Law, Health Policy & Disability Center
University of Iowa College of Law
http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/dpn/
and
The Burton Blatt Institute
Syracuse University
http://bbi.syr.edu
One–Stop Toolkit
Resources of the Week Technical Assistance Project E–Mail listserv
25 January 2008
Good morning everyone,
Below please find the web site and publication of the week, as well as other resources that we hope will be useful as you work on systems change activities to help improve employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
To subscribe and / or view past resources of the week archives, access: www.onestoptoolkit.org and click on the link to "Resources of the Week" on the right hand side of the home page.
To view an indexed list of the resources of the week by subject matter, visit the L.P.H.D.C. web site at http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/resources/wig/default.asp. It currently includes 20 categories, covering over 300 annotated references. Each category opens to a new window with each Resource of the Week which covered material in that area.
Have a good day and weekend!
Laura Gleneck
Program Associate
Law, Health Policy & Disability Center
University of Iowa College of Law
P: 617–489–0086
F: 617–489–1374
[ E–mail Lgleneck@mail.law.uiowa.edu ]
[ E–mail LFarah8@aol.com ]
[ http://www.onestoptoolkit.org ]
On January 8 and 9, in conjunction with Homeland Defense Journal, the National Organization on Disability hosted a national conference, dedicated to addressing the emergency preparedness needs of individuals with all types of disabilities. The end of this weekly resource includes the prepared remarks of Justice Department representatives, discussing the issue on a panel entitled "ADA Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Justice on Sheltering for Mass Care."
While the remarks are long, there is valuable information that Navigators can glean to share with appropriate partners and organizations within your community relative to the law and emergency preparedness for people with disabilities. It also includes some valuable resources and websites, along with information about Chapter 7 of the ADA Toolkit for States and Local Governments.
In addition to the information gleaned through the remarks from this national conference, here are some additional national resources that may be of interest.
Fact Sheet on Obtaining and Using Employee Medical Information
as Part of Emergency Evacuation Procedures, U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/evacuation.html
Many Navigators are involved in emergency evacuation committees for their One-Stop Career Centers, as well as participate on other community committees that address emergency preparedness and response. This involvement provides an excellent opportunity for Navigators to help ensure that the needs of individuals with disabilities are addressed and accounted for in emergency procedures. This Fact Sheet on Obtaining and Using Employee Medical Information as Part of Emergency Evacuation Procedures is an excellent source of information to offer at these committee meetings, as well as to employers. It addresses the issues of employers asking for information to help identify individuals who might need assistance because of a medical condition and whether they can share this information with others in the workplace. It is important to know that the federal disability discrimination laws do not prevent employers from obtaining and appropriately using information necessary for a comprehensive emergency evacuation plan. This Fact Sheet points out how an employer may identify individuals who may need assistance, how to ask employees what type of assistance will be needed, and who is allowed to have this information in the case of an emergency.
Emergency Preparedness and People with Disabilities
DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy
http://www.dol.gov/odep/programs/emergency.htm
Disability Preparedness
http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/
This disability preparedness web site provides practical information
on how people with and without disabilities can prepare for
an emergency. It also provides information for family members
of, and service providers to, people with disabilities. In
addition, this site includes information for emergency planners
and first responders to help them to better prepare for serving
persons with disabilities.
American Red Cross: Section on Emergency Preparedness
and People with Disabilities
http://www.prepare.org/disabilities/disabilities.htm
This Solicitation for Grant Applications appears in the January 15, 2008 Federal Register and can be found online at www.grants.gov.
Federal Register notice is available at:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-473.htm
A virtual conference for prospective applicants will be held online on January 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST. To participate, visit
[ http://www.workforce3one.org/public/webinars/details.cfm?id=266 ] [ Get free Flash Player ]
KEY DATES: This competition will be implemented in two phases, a preliminary proposal phase (Phase I) and a full proposal phase (Phase II), with a closing date for each phase for receipt of applications. For Phase I of the competition, preliminary proposals must be received at the address in the solicitation no later than 4 p.m. (ET) on March 11, 2008. All applicants are required to submit Phase I proposals.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration announced a new, two-phase competition to build the workforce investment system's capacity to support careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
"Since approximately half of America's economic growth in the past several decades has been attributed to industries related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, this $10 million grant competition will boost the ability of the workforce investment system to support the pursuit of careers in these high-growth industries that provide excellent job opportunities," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.
STEM-related industries have been identified by the National Science Foundation as producing almost 50 percent of U.S. economic growth during the last 50 years. While approximately five percent of the nation's workforce is employed in a STEM field, there is growing concern about losing potential U.S. workers for these high quality careers.
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: The competition is open to local workforce investment boards (WIBs), which may submit proposals on behalf of defined, multi-county regions that incorporate various workforce investment areas. Exceptions to these requirements are made for rural areas, or portions of states where only one WIB exists. Joint applications for regions that cross state lines will be accepted.
