAM’s Employer Recruitment Roundtable,” will be held for job seekers with or without disabilities in partnership with the V.I. Department of Labor on Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OEtAbLXiQjmiCeQ3g49y5Q.
At the Roundtable, several employers will talk about their recruitment process and openings in the territory.
Request for disability accommodation to participate should be made 10 days in advance of the event to Shammi Carr, DRCVI Advocate at 776-4303 or scarr@drcvi.org.
To register for any of the events mentioned above, email scarr@drcvi.org.
