US Labor Department awards $1.1 million grant to establish technical assistance center for increasing employment of people with disabilities

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today awarded a $1,098,573 grant to the National Disability Institute in the District of Columbia to establish the National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Advancement of People with Disabilities. The new center will focus on improving employment outcomes and promoting the economic advancement of people with disabilities.

"The center will provide federal, state and local workforce partners with access to information they can use to help people with disabilities find jobs," said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "By promoting policies and practices that research shows us are effective in increasing the employment of people with disabilities, we are making a strategic investment in both their futures and in our nation's long-term economic well-being."

The LEAD Center will conduct policy and research initiatives on improving employment outcomes, including job retention, for job seekers with disabilities. Additionally, a key component of the center's work will be translating emerging and successful solutions, as identified through demonstration projects and research, into policy and practice. The center also will support ODEP in encouraging innovative practices and facilitating their implementation at both the workforce system and individual levels, including providing technical assistance and training to workforce-related entities.

Additional information about ODEP can be found at http://www.dol.gov/odep/.