PRESENTED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 

JULY 2

THE FINAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL

TASK FORCE ON EMPLOYMENT OF ADULTS

WITH DISABILITIES

strengthening the 

21st century workforc
PRESENTED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 26, 2002

THE FINAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL

TASK FORCE ON EMPLOYMENT OF ADULTS

WITH DISABILITIES

strengthening the 

21st century workforce
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

ii

Copies of this report are available from the United

States Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy at <www.DisabilityDirect.gov>. The

United States Department of Labor is located at 200

Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S 1303, Washington,

D.C. 20210; (202) 693-7880 main voice; (202) 693-7888

main fax; (202) 693-7881 main TTY. Alternative formats

of this report are also available by contacting the Office

of Disability Employment Policy.

Any modifications to the report, or to material contained in this report, must be specified clearly, along

with a description of the modification(s). Notice of

modification(s) must be displayed prominently and

must contain, if applicable, a notice that the modification(s) may compromise the validity and reliability of

the conclusions or data in this report.

This report is a product of the Presidential Task Force

on Employment of Adults with Disabilities. Prepared

with the assistance of Health Systems Research, Inc.,

Kate Lynch Machado, Project Director, and Debra AlSalam, Project Coordinator. Report layout and cover

design by Leaird Designs.

Gary Reed, Acting Executive Director

Christopher Button, Ph.D., Staff Directo

and Senior Policy Advisor

Richard L. Horne, Ed.D., Staff Director

and Senior Policy Advisor

Paul Bennett, Senior Advisor. Detailed

from the Office of Hearings and

Appeals, Social Security

Administration

Julie Clark, J.D., Senior Policy Advisor

Jennifer Sheehy, Senior Policy Advisor

Rhonda Basha, J.D., R.D.H., Policy

Analyst. Detailed from the Benefits

Review Board, U.S. Department of

Labor

Randy Cooper, Policy Analyst. Detailed

from the Office of Federal Contracts

Compliance Programs, U.S.

Department of Labor

Robert G. Goldstraw, Policy Analyst.

Detailed from the Office of Operations

Social Security Administration

Clarence R. Griffin, Policy Analyst 

Linda D. Kontnier, J.D., Policy Analyst.

Detailed from the Employment and

Training Administration, U.S.

Department of Labor

Kathy Ladipo, J.D., Policy Analyst

Michael Reardon, Policy Analyst

Cheryl Klein, Executive Assistant

LaToya Plater, Office Automation

Assistant

Karen Saba, Intern

Catherine Healy, Kennedy Foundation

Policy Fellow

p

Presidential Task Force on

Employment of Adults with

Disabilities

Produced pursuant to 

Executive Order 13078

Printed July 2002

Cover image: G.K. & Vicky Hart/Getty Images
Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the members and staff of the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with

Disabilities, I submit to you the Task Force’s final report, People with Disabilities — Strengthening the 

Century Workforce. Executive Order 13078, which created the Task Force, provides that the final rep

be issued today, July 26, 2002 — the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed int

law by your father.

The Task Force had one overarching goal: to develop a comprehensive strategy for increasing the

employment rate of people with disabilities. Through the Task Force’s work, interagency linkages 

and cooperative efforts have been established at both the staff and leadership levels. These 

relationships will continue to assist us in our efforts to increase employment opportunities for

Americans with disabilities. 

Under the leadership of the new Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the former Task 

Force member agencies will continue to work together to remove barriers and increase employmen

opportunities for people with disabilities of all ages consistent with the employment-related goals

embodied in your New Freedom Initiative (NFI). While the Task Force’s focus was time-limited, the

Department of Labor (DOL), through the creation of ODEP, is now assuming a permanent leaders

role in developing meaningful and innovative interagency employment policies and practices for 

people with disabilities in coordination with other DOLagencies such as our Office of the 21st

Century Workforce.

This final report includes current activities of the Task Force member agencies aimed at increasing

employment opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities under the NFI.

As Secretary of Labor, I have had the opportunity during the past 18 months to chair the Task Forc

I look forward to continuing our work together on behalf of people with disabilities.

