2017 Wisconsin Employment First Conference a Huge Success!

The fourth annual Employment First Conference, “Embracing Change: Together We Make It Happen” was a huge success! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who attended the conference. There were close to 350 people who participated in the event, and 15 micro-enterprise owners selling their products!

This year’s conference focused on the changes happening at the state and federal level, and how these changes provide a valuable opportunity for Wisconsin to significantly increase the number of individuals with disabilities participating in integrated employment!  We were reminded of the call to action at last years conference from, Ari Nieman, President and co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, when he said, ““Now more than ever before in the disability rights movement, the momentum is on our side.”  Change provides both opportunities and challenges. This conference brought together individuals with disabilities, family members, state vocational rehabilitation counselors, employment providers, policy makers, and educators to learn and share creative ways to address the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities.

The conference was packed with 24 learning amazing learning sessions.