Conference on hiring Alaskans with disabilities, free for students

The Employment First Conference runs Oct. 12-13 at Anchorage's Dena'ina Center, hosted by the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education. Employment First is the 2014 state law favoring competitive, integrated employment.

The gap: 40% of disabled Alaskans hold jobs, compared with 80% of others, the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority reported in 2020. For people with cognitive disabilities, the rate drops to 26%.

Alaska's Department of Health runs Project SEARCH, placing young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a workplace for one school year, combining classroom learning with job-finding help. Alaska sites are in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Mat-Su.

Joy Burress, program manager for Project SEARCH at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, speaks on model fidelity, relationships and communication.

Sessions also cover workplace accessibility, healthcare workforce development and youth employment transitions. The Statewide Vocational Rehabilitation Committee presents its Business Awards, and the keynote features the Rural Health Transformation Program.

Employers, support providers and jobseekers with disabilities make up the audience. Students and youth attend free; reduced-rate scholarship tickets are available to others. Registration is on Eventbrite; questions go to [email protected].

A 2020 state report found youth employment at 32.2%, compared with 52.3% for the general youth population.