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
27 July 2007
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 Farah
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 ]
[The full announcement is located under the section heading "Resources of Interest."]
Navigators, it is that time of year again to start preparing for the 2007 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Over the years, DOL and LHPDC have been really inspired by the different activities and events communities have planned to raise awareness during this national annual event. We have already heard from many DPNs about the different activities and events that they are working on for this October.
If you would like to receive a copy of a chart that highlights what many DPNs did for last year’s celebration, please send an e-mail to E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu. You may get some ideas of different things that you can implement in your area. In September, we will be asking you to once again share your planned activities and events.
To help you begin to spread the message, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has copies of the 2007 National Disability Employment Awareness Month poster available, which depict this year’s theme, Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team. In addition to its representation of the national NDEAM theme, this poster is popular throughout the year in connection with events that foster employment opportunities for workers with disabilities.
Patches of color (blues, greens, browns and purple) serve as the backdrop to the 2007 NDEAM poster. The theme, Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team, is depicted by a runner’s legs, one of them prosthetic, sprinting to success while crossing the patchwork. The words “October 2007 is National Disability Employment Awareness Month” appear in the upper right corner of the poster. The lower right corner includes the words “U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy” and the agency’s web site address.
The print copy of this poster is available in either a 20” x 30” and/or a 10” x 15” size. Please send your request to E–mail NDEAM@dol.gov. You may also download a PDF version of the 2007 poster from the website.
We look forward to learning how your community will be celebrating NDEAM this year!
[The Proclamation is included below in its entirety.]
On the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we celebrate our progress towards an America where individuals with disabilities are recognized for their talents and contributions to our society. We also underscore our commitment to extend the full liberties and freedoms of our great country to all Americans.
Seventeen years ago, President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law. This legislation became one of the most successful and compassionate reforms in our Nation's history, helping to ensure that individuals with disabilities are better able to develop meaningful skills, engage in productive work, and participate fully in the life of our Nation.
My Administration continues our work to build on this landmark legislation. In 2001, I announced the New Freedom Initiative to promote the full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of society by improving educational and employment opportunities, increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding transportation options, and promoting homeownership and integration into daily community life. The New Freedom Initiative and the ADA provide children with disabilities the tools they need to succeed in schools and communities. Working men and women living with disabilities contribute to our strong economy, and the "Ticket to Work" program and services at One-Stop Career Centers help expand employment opportunities. The DisabilityInfo.gov website connects individuals with disabilities and their families to vital information that helps more Americans share in the promises of our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2007, as a day in celebration of the 17th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I call on all Americans to celebrate the vital contributions of individuals with disabilities as we work towards fulfilling the promise of the ADA to give all our citizens the opportunity to live with dignity, work productively, and achieve their dreams.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
GEORGE W. BUSH
Read the news release from the U.S. Department of Labor commemorating the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act –
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/odep20071130.htm
DATES: Applications must be received by August 20, 2007
SUMMARY: The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) will award one cooperative agreement to establish a national technical assistance and research center for increasing employment and economic independence for adults with disabilities. The overall purpose of this effort is to build leadership and partnership across workforce development, economic development, and relevant partner agencies and systems, including generic and disability-specific agencies and systems, so that they work together strategically and effectively to increase employment outcomes and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. The Center will: Conduct research to identify, validate, document, and otherwise promote effective practices and policies in targeted goal areas; develop and disseminate information; provide technical assistance; encourage collaboration and partnership across State and local generic and disability-specific systems and programs, both public and private; and work with States and localities on multiple strategies in targeted goal areas for improving employment outcomes and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities.
Activities of the Center must be based on the assumptions that: people with disabilities have the ability to make and implement decisions (with support as appropriate) about their own work life, and that they have the ability to mobilize and develop resources (with support as necessary) to move from poverty and dependency to independence and productivity through employment. They must also be based on the assumption that there is a need for multiple generic and disability-specific systems and services to effectively partner across traditional boundaries. In accomplishing these goals, the Center will provide transformational leadership for translating innovation and emerging successful solutions from isolated demonstrations to systemic practices, and will act as a voice for elevating the discussion about employment and disability nationally.
The Center's research-related activities will improve systems capacity to provide leadership for increasing employment and economic self-sufficiency at the State and local level in targeted goal areas, and must include the development of policy-related recommendations for consideration across agencies and systems.
