Nine Honorees Receive Secretary of Labor's New
Freedom Initiative Award Recognizing Achievements On Behalf Of People
With Disabilities

WASHINGTON—Five businesses, three non-profits, and one National Football League player have been selected by U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao as recipients of the Secretary of Labor's Annual New Freedom Initiative Awards.

The Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award recognizes exemplary and innovative efforts to train, recruit, and hire people with disabilities, and to incorporate the principles of President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative. The New Freedom Initiative is a comprehensive set of proposals designed to give people with disabilities the opportunity to fully participate in all aspects of community life, including employment. Awardees will be honored by the Secretary at a November 17 departmental ceremony. Biographies on the awardees and additional information can be found at www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/nfi04.htm.

"President Bush wants all Americans to have the opportunity to develop skills and engage in productive work,” said Chao. “Recipients of the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award recognize the value that persons with disabilities bring to the workplace and that wisdom is reflected in their daily actions and operations."

The awardees are:

INDIVIDUAL

• Michael John Maslowski Kansas City Chiefs, Overland Park, Kansas

NON-PROFITS

• Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities Washington, DC
• Project SEARCH Cincinnati, Ohio
• Salt Lake Community College Skills Center Projects With Industry Salt Lake City, Utah

BUSINESSES

• A & F Wood Products Howell, Michigan
• Hewlett-Packard Company Palo Alto, California
• MBNA America Bank, N.A. Wilmington, Delaware
• Microsoft Corporation Redmond, Washington
• SunTrust Banks, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

Today's announcement comes during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Secretary Chao selected "You're Hired! Success Knows No Limitations" as the official theme for October to continue to bring focus and awareness to solutions that ensure the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the 21st Century workforce.

BACKGROUND: President Bush introduced the New Freedom Initiative within the first 30 days of his Presidency, on Feb. 1, 2001. The New Freedom Initiative represents a comprehensive set of proposals designed to ensure that Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, make choices about their daily lives, and participate fully in their communities. The department's Office of Disability Employment Policy has the key responsibility for implementing the employment-related aspects of the President's New Freedom Initiative.

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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.