Washington—U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today urged federal government agency heads to continue to enthusiastically support a Bush Administration program that has successfully placed hundreds of college students with disabilities in summer and permanent employment.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) today released a report that gives federal officials and workers key advice and comprehensive recommendations on ensuring a safe and secure environment for the more than 120,000 employees with disabilities who work in buildings, regional offices or field locations owned or leased by the federal government.

WASHINGTON—A free database that identifies almost 1,600 qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities who seek summer and permanent job openings is being made available to government and private sector employers.

WASHINGTON—Deputy Labor Secretary Steven J. Law said today that the Labor Department’s programs and policies are helping to reduce barriers to employment for those with disabilities.

WASHINGTON—Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao and Small Business Administration Administrator Hector V. Barreto today signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) designed to help people with disabilities pursue small business ownership and to also increase their employment opportunities in small businesses.

WASHINGTON—Today U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao delivered the keynote address at the two-day Labor Department event entitled “Emergency Preparedness For People With Disabilities: An Interagency Seminar Of Exchange For Federal Managers.”

WASHINGTON—Noting “inadequate transportation can inhibit employment for all people, but is an even greater barrier to people with disabilities,” Dr. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) said today, “Government at all levels is working to coordinate transportation policies and programs for those people with disabilities who need it the most.”

WASHINGTON—Calling it “Yet another example of President George Bush’s deep commitment to making government easily accessible to all Americans,” Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao hailed the one-year anniversary of DisabilityInfo.Gov, a comprehensive Federal web site, managed by the Labor Department, with one-stop access to governmental disability information.

Award Recognizes Achievements on Behalf of People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON—Five businesses, four organizations, and one individual today received the Secretary of Labor’s annual New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Awards. The NFI Award recognizes exemplary and innovative public-private partnership efforts in furthering the employment objectives of the President’s New Freedom Initiative. The recipients were honored in a luncheon ceremony at the Labor Department.

WASHINGTON—Dr. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), was the keynote speaker at a U.S. Labor Department ceremony kicking off the 5th annual celebration of Disability Mentoring Day.

Disability Mentoring Day comes during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao selected “America Works Best When All Americans Work” as the official theme for October to continue to focus on solutions that ensure the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the 21st Century workforce.

WASHINGTON—Human service agencies in Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Washington will take part in a training and technical assistance program for people with disabilities, U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced today.

“Tomorrow we celebrate the 13th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a landmark legislation of compassion and empowerment. The ADA has been a major civil rights legislation for the disabled community. Since its passage, it has been a powerful force in removing barriers to people with disabilities by increasing their opportunities in education, home ownership, transportation, and employment.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L Chao today issued a compliance assistance “Checklist” designed to ensure nondiscrimination against and equal opportunity for persons with disabilities under Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The checklist was sent to all WIA program operators who receive government financial assistance.

WASHINGTON—Oct. 15, 2003 has been designated as National Disability Mentoring Day, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today.

Begun in 1999, National Disability Mentoring Day promotes career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through one-on-one job shadowing, group visits to public and private employers, and hands-on career exploration. It is held in October in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

WASHINGTON—The Departments of Labor (DOL) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today they were jointly making up to $13.5 million available to help fulfill the Administration’s goal of ending chronic homelessness among persons with disabilities.

WASHINGTON—Two solicitations to help mentor and successfully transition youth with disabilities to work were published in the June 16, 2003 Federal Register by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today.

WASHINGTON—DisabilityInfo.gov, a comprehensive federal Web site with one-stop access to governmental disability information, has gone over the one-million visitor mark and achieved more than 20 million “hits,” Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced today.

“DisabilityInfo.gov provides Americans with disabilities a direct and easy connection to information and resources they need to become full participants in the 21st Century workforce,” Secretary Chao said.

WASHINGTON—Two solicitations for Customized Grants and High School/High Tech (HS/HT) Development and Implementation Grants were published in the June 6, 2003 Federal Register by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today.

WASHINGTON—Two grant solicitations were published in the May 29, 2003 Federal Register by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today.

WASHINGTON—More than 260 college students and recent graduates with disabilities have been placed in summer and permanent jobs since the Labor Department’s Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) was announced in April, U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao said today.