Programs
Disability Supplier Diversity Program |
TOWER Initiative | Student Advisory Council
(SAC)
Annual Conference | Disability Marketing
| Social Networking
The USBLN® offers several unique programming for its Corporate Members,
BLN Affiliates and other stakeholders interested in promoting disability
employment.
Disability Supplier Diversity
Program® |
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The USBLN® Disability Supplier Diversity
Program® (DSDP) offers businesses
that are owned by an individual(s) with a disability, including service disabled
veterans, an exciting opportunity to increase their access to potential
contracting opportunities with major corporations, government agencies, and
one another. Through the USBLN® DSDP, your
business can obtain Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification and
get connected to a nationwide network of corporate and government procurement
professionals, disability advocates, and other certified disability-owned
businesses.
Certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprises are incorporated into the
USBLN® Certified Supplier Database, where
procurement representatives from major corporations actively seek potential
candidate vendors for bidding opportunities. Additionally, certified
disability-owned businesses are eligible to participate in DSDP matchmaking
and educational seminars for certified businesses. To learn more about the
benefits of certification, please download the
USBLN®
DSDP Business
Opportunities Toolkit Overview.
If you have additional questions about the certification process, please
download our Frequently Asked
Questions. If you’d like to begin the application process, download
the DSDP
Certification Application,
DSDP
Recertification Application,
Certification
Status Qualifiers,
Disability
Status Qualifier Supplemental Form, and
Physician’s
Certification of Disability Form.
If you are a corporate or government representative and are interested in
adding Certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprises to your supply chain,
please contact Patricia Richards, Director, Disability Supplier Diversity
Program® at
pjrichards81904@yahoo.com or
(713) 304-8950.
DSDP Article:
"Obtaining
Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification" was published in
the May/June 2010 issue of Business Law Today. This information or
any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any
means or downloaded or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system
without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.
TOWER™ Initiative |
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The USBLN® believes the inclusion of students
and youth with disabilities in its programming is essential to assist businesses
in preparing an American workforce ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges.
The USBLN® has created the TOWER™ Initiative
to be proactive in providing both students and youth with disabilities, as
well as businesses, the Tools on Work and Employment Readiness necessary
to meet the demands of employers. Through the TOWER™ Initiative the
USBLN® is working with our affiliates to provide
them with the tools to work with their business partners. These tools are
designed to expand mentoring and internship opportunities for students and
youth with disabilities. The USBLN® also provides
our affiliates with resources to assist them with creating Student Advisory
Councils. This will ensure that a youth voice is present and assisting business
as they move forward with their strategic implementation of the inclusion
of people with disabilities in the workforce. We also work with our affiliates
at the national level to incorporate soft skill development in our interactions
with young people with disabilities.
Our business members span across all of the great industries of American
business. These organizations all realize that there are no limits to the
careers that people with disabilities can excel in, working hand in hand
with their non-disabled colleagues. For our business members who wish to
have a direct impact on fostering new opportunities within their companies
for students with disabilities, TOWER™ Initiative staff are available
to provide customized consulting services.
TOWER™ Initiative
Toolkits
The toolkits were supported by a grant from
The HSC
Foundation.
This set of USBLN® toolkits help USBLN® affiliates and employer members
tap into energetic students with disabilities. These students are eager to
work with employers while still in school to develop the skills needed to
be competitive in the workplace once they graduate. Each of these toolkits
provide different avenues for engaging with students with disabilities through
high quality internship and mentoring programs, as well as, student advisory
councils.
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Guide
To Business-Branded
Internships
En Espanol (in Spanish) - [DOC] |
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Guide
To Business-Branded
Mentoring |
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Guide To Creating
Student Advisory Councils |
To learn more about the TOWER™ Initiative or to find out how your company
can receive customized solutions contact Gary Goosman, Director of the
TOWER™ Initiative, at 202-349-4259 or
gary@usbln.org.
Student Advisory Council (SAC)
The US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) is pleased to announce
its 2011 leadership for the US Business Leadership Network Student Advisory
Council (SAC). The Student Advisory Council members elected Paul Fogle,
student, Penn State Harrisburg, to serve as Chair; Jimmy Curran, student,
Temple University, to serve as Vice-Chair; and Stephanie Hammerman,
student, Lynn University, to serve as Secretary.
The USBLN® is focused on embracing the full inclusion of people with
disabilities in the labor force and marketplace; assists in career preparation
for and employment of people with disabilities, improves customer experiences
for people with disabilities, and promotes the certification and growth of
disability-owned businesses. The national Student Advisory Council assists
USBLN® Board members and staff by providing insight on employment barriers
that students with disabilities face. They also create publications to assist
businesses and students to ease the transition into internship opportunities
and employment.
