Here's more info on accessibility and training opportunities for people
with disabilities in Microsoft certified IT positions.  In addition to the
community college in Austin, Texas described in the article, be sure to
check out the community college of Denver.  take ideas from both schools
and apply them to the options in your local community.  After all, we have
a right to participate and be accommodated in these programs whether or
not the institution receives a grant to help them out.  If they won't
cooperate, file a complaint and take them to court.

kelly
 >From the web page
http://www.comop.org/press/austinrelease.htm

Community Options, Inc. Begins an Over $1 Million Effort to
Train Individuals with Disabilities for Careers in the
Information Technology Industry

 Community Options Inc. and the U.S. Department of Labor works
with Microsoft, Information Technology Association of America
and Local Colleges and Training Centers on Three-Year Pilot
Program to Train People with Disabilities in Austin


Austin, Texas, April 12, 1999 - Community Options, Inc. (COI), a
national nonprofit organization, today announced a partnership
with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for a new project aimed
at training individuals with disabilities for careers in the
information technology (IT) industry. Through the project,
PASS*IT*ON (Plan for Achieving Self Support with Information
Technology Opportunities Nationwide), Community Options Inc.
will work with Microsoft Corp., the Information Technology
Association of America (ITAA) and community colleges and
universities to expand and adapt computer training for people
with disabilities.

"PASS*IT*ON is designed to challenge conventional thinking by
developing new job opportunities for people with disabilities,"
said Robert Stack, President/CEO of Community Options Inc.
"There is a significant shortage of trained professionals in the
information technology industry; many people with disabilities
are highly motivated and willing to be trained to fill these
open positions."

PASS*IT*ON will recruit and train individuals with a range of
disabilities. The three-year project will result in long-term
employment opportunities, including the post-placement support
necessary to maximize career advancement.

In the first year, PASS*IT*ON will be offered to over 20 people
with disabilities living in and around Austin, Texas. Classes
began in late March at Austin Community College with a goal of
placing the participants in Information Technology positions
with an average salary of $30,000.

 "The PASSITON program is an all-around winner for Central
Texas," said Congressman Lloyd Doggett. "It answers the need in
our full-throttle economy for local high-tech talent and it
provides workforce training for people with disabilities who are
eager to find productive employment." Congressional aide, Kristi
Willis, serves on the Austin Business Advisory Council.

 "We have a dynamic Community Options Business Advisory Council
(COBAC) that is really committed to the success of this project,
and e are receiving tremendous support from the Austin Software
Council," said Richard Hernandez, Executive Director of
Community Options, Inc. { Austin. "PASSITON in Austin is not
only doing well, but because of the outstanding efforts of the
entire COBAC, I truly expect that this site will be the crown
jewel of the entire project."

In addition to the Austin location, Community Options has
established programs in 3 other states: Colorado, New Jersey and
Virginia. In subsequent years, Community Options, Inc. plans to
implement the project at additional sites nationwide through
community-based providers of employment support services and
regional councils of IT companies.

 "Working with COI to train people with disabilities ties in
with Microsoft's Skills 2000 initiative designed to
significantly reduce the skills gap by reaching out to
individuals with varying backgrounds interested in developing a
career in high tech," said Nancy Lewis, general manager of
worldwide training and certification at Microsoft. "Working with
the PASS*IT*ON program in Austin is just one step { these pilots
will help COI replicate the project nationwide to serve even
more people with special needs."

 Community Options, Inc. modeled PASSITON after the
award-winning Computer Training for People with Disabilities
(CTPD) program offered at Community College of Denver since
1981. Kevin Ellerman graduated from the CTPD program in 1983 and
went on to become the CTPD Director for the past 13 years. Kevin
resigned from his position in October of 1998 to become the
PASSITON Program Coordinator. Kevin states, " this project
(PASSITON) can really change people's lives by helping displaced
workers enter the information technology field, they get not a
job but a career".

Microsoft's participation in the program includes a $50,000 cash
grant from the company's Accessibility and Disabilities Group,
as well as a $282,000 grant combining cash, software, technical
resources and tools from Microsoft's Skills 2000 initiative.
More information on the Skills 2000 initiative is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/skills2000/. The Information Technology
Association of America (ITAA) is co-sponsoring with the
Department of Labor to provide funding for the program. ITAA
will participate on a local level through the Austin Software
Council in Austin, Texas. The Austin Software Council organized
a local Business Advisory Council (BAC) to train and prepare
individuals with disabilities for employment computer
professionals. The BAC is made up of civic-minded members from
the business community in the field of management information
systems. "The pipeline for IT workers is running dangerously
low. With nearly 350,000 vacant IT jobs nationwide, The
PASS*IT*ON program is exactly the type of partnership needed to
train technical talent. ITAA receives calls every day from
companies that need to hire workers immediately or risk loss of
productivity. This program will help fill those needs and keep
our economy running strong," said ITAA President Harris N. Miller

For more information on how to qualify for training, contact Dan
Fairchild at Community Options (303) 494-1652

Community Options is a national nonprofit organization
incorporated in 1989 to provide opportunities for people with
disabilities to live as independently as possible. The
organization, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, supports
700 people with disabilities in 11 states: Colorado, District of
Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

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