The first annual Minnesota Disability and Employment Conference was held on December 1-2 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, MN. The event was co-sponsored by MNTAT and the Minnesota Employment Policy Initiative (MEPI). Over 300 participants representing a broad spectrum of people with disabilities and related organizations attended the event. Unlike most conferences, the MN Disability and Employment Conference was a blend of presentation and community discussions. On Day One, Cary Griffin and Molly Sullivan of MNTAT and Griffin-Hammis Associates presented short informational pieces about approaches to facilitating an individualized, customized approach to advance the employment of people with disabilities in the community work force. The participants had the opportunity to discuss their reactions to the presentations and identify ways these practices could be put into use.
Doug Crandell, of the Cobb and Douglas Counties (GA) Community Services Boards, opened Day Two with a keynote address about how to use these innovative practices to make a difference in the employment rate of people with disabilities. The overriding theme of the conference was "What will it take to double the employment rate of Minnesotans with disabilities by 2015." Following Doug's presentation, the conference participants worked with a team of 30 facilitators to begin identifying ideas and suggestions to influence employment policy in Minnesota.
The preliminary reviews of the conference evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive. Summaries of the proceedings will be posted on the MNTAT website (www.mntat.org) as well as on the MEPI website (www.mn-epi.org) in January. Planning is already underway for the 2nd Annual MN Disability and Employment Conference to be held in the fall of 2010.
Comments