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides national leadership by developing and influencing disability-related employment policy and practice. A five-year strategic plan guides ODEP in achieving its mission by identifying long-term strategic and outcome goals as well as short-term intermediate and performance goals. In addition to measuring agency performance, as required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the strategic plan sets forth a road map for prioritizing the formulation and dissemination of innovative employment policies and practices to service-delivery systems and employers.
Eligible applicants are consortia which may include a combination of any two or more of the following: Public/private non-profits or for-profit organizations (including community and faith-based organizations) and universities and colleges all with demonstrated appropriate experience in providing technical assistance, and conducting research and demonstrations in targeted goal areas defined in this solicitation for increasing employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities.
Access the URL to read the full announcement including application and submission information.
The deadline has arrived for most U.S. employers to post the new Federal minimum wage increases that were recently signed into law by President George W. Bush. All workplaces subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage provisions are required by law to display the new rates in a conspicuous location beginning tomorrow, July 24, 2007 — the date of the first of three incremental increases in the Federal wage standard.
The U.S. Department of Labor has created a poster that explains the new minimum wage law to employees. Copies of the poster can be downloaded directly from the Labor Department’s website.
This is the first increase in the Federal minimum wage since 1997. The new rate of $7.25 per hour will be phased in over 26 months according to the following timetable:
The national forum is the Department’s positive efforts to provide compliance assistance in securing voluntary compliance with civil rights laws from its financial assistance recipients. This most important event represents the Department’s commitment to assisting its grantees to administer workforce programs and activities in a manner that fosters equality of opportunity for all of our nation’s workers and job seekers. The overall objectives of the national forum are:
This is the 18th consecutive year that the Department has hosted a national training and development event. The 2007 forum is held in partnership with the Equal Opportunity Committee of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, Inc. (NASWA). A total education and training experience for workforce professionals. This forum is a high-paced event packed with information that will assist recipients in meeting their equal opportunity and nondiscrimination obligations.
The forum design features three (3) plenary sessions and 30 concentrated instructional and informational workshops. The workshops cover a broad range of current civil rights issues uniquely suited to helping equal opportunity professionals in the workforce system maintain their competencies and better equip them to administer effective equal opportunity programs. The workshop topics will have offerings that deal with all of the laws applicable to U.S. Department of Labor financial assistance recipients. Forum workshops will include skill-building classes on topics such as complaint investigative techniques and equal opportunity monitoring. There will also be workshops on federal accommodation requirements for persons with disabilities, sexual harassment, serving persons who are Limited English Proficient (LEP), religious activities, alternative dispute resolution, and promising practices in carrying out the Equal Opportunity Officer’s responsibilities.
CONFERENCE INFORMATION: For assistance regarding conference information, including registration, contact: USDOL/Civil Rights Center Vicky Best-Morris o E–mail Best-Morris.Vicky@dol.gov or Samuel L. Rhames, Jr o E–mail Rhames.Samuel@dol.gov (202)-693-6500 (voice) or (202)-693-6515 (TTY) National Association of State Workforce Agencies, EO Committee Alice McVey o E–mail amcvey@workforcewv.org (304)-558-1600 (voice only)
The 2007 conference, “Building the New Workforce- Inclusion and Innovation” is the preeminent national event for business, community leaders and BLN chapters that have an interest in hiring, retention and marketing to people with disabilities. This year’s event promises to provide informational and educational opportunities of the highest quality.
The 2007 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) poster, depicting this year’s theme, Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team, is now available. In addition to its representation of the national NDEAM theme, this poster is popular throughout the year in connection with events that foster employment opportunities for workers with disabilities.
Patches of color (blues, greens, browns and purple) serve as the backdrop to the 2007 NDEAM poster. The theme, Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team, is depicted by a runner’s legs, one of them prosthetic, sprinting to success while crossing the patchwork. The words “October 2007 is National Disability Employment Awareness Month” appear in the upper right corner of the poster. The lower right corner includes the words “U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy” and the agency’s web site address.
Availability: The print copy of this poster is available in either a 20” x 30” and/or a 10” x 15” size. Please send your request to E–mail NDEAM@dol.gov. You may also download a pdf version of the 2007 poster from the website.
Each year, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao selects the official theme. The Office of Disability Employment Policy leads the national recognition. Public Law 176, enacted by Congress in 1945, established October as the official month to recognize the contributions that individuals with disabilities have made to the workforce and the workplace.
The results of an on-going study of employers who have contacted JAN indicate employer opinions of the costs and benefits of making workplace accommodations. Over 500 employers have participated in telephone interviews about the outcomes of their call to JAN.
