Proyecto Vision's annual Bridges to Employment Conference will take place May 31 - June 2 in San Antonio, Texas at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk hotel. It is the premiere event on employment and Latinos with disabilities in the United States. Each year recruiters, vocational experts and jobseekers from around the country convene to participate in trainings and exchanges on occupational issues, and collaborate to increase job opportunities for Latinos with disabilities.

Schedule
The event begins at 2:00 p.m. on May 31 with a series of two special presentations followed by an evening welcome reception. A full day of workshops and roundtables is scheduled for June 1, interspersed with catered networking breaks. June 2 will offer additional training sessions, concluding with the plenary luncheon at 2:00 p.m. Throughout the conference attendees will have access to assistive technology experts to experiment with adaptive software and devices for use in the workplace.

Program, Speakers, Attendees
Representatives from Latino and disability advocacy organizations, employers and professional Latinos who have disabilities will lead workshops and roundtables on a variety of topics. Training sessions will provide information about vocational training opportunities and regional job openings. Other agenda topics include resume writing; interview preparation; recruiting, retention and promotion; asset-building programs; benefits and transitions to employment; current legislation and advocacy, and providing culturally competent services. Sessions will be conducted in either English or Spanish with simultaneous translation into whichever language is not being used.

Each year the Bridges conference attracts human resource professionals, recruiters, entrepreneurs, diversity managers, Latino and disability service providers, and disabled Latino jobseekers and their family members from around the country. The San Antonio event will build on the results of Bridges conferences held in Raleigh, NC (2005), Chicago, IL (2004), New York, NY (2003) and Anaheim, CA (2002).

Proyecto Vision is the first National Technical Assistance Center for Latinos with Disabilities living in the United States. The goal of the project is to connect Latinos with disabilities to employment. To advance the goals of the President's New Freedom Initiative, Proyecto Vision's staff provides training, capacity-building support and links to employers and service providers to connect Latinos with disabilities to jobs, training and technology. Proyecto Vision is funded by the Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration. www.projectvision.net

Proyecto Vision is based at the World Institute on Disability (WID) in Oakland, CA. WID is a nonprofit research, public policy and advocacy center dedicated to promoting independence and societal inclusion of people with disabilities. WID has earned a reputation for high quality research and public education on a wide range of issues. The Board of Directors and staff, over half of whom are people with disabilities, are respected national leaders in the disability field as well as in industry, government and social services. www.wid.org

The staff of the San Antonio Independent Living Services (SAILS) center is co-organizing and co-sponsoring this year's conference. SAILS is a non-profit, federally designated center for Independent Living that serves individuals who reside in the Greater San Antonio Area. SAILS has been assisting people with disabilities to maintain their rights for more than 24 years. www.sailstx.org

Additional support for the Conference was made possible with contributions from co-sponsors Wal-Mart, the American Express Foundation, Consumers for Cable Choice and the Epilepsy Foundation.

Contacts
Kathy Martinez, director, for program information - (510) 251-4326, kathy@wid.org
Robin Savinar, manager, for registration queries - (510) 251-4325, robin@wid.org, or
Marisa Ortiz, San Antonio Independent Living Services, for questions about San Antonio -
(210) 281-1878 or mortiz@sailstx.org.