Return to home page
Job Seeker Services
Business / Employer Services
Child Care
Youth Services
Disability Navigator
Training and Education
Center Locations
Workforce News
Event Calendar
Contact Us
About Us
Links
En Espanol
search
Disability Navigator

Introduction
Disability Program Navigator
10 Commandments of Communicating with a Person with a Disability
Featured Links
   Statistics on Disabilities
   Jobseeker Links
   Business Links

Introduction

The East Texas Workforce Development Board serves businesses throughout the 14 county-region (Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood). The Workforce Center system serves all job-seekers, including those individuals with disabilities.

All of the Workforce Centers have the following accommodations:

  • Large Print Material (at least 18 pt)
  • Large Screen Monitors
  • TTY, text telephone or TDD, telecommunication device for the deaf
  • Volume Adjustable Phones
  • Wheelchair accessible desks

In the full service centers in Tyler and Longview:

  • Clear View 300 Magnifier
  • ZoomText 7.0
  • Braille Blazer

ASL Interpreter available upon request with adequate notice at all sites.

Braille Material available upon request with adequate notice at all sites.

 back to top

Disability Program Navigator

The Board also recently hired a Disability Program Navigator to address the needs of people with disabilities seeking training and employment opportunities through the Workforce Center. The Navigator serves as a resource person to the center and persons with disabilities, including people receiving state and federal benefits. The Navigator has expertise regarding the Workforce Center programs, services and information and Social Security Administration (SSA) work incentive programs.

Here are some of the key functions of the Navigator:

  1. Guide Workforce staff in assisting people with disabilities to access and navigate the complex provisions of various programs that impact their ability to gain/retain employment.
  2. Develop linkages and collaborate on an ongoing basis with employers to facilitate job placements for persons with disabilities.
  3. Develop partnerships to achieve integrated services, systemic change, and expand the capacity to serve customers with disabilities.
  4. Facilitate the transition of in- or out-of-school youth with disabilities to obtain employment and economic self-sufficiency.
  5. Conduct outreach to agencies/organizations that serve people with disabilities.
  6. Serve as a resource on SSA's work incentives and employment support programs and the provision of services through Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach organizations (BPAO's); Protection and Advocacy systems (P & A's); and employment-related demonstration projects.
  7. Serve as resources on the Federal, State, local and private programs that impact the ability of persons with disabilities to enter and remain in the workforce.

If you would like more information, please contact Judd Quarles, Disability Program Navigator at the following address:

Contact the Navigator
Judd Quarles
East Texas Workforce Center
4100 Troup Hwy
Tyler, TX 75703
(903) 561-8131 Ext. 135
Fax: (903) 561-4204

 back to top

10 Commandments of Communicating with a Person with a Disability

  1. Speak directly rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter who may be present.
  2. Offer to shake hands when introduced. People with limited hand use or an artificial limb can usually shake hands and offering the left hand is an acceptable greeting.
  3. Always identify yourself and others who may be with you when meeting someone with a visual disability. When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking. When dining with a friend who has a visual disability, ask if you can describe what is on his or her plate.
  4. If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen or ask for instructions.
  5. Treat adults as adults. Address people with disabilities by their first names only when extending that same familiarity to all others. Never patronize people in wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulder.
  6. Do not lean against or hang on someone's wheelchair. Bear in mind that people with disabilities treat their chairs as extensions of their bodies. And so do people with guide dogs and help dogs. Never distract a work animal from their job without the owner's permission.
  7. Listen attentively when talking with people who have difficulty speaking and wait for them to finish. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, or a nod of the head. Never pretend to understand; instead repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond.
  8. Place yourself at eye level when speaking with someone in a wheelchair or on crutches.
  9. Tap a person who has a hearing disability on the shoulder or wave your hand to get his or her attention. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly, and expressively to establish if the person can read your lips. If so, try to face the light source and keep hands, cigarettes and food away from your mouth when speaking. If a person is wearing a hearing aid, don't assume that they have the ability to discriminate your speaking voice. Never shout to a person. Just speak in a normal tone of voice.
  10. Relax. Don't be embarrassed if you happen to use common expressions such as "See you later" or "Did you hear about this?" that seems to relate to a person's disability.

 back to top

Featured Links

Statistics on Disabilities

Office of the Governor Rick Perry
Cornell University 2005 report on people with disabilities in Texas
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing. "Table 5. Texas Disability Status: 2000;" Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics, PHC-2-45
Texas: S1801. Disability Characteristics;" 2004 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau

 back to top

Jobseeker Links

These links are provided to help jobseekers understand their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and accommodations that can help them be more successful in their job search.

 back to top

Business Links

These links are provided to help business owners and human resource professionals understand ADA and accommodations along with other subjects of interest.

 back to top

Governed by the East Texas Workforce Development Board.

©2008 East Texas Workforce | Site by White Lion
Site Map . email linkSite Feedback . Home