The commitment is focused on filling the gap in home access to technology and helps give students in digitally excluded homes the skills training they need to compete in the global market, increase employment opportunities and contribute to their community's economic recovery.

ENGADGET: Microsoft to offer discounted hardware, software to students from low-income families

We see the results of policy initiatives to increase opportunities for integrated employment for people with disabilities in people like Mark Trezise, a clerk at a county government office who has an intellectual disability.

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An increase in start-up activity is a good sign for the overall national economy because it will lead to more employment opportunities in the near future, says Donna Kelley, the report's lead author and an associate professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.

WSJ: Rise in Start-Ups Draws Doubters