Wednesday, November 15, 2023
October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) which commemorates the many contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy. This year’s theme, “Advancing Access and Equity,” recognized the importance of ensuring all people have equal opportunity to contribute their skills and talents to our workforce.
To celebrate NDEAM 2023, the Colorado Office of Employment First (COEF), a program under JFK Partners, the University Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Colorado, developed a video miniseries promoting Employment First. The series, funded by the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council (CDDC), focuses on the Employment First belief and value that all people can work in competitive, inclusive employment if they want to with the right support. A key message in the miniseries is, “Employment is for everyone. Employment is for YOU.”
The Employment First video miniseries includes two collections of content. The first collection features the perspectives of adults and youth with lived experience who share why working is important to them. It also includes thoughts from family members who share why working is meaningful to their youth. The second collection, developed with whiteboard animation software, includes three short videos: “What is Employment First?”, “What Can Working Do for You?”, and “Employment Resources”. The collection introduces people to the idea of work and highlights resources available to support them in pursuing their goals.
The Colorado Office of Employment First has released several of the videos in the miniseries during the month of October and will continue to release videos through the end of the year. To access these videos and new miniseries content, like and follow COEF on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter using the handle @COEFTalk. To stay up to date on COEF’s work, sign up for newsletter and email communications by visiting www.employmentfirstcolorado.org. Learn more about the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council by visiting www.coddc.org.
For partnership opportunities with the Colorado Office of Employment First, please email us at [email protected].
Authored By: Vikki Ortiz, MS, CESP, Curriculum Developer, Supported Employment Trainer, and Communications Lead