By Jennifer Burnett
The Department of Labor has awarded $14,837,785 in grants to six states – California, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota and South Dakota – to improve employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities as part of the Disability Employment Initiative. The initiative awards grants to help increase the participation of adults and youth with disabilities in existing career pathway systems and other programs that bring together educational institutions, the private sector and disability advocates.
“Breaking down barriers to employment for people with disabilities is important in order for our country to field a full team and ensure that no worker is left behind,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez in a press release. “The federal grants we’re awarding today will help open many more doors to opportunities, providing people with disabilities with skills they need to achieve economic self-sufficiency.”
In particular, those awarded grants will use the funding to:
- hire or designate a Disability Resource Coordinator, an expert in workforce and disability issues, to achieve program goals;
- foster partnerships and collaboration at the state and local levels;
- integrate resources and services; and
- ensure that local American Job Centers comply with physical, programmatic and communications accessibility requirements.
This is the fifth round of grants through the initiative, which has funded 37 projects across 26 states.
To learn more about this initiative, visit the U.S. Department of Labor.