Grant Reviewer Opportunity

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking peer reviewers (field readers) for discretionary grant program applications for upcoming Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) grants related to the Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities. The application review process involves a reader orientation, reading and evaluation of applications, and discussions with other panelists.

Apply on-line to become a reader for the OPE grant program at: http://opeweb.ed.gov/frs

Legislative Updates

The National Rehabilitation Association's priorities for reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act, shared with Members of Congress and their staff during NRA's Government Affairs Summit and, more recently, this week include:

• The Governors' Waiver Authority Issue Statement which states that the National Rehabilitation Association cannot and will not support any waiver of any provision of the Rehabilitation Act by Governors, the U.S. Department of Labor, or anyone else who seeks to waive the provisions of our carefully-crafted Act.
• The National Rehabilitation Association is not insensitive to the plight of Governors and the State of the States, but we believe the Community and Congressional architects' intent was that the Rehabilitation Act would always maintain a discrete funding stream for the sole use of eligible young adults and adults with disabilities and the integrity of the programs were to be honored.
• Maintaining Mandatory Funding for Title I of the Rehab Act. Pursuant to a recent Washington Wire, the President signed an Executive Order in February establishing a Commission to look at all entitlement (mandatory-funded) programs. Title I of the Rehab Act is mandatory funded, which means that Title I receives the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) every year unless inflation and the Consumer Price Index (Adjusted for Urban Areas) (CPIU) are in the negative. This year, that was the case. The rate of inflation was negative and, as a result, Title I did NOT receive the COLA.
• The National Rehabilitation Association believes that the Title III and Title VI programs, respectively, are complementary to the supports and services that Title I provides to eligible individuals with disabilities.
• The National Rehabilitation Association supports continued, discrete funding for Supported Employment, Projects with Industry, In-Service Training, and Migrants and Seasonal Farm Workers, all of which are extraordinarily important to individuals with disabilities.
  

Find all NRA 2010 Issues Statements on NRA's website: www.nationalrehab.org

NCD Nominees Announced

FROM THE NRCA Capitol Insider:
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced on March 10 that the Committee had approved nominations to fill positions at the National Council on Disability and other federal agencies. The nominees now move to the full Senate for confirmation. The nominees for NCD membership are:

• Gary Blumenthal of Massachusetts
• Chester Alonzo Finn of New York (a board member of The Arc)
• Sara A. Gelser of Oregon
• Ari Ne'eman of Maryland (who formerly worked on UCP's Life Without Limits project)
• Dongwoo Joseph Pak of California
• Carol Jean Reynolds of Colorado
• Fernando Torres-Gill of California
• Jonathan M. Young of Maryland

New National Resource Directory

The US Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs are pleased to introduce the re-designed and enhanced National Resource Directory Web site, www.NationalResourceDirectory.gov.

Created for Wounded Warriors, Veterans and their families and caregivers, the new National Resource Directory has proved to be a useful tool for service providers who support the military and Veterans communities.

The National Resource Directory provides access to over 10,000 services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. We are proud to assure our users they can trust the content as resources are reviewed regularly by a content management team that includes several Veterans and subject matter experts.

A few features of the new Web site include a faster, more robust search engine; a Bookmark & Share capability for use with social media tools; and an “In the News” feature that provides links to news and updates about Wounded Warrior and Veterans issues. Also included on the site is an expanded Homeless Assistance section where users can find information on a variety of programs and benefits..

We need your assistance in promoting the National Resource Directory. Here are some ways to help us spread the word:

Establish a link to www.NationalResourceDirectory.gov on your organization's Web site. (The Web site includes instructions for posting a linked logo. Check out the "Link to Us" button in the Stay Connected box on the home page.)

Send an e-mail about the National Resource Directory to your co-workers, members and/or other stakeholders and encourage them to forward the news.

Visit the National Resource Directory at www.NationalResourceDirectory.gov to explore and sign up for RSS or e-mail updates about new content, events and features.

Best Buy KY Job Opening

Best Buy has an exciting Louisville KY opportunity that needs your attention to locate a great candidate. It is specific in working with employees with disabilities and the provider network. This is a huge milestone for Best Buy and your assistance would be most appreciated in cascading this to your impressive network.

AccessAbilities Coordinator - Distribution Center - Louisville, KY-100000004O
(currently referred to as Employee Advocate, but title will change)

Job Description

The AccessAbilities Coordinator will report to the Distribution Center Director, and will provide a supportive/consultation role in all areas relating to the employment and retention of individuals with disabilities within the Center. This role will entail creation and execution of practices for: recruitment, employee advocacy, facilitation, conducting and analyzing employment-related accommodation requests, and alternate duty explorations in a timely manner consistent with ADA laws, and established Best Buy policies and procedures.

This person will be instrumental in the creation and the implementation of the organizations business objectives around the diversity strategy. Individual must be able to create and develop tactical and strategic alliances through networking, business partnerships and collaborative relationships with community organizations and/or community service providers

Key Responsibilities:
Consult, collaborate and provide direction around ADA and risk management policies and regulations.
Promotes strategies to increase culturally appropriate internal and external practices including employment searches and selections, public relations, strategic planning, advertising, employee relations and vendor relations.
Works in partnership to develop manager training and hiring programs.

*Relocation is not available for this position.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
· Bachelors Degree in HR or related Voc Rehab field
· At least 3 years of functional areas of HR or related field, including Recruiting, Compensation, Policy Design, Labor Relations, Diversity, Performance Management and Career Development.
· At least 3 years of providing accommodation assessment and vocational rehab services to employers.
· Proficient MS Software skills: (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Preferred Qualifications:
· Masters Degree
· At least 2 years vocational, occupational, or medical case management experience with handling of caseloads.

Full job description and application:
http://www.bestbuy-jobs.com/job/Employee-Advocate-Coordinator-Distribution-Center-Louisville,-KY-Job/737120/
Jodi JulsethHuman Resources, Diversity & Inclusion Programs; Disability InitiativesEBN Founder, INCLUDE - Focus on Abilities, not Disabilities
Office 612-291.7682 Mobile 612-328-1272