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| Madonna Long with Joyce Bender at Disability Ball 2012 |
Wow, what a week it has been. I had the privilege of attending both the Round Table event in Washington D.C. with the leaders of the disability community at the Office of Personnel Management, on the topic of reaching out to people who have disabilities for employment in the Federal Government, and the Disability Power & Pride Ball.
The President's objective to employ 100,000 people who have disabilities in the Federal Government was a huge discussion at the Round Table event in Washington D.C. last week. I was privileged to be asked to attend with the leaders from the disability community.
Among those that attended was Joyce Bender of Bender Consulting. Ms. Bender is an amazing business woman and superwoman all in one and she helps people with disabilities (PWD) find employment. She's the lead recruiter for people with disabilities not only in the public sector but in the government sector. Her team at Bender Consulting are located in Pittsburgh but serve many other communities and states. The OPM referred to the 'Bender List' as being a key to providing resources to find qualified candidates.
Andy Imparato and Lee Perselay from Senator Harkins office and the HELP Committee (again, two of my favs), and many more, made the event what it was. The room was crowded and the dialog was over the top with the top.The discussion was amazing with the leaders of the disability community and the members of the government agencies, all in conversation on how to attract more talent from this diverse community to federal employment.
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| Joyce Bender and Tony Coelho at Disability Ball 2013 |
Disability Ball, A Great Event
Disability Power & Pride and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) joined together to host the Disability Inaugural Ball. This important milestone in cultivating the enduring power of the disability community was held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on Saturday, January 19, 2013. It was an amazing event. It�s the Who�s Who of the disability community and is one of those events every four years I love to attend. Drinks and food were served and the amazing band was Band Jukeboxx.
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| Tony Coelho, the Master of Ceremonies |
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| Madonna Long with Congressional Member Tammy Duckworth |
Again, many leaders from the disability community came together, as well as some wonderful and dedicated volunteers, who really made the evening possible. Of course from the White house was Kareem Dale, the Special Assistant to the President, who announced it was his last appearance as he will not be at the White House for this term. His departure from that position was Friday, January 25, 2013.
It was another fantastic event. The disability community is amazing, so join a group, get involved and lets make a difference with these amazing leaders!