Increasing the employment of people with disabilities through the Business Leadership Network

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lieshout, Roger Van

Affiliations: Colorado Business Leadership Network, 1905 Sherman Street, Suite 210, Denver, CO 80203, USA. Tel.: +1 303 831 6333; Fax: +1 303 831 8650; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: This paper will present an national strategy for addressing the needs of employer-customers and job seekers with recruitment, hiring, and advancement of people with disabilities in the business sector. This national strategy known as the Business Leadership Network, or BLN, was first developed in 1994 in conjunction with the United States Department of Labor, Office of Disability and Employment Policy (formerly known as the President's Committee on Employments of People with Disabilities). A BLN is an employer-lead coalition that works along side with the rehabilitation community, people with disabilities, and employment support programs to promote the employment of people with disabilities as a talented, motivated source of untapped labor.

Keywords: recruitment, business, disabilities

Journal: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 77-81, 2001