Two significant observances occur in October – Columbus Day (October 12), and National Disability Employment Awareness Month (all month long!). However, I have no clue if Columbus employed any persons with disabilities. If he didn't, he should have. Let's suppose for a moment Christopher Columbus was alive today. He would be smart to hire a visually impaired navigator—they would be using AccessWorld (AFB’s free online technology magazine) to find the best accessible GPS.
AFB is setting sail and picking up speed in promoting National Disability Employment Awareness Month with a special employment-focused issue of AccessWorld, which will include technology evaluations and tips as well as topical issues. I think Christopher Columbus would have been checking out these resources prior to getting commissioned by Spain—for resources for his job search. The October edition [Editor's note: forthcoming] has a fleet of great articles, including an article about the "Current State of Employment," with comments from Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy. The Assistant Secretary comments on the past year as well as where we're heading in the coming year. She is the level-headed, strong voice of reason helping us navigate the crashing waves.
Land, ho! Our resources don't end with AccessWorld. Follow the horizon to CareerConnect for great tools like the "Job Seeker's Toolkit" (a free online job seeker's course) and Career Clusters' message boards (career exploration tool and place to connect with mentors).
Ahoy! Are you an older worker? Check out the newest section of employment information from Senior Site called "Today's Older Worker with Vision Loss." So, your ship has arrived—get aboard or be left behind!
You won't find these great tools in the galley of a ship, but on AFB's website. I hope you get out of the rough waters and head straight to our offerings. We may not offer the history lesson of Christopher Columbus' famous voyages, but we do offer valuable resources (and no shipwrecks). So, set your sail high and celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month with AFB!
