The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
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Providing information, education, and training to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

USBLN® Disability Supplier Diversity Program Featured in Business Law Today

"Obtaining Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification"

WASHINGTON, DC (May 27, 2010) - The US Business Leadership Network's (USBLN®) Disability Supplier Diversity Program (DSDP) has been published in the May/June 2010 issue of Business Law Today in an article entitled, "Obtaining Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification - A Lawyer's Guide to Supplier Diversity." The article was written by John D. Kemp, USBLN® Executive Director and General Counsel and Aditi Dussault, Director of Affiliate Relations and Disability Supplier Diversity Program.

An excerpt of the article is as follows:

In today's competitive business climate, distinguishing yourself, understanding your client's many needs, and providing outstanding service are all key to getting and keeping business. This article explains (1) the value of obtaining certification as a business owned by individuals with disabilities and (2) what advice to provide to a business considering certification.

The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) is the national disability organization that serves as the collective voice of over 60 Business Leadership Network affiliates across North America, representing over 5,000 employers. The USBLN helps build workplaces, marketplaces, and supply chains where people with disabilities are respected for their talents, while supporting the development and expansion of its BLN affiliates.

The USBLN recognizes and supports best practices in the employment and advancement of people with disabilities; the preparedness for work of youth and students with disabilities; marketing to consumers with disabilities; and contracting with vendors with disabilities through the development and certification of disability-owned businesses.

The US Business Leadership Network Disability Supplier Diversity Program (USBLN DSDP) offers businesses that are owned by individuals with a disability the opportunity to increase their access to potential contracting opportunities with major corporations, government agencies, and one another. Through the program, businesses can obtain Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification and get connected to a nationwide network of corporate and government procurement professionals, disability advocates, and other certified disability-owned businesses.

If you are a lawyer who counts entrepreneurs among your clientele, you are likely to encounter diversity certification programs within your daily work and may be asked to advise clients on certification eligibility and processes. Or you might work for a firm that is eligible for certification and want more information about the benefits of becoming certified. Alternatively, your firm may be in the process of expanding its diversity initiatives and interested in adding diverse-owned businesses to your list of vendors. This article will focus on the USBLN DSDP as a means to address these various perspectives on supplier diversity and connect you to resources about best practices in procurement from diverse companies.

Source: "Obtaining Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification - A Lawyer's Guide to Supplier Diversity," published in Business Law Today, Volume 19, Number 5, May/June 2010. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or downloaded or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.

About the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®)
The US Business Leadership Network (USBLN®) is the national disability organization that serves as the collective voice of over 60 Business Leadership Network affiliates across North America, representing over 5,000 employers. The USBLN® promotes the business imperative of the preparation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace, marketplace, and supply chain while supporting the development and expansion of its BLN affiliates. The USBLN® recognizes and supports best practices in hiring and advancing employees with disabilities, marketing to consumers with disabilities, and encourages contracting with vendors with disabilities through the development and certification of disability-owned businesses. www.usbln.org

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The GCDD is funded under the provisions of P.L. 106-402. The federal law also provides funding to the Minnesota Disability Law Center, the state Protection and Advocacy System, and to the Institute on Community Integration, the state University Center for Excellence. The Minnesota network of programs works to increase the IPSII of people with developmental disabilities and families into community life.

This project was supported, in part by grant number 2401MNSCDD, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

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