Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities Co-Hosts an Employment Summit (NY UCEDD/LEND)

October 16, 2018

On October 4th the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities (SCDD), the UCEDD at the University of Rochester, co-hosted an Employment Summit in Rochester, NY, in partnership with Starbridge, a local provider agency. The Summit brought together policy makers, business leaders, self-advocates, family-advocates and professionals to start a community-wide conversation about increasing employment and decreasing poverty for people with disabilities in the Rochester region.

The keynote speaker was former Senator Tom Harkin, author of the Americans with Disability Act and convener of the Harkin International Disability Employment Summit. Andy Imparato masterfully facilitated the Summit as attendees heard from local leaders and participated in brainstorming breakout sessions on issues related to employment. The evening before the summit SCDD also co-hosted a screening of Dan Habib's newest film, Intelligent Lives (Institute on Disability/UCED). This was an excellent primer for the Summit, as the film serves as a representation of a life of possibility, including meaningful employment, for people with intellectual disabilities. Also on October 3rd National Public Radio's (NPR) member station in Rochester, WXXI, interviewed Senator Tom Harkin, SCDD's Director Susan Hetherington, Jeiri Flores and Stephanie Woodward about employment for people with disabilities and the upcoming Summit. Listen to a recording of the broadcast here: http://www.wxxinews.org/post/connections-former-senator-tom-harkin-and-roc-employability-conference