Bridges to Employment: Conference to Explore Career Opportunities for U.S. Latinos with Disabilities
By Mark Richards, ILRU Program
United States--As part of its initiative to promote employment among Latinos in the U.S. who have disabilities, Proyecto Visión (Project Vision) is holding its second 'Bridge to Employment' conference in New York on August 6-9, 2003.
This is an employment-centered training conference in which disabled Latinos participate in hands-on workshops covering topics such as interview skills, self-assessment for employment, and transition from benefits to work
The conference will bring together employment experts, staff of organizations serving Hispanics living in the U.S., representatives of disability and government organizations to share their expertise with disabled Latinos seeking employment via workshops, panel discussions, and presentations--in both English and Español.
Topics will include job training, writing resumés, networking, and exploring opportunities for scholarships, volunteer positions, internships, and employment. In addition, support for higher education, individual development accounts, job-hunting, interview preparation, and transition from benefits to employment will be discussed.
Registration for the two-and-one-half-day conference is $175. Scholarships are available for unemployed or low-income Latinos with disabilities to cover the registration fee and local travel. Visit or call 866.367.5361 for registration forms and scholarship applications.
The conference will be held at the New Yorker Hotel - A Ramada Inn and Plaza, 481 Eighth Avenue (at 34th Street), NY, NY 10001. Call 800.764.4680 to book a room at the New Yorker. Mention you are with the Bridges to Employment Conference to get the special group rate of $95 per night.
Proyecto Visión, the National Technical Assistance Center for U.S. Latinos with Disabilities, is a project of the World Institute on Disability (WID). Its three goals are to connect disabled Latinos with employment services and related resources; to work with government agencies and private organizations focusing on employment, education and technology to increase their outreach to disabled Latinos; and to help Latino organizations to increase their effectiveness in serving their disabled community members.
Available through Proyecto Visión are technical assistance in English and Spanish via a toll-free hotline, a bilingual Web site, newsletter and listserv; annual employment-centered trainings; and, leadership development activities.
The project is funded through a grant from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, U.S. Department of Education.
For more information about the conference or other project activities, contact director Kathy Martinez at or 510.251.4326 for program information. For information on applying for a scholarship, contact manager Robin Savinar at or 510.251.4325.
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