Employers who ultimately made an accommodation, reported that about half of the accommodations needed by employees had no cost, and that the typical cost for purchased accommodations was about $500.
They reported the benefits of making accommodations as retaining qualified employees, eliminating the costs of training a new employee, improving worker attendance, expanding company diversity, and increasing worker productivity.
The employers also noted the effectiveness of the accommodations with over 75% reporting that accommodations were either “very effective” or “extremely effective.” When asked to compare the worker’s ability with and without accommodation, the employers rated worker ability as significantly higher after implementing the accommodation.
The employers also noted “indirect” benefits of making accommodations. These benefits include increased company productivity, improved morale, enhanced interactions with both co-workers and customers, and a higher level of workplace safety.
Overall, the results indicate the costs of most accommodations are low and that making accommodations for workers with disabilities yields substantial direct and indirect benefits to employers.
Of the over 48,000 persons nationwide with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities (MR/DD) who closed out of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system after receiving employment services in FY2005, more than half were successful closures, yielding a rehabilitation rate of 56.9%. This rehabilitation rate is calculated by dividing the number of successful closures, which is employment in any setting with the exception of sheltered workshops, by the total number of closures who received employment services.
The rehabilitation rate for closures with MR/DD FY2005 is similar to the rate for FY2004 (55.6%). State rehabilitation rates for case closures with MR/DD ranged from 29.3% in Oklahoma to 78.3% in Maryland. The rehabilitation rate for VR closures without MR/DD (58%) was similar to the rate for persons with MR/DD.
Access the URL to see a chart that identifies Successful Closures, Total Number of Closures Who Received Services, and Rehabilitation Rates for VR customers with MR/DD in FY2005 by State.
The Civil Rights Center enforces various Federal statutes and regulations that (1) prohibit discrimination in DOL financially assisted and conducted programs and activities; (2) prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability by certain public entities and in DOL conducted activities; and, (3) prohibit discrimination within DOL itself.
The primary external activities of this agency include: conducting equal opportunity compliance reviews of DOL grant recipients; investigating discrimination complaints filed against DOL grant recipients as well as certain complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability by State and local governments; and, providing equal opportunity compliance assistance and training to DOL grant recipients.
The primary internal activities of this agency include: mediating and/or investigating discrimination complaints filed against DOL; investigating complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in DOL conducted programs and activities; and providing compliance assistance and advice to DOL management on their responsibilities under applicable equal employment opportunity laws and regulations.
On this website, you can find compliance assistance: Methods of Administration, Disability, Limited English Proficiency, and CRC Online Training. Some links you can access on this site include:
The What Works Transition Research Synthesis Project funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has published the first report in a series to be released. The project was established to review and synthesize the past two decades of research and advancements in the area of transition for youth with disabilities. By reviewing 50 previous studies, this first report examines how teaching life skills as an intervention affected the lives of 482 youth with varying levels of intellectual disabilities.
This is a literature review of 50 studies intervening with
482 youth with disability labels of moderate to severe mental
retardation. Findings provide tentative support for the efficacy
of the use of functional/life skills curricular interventions
across educational environments, disabilities, ages, and gender
in promoting positive transition-related outcomes. A series
of detailed implications for practice are suggested, as well
as directions to the reader to locate more detailed descriptions
of how these interventions might be implemented in their secondary
educational environments.
Executive Summary: http://www.nsttac.org/pdf/life_skills_executive_summary.pdf
Full Report: http://www.nsttac.org/pdf/life_skills.pdf
Free Adobe PDF Reader: Get free Adobe Reader
JAN's Accommodation and Compliance Series is designed to help employers determine effective accommodations and comply with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each publication in the series addresses a specific medical condition and provides information about the condition, ADA information, accommodation ideas, and resources for additional information.
The Accommodation and Compliance Series is a starting point in the accommodation process and may not address every situation. Accommodations should be made on a case by case basis, considering each employee's individual limitations and accommodation needs. Employers are encouraged to contact JAN to discuss specific situations in more detail.
For information on assistive technology and other accommodation ideas, visit JAN's Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/soar.
This discusses common types of psychiatric disabilities, applicable disability laws, and accommodations for limitations such as time management and maintaining concentration. In addition, it covers current events such as recent court decisions, and the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, and it provides reputable resources for emergency preparedness and disability awareness on campus.