ACES Awardees
ACES or “Employer of the Year” Awards designate those state agencies that have shown a strong commitment and made substantial progress in the employment of persons with disabilities. Based on disability representation and hiring data gathered by CalHR, generally the ACES Awards will be presented to one large, one medium, and one small department.
DAC of the Year
ACSED and the State Disability Advisory Committee (SDAC) will honor the top three state departments’ DACs for their superior efforts to support the success of a department’s disability employment efforts. There will be three awards presented: The DAC of the Year Award along with two DAC Achievement Awards.
Ralph Black Award – Jeff Thom
This award was established in the name of its initial recipient to honor him on his 2011 retirement and to acknowledge his exemplary efforts to advance disability rights and disability employment opportunities in public service. The award is given to an individual with a disability who has made:
- A significant contribution to promoting disability rights, particularly in terms of expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities;
- A sustained commitment of leadership and time, above and beyond their employment duties, to ACSED or other disability-related organizations;
- A career dedicated to excellence in public service or clear potential for such achievement.