California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities

10/02/2025

Celebrate 80 years of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and 35 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a unique and insightful virtual event, Paws to Purpose: Trainers and Owners on Service and Emotional Support Animals.
The webinar takes place on Wednesday, October 8 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Attendees will hear from owners and trainers on how their service and support animals empower them to bring their full talent and value to the workplace.
ASL interpretation and CART provided.
To register, click the link below:

https://dor-ca-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/6517544235772/WN_Dway_QHwTLmNSpGMUiaW3g #/registration

10/02/2025

The California Disability Caregivers Conference is a free 3-day virtual event for families, advocates & professionals, co-presented by The Arc of California and Parents Helping Parents Tuesday October 7 - Thursday, October 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This conference will offer expert sessions, resources and connections to support caregivers statewide. Click the link below for more details and to register:
https://www.caringfutures.org/conference.

10/02/2025

The DOR Disability Access Services office is hosting a special
National Disability Employment Awareness Month virtual event, Employers Leading by Example: The Value and Talent of an Inclusive Workforce, on Wednesday, October 29 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
The panel discussion will include representatives from Phenix Technology, ToolWorks, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Pacific Gas & Electric. Learn how to add value and talent to your workforce through inclusive hiring strategies.
For additional reasonable accommodations, email DASTraining@dor.ca.gov by October 22. Click the link below to register:
https://bit.ly/3IdnBwn.

05/29/2025

Become a member!

The California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (CCEPD) is recruiting individuals with disabilities to join its member board. This is a great opportunity to make a difference and improve programs and services for Californians with disabilities throughout the state.

The minimum time commitment is between 2-3 hours monthly which includes meetings and pre-meeting preparation. The CCEPD also supports the annual DOR Youth Leadership Forum, an event that provides leadership opportunities and advocacy training for high school students with disabilities.

Questions? email the CCEPD Executive Officer Maria Aliferis-Gjerde at
Maria.Aliferis-Gjerde@dor.ca.gov To apply, click on the link below:
https://bit.ly/3H5w3Nb.

05/22/2025

Join DOR Disability Access Services for a powerful webinar on fostering neurodiversity-friendly workplaces, the first in the series Building Business Better: A Webinar Series on Inclusive Leadership, on Wednesday, June 18 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

This free session, Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Unlocking Potential through Inclusive Leadership, will feature attorney Paula Tobler, who lives with a Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. With expertise in law, public service, and psychology, Paula brings a unique perspective as a supervisor, an employee and an advocate who has helped hundreds of people with reasonable accommodations.

Learn practical strategies from her first-hand experiences and real-life examples. Don’t miss this chance to gain new skills and insights into how to create a more inclusive workplace! Click the link below to register:
https://bit.ly/439OMyq

05/15/2025

Join CalABLE for an exciting webinar on May 14 as we discuss how CalABLE can assist in the transition from childhood to adulthood!

Register now: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5ISypCTiRROv2dH7YSL2rA

05/08/2025

Interested in state employment? Don't miss a free upcoming webinar, Being Bold in 2025: Pathways to State Employment, on Thursday, May 22 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Attendees will learn about the various career pathways and opportunities for people with disabilities, see demonstrations on navigating the state job portal, hear hiring success stories and much more! Click the link below to register:
https://bit.ly/4iDlU7A

05/05/2025

👇 Looking to fill a vacancy on the CCEPD! 👇

The CCEPD is looking a person with disability to fill a vacancy. Below are expectations and desired characteristics.

Expectations of CCEPD Members:
• Minimum time commitment of two-three hours every month (email reading and telephone/virtual committee meeting).
• Half-day to one-day of Full Committee meetings quarterly and participation of at least one Subcommittee. Subcommittees are usually two-hour meetings and may meet monthly or quarterly.
• Time to read materials and prepare for the meetings.
• Members may need to travel for meetings locally or to Sacramento.

The CCEPD will pay for travel costs, including any reasonable accommodations or need of personal care attendant.

Desired CCEPD Member Characteristics:
• Leadership skills
• Knowledge of employment strategies.
• Integrity: Members who do what they say they are going to do
• Passionate about improving programs and services for people with disabilities and the mission and vision of the CCEPD.
• New members will add their lived experience to the Committee, include experience with
- Young adults starting their careers or mid-career level.
- Older adult with disability
- Underrepresented ethnic groups
- Residents of rural areas or other areas not currently represented.
- Person with Behavioral Health
- Person who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Please visit the CCEPD website at https://www.dor.ca.gov/Home/CCEPD or contact the CCEPD Executive Officer Maria Aliferis-Gjerde at Maria.Aliferis-Gjerde@dor.ca.gov for any questions. Application is located on the website.

