Special Olympics athlete Charles Becker works in a cafeteria, where he aspires to become a cook. The CDE works to create more career opportunities like Becker's for people with disabilities.
CDE Announces Video Contest
The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE), a newly-formed collaborative of leading disability organizations, is sponsoring the "What Can YOU Do?" online video contest to promote the talent and skills that people with disabilities bring to America’s workforce and economy.
The contest is an opportunity for young - and young-at-heart - filmmakers to promote positive change by illustrating that at work, it’s what people CAN do that matters. The Campaign is looking for creative, fun, compelling video public service announcements, of all genres, that will create positive images of people with disabilities at work and help viewers re-think their assumptions about people with disabilities and employment.
The contest is being held as part of the Campaign for Disability Employment’s soon-to-be-launched national initiative to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The Campaign is a collaborative effort between Special Olympics, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the National Business and Disability Council, the U.S. Business Leadership Network and the Job Accommodation Network. It is funded under a contract from the Office of Disability Employment Policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Every day, people with disabilities can and do add value to America’s workplaces and economy. However, in good times and bad, people with disabilities have fewer job opportunities than the general population. The Campaign for Disability Employment aims to confront this disparity.
Contest entries must be 60 seconds or less and reflect one or more of the campaign’s key themes. The winner will receive a prize worth $1,500. Several selected videos may also be showcased on the campaign’s Web site.
The deadline for entry is 15 July 2009. Visit www.jan.wvu.edu/videocontest for contest rules, themes, video submission guidelines and more.