Registration opens for Oct. 12-13 Employment First Conference in Anchorage

Registration is open for the Employment First Conference, an event for Alaskans with disabilities, employers and employment support providers, set for Oct. 12-13 at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage. Both days run 9 am to 5 pm, with tickets on Eventbrite and reduced-rate scholarship tickets available. The state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education are co-hosting; questions go to [email protected].

Sessions cover workplace accommodations, youth transitions to employment, and working while on disability benefits, among other topics. The keynote focuses on the Rural Health Transformation Program, Alaska's $272 million first-year federal award for rural health.

"Employment First" is a national framework, and it has critics: the National Council on Disability has cautioned that such initiatives can end up prioritizing job-placement numbers over discrimination protections, adequate support and individual choice for people with disabilities.