Celebrate All Abilities

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Since 1945, NDEAM has sought to educate employers about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. This year’s national theme is “Expect. Employ. Empower.”

Skills Inc. is proud to support NDEAM and honored to demonstrate that “a strong workforce is an inclusive workforce”. Over 60 percent of our nearly 600 employees have a self-identified disability, while our products and services exceed demands for rigorous standards and excellence. We encourage all employers to embrace a culture of acceptance where people of all abilities thrive.

Take part in NDEAM by participating in one or more of the below events. The ODEP website also provides various ways to celebrate the month, including “31 Days of NDEAM – What you CAN do!

Skills Inc. will be offering facility tours every Thursday from 1-3pm during the month of October. If you are interested, please contact Genny Seidensticker Jonsson at genny@skillsinc.com or 206-782-6000.

Dates to note:

Sept. 27th, 9am PDT
Walk Now for Autism Speaks hosted by Autism Speaks

Sept. 29th – Oct. 2nd in Orlando
USBLN 17th Annual National Conference & Biz2Biz Expo hosted by USBLN

Oct. 1st
Bridging the Employment Gap for Students with Disabilities
Live Stream through National Organization on Disability

Oct. 1st, 10am-10:30pm PDT
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act radio show hosted by ADA Live!

Oct. 7th, 12-1pm PDT
Golden Hearts Luncheon hosted by Northwest Center

Oct. 8th & 9th
Virtual Job Fair hosted by AbilityLinks

Oct. 8th, 6-8pm PDT
Start Now! Family Training Series Dreaming and Planning for the Future hosted by GoWise

Oct. 14th, 11am-12pm PDT
Low-cost Worksite Adaptations in Minutes webcast by Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

Oct. 15th
Disability Mentoring Day

Oct. 17th-18th
Working 2 Walk Science & Advocacy Symposium hosted by Unite 2 Fight Paralysis

Oct. 18th, 9am-5pm PDT
DeafNation Expo in Tacoma
Stop by the Skills Inc. booth to learn more about our organization

Oct. 20th-22nd in Rochester, NY
ASSETS Conference on Computers and Accessibility hosted by SIGACCESS

Oct. 21st, 6-8pm PDT
Clark County Informing Families & Educators: Navigating the Adult System
Hosted by GoWise

Oct. 22nd, 10am-1pm PDT
Online Career Fair hosted by Think Beyond the Label

Oct. 23rd, 12-1pm PDT
Breakthroughs in Stem Cell Therapies webinar by National Spinal Cord Injury Association

Oct. 24th, 9am PDT
Disability Employment Live Twitter Chat using #DEchat
Hosted by Ticket to Work and the Department of Labor

Oct. 28th, 9am-2pm PDT
Disability Employment in the Federal Sector Live Twitter Chat using #EEOC4NDEAM
hosted by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Oct. 28th, 11am-12pm PDT
NDEAM Resource Fair and Conference hosted by Department of Veterans Affairs

Oct. 29th, 9-10am PDT
The Workplace and People with Disabilities: Past, Present and Future
Webcast hosted by Cornell University

Oct. 29th  (by invite only)
Governor’s Awards Breakfast
Presented by The Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment

Nov. 3rd & 4th
Pacific NW Employment Forum hosted by APSE

Nov. 11th, 9amPDT
ADAAA-What You Need to Know webcast by Disability Management Employer Coalition

Nov. 11th, 11am-12pm PDT
Mental Health and Self-Employment webcast by JAN

Nov. 20th, 8:30am-2pm PDT
USO/Hire Heroes USA Career Opportunity Day hosted by Hire Heroes USA

Save the Date: Sept. 28th – Oct. 1st, 2015
2015 USBLN 18th Annual National Conference in Austin, TX

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