Robin Jones, a nationally recognized expert on disability issues, will speak at New Trier Township at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2015 in the Board Room at the Township Office, 739 Elm Street in Winnetka. Ms. Jones will address the topic of Employment First, a national movement to redefine employment services for persons with disabilities. This program is free and open to the public.

Ms. Jones will address the Money Follows the Person Committee, a Township Advisory Committee tasked with oversight of social service agencies serving the local population of individuals with disabilities. It is a primary goal of this Advisory Committee to identify and increase opportunities for Township clients with disabilities to work in the community in integrated settings, to create opportunities for customized employment, and to follow the national trend away from sheltered workshops. Ms. Jones will speak on these and other employment and disability related issues.
 
Ms. Jones has served as Co-Chairperson of the Illinois Task Force on Employment and Economic Self Sufficiency for Persons with Disabilities since 2010. The task force is charged with analyzing programs and policies of the state to determine what changes, modifications, and innovations may be necessary to remove barriers to competitive employment and economic opportunity for persons with disabilities. Ms. Jones previously served on the Chicago Mayoral Task Force on the Employment of People with Disabilities.
 
Ms. Jones also currently serves as Director of the Great Lakes ADA Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she has served in this capacity since the organization’s inception in 1991. The Great Lakes Center is one of ten regional federally funded technical assistance centers on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Center’s focus is the promotion of voluntary compliance under the ADA. Ms. Jones is actively involved in providing training, consultation and technical assistance on the provisions of the ADA and related laws to business, employers, government and educational entities, architects, social service organizations and people with disabilities and their families.

For further information on this program, please contact Brian Leverenz, New Trier Township Community Service Administrator, at 847.446.8203 or bleverenz@newtriertownship.com.
 
About New Trier Township
New Trier Township’s mission is to provide leadership, advocacy and resources to benefit the physical, mental and social well being of Township residents. Established in 1850, New Trier Township government serves the 56,000 residents in the villages of Glencoe, Kenilworth, Wilmette and Winnetka, plus portions of Glenview and Northfield. The Township Office is located at 739 Elm Street in Winnetka or on-line at www.newtriertownship.com.