CHICAGO - Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) today announced the launch of a new MOPD Career Center. The MOPD Career Center, 2102 W. Ogden Ave., will assist people with disabilities in gaining access to meaningful and sustainable job and career opportunities.
"Today, on the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we are making this landmark investment to ensure that people with disabilities all over the city will have the support they need to access job and career opportunities," said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. "This is yet another step forward to making Chicago the most accessible city in the nation and make sure that residents from every walk of life can have gainful employment."
MOPD's Career Center will work to increase the number of people living with disabilities who are employed in Chicago. Nation-wide, in 2021, 19% of persons with a disability were employed, compared to 64% of people without a disability. In Chicago, there are roughly 300,000 people with disabilities, two-thirds of whom are people of color. The MOPD Career Center is opening in the right moment to leverage a variety of job opportunities as the City continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I am so proud to work with Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot in launching the MOPD Career Center which will serve people with disabilities across Chicago including our most underserved neighborhoods, to increase meaningful access to job and career opportunities. This is a top priority for our City," said MOPD Commissioner Rachel Arfa.
MOPD's Career Center staff includes a Program Director, four Career Placement Counselors and an American Sign Language Interpreter. Services offered include working one-on-one with job seekers with disabilities on career readiness including identifying job training programs and job placement with employers. The Career Center will also serve employers who want to be more inclusive in their hiring and recruitment practices and are looking to hire job seekers with disabilities. By embracing disability inclusion, companies can access a diverse talent pipeline.
Services are available by telephone, remote meetings using video platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, in-person meetings by appointment and limited walk-ins. To sign up for Career Center services, e-mail MOPDCareerCenter@cityofchicago.org, make an appointment by calling (312) 746-5773 and select prompt #3, make an in-person visit at 2102 W. Ogden, or visit the MOPD website here.
To access the Persons with A Disability: Labor Force Characteristics Summary, visit here and for the 2019 American Community Survey visit here: www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs .
