October Proclaimed Disability Employment Awareness Month

Friday, October 01, 2010 | 06:10am

Events Highlighting Abilities of People with Disabilities Scheduled Across State

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen is designating October as Disability Employment Awareness Month to generate awareness about the talents and abilities of Tennessee’s citizens with disabilities.

“Talent Has No Boundaries: Workforce Diversity INCLUDES Workers With Disabilities” is the theme of the 2010 National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The theme calls attention to an untapped personnel resource in Tennessee and across the country – persons with disabilities.

”We must make certain that every citizen of Tennessee has the opportunity for employment,” said Bredesen. “Persons with disabilities can and must be important contributors to our workforce. The 2010 theme highlights the fact that workers with disabilities are an underutilized and ambitious group of citizens eager to pursue their career dreams.”

The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) within the Department of Human Services provides services to Tennesseans with disabilities. Individuals with the most significant disabilities, such as quadriplegia, blindness and traumatic brain injuries, were employed after completing rehabilitation programs during fiscal year 2009-10.

“Employers that actively recruit qualified employees with disabilities often discover untapped skills and talents,” said Human Services Commissioner Gina Lodge. “As a group often overlooked, individuals with disabilities are committed and motivated employees. They also contribute valuable consumer perspectives regarding what the disability market needs and desires.”

Vocational rehabilitation offices across the state as well as seventeen Tennessee Rehabilitation Centers located in rural communities and the residential comprehensive Tennessee Rehabilitation Center at Smyrna provide numerous services to clients, including vocational training, physical or occupational therapy and transitional life skills. For more information on the centers, visit http://www.state.tn.us/humanserv/rehab/vrs.html

DRS staff are working with businesses and agencies across Tennessee on activities recognizing Disability Employment Awareness Month. Attached is a partial list of scheduled events.

DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH SCHEDULE



October 2	Go! Fest Sponsored by the City of Chattanooga area industry and agencies strives to eliminate barriers for persons with disabilities from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Contact: Carol Martin (423) 634-6725	Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park Chattanooga, TN

October 5	Joint City and County signing of Proclamation for Disability Employment Awareness Month at 9 a.m. Contact: Lisa Kinkade (731) 423-5620 ext. 328	Jackson City Hall 101 East Main Street Jackson, TN

October 6	Area Recognition Consortium Awards Luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact: Marci Hess (615) 948-3464	Millennium Maxwell House Hotel 2025 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. Nashville, TN

October 13	Disability Employment Awareness Month Community Open House from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Contact: Deborah Quillen (865) 981-2382	TN Rehabilitation Center At Maryville Blount County Industrial Park 1627 Percheron Avenue Maryville, TN

October 14	Area Recognition Awards Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. by Southeast Tennessee Placement Consortium Contact: Carol Martin (423) 634-6725	Chattanooga Convention & Trade Center One Carter Plaza Chattanooga, TN

October 15	Disability Employment Awareness Month Community Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact: Debbie Bradley (731) 584-7015	TN Rehabilitation Center of Camden 560 Benton Industrial Road Camden, TN

October 19	Chamber of Commerce Disabilities Awareness Coffee at 9 a.m. Contact Elizabeth Strode (931) 685-5017	TN Rehabilitation Center at Shelbyville 1618 Railroad Avenue Shelbyville, TN

October 19	Disability Employment Awareness Month Open House from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Contact: Brian Kennedy (423) 542-4159	TN Rehabilitation Center at Elizabethton 407 Cherokee Park Drive Elizabethton, TN

October 20	Disability Mentoring Day Contact: Regena Burrow (615) 313-4893	Statewide

October 20	“Ready, Set, Work – What you Need to Know” Resources and seminars for individuals with disabilities at the TN Career Center from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact: Harvey Buchanan (731) 668-2040	TN Career Center 362 Carriage House Dr. Jackson, TN

October 20	Disability Employment Awareness Month Community Open House 10 a.m. Contact: Virginia Talley (931) 648-5560	TN Rehabilitation Center of Clarksville 1575 Corporate Parkway Blvd. Clarksville, TN

October 20	Disability Employment Awareness Month Open House from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contact: Delwyn Smith (423) 478-0332	TN Rehabilitation Center at Cleveland 3069 Overlook Drive Suite B
		Cleveland, TN

October 21	Disability Employment Awareness Month Community Open House from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Contact: Sharon Logan (931) 380-2550	TN Rehabilitation Center of Columbia 206 Wayne Street Columbia, TN

October 26	Area Recognition Awards Luncheon at noon at TN Rehabilitation Center of Dyersburg Contact: Ronda Baker (731) 286-8315	TN Rehabilitation Center of Dyersburg 1365 Morgan Road Dyersburg, TN


October 26	Regional Workforce Employer Outreach Committee (WEOC) Disability Employment Awareness Month Disability Forum from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Contact: C-Ann Chapman (423) 534-1760	Toy F. Reid Employee Center Eastman Chemical Company 400 South Wilcox Drive Kingsport, TN

October 26	Disability Employment Awareness Month Community Open House at the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center at Gallatin from 9 a.m. to noon Contact: Linda Suddarth (615) 451-5826	TN Rehabilitation Center at Gallatin 1019 Union School Road Gallatin, TN

October 26	Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities Recognition Awards at 5:30 p.m. Contact: Bridget Galvin (615) 862-6034	Nashville Farmer’s Market 900 Rosa Park Boulevard Nashville, TN

October 28	TN Business Leadership Network Night for Disability Awareness Month with the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues Game at 7 p.m. Contact: Cathy Houser (615) 741-1606, ext. 121	Bridgestone Arena 501 Broadway Nashville, TN

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