ADA Live! Episode 73: Do You Want a Job or a Career? Reflections on National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and the theme for 2019 is "The Right Talent, Right Now." The U.S. Department of Labor states this year’s theme emphasizes the essential role that people with disabilities play in America's economic success, especially in an era when historically low unemployment and global competition are creating a high demand for skilled talent. 

In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), our guest on ADA Live! will be Liz Weintraub, Senior Advocacy Specialist with the Association for University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). Liz is also a graduate of the Georgia Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (GaLEND) interdisciplinary training program at the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University.

Ms. Weintraub will discuss her personnel career path, the challenges she has overcome, and the role that both advocacy and self-advocacy have played in her career success. She will share her work at the AUCD, including her popular video series “Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy For All.” She will also share her thoughts on why the unemployment rate remains high for people with disabilities, and the importance of thinking about a “career” versus a “job.”

Featured Organization(s):

Association for University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Network members consist of: 67 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), 52 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs, and 14 Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC). These programs serve and are located in every U.S. state and territory and are all part of universities or medical centers. They serve as a bridge between the university and the community, bringing together the resources of both to achieve meaningful change. Through its members, AUCD is a resource for local, state, national, and international agencies, organizations, and policy makers concerned about people living with developmental and other disabilities and their families. AUCD programs also train the next generation of leaders in disability-related research, training, service delivery, and policy advocacy to insure that this essential work continues.

All of our member programs have unique strengths that they share with each other and the greater disability community. Some of our members are exemplary educators. They train professional leaders, individuals with disabilities, and family members in areas such as early care and education, primary health care, special education, and innovative housing and employment programs. Other members excel in basic and applied research, model demonstration programs, systemic reform, and policy analysis. Because these programs work collaboratively, innovations from one program can be rapidly implemented in communities throughout the country—thus affecting more lives than any one program could touch.

By working together, programs engage in significant research that informs national policy and best practices. The network emphasizes national and international implementation of innovations in disability-related education, health care, and supports and services. It offers leadership on major social problems affecting all people with disabilities or special health needs.