AWARD INFORMATION: Funds are expected to be awarded in fall 2008 following a two-stage process. First, each interested WIB must submit a maximum eight-page concept paper describing how its region will advance STEM education, training and placement activities. The competition's preliminary phase will close March 11, 2008. After a review, applicants of selected initial proposals will be notified to develop full proposals for Phase II of the competition.
Proposals must clearly outline how activities will result in the achievement of the overall objectives of this initiative, including: expanding training and aligning current STEM-related activities and resources at One-Stop Career Centers; providing participants with access to STEM coaches and mentors who will link program participants to employers, and provide advice and guidance on entering STEM fields; and creating "career blueprints" outlining career paths for individual participants.
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) established the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (Committee) to assist it in revising and updating accessibility guidelines for telecommunications products and accessibility standards for electronic and information technology. The next committee meetings, which are all conference calls, will focus on outstanding issues which have not yet been resolved. The conference calls are scheduled for every Tuesday, starting on January 29, 2008, through April 1, 2008. Calls will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. Eastern time. The conference call on March 11 is scheduled from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. Eastern time.
The agendas, instructions (including information on captioning), and dial in telephone numbers are available at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/update-index.htm. Notices of future meetings will be published in the Federal Register. The committee may cancel or shorten any conference call before it is scheduled to take place depending on the needs of the committee and its progress in discussing and resolving outstanding issues. If a conference call is canceled, a notice will be posted at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/update-index.htm.
All conference calls are open to the public and interested persons can dial in and communicate their views during public comment periods scheduled during the calls. Participants may call in from any location of their choosing.
DATES: The conference calls are scheduled for every Tuesday from January 29, 2008, through April 1, 2008. Calls will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. Eastern time. The conference call on March 11 is scheduled from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. Eastern time.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy Creagan, Office of Technical and Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, 1331 F Street, NW., suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111. Telephone number: 202-272-0016 (Voice); 202-272-0082 (TTY). Electronic mail address: E–mail creagan@access-board.gov.
The 45 minute webcasts are followed by 30 minute chat sessions where you ask questions directly of the presenters from your computer. The webcasts are streamed at 2:00 pm ET. All webcasts are archived.
Access the URL to learn more about each webcast in this series. You can register for the entire webcast series or select individual webcasts. Please note that there is a fee associated with this series.
Many individuals with significant disabilities who have been unable to secure employment or to maintain employment have achieved employment success by securing services from a Job Coach. Job Coaching services have been so successful in working with people with significant disabilities many community programs such as welfare to work, Veterans, older workers, transition, and others have begun to utilize the talents and skills of job coaches.
The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) is a free service that connects employers looking for quality employees with skilled job candidates. Discover what employers across the nation have learned: hiring people with disabilities is a great business strategy!
EARNWorks Tools: EARN has specific tools for employers, employment service providers and jobseekers at: http://www.earnworks.com/tools/index.asp
EARNWorks Frequently Asked Questions: EARN is your premier
source for free disability employment consulting, job search
and candidate placement support. Visit the links to find answers
for EARN users’ most frequently asked questions at:
http://www.earnworks.com/faqs/index.asp
[The following is excerpted from the Executive Summary.]
As a part of U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) responsibility to monitor federal agency compliance with Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Office of Federal Operations (OFO) has prepared this report on the participation of people with targeted disabilities (PWTD) in the federal work force. The purpose of this report is to educate the public about recent disability initiatives in the federal sector, highlight data showing the declining participation rate of PWTD in the federal government, and provide recommendations that may improve employment opportunities for PWTD in the federal government. The ultimate goal is to make the federal government the employer of first choice for PWTD.
Despite the initiatives of multiple administrations and the efforts of various agencies charged with administering programs for the employment of PWTD (partner agencies), the percentage of federal employees with targeted disabilities has declined each year since reaching a peak of 1.24% in fiscal years (FY) 1993 & 1994. In FY 2006, the participation rate of PWTD fell to 0.94% of the federal government’s total work force, the lowest participation rate in 20 years. Similarly, the participation rate for the federal government’s permanent workforce also declined in FY 2006, to 0.97%. Moreover, despite medical and technological advancements that afford greater opportunities for PWTD to work, the participation rate of PWTD has declined while the federal workforce overall has actually grown. As noted in the EEOC’s Annual Report on the Federal Workforce for FY 2006, from FY 1997 to FY 2006, the Total Work Force increased by 135,732 employees, a net change of 5.48%. However, the number of federal employees with targeted disabilities decreased from 28,671 in FY 1997 to 24,442 in FY 2006, a net change of –14.75%.
Given the federal government’s mandate to be a model employer, OFO undertook this review to examine impediments in the federal sector to the hiring and advancement of PWTD. It is imperative that people with disabilities who can and want to work are supported in their efforts to do so. In the Findings and Recommendations section of this report, OFO addresses some conditions that are deemed to be systemic impediments to the employment of PWTD and incorporates best practices and innovative measures that some agencies have taken to improve the participation rate of PWTD.