Diversify Your Workplace – Where To Start

The Colorado Office of Employment First and its partners are working to change the narrative of what it means to have a disability and be meaningfully employed. We invite employers to the table to understand what they bring to the Employment First effort and the gains they can expect in return.

Resources for Small, Medium and Large Businesses

A wealth of resources exist to bring disability training topics to your workplace, to understand your labor needs, and to match those needs with unique skills and talents of career seekers. In addition to the resources below, we encourage you to check out our Accommodations page highlighting Americans with Disabilities Act information and resources.

Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)

Applicant recruitment assistance, Disability 101 and related training, job posting opportunities, tax credits are key partnership services of the DVR Business Relations Unit.

Disability:IN

Disability:IN is a nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide offering training, consulting, mentorship coordination, disability inclusion benchmarking tools and more.

Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)

EARN is a free national resource for employers to tap the benefits of disability diversity through online support, education, and outreach.

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

Free, expert, confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues for employers and employees are offered by JAN.

Rocky Mountain ADA Center

Phone and web-based information and guidance as well as tailored training on the Americans with Disabilities Act are resources of Rocky Mountain ADA.

Schedule A Hiring Authority

An exception to the traditional hiring process, Schedule A is aimed at increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the Federal Government.

Emerging Strategy — Customized Employment

Innovative models of employment increasingly involve the customized matching of specific strengths held by a person with a disability to a unique employer need. This model, Customized Employment, results in a win-win for both the newly employed individual as well as the employer securing solutions for unmet needs. To learn about customized job developers in your area, please email Brian Dean at Brian.dean@cuanschutz.edu.

person in wheelchair at work station

JFK Partner Logo

The Colorado Office of Employment First sits under JFK Partners, the state’s University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, a program of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Its creation was envisioned by Colorado Employment First Advisory Partnership (EFAP), a multi-state agency and stakeholder-led collaborative, and was made possible, in part, by funding from the Colorado Legislature and generously matched through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE).

© 2023 Colorado Office of Employment First. All Rights Reserved.

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