CDO Workforce coordinates and focuses employment, training and education development resources across three counties, providing service to employed people, unemployed people and employers alike. Our goal is to improve the long-term growth and development of the work force.
Employers are encouraged to sign the Employability Pledge. Taking the pledge shows a commitment to the philosophy of inclusivity and serves as a promise to create a work environment that meets the accessibility needs of all staff and customers.
Businesses that sign the pledge will appear on the Employability Honor Roll on the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) website. Businesses will also receive a digital badge that can be posted on their own website. Taking the pledge is a great way to demonstrate to your customers and community that your business is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace.
For more information about all the benefits of hiring people with disabilities, please visit OPWDD’s EmployAbility toolkit or contact us:
P: 607-376-5152
About the author
Our goal is to help job seekers not just find a job, but develop and manage a career. That means helping them when they have a job and when they are looking. We also strive to help employers find the workers they need quickly and the resources to improve training, workforce retention and workforce restructuring.
A DRC is a Disability Resource Coordinator, someone who helps individuals with disabilities find employment.
High School Equivalency (HSE/GED) A high school equivalency or GED/HSE is a recognized alternative to a high school diploma.
Work-Based Learning (WBL) provides students and job seekers with real-life work experience that compliments their academic studies. Typically they include job shadowing, mentoring, internships, and apprenticeships.
A Team Helper is anyone who is the lead support person to the job seeker with disabilities along their career journey. It can be a family member, friend, employment counselor, Disability Resource Coordinator (DRC), or case manager.
A stop-gap job is temporary employment until something better or more permanent can be obtained.
Basic needs refers to the goods and services necessary for a minimum standard of living. This includes access to food, safe shelter, clothing, and sanitation. Reliable transportation and education can also be considered a basic need.
A safe space is intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations.
Competitive integrated employment (CIE) is work performed by a person with an impairment or health-related disability (health impairment) within an integrated setting. Wages are at least minimum wage or higher and at a rate comparable to non-disabled workers performing the same tasks.
For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education.