Over the past several years, a number of significant workforce trends have confronted people with disabilities and disability service professionals. These trends impact the job-seeking and employment process for people with disabilities in several ways. Making sense of these new workplace developments and their implications is not only challenging, but may also have significant influence on potential employment outcomes. In this session we will consider a few of these trends including the impact of the recession on jobseekers with disabilities and the effect of the emerging labor pools of aging workers and veterans with disabilities.

It is projected that over a third of the American workforce will be over 50 years of age within five years, and this phenomenon is occurring in many other countries throughout the world. Businesses need to understand the complexities and recognize opportunities associated with an aging workforce to maintain marketplace competitiveness that continues to reward the innovation and responsiveness. This webinar will provide an overview of workplace policies and practices promoting effective retention of older workers, including workers with disabilities, gained from a recent study conducted by Cornell University of best practices in U.S. private sector workplaces. As a result, participants will be able to: * Describe specific workplace policy, practice and accommodation considerations for an aging workforce; * Identify examples of company best practices in accommodating an aging workforce; and * Access related key resources in the recruitment and retention of an older workforce.

The Citizen-Centered Leadership Development Community of Practice series is a unique combination of self-paced distance learning study, robust field work, interactive class assignments and live webcast instruction designed to advance theoretic and skill-based learning leading to quality outcomes in the lives of people with disabilities.

Through the use of a Power Point presentation, lecture and written materials participants will become acquainted with the great variety of agencies and partners that may be involved with a beneficiarys return to work.  Most importantly, what steps can be taken to ensure that all players are on the same page and none of the various plans conflict!  When the beneficiary enters a crisis period what is the practitioners role?  And how do you build time into your schedule to provide immediate assistance. Online polling will be used to ascertain knowledge acquisition. A preparatory reading assignment will be provided and is required.