Second Annual Minnesota Disability and Employment Conference
November 15-16, 2010
2010 Conference Presentations
This conference, sponsored by the Minnesota Employment Policy Initiative (MEPI) and the Minnesota Employment Training and Technical Assistance Center (MNTAT) seeks to raise expectations about employment of individuals across disability groups, build momentum around employment, and give participants tools and information they can take back to their communities.
The Second Annual Disability and Employment Conference brought together stakeholders throughout Minnesota who are committed to increasing employment of Minnesotans with disabilities. The conference was attended by consumers, family members, disability advocacy organizations, educators, counties, providers, state agencies and others.
The conference was centered on employment of people with disabilities in Minnesota and the new strategies that are being implemented throughout the state and country. This year, the conference featured the results of the listening sessions conducted by MEPI and of the Minnesota Community Action Teams working with MNTAT since last year, who presented and shared their experiences during the conference (learn more about the Minnesota Community Action Teams). The conference also contained an interactive Resource Area where participants had opportunities to learn more about employment resources and practices in Minnesota.
The conference combined presentations and facilitated table conversations providing participants the opportunity to learn about innovative practices from presenters and from other participants. Participants were assigned to specific tables to ensure each table represented a range of viewpoints to set the stage for dynamic table conversations.
Conference Topics included:
- Customized Employment and the Discovery Process
- Self-Employment
- Creative Funding Approaches for Job Seekers
- Interest-Based Negotiation
- Transition
- Perspectives of Job Seekers and Employers
- Results from MN Employment Policy Initiative Listening Sessions
- Policy Issues from Community Action Teams