21st Annual APSE National Conference in Atlanta

March 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Rockville, MD – APSE (formerly the Association for Persons in Supported Employment) will host the 21st Annual APSE National Conference, Employment First: Not Just a Slogan, on June 8 – 10, 2010 at the Loews Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the only international conference focusing exclusively on integrated employment for citizens with disabilities, and is the premier event for sharing knowledge, expertise and ideas on the latest and best innovations to make employment for all a reality. Join APSE in raising awareness in the community of this untapped labor source.

Over 750 people are expected to attend including employers, adult service providers, researchers, advocates, job center personnel, mental health agency personnel, transition specialists, university faculty, vocational rehabilitation counselors, consumer and family members, state agency personnel and scores of other professionals. This educational event is open to anyone who wants to be a part of a grassroots network committed to ensuring that integrated employment continues to grow and improve.

The APSE national conference is an educational event with featured presentations from the following speakers: Cesilee Couson and Laura Owens: Community Conversations; Kyle Maynard: No Excuses!; and Cary Griffin: Employment First: Social Capital & Our New Roles. There will be cutting-edge breakout sessions covering topics such as job development and marketing, transition from school to adult life, public policy and funding, quality service delivery, leadership and personal development, mental health and substance abuse, and consumer, family & self-advocacy. Furthermore, APSE is offering the popular APSE Employment Institute (formerly known as SE 101), an introduction to integrated, community-based employment providing hands-on training on the essential elements of individualized employment of people with disabilities. Top trainers and leaders will lead SE 101, covering topics such as philosophy, history and development of integrated, community-based employment, person-centered assessment and discovery, job development and connecting with business, training and instructional strategies, on-the-job support strategies, and future developments in the field of employment of people with disabilities.

In addition, APSE’s new initiative, HR Connect, is offering an Employer Leadership Forum for business leaders to discuss the merits and logistics of hiring employees with disabilities. Through panels, roundtable discussions, presentations, and Q&A, the Employer Leadership Forum will help facilitate greater understanding between the business and the integrated employment communities. The goal of this forum is to conclude with action steps that can be put into immediate practice by the forum attendees both on local and national scales, thereby advancing integrated employment initiatives in conjunction with APSE’s mission.  

To learn more about gaining awareness through exhibit opportunities please contact Betsy Elwood at betsy@apse.org or 804-278-9187. Custom sponsorship opportunities are also available by contacting Jenny Levet at jenny@apse.org or 804-278-9187.

To register or for more information on the conference or APSE, visit http://www.apse.org.

For interviews, contact APSE Executive Director, Laura Owens, at 414-277-8506 or lowens@apse.org

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APSE is a national organization that leads in the advancement of equitable employment for people with disabilities. APSE is growing the implementation of integrated employment connecting the business community, policy makers, and general public to the number one untapped potential of people with disabilities. For more information, call 301-279-0060 or visit http//:www.apse.org.