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.
CDO Workforce is celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM).
The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month is to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year's theme is "The Right Talent, Right Now."
Workplaces welcoming of the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, are a critical part of our efforts to build an inclusive community and strong economy. In this spirit, CDO Workforce is recognizing National Disability Employment Awareness Month this October to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities.
For job seekers with a disability, CDO Workforce can provide on-going support and disability services resources including informational workshops, job placement, job retention, benefits counseling, and career guidance. CDO Workforce also provides comprehensive services that focus on assisting out-of-school youth with disabilities in the Chenango, Delaware and Otsego area.
For Businesses who would like more information about hiring workers with disabilities, CDO Workforce offers a wealth of information, resources and supports, including information about incentives and disability inclusion, and why hiring people with disabilities is “good business.”
On Friday, October 11, 2019, CDO Workforce is co-sponsoring a free seminar: Autism in the Workplace. The Seminar will cover what the Autism Spectrum is, how it may present in the workplace, onboarding and retention best practices, review of possible accommodations, and addressing stigma and false assumptions about Autism. Presenter: Janine Kruiswijk, Executive Director of the Autism Society of the Greater Capital Region. Doors Open at 8:30am – Program 9am – Noon, at Springbrook’s Oneonta Community Campus, 5588 State Highway 7, in Oneonta. Register in advance at
As the local Chenango, Delaware and Otsego area American Job Center partner, there is never a charge for CDO Workforce services-- to businesses or job seekers. More information can be found about CDO Workforce services and supports by going to the disability-related pages on our website: For Businesses and For Job Seekers at www.cdoworkforce.org and the CDO Workforce Disability Employment Initiative Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CDOWorkforceDEI / @CDOWorkforceDEI.
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.