“On behalf of the US Business Leadership Network, we are happy to have
such a dedicated group of students work with us, providing both guidance
and direction as we create programs focusing on career development opportunities
for students with disabilities. These initiatives encourage employers to
hire students with disabilities in internship programs and then full-time
employment once they graduate,” said Gary Goosman, Director of
the TOWER™ Initiative at the USBLN®. “Advisory groups like
the SAC are vital for us to continually drive the success of the core mission
of the USBLN®.”
The USBLN® Student Advisory Council is comprised of: Paul Fogle,
student, Penn State Harrisburg; Jimmy Curran, student, Temple University;
Stephanie Hammerman, student, Lynn University; Nate Finch,
student, University of Hartford; and Daman Wandke, student, Western
Washington University.
Paul Fogle, Chair, is in the Master’s in Public Administration
program at Penn State Harrisburg. In the past, Paul has been a consultant
for transition initiatives on the local, state, and national levels. He has
served on the Governing Boards of the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network
(as founding member) and the National Youth Leadership Network. Paul has
also served on the Youth Advisory Committee to the National Council on Disability
and the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council. He completed his
baccalaureate degree in Public Policy from Penn State Harrisburg in 2008.
While on campus Paul was active in leadership organizations such as SGA and
the University Faculty Senate. He currently serves as an Assistant Coach
for the Penn State Harrisburg Men’s Basketball team. Paul currently
resides in Middletown, PA.
Jimmy Curran, Vice Chair, is a senior Finance major in the Business
Honors Program at Temple University with a minor in Spanish and Economics.
Outside of the classroom he has participated in the Emerging Leaders Internship
Program and the American Association of People with Disabilities Congressional
Internship Program. While with the Emerging Leaders Program, Jimmy worked
at the CIT Group in New York City on the Risk Management team of the
Transportation Finance department. This past summer he interned in the Office
of Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), providing support to the Legislative team
by performing a myriad of tasks. Jimmy also serves on the Disability Mentoring
Day Mentee Outreach Committee through the New York City Mayor's Office. In
his free time he enjoys promoting the employment of people with disabilities,
reading business/political publications, and managing a portfolio of financial
options. Jimmy is currently seeking employment opportunities in financial
services and public policy.
Stephanie Hammerman, Secretary, a Junior at Lynn University, Boca
Raton FL, studying in the field of communications, majoring in Advertising
and Public Relations. Hammerman was born with a mild case of Cerebral Palsy,
and has a strong passion for disability advocacy and awareness. Over the
past two years she has founded and coordinated a Disability Awareness Month
Initiative on the university's campus and hopes that the experience will
aide her to being a positive and influential member of the USBLN® Student
Advisory Council.
Nate Finch is a sophomore in the Barney School of Business at the
University of Hartford in Connecticut, currently pursuing an accounting major.
Academically, Nate has a knack for math. It is his strongest and perhaps
not surprisingly, favorite subject. People often describe him as a motivated
and hard working individual with a positive attitude, who likes to see tasks
through to completion. Outside the classroom, Nate regularly finds himself
engaged with others doing community service work: working for a sustainable
agriculture organization during high school, helping orient new students
at his university and working at a summer camp for individuals with disabilities.
In his spare time, he also likes to downhill ski, bike, fish, and play
backgammon. Nate grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts with his parents and
older brother.
Daman Wandke is a senior at Western Washington University (WWU) majoring
in Business Administration/Management Information Systems. He is also working
on a minor in Internet Resource Creation and Management. Daman’s goal
is to work in project management at an Information Technology (IT) company.
He is the President of Access Web, providing IT accessibility and disability
advocacy services. He also works as an IT Specialist remotely at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture based out of Washington, DC, working on PDF
accessibility and Section 508 Compliance. This past summer, Daman returned
to Washington, DC, and interned in the Chief Information Office at NASA’s
Headquarters. Daman is also a disability advocate at the national and
international levels focusing on IT accessibility and disability employment.
2012 USBLN®
15th Annual Conference & Expo
Disability Inclusion Driving Success in
a Competitive Business Environment
October 1-4 | Orlando, FL| Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld by Marriott
Be sure to join us on October 1-4, 2012 for the US Business Leadership Network's
15th Annual Conference at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld by Marriott.
The 2012 USBLN® Annual Conference & Expo is the preeminent national
business to business event that taps into the vast economic potential of
the full inclusion of people with disabilities.
This conference brings corporate, government, disability-owned businesses
and BLN affiliates together to create workplaces, marketplaces, and supply
chains where people with disabilities are fully included as professionals,
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This year's event, building on our highly successful 2011 conference,
will deliver enhanced networking opportunities, offer exciting interactive
sessions, and feature respected thought-leaders and industry luminaries.
Early-bird Registration NOW OPEN!
Disability Marketing |
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The USBLN® promotes customer service among its membership dedicated to
expanding the marketplace to include all customers, including customers with
disabilities. To that end, USBLN® disability marketing strategies strive
to include more advertising targeted to customers with disabilities and
recruiting to potential workers with disabilities.
Our Social Networks |
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