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"Begin a Noble Quest!"
A Message to Staff Members from the EmployABILITY Partnership
In creating this website, our goal was to provide effective tools that each One-Stop staff member can use to better understand how to deliver services to persons with disabilities. To make this information easy to understand, we chose themes to illustrate major topics from the play, "Don Quixote".
Many of you have attended the "Windmills" sensitivity training, that was designed to raise awareness of the limitations we impose on the employment of people with disabilities because of our lack of knowledge and our acceptance of myths. The title "Windmills" reflects the literary concept from "Don Quixote". Don Quixote in his insanity, fought duels with imaginary dragons, which were in reality, just windmills. The goal of the Windmills training was to slay the dragons of misunderstanding created by fear, myths, biases, and stereotypes.
The authors of this site were likewise inspired by the literary character Don Quixote: he saw the world not as it was, but as he wanted it to be, a world of chivalry, caring acts, and impossible dreams. As Don Quixote set off on his quest to right wrongs, he treated each person he met with utmost dignity, regardless of their appearance. He saw the nobility in others, and so they came to see the nobility within themselves. And through his compassion and faith in others, Don Quixote left behind a legacy of lives forever changed for the better.
Like Don Quixote, we strive to see the ultimate possibilities within each individual, and to empower each person to reach his or her highest potential. Through this web site and Legacy training programs, we seek to empower each of you to pursue your own "Noble Quest" of creating career opportunities for persons with disabilities. We also seek to empower you to accomplish that mission with excellence and honor, in a manner that preserves the dignity of everyone you serve…as you create your own, lasting legacy of changed lives.
Please join us, as we "Begin our Noble Quest!"…
The first priority in creating employment opportunities for persons with disabilities is to ensure that all job seekers have equal access to One-Stop services by addressing four key elements of the One-Stop service environment:
1. Accessible ATTITUDES
One-Stop staff members must be trained and motivated to provide services to persons with disabilities in a positive manner, using appropriate language, to reflect the highest degree of sensitivity and professional ethics.
2. Accessible FACILITIES (PDF) (HTML Version)
One-Stop Career Centers must accommodate job seekers with a disability by providing access to parking, meeting areas, restrooms, computers, telephones/TTY, fax machines, copiers, and other physical amenities that are also provided to nondisabled job seekers.
3. Accessible SERVICES (PDF) (HTML Version)
Each One-Stop staff member must be able to deliver the same quality of services to job seekers with a disability as provided to nondisabled job seekers, and all program information and materials must be equally accessible to all participants.
4. Client Confidentiality
It is important that One-Stop centers consider disclosure and confidentiality issues in service delivery for people with disabilities, and that One-Stop staff be trained to understand proper guidelines for respecting the privacy of all customers.
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