Planning the first "Bridges to Employment " conference was both challenging and rewarding. Project staff were put to the test of how to develop a conference which provided information, skills and the opportunity to network and have fun, without completely exhausting the participants.

The workshop topic areas were selected based on the types of requests received by staff throughout the first six months of the project.

The program was designed to provide both formal and informal modalities of exchange of information. Beginning with a plenary session featuring "success stories", and then moving to more formal workshops, the participants ended the day with informal roundtables where discussions were held on specific topics.
This approach allowed participants to identify potential role models and mentors right from the start, thereby allowing opportunity for exchange in either formal or informal settings.

Imparting Tips and Skills

Both the workshops and roundtables offered a broad array of strategies and experiences, practical information and valuable skills for obtaining employment and career advancement. Other highlights of the conference included the resource/technology room: this space provided participants with the opportunity to learn and experiment with adaptive technology, learn to search for training opportunities, scholarships and job announcements using the internet and to collect information about organizations and agencies serving both Latinos and/ or people with disabilities. It also turned out to be the central place to find fashion tips, debate whether or not to identify as disabled during an initial phone interview, or what best to order if you have an interview over lunch. A big thanks to Peggy Martinez and Lisa Peru for making it such a fun and welcoming place to hang out, while picking up tips and advice.

Showcasing Talent

The other highlight was the talent show. All in attendance participated in a night of laughter in Spanish, English or both as one participant after another displayed their ability to sing, tell jokes, tell funny stories or mimic their neighbor attempting to translate something from Spanish to English and getting totally lost and confused with the effort.

Congratulations to project staff for an extremely successful first conference. We look forward to seeing everybody next year (location to be announced) for an equally successful conference.

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