Aerial View of Washington DC
DC Metro BLN News - March 2019
DC Metro BLN and BroadFutures Launch E-Learning Modules for College Students and
Recent Graduates with Disabilities
The Millennial Employer Collaborative (ME) is excited to announce the launching of two cloud-based e-learning modules, “Striving” and “Thriving.”

These modules are the product of the DC Metro Business Leadership Network, BroadFutures and the Millennial Employer Collaborative (Career and Disability Service Offices, BLN Employers, Students and working Graduates). They were designed to prepare current students and graduates for career success.

The purpose of each course is to provide current students or recent college grads with disabilities- regardless if the disability is apparent or non-apparent - with some key learnings that will help them to be even more successful as they transition from school to career and thrive in careers.

These courses will be provided first to The George Washington University and Gallaudet University, their students and their graduates who shared ideas and information that they would like to have to be successful in careers.

The “Striving” module provides tips on benefits of Self-Advocacy, Self-Disclosure, Self-ID, Requesting Accommodations and Getting the Job Offer.

The “Thriving” module offers more tips on benefits of Self-Advocacy for Success, and Employee Resource Groups, Mentoring and Moving On Up.

These modules were created using C5 Consulting, LLC’s E-Learning Team and include Voice Over, Transcript, Quiz, Resources and a Glossary of Terms. If you would like to see a Demo of the modules or would like to suggest additional colleges and universities, please email Katherine McCary

C5 Consulting, LLC, a Disability Strategy Consultancy, was the first on the market to offer e-learning to their employer clients which have been utilized by thousands of employees since their launch in 2012.

BroadFutures. Inspiring inclusion. Expanding the Workforce.
C5 Consulting LLC. Valuing Abilities. Strengthening Inclusion.
Upcoming DC Metro BLN Programs
Thanks to our 2018 Gala Sponsors
Booz Allen Hamilton. Strategy and technology consultants.
eSSENTIAL Accessibility
Herson Family Vineyards.
KPMG
Lockheed Martin.
Northrop Grumman.
The Sierra Group. Disability & Employment Leaders.
TCS Associates
TCS Interpreting
IN THE NEWS - Articles of Interest
Dinah Cohen
Introducing the EARN Online Training Center

EARN is pleased to unveil a new resource - the Dinah Cohen Training Center for Disability Employment and Inclusion. This one-stop resource for comprehensive, curated multimedia training on disability inclusion offers a wide range of turn-key presentations developed by EARN that employers can use to implement disability inclusion training in their workplaces.  Read more
Photo of three African American actors with disabilities.
Grey's Anatomy Shatters Stigma Through Accurate Representation of African Americans with Disabilities

Lauren Appelbaum, Communications Director, RespectAbility

Rockville, Md., Feb. 7 – It is important that the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy not only shatters stigma against mental health but also portrays African American characters with a variety of disabilities.


Interracial Couples and Disability-Friendly Emoji Coming Soon to Smartphones
A selection of the new emoji released by The Unicode Consortium for 2019. Apple proposed more emoji to better represent individuals with disabilities, which includes individuals with wheelchairs, canes, hearings aids and prosthetic limbs. Another highlight includes a new "people holding hands" emoji that will let users mix and match different skin tones and genders.
OFCCP U. S. Department of Labor
Introducing VERP

OFCCP just issued a new directive to establish the Voluntary Enterprise-wide Review Program (VERP). Here's what federal contractors should know: 

What is VERP?  
The  VERP directive  creates the framework of a completely voluntary compliance program for high-performing federal contractors.  VERP is part of a broader effort by OFCCP to find innovative ways for ensuring federal contractors comply with equal employment opportunity laws corporate-wide. 
 
What is the benefit in participating?
For contractors who want to be recognized for their comprehensive, corporate-wide inclusion and compliance programs, VERP provides an alternative to OFCCP’s establishment-based evaluations. OFCCP will remove accepted participants from the neutral process the agency uses to schedule establishment-based compliance evaluations for up to 5 years.

How do I participate in VERP?
OFCCP plans to begin accepting applications from federal contractors in the coming year. Part of the application process will include a compliance review of the contractor's headquarters location and a subset of establishments. Be on the lookout for a message later this year on how to apply. 
Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics - 2018

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the “Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics — 2018” report. The data on persons with a disability are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides statistics on employment and unemployment in the United States. The collection of data on persons with a disability is sponsored by ODEP. The report shows that the annual unemployment rate for persons with a disability dropped to a record low of 8.0% in 2018, down from 9.2% the previous year.

Events
nTIDE Lunch & Learn

March 8, 2019 noon EST


Webinar Agenda

  • 12:00 pm: Overview of National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) Jobs Report Release – Andrew Houtenville, UNH-IOD & John O'Neill, Kessler Foundation
  • 12:15 pm: News from the field of Disability Employment – Denise Rozell, AUCD
  • 12:30 pm: Guest Panelist - TBD 
  • 12:45 pm: Open Question & Answer period for attendees

If you missed previous webinars you can watch the nTIDE webinar recordings .
Digital Accessibility Legal Summit

Updates, Best Practices & Core‑Concept Training

Tuesday March 12, 2019
Optional Training Course: Monday March 11
Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort,
Anaheim, CA

An event for...
  • digital accessibility professionals
  • legal practitioners & counsel
  • IT program managers & executives
  • diversity program managers
  • accessibility program managers
  • students in accessibility and legal fields
AAPD
 
March 12, 2019
6:30pm | Cocktail Reception
7:30pm | Evening Program

Washington Hilton
1919 Connecticut Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20009

The AAPD Leadership Awards Gala provides a unique opportunity for AAPD’s partners, supporters, and colleagues to show their support of disability rights and inclusion for all Americans with disabilities, while bringing together the disability community with business and government leaders for one night each year.
Tri-state Diversity Council

2019 Tri-State College Diversity Summit
Disrupting Norms: Changing the Paradox
March 23, 2019 
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM 

Rutgers Business School
Second Floor Auditorium
1 Washington Pl
Newark, NJ 07102

WMILG Meeting - OFCCP Focused Reviews and
Organizational Justice

Thursday, March 28, 2019 from 8:30 - 11:30 AM EDT

Thales USA, Inc.
2733 South Crystal Drive, Suite 1200 Arlington, VA 22202

Join WMILG for this quarterly meeting, which will feature a roundtable on OFCCP audits and contractors lead by Dean Sparlin, as well as a presentation on Organizational Justice by Dr. Mike Aamodt. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for networking, and to hear updates directly from OFCCP & EEOC!
The Arc Northern Virginia
Breakfast Feeds the Body and the Soul

Friday, March 29, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00 am

Benefit Breakfast to Feature Inspiring Stories of Families Served by The Arc of Northern Virginia. Join us for The Arc of Northern Virginia’s first annual  “A Life Like Yours” Benefit Breakfast  to raise important funds to sustain and strengthen vital programs, services, and advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. You'll hear first-hand from self-advocates and parents about the challenges faced and how The Arc of Northern Virginia has made a difference.

The event takes place on Friday, March 29, 2019, at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner on  7920 Jones Branch Drive  in McLean. A coffee reception & networking period begins at 7:30 am. The breakfast and program begin at 8:00, and ends promptly at 9:00.

This year’s breakfast theme is “Share the Vision – Make it Possible.” Our Vision is to create a society that protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. Direct supportive services, information & education, and public advocacy are how we at The Arc of Northern Virginia encourage and embrace self-determination, community, equity, and diversity. We partner with each individual, and their family members and caregivers, on their personal journey toward achieving self-fulfillment and realizing their dreams of living “A Life Like Yours.”

There is no cost to attend, and no ticket to purchase. However, attendees will be asked to make a donation to The Arc of Northern Virginia. For more information, or to reserve your seat, email  events@thearcofnova.org .
10 th Annual Voices of Change Conference: Secondary Transition for DC Youth BY DC Youth March 29 th  

Friday, March 29, 2019 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place NW, Washington , DC 20001

Sponsored by:  District of Columbia Department on Disability Services & the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Teaching & Learning

Join us in celebrating disability awareness and youth voice! Participating youth will have opportunities to LEARN, LEAD, and ACT.

Registration will start in January 2019.

Autism at Work Virtual Career Fair

Friday, April 23, 2019 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM PDT

Registration deadline is March 15th.

No cost to employers to attend.

In for INclusion

2019 Disability:IN Annual Conference and Expo

July 15 - 18, 2018
Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile

Disability:IN has opened registration for the 2019 Annual Conference and Expo. Last year’s conference sold out and this year the event is expected to bring together more than 1,500 attendees from across the country. This year’s theme is “IN for INclusion”.
Shifting Gears in a Fast-Changing World.

2019 ILG NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Shifting Gears in a Fast-Changing World
July 30 through August 2, 2019


The theme of this year’s conference is “Shifting Gears in a Fast-Changing World.” The conference will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 30 through August 2, 2019. We will be looking for new and innovative presentations that recognize the many changes that practitioners in the EEO/AA field and that workers in general are facing. The RFP will provide you with some possible topics for the conference, but we welcome different, creative ideas that will be of value to conference attendees.

Director of OFCCP Craig Leen and Acting Chair of the EEOC Victoria Lipnic have confirmed their attendance at the 2019 NILG Conference in Milwaukee! 
At last year’s conference, Director Leen spoke at length about the OFCCP’s top priorities, outlining his goals for the agency in the coming year and gave contractors a preview of the many transformative changes we saw in 2018.

In 2018, the EEOC saw sexual harassment filings jump by 12% - the first increase in at least eight years. Expect Acting Chair Victoria Lipnic to address this topic and more at the conference.
Don’t miss your chance to hear cutting edge agency developments from these two influential leaders!

RIT. National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Save the Date: 
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
As you make your employee recruitment plans for 2019, the NTID Center on Employment (NCE) invites you to join us for the 19 th  annual Career Fair, Wednesday, October 16.

Registration opens in the spring and NCE will reach out with more information as the registration date approaches.
If you’re looking to:
  • Diversify your workforce.
  • Learn how to become an advocate for accessibility
  • Meet like-minded professionals in a new and exciting environment
The RIT/NTID career fair will help you meet your goals.
A record 54 companies, including Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, Merck, NAVSEA, Texas Instruments, the CIA and Prudential Financial participated in the 2018 fair.
2019 ANNUAL MID-ATLANTIC ADA UPDATE CONFERENCE
November 13 - 15, 2019
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The 2019 Mid-Atlantic ADA Update will provide a wide range of up-to-date information on ADA regulations and guidelines, as well as strategies and best practices for successful implementation of the law. Conference speakers will include subject-matter experts from federal, state, and local government agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations, and universities. The ADA Update will offer opportunities to network with other professionals with similar interests and concerns. Professional development hours from several accreditation organizations will also be available.
For more information visit the conference website
About Us
The DC Metro Business Leadership Network is an employer led non-profit that uses a business-to business model offering education, training programs and resources to change attitudes and address concerns of businesses so that they learn how to proactively include people with disabilities in the workforce, marketplace and supplier diversity.