US Labor Department awards $950,000 grant to establish Accessible Technology Action Center

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced an award of a $950,000 grant to the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America in Arlington, Va., to establish the Office of Disability Employment Policy's Accessible Technology Action Center, a national resource that will facilitate and promote the use of accessible technology in the hiring, employment, retention and career advancement of individuals with disabilities.

"The development and adoption of accessible, universally designed technology is vital to ensuring that individuals with disabilities are hired and successful at work," said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. "We are extremely excited about the creativity and expertise RESNA will bring to our newest effort to promote accessible technology in the workplace."

The Accessible Technology Action Center will expand access to information and communication technologies in the workplace for people with disabilities. It will promote the knowledge, technical skills, tools and leadership strategies needed to address accessibility issues and seek to raise awareness of the impact critical accessible workplace technologies have on competitive employment opportunities.

Information about ODEP is available at http://www.dol.gov/odep/.