COSD and Career Gateway TM Minnesota Career Development Network Minneapolis, MN October 5, 2006 Alan D. Muir, Presenter

The Need… U. S. Unemployment rate is approximately 4.7% NACE states that 2005 – 06 was “the best job market in four years” and expects 2006 – 07 will also be “healthy” Unemployment rates of college graduates with disabilities estimated to be between 33% and 45% A college graduate with a disability is 8 – 12 times more likely to be unemployed than his peer without a disability

The Need… Disconnect between Disability Services and Career Services offices on campus Career Services under utilized by students with disabilities Students with disabilities not seen by employers seeking to recruit a diverse slate of candidates Employers are unsure of which office to go to on campus and often become frustrated

Scope of Disability Issue College Campuses and Disability Voluntary Disclosure of Disability Rule of Thumb is 5% to 9% of total student population represents students registered with Disability Services By 2010, it is projected that the population of college students with disabilities will be at or above 10%

What is COSD? COSD is a national association of more than 450 employers and higher education institutions focused on the career employment of college graduates with disabilities COSD is a resource for professionals in higher education to better prepare students with disabilities to be competitive in their career search COSD helps employers to create strategies to search for college students with disabilities and to successfully recruit them

A nationwide recruitment site specifically focused on college students with disabilities at any higher education institution Students with disabilities register on Career Gateway TM with confidence that only COSD member employers, who are seeking to recruit college students with disabilities, will be posting jobs and viewing resumes

COSD Members Students post their resumes, browse jobs and directly communicate with employers seeking them Employers have a central point to find students with disabilities instead of searching among multiple schools and hoping to interview a candidate with a disability Employers and Students can access Career Gateway TM at

COSD 8th Annual National Conference Gateway to Employment: Partnerships for Success July 31 to August 2, 2007 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Hosted by the Minnesota Business Leadership Network Please refer to for further details as they are announcedwww.cosdonline.org

COSD Contact Information Alan D. Muir, Executive Director COSD The University of Tennessee 100 Dunford Hall Knoxville, TN COSD Website: