Employment First

Employment First Summit convened by the College of Pharmacy’s Rhodes to Independence initiative to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Rhode Island.
On December 9, 2009, Rhodes to Independence hosted a successful Employment First Summit at the Providence Renaissance Hotel in Rhode Island. This event was held by invitation only and featured a gathering of 135 Employment First stakeholders including federal and state agency leaders, employers, self-advocates and family members, disability advocates, disability and employment service providers, secondary and post-secondary educators, veterans representatives, and other community leaders. The Summit placed Rhode Island among a select group of states that have undertaken the goal of making “employment first” the preferred option for working age adults and students with disabilities.
Rhodes to Independence Project Director and College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Elaina Goldstein said: “I am very pleased with the enthusiasm of the Employment First Summit participants and the success of the event. We see this as a first step toward building consensus through a vibrant collaboration of these key stakeholders dedicated to making Rhode Island an “Employment First” state for people with disabilities.”
The Summit was organized by Rhodes to Independence with several objectives including bringing together key constituents throughout Rhode Island who believe strongly in the idea that integrated employment in the workforce at competitive wages should be the expected and first choice of Rhode Islanders with disabilities, changing conventional thinking about what is possible by sharing new methods to narrow the employment gap and increase the productivity of all people with disabilities and increasing business understanding and involvement in Employment First.

The event concluded with participants discussing the critical next steps to advance an Employment First agenda in Rhode Island. The results of the Summit are being compiled in a consensus report that will serve as the blueprint for Rhode Island’s Employment First initiatives and will be disseminated to participants of the Employment First Summit and as well posted on the Rhodes to Independence website in early spring.Georgia Guiney, Employment Specialist at Northern Rhode Island Collaborative, Transition Center, said: “Wonderful Summit-I am fired up and very hopeful; I look forward to the follow-up conferences. “The second “Employment First Summit” will take place in April 2010.