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
7 September 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) 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 ]
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Disability Mentoring Day. It is not too early to start planning an event or activity that you can launch in October to add to the collective efforts that will take place across the country. Particularly consider how you can participate in National Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) on October 17!!
Congress designated each October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The Office of Disability Employment Policy has the lead in planning NDEAM activities and materials to increase the public's awareness of the contributions and skills of American workers with disabilities. Various programs carried out throughout the month also highlight the specific employment barriers that still need to be addressed and removed.
This effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment actually began in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year "National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week." In 1962, the word "physically" was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to "National Disability Employment Awareness Month."
DMD is a national program that promotes career development for students and job-seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration. If you would like to participate in Disability Mentoring Day 2007 on October 17 in your region of the country, as either a mentee or employer mentor, please see the DMD fact sheet (http://www.dmd-aapd.org/docs/factsheet.php) and Local Coordinators information (http://www.dmd-aapd.org/coordlist/coordlist.php).
Navigators, it is that time of year again to start preparing for the 2007 National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Disability Mentoring Day. Over the years, DOL and LHPDC have been really inspired by the different activities and events communities have planned to raise awareness during these national annual events.
Let us know what activities you are planning this year for NDEAM and we will produce a chart that incorporates the activities and events you have planned for October and circulate it among the projects. If you would like to receive a copy of a chart that highlights what many DPNs did for last year’s celebration (you may get some ideas of different things that you can implement in your area) and/or to submit your activities and events for this year, please send an e-mail to E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu.
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.
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 at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ndeam07.htm
We look forward to learning how your community will be celebrating NDEAM and DMD this year!
DATES: To be sure your comments are considered, the Social Security Administration (SSA) must receive them by October 12, 2007.
SUMMARY: SSA is proposing to revise its regulations for the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (Ticket to Work program), authorized by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. The Ticket to Work program provides beneficiaries with disabilities expanded options for access to employment, vocational rehabilitation, and other support services. The program is an important part of the comprehensive SSA work opportunity initiative which is focused on helping beneficiaries with disabilities who want to work to do so. SSA is proposing revisions to its current Ticket to Work program rules to simplify and improve the definition of ``using a ticket'' and related requirements for measuring ``timely progress toward self-supporting employment.''
These proposed changes to SSA’s rules on ``using a ticket'' and the related timely progress requirements are integral to the operation of the Ticket to Work program and are essential to the overall changes SSA proposed for the program in the September 30, 2005 NPRM. SSA anticipates issuing one comprehensive final regulation covering the matters addressed in the 2005 NPRM and in this NPRM. In this NPRM, SSA is proposing changes to its rules for the Ticket to Work program in areas that were not addressed in the September 2005 NPRM. SSA describes the main changes it is proposing below:
Access the URL to read the full announcement, which includes a detailed explanation of the proposed changes with a side-by-side table of “existing regulations” and “proposed changes,” along with information on how and where to submit comments.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has awarded a 24-month cooperative agreement for $1,850,000 to the Institute for Educational Leadership's Center for Workforce Development in Washington, D.C., to establish a National Technical Assistance Center on Transition and Employment for Youth with Disabilities.
"It is essential that youth with disabilities receive the support they need to stay in school and succeed in the workplace, so that they can realize their dreams and ambitions for the future," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This nearly $1.9 million grant is to help ensure that youth with disabilities graduate from high school and get the assistance they need to continue their studies or enter the workforce."
Access the URL to read the full news release.
The Federal Government is fulfilling its commitment to help the people of the Gulf Coast rebuild.
This represents an article describing customized employment, and how employers can use it as a strategy to recruit and retain workers of all abilities.
ODEP frequently receives questions from the public regarding various disability and employment issues. Recently, ODEP compiled a list of typical inquiries, and posed them to the agency's Acting Assistant Secretary, Karen M. Czarnecki. This link takes you to these questions and her answers.
This brochure describes the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award. This award is given annually to small businesses, corporations, non-profits and individuals that have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for workers with disabilities.
This document, which was originally created in July 1996 was updated August 20, 2007, represents a fact sheet answering commonly asked questions about the use of service animals by people with disabilities in places of business.
This site is for anyone who wants to support employment for persons with disabilities. It is for employers, job seekers, employees, and union representatives looking for information about making workplaces more accessible and inclusive. The site was created in Ontario, but the principles apply across Canada.
The tips and tools on this site will help you come up with effective, flexible and dignified ways to accommodate persons with disabilities in the workplace.
Press releases found on several different electronic newswire groups announcing the site, e.g.:
[ http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2007/05/c5358.html ]
[ http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20070905_104507_1_cnw_cnw ]
[The following is excerpted from the first website article.]
How can Canadians with disabilities gain the support needed to succeed in the workplace? With some Thinking Outside the Box. That's the name of a new web-based tool, launched today by Strategic Employment Solutions (SES) and Job Accommodation Information Network (JOIN) of Toronto. The bilingual tool www.TOTB.ca is designed for employers, job seekers, employees, union representatives and anyone who supports the employment of persons with disabilities. Sections include practical checklists, the obligations of workplace parties, (policies, practices and facilities), success stories, and links to valuable resources. "This website offers practical solutions to everyone involved in employing and accommodating persons with disabilities. I firmly believe that finding dignified, creative and flexible solutions to workplace accommodation should be embedded into employment processes - accommodation should not be a barrier to employment," says Dauna Jones-Simmonds, Chair, SES. "The goal is to provide the accommodations needed to allow people to do their jobs successfully."
