Governor John Bel Edwards Signed State as Model Employer Executive Order

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has signed an Executive Order this Monday creating  the State as a Model Employer Taskforce, which will develop policies and strategies to improve within state government the rate of hiring, recruitment and retention of Louisianans with disabilities.

The State as a Model Employer Task Force will have the following duties:

• Develop policies, strategies and services designed to achieve the seven percent employment target.
• Establish a five-year plan with annual goals that will enable the state workforce to reach parity with the percentage of working age people with disabilities in Louisiana.
• Provide guidance and other support to agencies and institutions of higher education of higher education on recruitment, retention, accommodation and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Click here to read the governor’s executive order.

Over the past year the Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs have held workgroups, roundtables, and other events in collaboration with diverse and varied stakeholders about Employment First, which is an initiative of stakeholders designed to address barriers to employment and improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Due to those efforts, in collaboration with diverse and varied stakeholders, Louisiana has been selected to receive Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) as a Vision Quest (VQ) State for the 2018 fiscal year under the United States Department of Labor’s, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP). This technical assistance will further the efforts to increase competitive, integrated employment outcomes for all individuals with disabilities.

Also, in the Governor’s Office, they know employing people with disabilities is great for businesses, communities, and Louisiana. If you are a person with a disability, they want to hear your story about where you work and what you do. There are so many positive employment stories which need to be shared, and we would like to publicly highlight our hard working citizens and their employers. Please go to the following link and complete the form with your information and story: http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/form/home/35