Addressing Job Barriers Faced by People with Disabilities
Overcoming Criminal Records

Date:
Wednesday: March 10, 2010

Time:
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Central Time)

Presenters:

• Stephan Haimowitz
  Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University

Description:

***Note: Due to the popular demand of this webinar topic, we are offering two sessions March 11 & March 31- If you are interested in attending this webinar please register for the March 31 session.

During this webinar we will review and discuss employment strategies for assisting individuals with disabilities and criminal histories to gain employment. Discussion will include the interplay between mental illness, substance use and legal problems, the impacts of a criminal record on job prospects, ways to address those employment barriers, and models for human services-criminal justice collaboration. As the laws and programs related to these issues vary widely between states, the webinar will outline a range of approaches which can be adapted to specific situations.

Topics to be discussed will include:

• Criminal records – types and impacts
• Laws which limit employers' use of applicants' criminal records
• Legal tools which enable individuals to "expunge" their criminal record
• Handling criminal records on job applications and in interviews
• System collaborations aimed at slowing the "revolving door"
• How to locate information and assistance