Economic Justice

If you can find a way to make it to the conference, bring back the resources!

http://goo.gl/1rEkpw

You are cordially invited to attend the 7th National Organizational Change Forum: A Time for Change: Sheltered Workshop Conversion to take place October 22-23, 2013 at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington, Vermont. Join us for this dynamic event focused on employment for individuals with disabilities. Hear from leaders

http://goo.gl/3Q5LDD

Let's call it what it is: An aspirational quota of sorts. The Department of Labor's long-anticipated final ruling is in, and will require nearly 250,000 U.S. businesses to work towards a goal that 7 percent of their workforce be qualified individuals with disabilities.

Federal contractors also represent 22 percent of the national workforce and offer high-paying jobs, which is why the Labor Department wants to hold these companies accountable for diverse hiring. Regulations do work, and have certainly made things easier for people with disabilities in all areas of life, from education and accommodations and even to health care, due to President Obama's reform plan.

A large, complex bill has been introduce in the National Senate to partially remake workforce investment and reauthorize the rehabilitation act for the first time in 15 years. It is about 900 pages long and consists mostly of text strikes and replacements making it all but impossible to read. Yet, it is proposing significant changes to the systems of supports that people with disabilities use to build and maintain real employment in the community.

In particular, the Bill proposes to move the Independent Living system out of Rehabilitation and into an Independent Living Administration that is also authorized in the Bill. The Bill also creates changes in sub-minimum wage legislation that would make it harder to use.

The National Council on Independent Living has analysis and advopcacy talking points out at http://www.ncil.org/rehabact/ and is as good an analysis as I have been able to find. I would take the time to review the talking points, and there are also issue specific discussions at the same site.

The headline gives the wrong impression. It is managing life while poor that reduces available brain power, not simply the lack of money.

http://goo.gl/IRo0tb

The findings, published in Friday's edition of the journal Science, indicate that an urgent need — making rent, getting money for food — tugs at the attention so much that it can reduce the brainpower of anyone who experiences it, regardless of innate intelligence or personality. As a result, many social welfare programs set up to help the poor could backfire by adding more complexity to their lives.

http://goo.gl/AYxhld

Highlights of the Final Rule:

• Utilization goal: The Final Rule establishes a nationwide 7% utilization goal for qualified IWDs. Contractors will apply the goal to each of their job groups, or to their entire workforce if the contractor has 100 or fewer employees. Contractors must conduct an annual utilization analysis and assessment of problem areas, and establish specific action-oriented programs to address any identified problems.
• Data collection: The Final Rule requires that contractors document and update annually several quantitative comparisons for the number of IWDs who apply for jobs and the number of IWDs they hire. Having this data will assist contractors in measuring the effectiveness of their outreach and recruitment efforts. The data must be maintained for three years to be used to spot trends.
• Invitation to Self-Identify: The Final Rule requires that contractors invite applicants to self-identify as IWDs at both the pre-offer and post-offer phases of the application process, using language prescribed by OFCCP. The Final Rule also requires that contractors invite their employees to self-identify as IWDs every five years, using the prescribed language. This language will be posted on the OFCCP website (coming soon).
• Incorporation of the EO Clause: The Final Rule requires that specific language be used when incorporating the equal opportunity clause into a subcontract by reference. The mandated language, though brief, will alert subcontractors to their responsibilities as Federal contractors.
• Records Access: The Final Rule clarifies that contractors must allow OFCCP to review documents related to a compliance check or focused review, either on-site or off-site, at OFCCP’s option. In addition, the Final Rule requires contractors, upon request, to inform OFCCP of all formats in which it maintains its records and provide them to OFCCP in whichever of those formats OFCCP requests.
• ADAAA: The Final Rule implements changes necessitated by the passage of the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008 by revising the definition of "disability" and certain nondiscrimination provisions of the implementing regulations.

http://goo.gl/ErJt7

What are job coaches and what do they do?

Job coaches are individuals who specialize in assisting individuals with disabilities to learn and accurately carry out job duties. Job coaches provide one-on-one training tailored to the needs of the employee. They may first do a job analysis to identify the job duties, followed by developing a specific plan as to how they can best train the employee to work more and more on his/her own until completely self-sufficient and able to perform job duties accurately and effectively without assistance. 

Explains the complex ways people with disabilities and the labor market interact.

http://goo.gl/iVrIy

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities fell to 13.4% last year from 15.0% in 2011, theLabor Department said in a report released Wednesday.

But the unemployment rate only captures those who were available and actively looking for work. About 8 in 10 persons with disabilities weren’t in the labor force in 2012, compared with about 3 in 10 persons with no disability, the Labor Department said.

The disparity in part reflects demographics. Nearly half of persons with a disability were 65 years or older. Older people are more likely to be retirees than frustrated job seekers.

One interesting note from the report: persons with a disability are more likely to be self-employed — a little more than 11%, versus 6.5% of persons with no disability work in their own business, trade or farm.

“I actually think they are continuing a long tradition that other marginalized communities have started,” Mr. Perriello said. “If no one will hire you, start a business for yourself. Don’t let barriers get in the way.”

http://goo.gl/BTtGL

The U.S. Department of Justice is cracking down after an investigation found that students with disabilities were unnecessarily segregated and forced to work for little or no pay for years in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In a 17-page letter sent to local officials in Providence, R.I. this month, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said that students with developmental disabilities were paid 50 cents to $2 per hour, and in some cases nothing at all, to do tasks like bagging, labeling, collating and assembling jewelry. They did the tasks as part of a sheltered workshop while participating in a vocational program at Mount Pleasant High School.

This looks like a for profit site, but certainly has a lot of resources. Aimed at business owners and entrepreneurs.

http://goo.gl/vxW34

GoSmallBiz.com is a leading online resource for the small business owner and entrepreneur. Working in partnership with LegalShield, we help small business owners protect and grow their businesses. GoSmallBiz.com brings small business owners unlimited business consulting via email, access to educational videos and articles, secure web-based software for business, a library of legal forms and documents, and more!

http://askjan.org/webcast/archive/#May13

This is the webcast archive page. This webcast on accommodations for executive functions is that latest, but there are many more webcast archives on the page.

"executive functions are high level abilities to influence and direct more basic abilities like attention and memory the term executive function also describes a set of cognitive abilities that control and regulate other specific abilities and behaviors, too, as we will see on one of the next few slides.  Executive functions are necessary for goal directed behavior.  That is behavior directed towards a goal or completion of a task."