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
28 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 ]
[The full announcement is located under the section heading "Resources of Interest."]
Disability Program Navigators this is hot off the press from the U.S. Census Bureau. It includes statistics from 2004 on reasons why people do not work. Of the estimated 227 million people 15 years and older who resided in the United States in the first quarter of 2004, nearly 79 million (35 percent) had not worked at a paid job for at least the prior four consecutive months. Retirement (38 percent) and school attendance (19 percent) were the most commonly reported reasons. Chronic illness or disability was the main reason for almost 1 in 7 (15 percent) nonworkers. Taking care of children or others accounted for 13 percent. Around 6 percent cited an economic reason for not working.
You may be able to get some good statistics to add to your NDEAM materials on the characteristics of individuals who do not work, in general, and on those who do not work as a result of chronic illness or disability, specifically.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (http://www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/ndeam.htm) and Disability Mentoring Day (http://www.dmd-aapd.org/). 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!! Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is an annual observance, created by a presidential proclamation in 1986 to recognize “the urgent need to educate the American public about mental illnesses and their treatments,” and in recognition of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ efforts to raise mental illness awareness. MIAW activities will be held across the country from October 7-13, 2007. During this week, millions of Americans will honor the challenges of mental illness, as well as celebrate the recoveries they or their loved ones have embraced.
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. 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 about your October activities.
[The following is excerpted from the News Release.]
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has awarded a two-year grant of $2,306,066 to a consortium of organizations that will establish a center aimed at increasing the employment and economic self-sufficiency of adults with disabilities. The center will build leadership and strategic partnerships across workforce development, economic development, and relevant partner agencies and systems. "The talents of Americans with disabilities are not fully tapped in our economy. This $2.3 million grant will help advance employment opportunities for workers with disabilities and help them build better lives for themselves and their families," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.
The consortium, led by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, N.J., will conduct research, develop and disseminate information, and provide technical assistance and training in the following five targeted, critical leadership areas identified by ODEP's research over the past six years. Specific objectives are to increase:
In addition to the Rutgers center, consortium members include the American Public Human Services Administration, Washington, D.C.; the National Leadership Consortium for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.; the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Brunswick, N.J.; and the Community Solutions Group LLC in Arlington, Va. The consortium was selected from applications submitted in response to a solicitation by the Labor Department.
ODEP is leading a 21st century federal response to the historic underemployment of people with disabilities. In collaboration with other government agencies, public and private employers, and additional stakeholders, the agency facilitates the development and implementation of innovative policies and practices necessary to achieve a fully inclusive workplace.
The purpose of Drug-Free Work Week is to highlight the fact that being drug free is key to protecting workplace safety and health and to encourage workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), it is implemented collaboratively with several government agencies, trade associations, unions, non-profit organizations and private companies.
DOL encourages your organization to help us spread the word and maximize the impact of Drug-Free Work Week. In that spirit, we hope you’ll consider:
To learn more about Drug-Free Work Week, please visit DOL’s Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site (http://www.dol.gov/workingpartners/welcome.html). Also, a press release issued by DOL (http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/opa/opa20071217.htm).
Of the estimated 227 million people 15 years and older who resided in the United States in the first quarter of 2004, nearly 79 million (35 percent) had not worked at a paid job for at least the prior four consecutive months. Retirement (38 percent) and school attendance (19 percent) were the most commonly reported reasons. Chronic illness or disability was the main reason for almost 1 in 7 (15 percent) nonworkers. Taking care of children or others accounted for 13 percent. Around 6 percent cited an economic reason for not working. Access the URL to find out the other reasons and much more in Reasons People Do Not Work: 2004.
On this section of the NCSET website, you will find transition-related resources and education-related office contact information for states and territories in the United States.
This datanote examines the percent of people served in facility-based settings compared to those who participated in integrated employment. Also studied is the influence of community based nonwork on integrated employment.
The services are applicable to—families, educators, administrators, journalists, students. The main focus is children and youth (birth to age 22). Information available on the website includes:
This report from the National Center for Special Education Research provides a picture of the self-representations and expectations of youth with disabilities, how they differ across disability categories and demographic groups, and how they compare to those of youth in the general population. It addresses questions such as how youth with disabilities describe their feelings about themselves and their lives, their secondary school experiences, their personal relationships, and their expectations for the future.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( ADA) provides people with disabilities the legal right to access transportation and public rights-of-way, including sidewalks and street crossings. The Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Justice (DOJ) share responsibility for overseeing ADA compliance. GAO was asked to review federal oversight and enforcement of ADA compliance, including (1) what is known about compliance, (2) difficulties the federal government faces in overseeing and enforcing compliance, and (3) the sources of federal help and any gaps in that help. GAO’s work encompassed a wide range of federal agencies and other entities, such as industry associations, transportation providers, and disability advocacy groups, as well as detailed reviews in eight cities across the country.
GAO makes several recommendations to DOT and Amtrak to improve data and guidance for ADA compliance, increase coordination and communication across federal agencies, and develop a legislative proposal to enable DOT to impose fines for noncompliance with the ADA. DOT agreed to consider the recommendations. Amtrak officials said the recommendations are likely to be ineffective for them without more funding and clearer federal requirements.
