INDIANAPOLIS (March 23, 2016) – As part of Disability Awareness Month, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and its WorkOne partners are unveiling new workstations that contain assistive technology designed to help Hoosiers with disabilities in their search for gainful employment. These workstations can be found at twelve WorkOne Career Centers throughout the state, with nine more being added by the end of the year.
WorkOne assistive technology workstations include adjustable workstations, articulating arm supports, large print keyboards, and ultra HD video magnifier. WorkOne team members have been participating in regular training sessions to learn new strategies for assisting individuals with disabilities in their job search.
“The Department of Workforce Development exists to provide access to tools and services that enable Hoosiers to prepare for, obtain and retain employment,” said Steven J. Braun, Commissioner of the DWD. “Every job seeker has a different set of barriers to employment, and it is important that DWD staff and our WorkOne partners are trained and ready to assist Hoosiers with disabilities in their search for gainful, integrated employment. The addition of new assistive technology will enable us to better serve some of our most vulnerable and underemployed citizens.”
In addition to the assistive technology at WorkOne offices, DWD staff will join hiring managers, HR professionals and business owners from across Indiana for a disability inclusion conference on March 24, 2016. “The Successful Recipe for Disability Inclusion” is a day-long training seminar that will focus on ways organizations can improve accessibility in the hiring process, modernize digital and physical infrastructure and raise staff awareness of disability etiquette.
The workstations and conference are part of the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), which is jointly funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration and its Office of Disability Employment Policy. The DEI grant is designed to improve education, training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities (ages 18-64) who are unemployed, underemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits.
Visit www.in.gov/dwd/2416.htm for more information about DEI, other WorkOne initiatives to assist Hoosier with Disabilities and a list of locations with assistive technology. For more information on the March 24th Disability Inclusion Conference, please visit www.makingdiversitywork.org.
