Welcome to SMG eNEWS™
2004, May 4th

The Solutions Marketing Group’s eNews is a bi-monthly communiqué that connects business to the market of people with disabilities.

Profiles in Excellence
Profiles in Excellence is a monthly article, published by SMG, that features companies and organizations that demonstrate leadership in accessibility, employment, customer service and marketing to the nation's 54 million Americans with Disabilities.

Daryl Mitchell Is Part of the Family on Ed
By Joan Leotta

Fans of Ed, an NBC show about a big-city lawyer who returns to his hometown roots and pursues his high school love, enjoy the quirky comedy-drama's character-driven stories. The ensemble cast features Daryl Mitchell as Eli Cartwright Goggins III. Eli, a young fast talker with a dubious resume ...
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Accessibility
sponsored by Universal Design Newsletter

Assistive Technology in the Workplace

Youngstown State University Director of Career Services Bernie Cummins has built a highly successful career with the help of talent, drive, and assistive technology. He's thoroughly supported in getting the tools he needs to maintain his productivity by a university dedicated to providing technology accessibility to students, faculty, and staff. ...
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Customer Service
sponsored by W.C. Duke Associates, Inc.

New tool helps pinpoint best GM vehicles to adapt
By Michelle Krebs

General Motors and iCan! are pleased to launch an Internet-based tool that guides people with disabilities, seniors and caregivers through a process to identify new GM vehicles best suited to their needs. ...
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Employment

Waiting in the Wings: Opening Doors to Disabled Students Can Enhance Diversity Recruitment and Offset Labor Shortages, an excerpt from the April 2004, HR Magazine

Employers often depend on college job fairs and employment services to bring new entry-level workers into the organization, but some organizations have difficulty effectively recruiting and hiring students with disabilities. Recruiters who are unaccustomed to interacting with the disabled may avoid them to prevent embarrassment, and awkward moments. Others may worry that disability means lack of ability, and still others fear that accommodating disabled workers will be expensive or disruptive. ...
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Marketing

IBM Receives Barbara Jordan Media Award for Print Advertising

IBM has been selected to receive the Barbara Jordan Media Award for its advertising campaign featuring images of people with disabilities succeeding in the workplace. This is the second award IBM has been honored with for the ad campaign. IBM was presented with the award at a ceremony in Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 22....
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Announcements

Nominations Open for New Freedom Initiative Award

Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao today called upon non-profits, small businesses, corporations and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities, a goal of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative, to submit their entries for the 2004 "Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award." ...
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Events

Job Accommodation Network Symposium

Join the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) in Orlando, FL September 20 and 21, 2004! JAN's annual symposium offers a unique learning opportunity for human resource managers, supervisors, and other management professionals to attend workshops presented by JAN consultants and invited experts discussing ways to enhance your organization's ability to accommodate and employ people with disabilities. The Symposium will offer three training tracks addressing accommodation issues, best practices, and ADA/legal issues.

To learn more about the Symposium, visit http://symposium.jan.wvu.edu