SES and JOIN, offer one-stop employment services to job seekers with disabilities and employers looking to tap into this capable workforce. The project was funded through the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and sponsored by CIBC, RBC Financial Group and TD Bank Financial Group.
Thinking Outside the Box was developed by people from corporate, government, service providers and human resource sectors. "Accommodation isn't about special treatment," notes the project team, "but about removing obstacles that prevent equal access to employment." "Thinking Outside of the Box is a valuable resource for employers, job seekers, employees, unions and agencies looking for information on hiring and how to make workplaces more accessible and inclusive for persons with disabilities," says Beth Grudzinski, Vice President, Diversity, TD Bank Financial Group. "As employers we realize how tremendously important this issue is."
In some cases, accommodation can be physical, e.g. alternative keyboards, screen readers, and accessible facilities. Other times, accommodation requires changes in policies or attitudes. For instance, do employers actively seek job applicants with disabilities? Do they ensure a positive work environment? The website addresses a wide range of accommodation issues, around all stages of employment - recruitment, hiring, retention, development, performance evaluation, and more - as well as around overall workplace awareness. "Providing workplace accommodations benefits not only employees and job seekers, but employers too," says Teri Monti, Director, Employee Relations, RBC. "We understand the power of having an inclusive workplace, where people can realize their full potential, feel valued, and add their value. Thinking Outside the Box isn't just about meeting obligations - it's about creating opportunities."
By bringing to the forefront best practices in accommodation, Thinking Outside the Box will help ensure that anyone with disabilities – whether visible or invisible, physical or mental - can fully participate in the workplace. "We are proud to sponsor and play a role in the launch of this new website, as employment equity is a fundamental value at CIBC," adds Amy Hanen, VP, Human Resources, Policy and Governance, CIBC. "We recognize and embrace the potential of all people, including those with disabilities, and we're committed to doing everything we can to create a workplace environment that accommodates the needs of our employees."
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration is pleased to announce the redesign of the Workforce3 One Webspace! Thanks to an improved and intuitive interface that allows registrants immediate access to a variety of content, navigating the Workforce3 One homepage has never been easier. Simply log in using your existing registered e-mail address and password, and explore each section to learn more about exciting trends and innovations in today's workforce. [If you have not yet created a username/password, registration is free and highly recommended as the website contains a lot of valuable resources for workforce professionals.]
The Webspace helps support the Department of Labor's Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative by cataloguing innovative local, regional, and state strategies and operational practices that are addressing the preparation of a globally competitive workforce. Economic Developers, Educators, Employers and Associations, and Workforce Investment System professionals can easily access informative webinars, Pod casts, profiles, and other useful resources to learn more about talent development and serving the needs of business and industry in our nation's labor markets.
Workforce Solutions provides direct access to innovative solutions developed by grantees under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative and Community-Based Job Training Grant.
Access to My Workforce3 One and community-specific resources is made easy with the help of the Workforce3 One link. Use this link to do the following;
The Webinars section displays both upcoming and 173 recorded events that are accessible to Workforce3 One registrants.
This report presents data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States based on information collected in the 2007 and earlier Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Data presented in this report indicate the following:
Experts agree that by 2010, the U.S. will have 168 million new jobs, however it is estimated that there will be only 158 million workers to fill them. This shortage of workers means that employers will need to know all they can to recruit and retain an effective, stable entry-level workforce. One such method through which employers can achieve this is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the nation’s largest and most successful worker support program. Yet a significant number of working families, and the communities in which they live and work, miss out on thousands of dollars in tax credits annually simply because they do not know the EITC exists.
The Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, has just released Community Building Through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). This new publication presents an in-depth look at how a community can increase its intake of EITC claims and the bottom line impact this has on economic development in a region. The EITC lifts 4.9 million people--including 2.7 million children--above the poverty line each year. Yet a significant number of working families miss out on thousands of dollars annually (as well as their communities) simply because they do not know it exists. Learn how your community can increase its intake of EITC claims and the bottom line impact this has on economic development in your region.
The guide outlines the case for business involvement in creating increased awareness and usage of the EITC in their local communities, and contains a number of case studies, resources, practical tools and a special pullout section with a 12-month timeline on how to run an EITC awareness campaign in your own region.
The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a new reference guide that outlines existing legal requirements and standards relating to access for people with disabilities. A Reference Guide for Accommodating Individuals with Disabilities in the Provision of Disaster Mass Care, Housing and Human Services is the first of a series of disability-related guidelines to be produced by FEMA for disaster preparedness and response planners and service providers at all levels.
The Reference Guide summarizes equal access requirements for people with disabilities within Disaster Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services functions. The Guide explains how applicable Federal laws relate to government entities and non-government, private sector and religious organizations. The Reference Guide was originally developed in response to the requirement of H.R. 5441 (PL 109-295), Section 689: Individuals with Disabilities, to develop disability related guidelines for use by those who serve individuals with disabilities in emergency preparedness and disaster relief. This Guide is not intended to satisfy all of the guidance requirements contained in Section 689. Additional guidelines to accommodate individuals with disabilities will be issued in the future.