Celebrating
SKILL
and
TALENT:
The Campaign for Disability Employment
What can YOU do to help change attitudes and improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities? Quite a bit, say the organizers of the Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE). Funded by the U.S. Department pg!Mbcpst!P%df!pg!Ejtbcjmjuz! Employment Policy (DOL/ODEP)- which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year-the CDE promotes positive messages to employers and others about the skills and talents that people with disabilities bring to America's workplaces and economy. In fact, it is the force behind four powerful public service announcements (PSAs) that have aired more than 400,000 times on television stations nationwide. If you watch TV, there is a good chance that you've spotted one of uif!DEF!QTBt/!Jut!bhtijq! production, "I Can," features seven people with disabilities stating what they can do at work when given the opportunity. "Because" targets uiptf!xip!jovfodf!uif!dbsffs! aspirations of youth with disabilities, demonstrating that all of us have a crucial role to play in helping young people set goals and dream big. And "Who I Am" showcases nine people who are not efofe!cz!uifjs!ejtbcjmjujft/! The CDE's most recent PSA, "Working Works," explores the many reasons people work. Its four primary cast members include Major League Baseball great Cal Ripken, Jr. and three other individuals who worked with their employers and healthcare professionals to make a plan to stay at or return to work following illness or injury. While TV has been the primary distribution channel for the CDE's PSAs, a radio version of "Who I Am"-which really strikes at the heart of disability pride and identity-was distributed to stations nationwide last year in honor of ADA's 30th anniversary. In addition, billboards honoring the important milestone appeared on highways in several states. Of course, there's much more to the CDE than its PSAs. Its website, WhatCanYouDoCampaign.org, features a range of tools and ideas for supporting the campaign's goals, such as CDE support badges, posters, and ready-to-publish news briefs and ads. The CDE also engages its followers through regular Twitter chats and a robust social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. While ODEP leads the CDE, the campaign is a highly collaborative f$psu!bnpoh!mfbejoh!cvtjoftt!boe! disability organizations. Members include the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Disability:IN, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), the National Business and Disability Council (NBDC), the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the National Organization on Disability (NOD), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Special Olympics (SO). These groups meet regularly to share innovative disability employment policies and practices that will serve as the basis for the CDE's next media products. So stay tuned. In the meantime, what can YOU do to advance the CDE's mission? Leverage its products, join the conversation and spread the vital message that at work, it's what people CAN do that matters-this year, and every year.
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