10 Honorees Receive Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao’s
New Freedom Initiative Award
Award Recognizes Achievements on Behalf of People with Disabilities
WASHINGTON—Five businesses, four organizations, and one
individual today received the Secretary of Labor’s annual
New Freedom Initiative (NFI) Awards. The NFI Award recognizes
exemplary and innovative public-private partnership efforts
in furthering the employment objectives of the President’s
New Freedom Initiative. The recipients were honored in a luncheon
ceremony at the Labor Department.
“President George W. Bush wants all Americans, including
Americans with disabilities, to have the opportunity to learn
and develop skills and engage in productive work,” said
Secretary Chao. “The recipients of the 2003 Secretary’s
New Freedom Initiative Awards are organizations that recognize
the value that persons with disabilities bring to the workplace
and exemplify that philosophy in their daily operations.”
Roy Grizzard, assistant secretary for disability employment
policy, congratulated the recipients and urged them to become
trailblazers. “If we are to see significant progress in
the employment of people with disabilities, your success can
and should be replicated,” said Grizzard. “I encourage
you to work in partnerships within your states and communities
to multiply the impact and, most importantly, the end results.”
Corporation awardees were: Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va.,
Cingular Wireless, Atlanta, Ga., Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh, Pa.,
IBM, Armonk, N.Y., and Manpower, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisc. Organization
awardees were: Abilities, Inc., Albertson, N.Y., Courage Center,
Minneapolis, Minn., Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, Salisbury,
Md., and Sensory Access Foundation, Sunnyvale, Calif. The individual
awardee was Joyce Bender, Bender Consulting, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Today’s announcement comes during National Disability
Employment Awareness Month. Secretary Chao selected “America
Works Best When All Americans Work” as the official theme
for October to continue to bring focus and awareness to solutions
that ensure the full inclusion of persons with disabilities
into the 21st century workforce.
President Bush introduced the New Freedom Initiative within
the first 30 days of his Presidency, on Feb. 1, 2001. The New
Freedom Initiative represents a comprehensive set of proposals
designed to ensure that Americans with disabilities have the
opportunity to learn and develop skills, engage in productive
work, make choices about their daily lives, and participate
fully in their communities. The Office of Disability Employment
Policy in the Department of Labor has the key responsibility
for implementing the employment-related aspects of the President’s
New Freedom Initiative.
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