This message is from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).??

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ODEP News Brief. Driving Change - Creating Opportunity

February 8, 2024

Fostering Financial Literacy Among Disabled Youth: Policy Considerations

Financial literacy goes hand in hand with independence and economic self-sufficiency. That?s true for all youth and young adults, including those with disabilities. A new brief, Fostering Financial Empowerment for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities (attached below), published by ODEP?s Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth), provides policy considerations that help youth, young adults and their families foster financial literacy?strategies that can reduce financial pressures for youth and young adults as they transition to employment and adulthood.

? Read CAPE-Youth?s financial literacy brief (attached below)

Digital Equity and the Disability Ecosystem

State digital equity plans?programs that aim to ensure equitable access to broadband Internet across all communities?must collaborate with local, regional and national organizations to help close the digital divide. The Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), an initiative funded by ODEP, just released a new resource to help the creators and implementors of state digital equity plans engage with organizations that empower people with disabilities to live, work and participate fully in their communities.?

? Read PEAT?s digital equity resource

Community Partnerships: An Effective Inclusion Strategy

For businesses looking to hire, support and retain employees with disabilities, partnering with a government, nonprofit or educational organization can offer valuable assistance. This week, the ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) published ?Community Partnerships: An Effective Inclusion Strategy,? which includes resources, guidance and successful case studies for inclusion-minded businesses.

? Read EARN?s article on community partnerships

Coming Soon! Making AI Hiring Tools More Inclusive?A National Online Dialogue

The ODEP-funded initiative Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT)is hosting a national online dialogue to gather public input on how artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled hiring tools can be made more inclusive for people with disabilities, including those who may also be members of other protected classes (e.g., based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or genetic information). Join ODEP?s ePolicyWorks community today and receive an email to take part in this important conversation.

? Register for online dialogue updates (no current dialogues are open for registration)

Subscribe to ODEP?s Business Sense Newsletter

Are you a representative of a small business or someone who helps small businesses meet their workforce needs? If so, be sure to sign up to receive ODEP?s Business Sense newsletter. Developed specifically for small businesses, this monthly dispatch provides information and tips for advancing disability inclusion in smaller organizations that may not have dedicated human resources or personnel functions.

? Sign up to receive Business Sense

? Read past issues

Connect with ODEP on Social

ODEP?s technical assistance centers, initiatives and policy centers are on social media! Follow us to learn about current topics and trends in disability employment?from workforce development best practices and job accommodations to accessible technology and inclusive workplace policy.? ?

? Follow ODEP

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy

DRIVING CHANGE ? CREATING OPPORTUNITY ?

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On Tuesday, February 6, 2024 the Federal Communication Commission?s Wireline Competition Bureau released a Public Notice containing information about and a reminder that on Thursday, February 8, 2024 the Enrollment Freeze for the Affordable Connectivity Program begins. ?For more information and to download a copy of the Notice, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/document/wcb-reminder-februay-8-2024-enrollment-freeze-acp.?

A PDF of the Notice is attached for your convenience.

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This message is from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) sharing the Business Sense Newsletter.

View the Business Sense newsletter on our website.

February 2024

EARN?s Small Business Toolkit: Inclusive Strategies for Meeting Workforce Needs

Workforce shortages can jeopardize the success of any business, but they can be especially challenging for small businesses. When small businesses proactively recruit and hire people with disabilities, they can overcome many of these challenges. But the benefits of being a disability-inclusive employer go beyond filling open positions. Research shows doing so also helps businesses gain a competitive edge through expanded business reach, reduced turnover and insight into a large and growing customer base.

To help small businesses build an inclusive talent pipeline to meet their workforce needs, the ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) recently developed the Small Business Toolkit. This new resource will help small business owners and hiring managers learn how to effectively recruit and hire people with disabilities and further their long-term career growth.

Specifically, the Small Business Toolkit offers practical strategies for:
? Creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace;
? Providing reasonable accommodations;
? Recruiting job seekers with disabilities;
? Hiring people with disabilities;
? Retaining workers with disabilities; and
? Advancing talented employees with disabilities.

Additional topics addressed include digital accessibility, employee benefits, special considerations for federal contractors and subcontractors, relevant laws and regulations, workplace mental health, neurodiversity and more.
Small businesses are the backbone of America?s economy. They are also often a key part of the social fabric of their communities. By fostering an inclusive culture and building a workforce reflective of all customers, small businesses can have a big impact?both within and outside their own organizations. The Small Business Toolkit provides a step-by-step path to success.

EARN?s Small Business Toolkit was developed in collaboration with the U.S Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, the ODEP-funded Job Accommodation Network, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Disability Employment Policy
DRIVING CHANGE ? CREATING OPPORTUNITY

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