IT Accessibility Review
Volume 1, Number 3
Breaking News
Nine Honorees Receive Secretary of Labor´s New Freedom Initiative Award
U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao has selected five businesses, three non-profits, and one National Football League player as recipients of her annual New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Awards.
The NFI Award recognizes exemplary and innovative efforts to train, recruit, and hire people with disabilities, and to incorporate the principles of President George W. Bush´s New Freedom Initiative (NFI). The NFI is a comprehensive set of proposals designed to give people with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of community life, including employment. The Secretary honored award recipients at a November 17 departmental ceremony. Their biographies and additional information can be found at www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/nfi04.htm.
"President Bush wants all Americans to have the opportunity to develop skills and engage in productive work," said Chao. "The recipients of the 2004 Secretary of Labor´s New Freedom Initiative Awards recognize the value that persons with disabilities bring to the workplace and exemplify that philosophy in their daily operations."
The award recipients are as follows:
- Business: A&F Wood Products, Howell, Michigan Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, California MBNA America Bank, N.A., Wilmington, Delaware Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington SunTrust Banks, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
- Non-Profit: Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities, Washington, D.C. Project SEARCH, Cincinnati, Ohio Salt Lake Community College Skills Center Projects with Industry, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Individual: Michael John Maslowski, Kansas City Chiefs, Overland Park, Kansas
The announcement came during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which was celebrated in October. Secretary Chao selected "You´re Hired! Success Knows No Limitations" as the official theme for October to continue to bring focus and awareness to solutions that ensure the full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the 21st Century workforce.
Background President Bush introduced the New Freedom Initiative within the first 30 days of his Presidency on Feb. 1, 2001. The New Freedom Initiative represents a comprehensive set of proposals designed to ensure that Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive work, make choices about their daily lives, and participate fully in their communities. The department´s Office of Disability Employment Policy has the key responsibility for implementing the employment-related aspects of the President´s New Freedom Initiative.
HP Honored with 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
Hewlett Packard (HP) recently received the 2004 New Freedom Initiative Award from U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao in a Department of Labor ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The award recognizes HP for demonstrating exemplary and innovative efforts to train, recruit, and hire people with disabilities, incorporating the principles of President George W. Bush´s New Freedom Initiative. The Freedom Initiative is designed to give people with disabilities an opportunity to fully participate in all aspects of community life.
Within HP, providing employees with training needed to design, produce, market, and deliver accessible products and services raises the level of awareness surrounding accessibility issues. People with disabilities are involved in the development of accessibility guidelines. Additionally, an employee network group for people with disabilities is available to support personal and professional development.
HP further supports accessibility for all customers through its Accessibility Program Office, which takes a coordinated approach that involves the community, marketplace, and employees. Accessibility features are incorporated into the design of all HP products, from PCs and servers to printers and multi-function devices, and into the design and content of the company´s website, www.hp.com.
Further information about HP´s accessibility program is available at http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/accessibility/.
To read more of this article, visit http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2004/041117a.html.
