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
3 August 2007
Good morning everyone,
[Please note, due to personal leave-wedding and honeymoon-during the month of August, this will be the last One-Stop Toolkit Resource until after Labor Day. Enjoy the remainder of your summer!]
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 “For Your Information/Action”]
People with disabilities need the freedom, skills and ability to accumulate assets. The disability community needs more financial education on managing credit and savings, greater access to financial institutions, tax counseling on the Earned Income Tax Credit, homeownership counseling and information on other asset building tools such as Individual Development Accounts and Micro-enterprise (Reference: Ball, P., Morris, M., Hartnett, J. & Blanck P. (2005). Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Asset Accumulation By People with Disabilities. Disability Studies Quarterly.). However, asset development is not nearly as talked about in the disability community as asset limits are, especially in terms of SSI/SSDI resource and earnings limits.
On July 10th, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Emily Stover DeRocco, issued a Training and Employment Notice (No. 05-07) to all state workforce agencies, all state workforce liaisons, and One-Stop Career Center Leads to announce the Real Economic Impact Tour: TAX Facts + Campaign to promote financial literacy, economic self-sufficiency, and asset development for people with disabilities. The TEN includes background information on a Disability Initiative that was developed and implemented by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which targets outreach to people with disabilities. The IRS Disability Initiative provides free tax preparation services, outlines asset building opportunities, and promotes expanded use of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for people with disabilities.
The TEN includes some statistics on the effectiveness of this IRS initiative and provides information on how to get involved in the Real Economic Impact Tour: Tax Facts+ Campaign to help people with disabilities. According to the TEN, “One-Stop Career Centers are in a strategic position to promote activities related to Tour and Campaign. Local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs) and One-Stop Career Center staff can participate in the Tax Facts+ Campaign to help people with disabilities access the EITC and promote other asset building activities. LWIBs and One-Stop Career Centers can participate in the initiative by contacting the IRS (as noted in the TEN), or by working with their Disability Program Navigators (DPNs)…DPNs are taking a leadership role to help implement this campaign (the TEN includes information on how to contact them).”.
In addition to the guidance provided from the ETA Training and Employment Notice, there are several asset development tools that currently exist and Disability Navigators can help to promote these valuable resources. Go to the following websites to learn more about asset development for people with disabilities and spread this information throughout your state and local disability communities.
DPN FAQ: What information can I pass on to people with disabilities
to increase financial literacy and knowledge on tax credits
and asset-development strategies?
[ http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/dpn/faqs/2006_08_21_basic_adv.html ]
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On July 10th, Assistant Secretary of ETA, Emily Stover DeRocco, issued a Training and Employment Notice (No. 05-07) to all state workforce agencies, all state workforce liaisons, and One-Stop Career Center Leads to announce the Real Economic Impact Tour: TAX Facts + Campaign to promote financial literacy, economic self-sufficiency, and asset development for people with disabilities.
The TEN includes background information on a Disability Initiative that was developed and implemented by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which targets outreach to people with disabilities. The IRS Disability Initiative provides free tax preparation services, outlines asset building opportunities, and promotes expanded use of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for people with disabilities.
The TEN includes some statistics on the effectiveness of this IRS initiative and provides information on how to get involved in the Real Economic Impact Tour: Tax Facts+ Campaign to help people with disabilities. According to the TEN, “One-Stop Career Centers are in a strategic position to promote activities related to Tour and Campaign. Local Workforce Investment Boards (LWIBs) and One-Stop Career Center staff can participate in the Tax Facts+ Campaign to help people with disabilities access the EITC and promote other asset building activities. LWIBs and One-Stop Career Centers can participate in the initiative by contacting the IRS (as noted in the TEN), or by working with their Disability Program Navigators (DPNs)…DPNs are taking a leadership role to help implement this campaign (the TEN includes information on how to contact them).”.
The TEN further requests the following action: “Recipients are requested to distribute this TEN to the state and local Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop Career Centers, and other workforce investment partners.
[The following is excerpted from the Executive Summary to the Report.]
Announced in February, 2001, the New Freedom Initiative is President George W. Bush’s plan to tear down barriers to full integration into American life that remain for many of the 54 million Americans with disabilities. This report highlights the many accomplishments of the Administration in implementing the President’s vision and builds upon the reports issued in May 2002 and May 2004.
The President recognizes the power of assistive and universally designed technology to create greater access to the workplace, school, and community life for persons with disabilities. The Administration supports the development of creative ways to leverage the power of new technologies and the removal of financial barriers to acquisition of assistive technology. The Administration has:
The President recognizes that people with disabilities need a complete and appropriate education in order to join their communities as equal members. In order to further this goal and ensure that no child with a disability is left behind in the educational system, the President has:
The unemployment rate for persons with disabilities, while falling, remains unacceptably high. The President believes that full inclusion of persons with disabilities into the workforce is an important goal not only because of the positive impact this will have on the worker, but also because of the benefits to the economy as a whole as production increases and people begin to leave government assistance. The Administration has:
The President believes that all Americans deserve an opportunity to become a part of the American dream: to vote, to participate in the marketplace, to own their own property, and to go about their business free of attitudinal and architectural barriers to full participation. This commitment includes implementation of the Olmstead decision affirming the right of persons with disabilities to live in their own communities, and goes further by creating new initiatives to promote community participation. The Administration has:
The President’s vision for people with disabilities is not yet achieved, and continuing to implement the provisions of his New Freedom Initiative remains one of his highest domestic priorities. The Administration, through the programs outlined in this document and others, will aggressively pursue innovative strategies to ensure that people with disabilities are included in the American Dream, and empowered to reach their full educational, social, and professional goals.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the release of Chapter 7 of the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit, which provides technical assistance for state and local government officials on steps they should take to achieve ADA compliance in their emergency management programs. Chapter 7 of the ADA Tool Kit includes a discussion of key ADA obligations that apply to all aspects of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, evacuation, shelters, medical and social services, lodging and housing programs, recovery, and rebuilding. It includes two survey tools - one to help identify facilities that are good candidates for accessible emergency shelters, and the other for use in surveying emergency shelters to determine if they are accessible to people with disabilities.
Chapter 7 also includes a technical assistance document that explains many of the key access issues encountered by people with different disabilities in emergency shelters and the obligations that shelter operators have under the ADA to provide access and avoid discrimination. Finally, Chapter 7 includes a checklist that state and local government officials can use to determine if they have established the appropriate policies and procedures and made the advance planning and preparations necessary to address the needs of people with different disabilities in emergencies and disasters, consistent with the requirements of the ADA.
Workforce Innovations 2007: Beyond Boundaries, explored ways in which key partners, including business, economic development, education and workforce systems, can collaborate and innovate to break down boundaries and create a competitive advantage. Summaries of several of the sessions and handouts have been archived and are available by accessing the website.
More than 18 million people with disabilities are currently employed in America’s workforce. Are you curious about how your small business can tap into these available resources and increase its return on investment by hiring people with disabilities? Watch this roundtable discussion and learn more about how a few employers saved time and money by successfully promoting the employment of people with disabilities.
The CareerOneStop website is your source for employment information; career management and pathway to career success; and tools to help job seekers, students, businesses, and career professionals. CareerOneStop is a U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored website that offers career resources and workforce information to job seekers, students, businesses, and workforce professionals to foster talent development in a global economy. It includes:
America ’s Job Bank ceased operations on Sunday July 1, 2007. This site will assist you in identifying alternative job banks and job portals. It has a clickable map that allows you to access a list of job banks by state.
This report describes a retrospective study and review of the impact the ADA has had on the lives of Americans with disabilities during the first sixteen years since its passage, with particular focus on the four major goals of the ADA—equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. Progress toward the goal of economic self-sufficiency appears to be the goal having the least success.
The purpose of the ADA is “to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities.” This report describes a two-year retrospective study and review of the impact the ADA has had on the lives of Americans with disabilities over a sixteen-year period, with particular focus on the four major goals of the ADA—equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. NCD-funded researchers consulted disability experts and ADA stakeholders from around the country through interviews, public forums, and focus groups, and analyzed existing data and information sources to gather information about the impact of the ADA. The findings are encouraging but far from complete.
