National Disability Employment Awareness Month-Week 4
PamBy Jon Taylor Two weeks ago I wrote about two summers with Ahmad and Alik. They came to me through a program sponsored by Arkansas Workforce Services (AWS). During that time, I was building a partnership with another state agency that also focused on Disability and Inclusion: Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. ARS’ mission is to prepare Arkansans […]
Access & Accommodations Can Foster Success in the Workplace and Beyond
This week’s blog is from Yvonne Rowland, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS) Stay at Work/Return to Work (SAW/RTW) program coordinator. The Access and Accommodations team at ARS is charged with the mission “to assist Arkansans with disabilities to live and work more independently through the expertise in, use of, and access to various services and assistive technology.” When an […]
National Disability Employment Awareness Month-Week 3
NDEAM 2021 Thoughts from the Vice ChairpersonBy Lud Kozlowski A job or career is a pathway out of poverty and into success and prosperity. Individuals with disabilities have abilities and talents that never should be DISSED and should be seen for who they are and for their ability not the disability. As someone with a developmental […]
National Disability Employment Awareness Month-Week 2
The Summer of Tombstone By Jon Taylor I was the middle of my mid-morning store tour when Raven, my Backroom Coordinator, ran up to me and said, “That new kid just threatened to fight me!”. “Seriously?” “Yes! He said, “I’ll fight you right now!”” The two of us returned to the backroom to find the new […]
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Let’s Get to Work. By Jon Taylor Today is the first day of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Held every October, NDEAM is a time to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the multiple contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. Every year, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) […]
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness
The Misunderstood and Underdiagnosed Condition of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum DisordersBy Elizabeth Cleveland, PhD, CCC-SLP and David Deere, MSW, MTh The prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is roughly 1 in 20 individuals. Less than 1% of those individuals are identified and diagnosed, leading to a vast misunderstanding of behaviors and symptoms. As an umbrella […]
Voting, Recognizing DSPs, and Emergency Preparedness…
NDVRW & DSPRW 2021, Preparedness Month Continues This week was very busy! It was Direct Service Provider Recognition Week and National Disability Voter Registration Week, along with continuing to celebrate National Preparedness Month. Thank you, DSPs! During Direct Service Provider Recognition Week, we recognized the need to elevate the vital career of the direct service […]
September is National Preparedness Month
Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. By Jon Taylor I grew up in New England, bouncing between Massachusetts and Maine until I was 30. In the Northeast, emergency preparedness for most people focused on being ready for snowstorms, Nor’easters (BIG snowstorms), and Blizzards (REALLY BIG snowstorms). Some of the preparation was similar […]
ABLE to Save
Today’s Decisions Shape Tomorrow’s OpportunitiesBy Dennis Milligan Living with a disability is a life-altering challenge like no other. It’s made more complicated when you add in the financial ramifications, especially when determining eligibility for means-tested benefits such as Medicaid, SSDI, SNAP or TANF. Not being able to save more than $2,000 is a financial burden, […]
Meet the Executive Director
It’s not “Them” and “Us”. It’s just us.By Jon Taylor My involvement in the disability community began about 10 years ago at TJ Maxx in Conway, AR. I was an operations manager, and staffing was a major part of my job. So, when I was told we were going to have a large group of […]