by Patricia A. Schaeffer, Vice President-Regulatory Affairs
On September 26, 2007, Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), presented the agency’s Freedom to Compete Award to four employers and one non-profit organization for best practices that promote access and inclusion.
Recipients of the 2007 awards were:
- Johns Hopkins Health System: For developing programs to increase job opportunities for area youth with disabilities; improvements in handling disputes with employees; and improving upward mobility for new hires and staff.
- Emory Crawford Long Hospital: For a program to assist hospitals experiencing shortages of nurses and medical technicians by employing young people with developmental disabilities to assist with routine tasks not requiring medical expertise.
- Internal Revenue Service: For its program to facilitate the hiring and retention of individuals with visual impairments.
- The City of Norfolk: For its program to remove barriers to public employment for people of color, women, and individuals with disabilities.
- Abilities, Inc.: For its program to assist workers with disabilities or age-related limitations to regain meaningful employment.
The awards are part of the EEOC’s Freedom to Compete Initiative, which is a national outreach, education and coalition-building campaign launched in 2002 to provide “free and unfettered” access to employment opportunities for all individuals.