The provisions of the ADA addressing architectural, transportation, and communication accessibility have changed the face of American society in numerous concrete ways by enhancing the independence, full participation, inclusion, and equality of opportunity for Americans with disabilities. People with disabilities report having greater access to goods and services from businesses, state and local governments, and their local communities. People with mobility impairments have experienced substantial improvements in physical access to transportation, businesses and government agencies. As workers, people with disabilities are more likely to receive accommodations and less likely to be terminated due to their disabilities. However, obtaining employment remains difficult for people with visible and severe disabilities. Disparities still exist in access to health insurance, health care, and financial assets for people with disabilities, as compared to people without disabilities. Access to information, particularly the Internet, is inconsistent, at best, for people who are visually impaired. Progress toward the goal of economic self-sufficiency appears to be the goal having the least success.
The ADA impact report contains recommendations for addressing the barriers that are preventing full achievement of the overarching goals of the ADA.
This report highlights many strategies for ADA implementation that have been successful, as well as obstacles that are preventing ADA implementation. This report reflects the experiences and ideas of ADA stakeholders from around the country, including small and large businesses, employers, judges and legal professionals, governmental entities, and individuals with disabilities, concerning ADA implementation. Through this extensive stakeholder input, NCD learned of the many strategies for ADA implementation that have been successful, as well as obstacles that are preventing ADA implementation.
One important finding is that meaningful ADA implementation is both possible and practicable. Some effective ADA implementation practices were identified that can serve as models and that illustrate how diverse covered entities are going about making the promise of the ADA a reality. However, in many areas, the ADA remains unimplemented, and gaps in information, knowledge, and interest in compliance with the ADA still exist. Therefore, this study also focused on understanding why certain sectors of our society have made little progress in ADA implementation and on developing recommendations to address those implementation gaps.
The ADA implementation report contains extensive recommendations for improving ADA implementation, and NCD remains committed to working with the Administration, Congress, and the public to achieve the promise of the ADA for all Americans—the elimination of disability-based discrimination in all aspects of society.
Despite extensive ADA technical assistance and training available from federal agencies, however, people with disabilities report widespread failure to comply with the ADA by small businesses, especially those in small towns and rural areas. Input from small businesses revealed that many in the small business community still do not understand the specific requirements of the ADA. Some mistakenly believe the ADA does not apply to them, while others believe the ADA requires much more than it does. NCD’s ADA implementation report contains an ADA public awareness campaign prototype targeting small businesses, and calls for Congress to provide specific funding to DOJ and all technical assistance organizations, such as the ADA & IT Technical Assistance Centers, for outreach to chambers of commerce, Rotary Clubs, and other small business organizations. NCD also recommends that building renovation requests trigger an ADA compliance review.
According to NCD chairperson John R. Vaughn, “It is 17 years since the ADA was enacted and yet public awareness and societal attitude issues are still factors that inhibit the full promise of the ADA to truly level the playing field for people with disability. NCD conducted this ADA implementation project to learn from the successes, best practices and to bring together people with disabilities and covered entities to develop recommendations to advance ADA implementation. This dialogue resulted in 167 recommendations. So, there is much to do, and we look forward to working with all ADA stakeholders to further the progress toward a fully accessible America.”
NCD is an independent federal agency and is composed of 15 members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. It provides advice to the President, Congress, and executive branch agencies to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.
This GAO report includes information on research conducted by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) relative to the President’s New Freedom Initiative and the implementation of the August 2005, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) legislation, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) This program is designed to support new public transportation services and public transportation alternatives beyond those required by ADA.
On May 4, 2007, GAO briefed the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies staff on the work requested related to FTA’s New Freedom program. This GAO report includes the detailed briefing slides that were presented to staff on May 4, 2007. The objectives of this work were to (1) determine the extent to which FTA has implemented the New Freedom program and identify concerns, if any, of selected state and local entities and (2) determine how FTA monitors program performance.