Building Wealth on the Foundation of Employment Portfolio Series

Abstract

[Excerpt] The vision of the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) is to advance the economic futures of workers, including those with disabilities. The unique mission of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) within USDOL is to promote the involvement, cooperation, and collaboration of multiple federal, state, and local agencies with the private sector, to increase participation of individuals with disabilities in the workforce and economic mainstream. No single program, policy, funding stream, or strategy is a universal solution for the multiple challenges encountered by individuals with disabilities who want become economically self-sufficient. Yet, across the federal government, there are tools and strategies now being implemented to help lift low-income wage earners—including individuals with disabilities—out of poverty and empower them through employment and expanded economic opportunities. This portfolio series introduces asset development concepts, tools, and activities that individuals with disabilities, their families, and the workforce development professionals who support them can use to build wealth on the foundation of successful employment.