October is National Disability Awareness Month and in celebration, Alameda County presents an Annual County-wide Disability Employment Awareness Conference and Training for Supervisors and Managers. Each year we aspire to bring the latest developments in disability awareness and inclusion as well as cutting edge topics relevant to current workplace needs including workforce development.
To view programs from previous years, click on the images or links below.
The Legacy of the Conference & Training
Alameda County’s Annual Disability Employment Awareness Conference and Training for supervisors and managers was developed by the County’s Diversity Programs Office in 2003 and fully implemented in October 2004, in partnership with the California State Department of Rehabilitation. The Conference now includes a strategic alliance with Alameda County’s Human Resource Services and we are interested in partnering with other agencies to continue to grow!
The foundation for this Annual Countywide Conference were the establishment of Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Program in 1999, the STEP UP Program in 2001, and the October 2002 County proclamation that encouraged County residents to join the rest of the nation in celebrating the month of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The one-day conference and training provides practical advice and professional insights from thought leaders and industry experts in the field of Human Resources, Behavioral Health, Diversity & Inclusion, Disability Services and Management, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Employment Law.
At each conference, attendees are encouraged to pursue the talented pool of people with disabilities to fill job vacancies in their agencies and departments. It is the mission and aim of the conference to facilitate the cultivation and effective management of a truly inclusive workplace, by developing managers and supervisors working with and servicing individual with disabilities.
13th Annual Conference & Training
Our theme was “Global Environment & Its Impact on Disability”, exploring the intersection between our global environmental challenges and the disability space. Specifically, it was a conversation framed through a disability lens to inform participants about how the changing global environment impacts the disability community and their access to local government, business and employment.
Presentations from thought leaders and leading experts in workforce development such as Kate Toran, the Director of Taxi & Accessible Services, San Francisco, Municipal Transportation Agency and Katherine “Kat” Zigmont, Director of Strategy and Operations for the World Institute on Disability. They shared from their experience advocating locally and internationally to implement creative and productive strategies to serve those with disabilities and enable them to participate in the workplace.
13th Annual Disability Employment Awareness Conference & Training
Annual Report – 13th Annual Disability Employment Awareness Conference & Training
12th Annual Conference & Training
Our theme was “Tech-Ability: Linking Technology to Abilities and Back”, which captured the intersection between technology and disability and acknowledged the rich contributions made by workers with disabilities in the workplace. The conference also addressed the important strides that are being made in disability awareness and inclusion.
Presentations from thought leaders and leading experts in workforce development such as Haben Girma, the first deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, advocates for fully accessible technology and inclusion for persons with disabilities in the workplace. Sheraden Nicholau, Regional Manager of the State council on Developmental Disabilities, provided an excellent overview of the many opportunities available to those with disabilities and their employers through the advancements in accessible and assistive technologies. Attendees were encouraged to implement the tools and strategies gained from the conference in their respective workplaces.
2017 Annual Disability Employment Awareness Conference and Training Program
2017 Annual Disability Employment Awareness Conference and Training Conference Report
11th Annual Conference & Training
The 11th Annual Conference marked a celebration of many first for The Alameda County Disability Employment Awareness Conference and Training. As each year we aspire to bring the latest development in disability awareness and inclusion as well as cutting edge topics relevant to current workplace needs including workforce development; this year we did exactly that! It is our first year sell-out and largest event with over 300 participants, first time continuing education credits for HR professionals and licensed attorneys was offered, and it was the first time we had an international presence with screening of the “The Interviewer” through a partnership with Superfest and Bus Stop Films of Australia.
With the theme “DiversAbility: Attracting, Engaging and Advancing.” Our participants were inspired and given a fresh perspective on workforce inclusion of persons with disabilities through presentations from thought leaders and leading experts in workforce development. We welcomed Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy – US Department of Labor and Kareem Dale, a Former Special Assistant to President Obama for Disability Policy as our Keynote Speakers.
10th Annual Conference & Training
2013 marked the County’s 10th Annual Conference which was themed “Decade of Disability Diversity: Continuing our Commitment to Awareness, Action & Inclusion.” Our 10th year featured Phyllis Cheng, Director of the State of California, Department of Fair Housing and Employment (DFEH) and world renowned motivational speaker, Jessica Cox, as our keynote speakers.
Workshop topics were led by a cross section of leading experts including Yomi S. Wrong, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living, Martha Artiles of C5 Consulting, LLC, Eduardo Ramirez, US Department of Veteran Affairs Administrative Officer for Mental Health and Minority Veteran Program Coordinator for the San Francisco VA Medical Center, Jaynette Underhill of Clausen House, Jeffery M. Tanenbaum and Danielle N. Kleinman of Nixon Peabody, LLC.
Participants entered the conference to welcome drumming from Children in Flight a local, youth group consisting of persons with disabilities. Lunch entertainment featured AXIS Dance Company which is one of the world’s most acclaimed ensembles of dancer with and without disabilities. Please see photos for a better sense of the day’s events.
Due to our wonderful in-kind supporters, door prizes ranged from original art work by David Albertsen, a local disabled artist and tickets to the New Conservatory Theater to box seats to watch the Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 10th year was an astounding accomplishment growing to over 200 attendees from the State of California – Department of Rehabilitation and Employment Development Department, National Park Services, various private industry participants, Kaiser Permanente local and national representatives, local government representative and all twenty-six of the County’s Agencies, Departments and affiliated Agencies were well represented.
5th Annual Conference & Training
Five years into the Annual County-wide Conferences, Diversity Programs was able to institute two tracks of classes to provide greater opportunity and variety for attendees.
1st Annual Conference & Training
The County of Alameda’s 1st Annual County-wide Conference occurred on October 18, 2004 with approximately forty attendees.
The theme “Step Up and Beyond: Exploring the Advantages of Employing People with Disabilities” set the stage for workshops on subjects related to the impetuses for the Conference like the County’s Reasonable Accommodation and STEP UP Programs focusing on job development, assistive technology and “ability” awareness.