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Alabama Workers with Disabilities

June 9th, 2007 Posted by Amelia

A large human resources organization has joined forces with the US Department of Disability Employment Policy to improve the employment situation for Alabama workers with disabilities. The human resources organization is the Society of Human Resource Managers. They, along with the US Office of Disability Employment Policy, will work to increase job opportunities for disabled workers.

This alliance is something new for the Office of Disability Employment Policy, also known as ODEP. Together with the Society of Human Resource Managers, also known as SHRM, the two organizations should help by providing access to resources, information, and guidance. They will focus on outreach, education, communication, training, and technical assistance for disabled workers. As a group, disabled workers have been underutilized in the job force. This new partnership should help by creating a dialogue on a national level about the situation faced by disabled workers. In addition, this partnership should help in the recruiting of workers with disabilities.

Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment, said, “This alliance formalizes the relationship we have had with SHRM, benefiting SHRM as it serves its membership with the resources ODEP brings to the table and offering ODEP the opportunity for broader contact with human resource professionals.”

As the largest organization in the world dedicated to professionals in the human resources field, the Society of Human Resource Managers has over 205,000 members. The organization has 550 chapters in over 100 countries. Created in 1948, SHRM works to ensure its members have access to necessary resources.

For its part, the Office of Disability Employment Policy was formed in 2001. Its purpose is to make certain that disabled people are included in the modern workforce. This agency received its authority and responsibility from Elaine L. Chao, US Secretary of Labor. ODEP is the agency within the US Department of Labor responsible for policy impacting workers with disabilities.