WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today called upon nonprofits, small businesses, corporations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in advancing the employment and workplace environment of people with disabilities to submit their entries for the 2007 "Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award."

WASHINGTON — The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently established an alliance to encourage and promote the employment of people with disabilities.

The formal alliance, a first for ODEP with a major organization, will ensure that SHRM and ODEP stakeholders collaborate in this national effort by providing information, guidance, and access to resources.

Baseball Great Dave Dravecky Honored for Community Leadership

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao praised the nine winners of the Secretary of Labor's 5th Anniversary New Freedom Initiative Award for their outstanding efforts to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The awards ceremony took place today at the Washington Renaissance Hotel.

Baseball Great Dave Dravecky Honored for Community Leadership

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao praised the nine winners of the Secretary of Labor's 5th Anniversary New Freedom Initiative Award for their outstanding efforts to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The awards ceremony took place today at the Washington Renaissance Hotel.

WASHINGTON —U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today announced grants of nearly five million dollars for pilot projects and research to develop systems models designed to increase self-employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced a grant of $500,000 to Syracuse University's Burton Blatt Institute: Centers of Innovation on Disability, to lead a national research consortium to study employer practices in employing, retaining and promoting people with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — Preparing America's youth, including those with disabilities, for today's job market is an important task. Unfortunately, workforce development professionals have not always had access to the proper training they need to help youth to succeed. But in the 21st century, that is changing thanks to innovations funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today applauded the success of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in helping tear down barriers to equality for disabled Americans.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) has placed more than 300 qualified college students and recent graduates with disabilities in summer positions. The placements were made through a free database of 1,900 candidates seeking summer and full-time employment that was distributed on a compact disc this past spring to public and private sector employers.

Goal is to Support What Works Well, Leads to Success

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is making available up to $5 million to fund pilot projects aimed at increasing self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

WASHINGTON — DisabilityInfo.gov, a comprehensive one-stop federal Web site for disability-related information and resources, has received the American Association of Webmasters (AAWM) 2006 Gold Award for outstanding design and quality of content. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) manages the Web site, which can be found at www.DisabilityInfo.gov.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao this week announced that "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce" will be the official theme for October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is celebrated nationwide.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao today urged corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in enhancing employments opportunities for workers with disabilities to apply for the 2006 New Freedom Initiative award. Nominations must be submitted by May 31.

Labor Department Releases Free Database on CD

Awards Recognize Exemplary Efforts to Employ Workers With Disabilities

WASHINGTON-Innovations such as high technology vehicles for wheel chair users in Europe and new information technologies that level the playing field for working people with disabilities on both sides of the Atlantic were among many topics covered during a meeting here this week of government and private sector officials from the European Union and the United States.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced today that one individual, three non-profits and three businesses have been selected to receive the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Award for outstanding support of employment for people with disabilities.

WASHINGTON—Human service agencies in Maryland, District of Columbia, Illinois, Georgia, and North Dakota have been selected to take part in training and technical assistance programs for people with disabilities, the U.S. Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced today.

WASHINGTON—DisabilityInfo.gov, a one-stop Web site for disability-related information and resources, has received the Web Content Managers Best Practice Peer Award. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), which manages DisabilityInfo.gov, accepted the award that honors the Web site's outstanding "citizen-focused online services.

WASHINGTON—Assistant Secretary Roy Grizzard, head of the Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), participated today in a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The event, held at the Marriot Metro Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featured workshops focusing on various disability-related issues.