The California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) is an employment and independent living resource for people with disabilities...

04/26/2025

American Association of People with Disabilities is hosting its National Community Event on Wednesday, April 30 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. (PT). This free event is a virtual gathering to celebrate the progress of disability rights. Attendees can engage in conversations with national leaders, hear reports from across the nation about the critical work people with disabilities are doing across the country, celebrate disability representation in film and the arts, and more! Open captioning, ASL, and audio description will be provided. Click the link below to register: https://bit.ly/42CG8JM

01/09/2025

The application for the 2025 California Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) is now open!
YLF is free for the following applicants:
• Must be a California resident
• Must be a sophomore, junior, or senior in high school
• Must have a 504 plan, Individualized Education Program (IEP), or identify as a student with a disability
Selected YLF participants will have the opportunity to spend a week in Sacramento and will learn about advocacy and leadership, connect with peers, meet professionals with disabilities, interact with state policymakers, develop goals, and create a personal leadership development plan. The application deadline is February 28. Click on the link for more information: dor.ca.gov/home/ylf

01/02/2025

New Family Empowerment Center Website

The California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division announced in collaboration with Seeds of Partnership, the availability of the new Family Empowerment Center (FEC) website, which can be accessed at https://californiafamilyempowermentcenters.org/. This new website has been designed to serve as a parent-friendly hub to expand outreach and enhance public access of the FECs.

The FECs were established through Senate Bill 511 and enacted in California Education Code sections 56400−56414 in 2001. In 2021, the expansion of FECs was initiated to ensure that every region of the state offered access to a parent center, providing training and information to families of children and young adults with disabilities, ages 3 to 22. These parent-led nonprofit organizations offer specialized training, peer-to-peer support, information, and referral services. They aim to assist parents to better understand their child’s educational and developmental needs, effectively communicate with service providers, serve as a resource for the Individual Education Plan process, participate in school reform and improvement activities, promote alternative dispute resolution, and support positive relationships between parents and professionals. Services available through each FEC vary based on the needs of the region they serve.

Key highlights of the new website:

• General Information: Overview, history of the FEC grant expansion, and funding information

• Spotlight on the FECs: Learn about the incredible work being done by each FEC across California

• Easy Access to Find an FEC: Discover how to connect with the FEC serving a specific region with an easy-to-use look up tool

• Family Support: General parent support and a getting started with highlighted references

Questions/Comments: Opportunity to share comments and questions related to FECs
If you have additional questions regarding the FECs, please contact the CDE−FEC Team by email at FEC@cde.ca.gov.

Whether you are a parent navigating a new diagnosis for your child, have a concern about your child’s development, are looking for resources and education, or just need to connect with another parent with similar experiences, the California Family Empowerment Centers (FECs) are here to help.

12/11/2024

The application period for the 2025 California Youth Leadership Forum for Students with Disabilities (YLF) is now open!

Apply here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=VHDtGZedx0OSsWeBtrlbaH1or2OLmZBBvp_xChQkar9UQjhGWEkxNTdQQzhNOUpHVUlLNEU2SUtSRC4u&route=shorturl

Deadline to apply: February 28, 2025

Eligibility criteria for applicants:
• Must be a California resident
• Must be a sophomore, junior, or senior in high school
• Must have a 504 plan, Individualized Education Program (IEP), or identify as a student with a disability

Leadership experience is encouraged but not required!

Selected delegates will have the opportunity to spend a week in Sacramento, CA, staying on a college campus in the dorms. During this week, they will learn about advocacy and leadership, connect with peers, meet professionals with disabilities, interact with state policymakers, develop goals, and create a leadership development plan for their future. Delegates will also have the chance to build lifelong friendships!

There is no cost for delegates to attend YLF. All expenses, including travel, lodging, meals, and any necessary accommodations, are covered by YLF, thanks to our sponsors and partners.

For more details, visit our website: https://www.dor.ca.gov/Home/Ylf

If you have any questions, please email YLF at YLF@dor.ca.gov.