MEMORANDUM
TO: |
ALL PARTIES INTERESTED IN A BETTER ECONOMIC FUTURE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES |
FROM: |
NEIL ROMANO,
ASSISTANT SECRETARY |
DATE: |
JANUARY 15, 2009 |
SUBJECT: |
“EMPLOYMENT FIRST” CREATING OPPORTUNITIES TO MOVE TO INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT |
|
|
As Assistant
Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor and a former business
owner, I know that a strong America depends on harnessing the
productivity of all its citizens, including people with
disabilities. But I have seen first hand the challenges our nation
faces in improving employment and economic self-sufficiency for
people with disabilities. The greatest challenges are not with
employers or people with disabilities themselves, but with our
public system of disability assistance. Limited coordination of
benefits and services across agencies and conflicting policies
make it more difficult for a youth or adult with a disability to
become self-sufficient and participate fully in all of the
benefits our nation has to offer. Executive
Summary The following individuals external to ODEP contributed to the development of the Roundtable agenda as well as to the creation of the Executive Summary and supporting materials: William Kiernan, Serena Lowe, David Mank, Celane McWhorter, Michael Morris, Chas Moseley, Sara Weir and Madeleine Will. INTRODUCTION To consider the prevailing paradigm of isolation and segregation of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities from integrated employment at minimum wage or above, and to develop a focus that embraces new possibilities for employment and self-sufficiency, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Neil Romano, hosted a two-day roundtable in October 2008. The roundtable brought together key thought-leaders from various sectors to discuss promoting integrated, competitive and customized employment at minimum wage or above for individuals with intellectual and other significant and complex disabilities who have high support needs. The Roundtable focused on two primary objectives:
The dialogue centered around three key topics:
BACKGROUND The
majority of individuals with intellectual and other significant,
complex disabilities who have high support needs are unable to
achieve the American dream of a job, a family and financial
security. Instead, they are caught in a cycle of poverty by the
laws, regulations and policies of the public and private programs
providing their supports and services. Individuals with
significant disabilities and high support needs continue to be
considered “nonfeasible” for typical employment, often
relegated to institutions, day programs or sheltered work
environments at sub-minimum wages. Although public finance to
support adults living with intellectual disabilities in the U.S.
grew from $2.3 billion in 1955 to $82.6 billion in 2004, tens of
thousands of persons living with intellectual and other
developmental disabilities continue to live in institutions and
nursing homes or are relegated to segregated day programs. Family
supports and innovative employment programs receive limited
funding, waiting lists are growing rapidly, and family caregivers
are aging. When they are fortunate enough to live in the
community, earn a salary and accumulate savings, individuals with
intellectual and other developmental disabilities are likely to be
penalized by having cash and social insurance benefits reduced or
completely eliminated. This counterproductive conflict deters many
such individuals from even considering meaningful education or
employment opportunities. THE ROUNDTABLE The
Office of Disability Employment Policy convened a Roundtable
on Advancing Employment and Economic Self Sufficiency for People
with Intellectual and other Developmental Disabilities,
on October 30-31, 2008. Participants at the Roundtable spent two
days discussing barriers and facilitators specific to this broad
group of individuals, in order to develop a roadmap that, when
implemented, would create opportunity for people with intellectual
and other significant disabilities to have the choice to work in
integrated community jobs at minimum wage or above. Discussions
both at the roundtable and subsequently have focused on several
strategies for moving toward and finally achieving the systemic
changes needed. The foundation of these strategies is based on
initiatives underway in several states, commonly known as
“Employment First,” under which employment is
considered the first service provided to individuals with
intellectual disabilities and the goal for all. |
File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
Author | Meredith DeDona |
File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
File Created | 2021-01-28 |