NY State CIO And Office for Technology Recognized During National Disability Employment Awareness Month

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Carol Hansen, Information Technologist Specialist II and David Sodergren, Project Director accept the NDEAM award on behalf of CIO/OFT Customer Care Center.

ALBANY, NY (10/29/2008)(readMedia)-- The New York State Chief Information Officer/Office For Technology (CIO/OFT) today announced the CIO/OFT Customer Care Center was awarded the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Regional Award for its commitment to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

During an awards ceremony on October 21, 2008, the CIO/OFT was presented with the NDEAM Regional Award. The ceremony, sponsored by the New York Job Service Employer Committee and the Capital Region Employer Alliance, is designed to honor area businesses for their leadership in workforce development and providing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities at all levels and occupations.

In December 2007, the CIO/OFT reached out to New York State Industries for the Disabled Inc. and Northeast Career Planning to recruit individuals with disabilities with computer and customer service experience. The agencies assisted the CIO/OFT by placing qualified candidates in openings for customer and hardware support in the new CIO/OFT Customer Care Center.

The CIO/OFT was nominated for the award by Northeast Career Planning for its proactive approach to offer career opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities and a working environment where they can reach their highest potential. Winners were identified by a statewide committee made up of the representatives from the NYS Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, NYS Department of Labor, the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, and NYS Education Department Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID).

"CIO/OFT recognizes the skills and abilities of all New York citizens and believes every New Yorker should have access to opportunities that provide them with their right to full consideration for any job for which they are qualified," said Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office For Technology. "We are extremely honored to receive this award and the ability to share in the growth of new employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities."

"The collaboration of NYSID and Northeast Career Planning with the CIO/OFT is a perfect example of new opportunities being created throughout New York State. The employees of CIO/OFT have proven an individual with a disability is an equally valuable employee," said Christine Oughton, Marketing Manager, Northeast Career Planning.

The CIO/OFT Customer Care Center provides support or refers unresolved calls to appropriate support organizations for over 50,000 personal computers, terminals, and peripherals, located at more than 1,500 locations across New York State. The Customer Care Center Service Desk provides high-quality, cost-effective products and services to meet customer needs and provides a single point of contact for all service desk customers on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis.

For more information on the CIO/OFT Customer Care Center visit http://www.oft.state.ny.us/Services/AdditionalServices/SrvAddEHD.htm.

About CIO/OFT

The State Chief Information Officer and Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) provides statewide IT strategic direction and centralized IT services to the state and its governmental entities. CIO/OFT provides a number of IT services to support the missions of 27 state agencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, over 90,000 telecom users, more than 50 statewide applications, a secure network of over 1,600 miles of owned and leased fibers, including mainframe operations, telecommunications, internet and intranet provisions, email, IT training, networking, and data storage and processing. In addition, the agency has a world renowned project management practice, assists with application development, and sets technology strategy and policies for the state enterprise.