"Bridges to Employment" Conference Draws 250 Disabled Latino Job Seekers and Grassroots Advocates

More than 250 job seekers, employment experts, disability and Latino advocates and employers convened in Chicago, July 14-16, to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities. This year's 'Bridges to Employment' conference - organized by the World Institute on Disability's National Technical Assistance Center, Proyecto Visión, attracted significantly more community members involved at the grassroots level than in years past.

In her opening remarks Proyecto Visión project director Kathy Martinez said, "This is probably the largest gathering of Latinos with disabilities in the history of the Disability Rights Movement." Martinez is excited about the growing participation of job seekers and advocates from the Latino community. "Latinos with disabilities are often isolated. This makes us hard to find. The increased involvement of disabled Latino job seekers and disabled Latino advocates in the conference will increase the event's impact on employment opportunities available for disabled Latinos."

Two and one-half days of conference workshops were presented in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish. Disabled Latino role models participated as speakers in many sessions including 'Success Stories & Employment: Personal Stories from Latinos with Disabilities who are Employed,' 'How to Start a Small Business' and 'Understanding and Addressing Barriers to Employment.'

This year's event included an evening of entertainment and culture that allowed attendees to network in an informal setting. Conference participants enjoyed dinner and a show of traditional regional dances from Mexico. The dances were performed by a local folkloric dance group made up of Latinos with and without disabilities. The dancing was followed by performances by artists who impersonated famous Latina vocalists, and a disc jockey who provided musical accompaniment including Salsa and Cumbia.

The annual conference has been developed as one of the main activities of Proyecto Visión,   based in Oakland, CA, funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration. It serves as a forum for information exchange and coalition building among the growing number of   projects, government agencies and groups addressing the needs of disabled Latinos. The event was greatly enriched by the collaboration of the Committee for the Integration of Latinos with Disabilities, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago and Rehabilitation International. A full report on the conference will be published on the project's website, www.proyectovision.net.

Other project activities include a bilingual toll-free hotline [(866) 367-5361], website, newsletter and listserv for information, referrals and news about Latinos with disabilities and employment. Proyecto Visión has partners located around the country including Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, the Central Coast Center for Independent Living in Salinas, CA, the Harlem Independent Living Center in Harlem, NY and Rehabilitation International in New York City, NY.

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