Sincerely,

Elaine L. Chao

Secretary of Labor and

Chair, Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities

Final Report 
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

iv
Final Report 

CapteOe: acgoud ............................................................................

Chapter Two: Business Partnerships and Assistance..............................9

Chapter Three: Disability-Related Employment

Accomplishments and Future Directions for Increasing the

Employment of People with Disabilities ................................................15

❚ Employment and Training Programs ..........................................16

❚ Expanding Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities ..............23

❚ Employment in the Federal Government....................................27

❚ Implementation of Ticket to Work ................................................36

❚ Microenterprise, Entrepreneurship, and Economic

Independence for People with Disabilities..................................38

❚ Technology........................................................................................40

❚ Telecommuting ................................................................................43

❚ Veterans’ Issues................................................................................45

❚ Transportation..................................................................................47

❚ Health Care ......................................................................................48

❚ Housing ............................................................................................50

❚ Personal Assistance ........................................................................53

❚ Community Living..........................................................................54

❚ Civil Rights ......................................................................................58

❚ Future Directions for Increasing Employment 

of People with Disabilities ............................................................64

2001-2002: Accomplishments-at-a-Glance................................................66

Summary of Disability-Related Legislative Initiatives........................73
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

vi

Members of the Presidential Task Force 

Employment of Adults with Disabilitie

ROD PAIGE

Secretary of Education

DONALD L. EVANS

Secretary of the Departm

Commerce

TOMMY G. THOMPSON

Secretary of Health and Human

Services

JO ANNE B. BARN

Commissioner of the Soc

Security Administration

PAUL H. O’NEILL

Secretary of the Treasury

ANTHONY J. PRIN

Secretary of Veterans Aff
Final Report 

ANN M. VENEMAN

Secretary of Agriculture

CARI M. DOMINGU

Chair of the Equal Empl

Opportunity Commissio

MICHAEL K. POWE

Chairman of the Federal

Communications Comm

MEL MARTINEZ

Secretary of Housing and

Urban Development

JOHN ASHCROFT

Attorney General of the 

States

MARCA BRISTO

Chair of the National 

Council on Disability

HECTOR V. BARRETO

Administrator of the Small

Business Administration

GALE A. NORTON

Secretary of Interior
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

viii
Final Report 

Background

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disab

(Task Force) is proud to submit its final report to the President, the 

President, and the nation describing activities both already comp

and currently underway to eliminate barriers to employment for Amer

with disabilities.

In February 2001, President George W. Bush

introduced his New Freedom Initiative (NFI), a

multifaceted plan to remove societal and

economic barriers people with disabilities face

today. Announcing the NFI in the White House,

crowded with hundreds of leaders in business

and disability organizations, the President stated, 

“Americans with disabilities should have every

freedom to pursue careers, integrate into the

workforce, and participate as full members in

the economic marketplace. The New Freedom

Initiative will help tear down barriers to the

workplace, and help promote full access and

integration.”

President Bush has had an important partn

this endeavor — Department of Labor (DO

Secretary Elaine L. Chao. Creating employm

opportunities for people with disabilities an

expanding their economic independence an

participation in community life are goals ce

to DOL’s mission of fostering and promotin

welfare of job seekers, and they complemen

Secretary Chao’s role as the Chair of the Tas

Force. Since January 2001, the Task Force h

worked under the leadership of Secretary C

foster the inclusion of people with disabiliti

to make Secretary Chao’s mission a reality.
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

2

have considered people with disabilities.

In one of her first official actions, Secretary of

Labor Chao created the Office of the 21st Century

Workforce with a timely mission:

• To ensure that all American workers have as

fulfilling and financially rewarding a career

as they aspire to have and that no worker

gets left behind in the limitless potential of

the dynamic, global economy of this new

millennium; and

• To provide a focal point for the identification

and study of issues relating to the workforce

of the United States and the development of

strategies for effectively addressing such

issues. 

Over the past 18 months, the Task Force, DOL’s

newly created Office of Disability Employment

Policy (ODEP), and the Office of the 21st Century

Workforce have joined forces and are working

together with the Task Force member agencies to

make the workforce integration goals in the NFI a

reality. 

Following September 11th, the nation’s priorities

changed. The Task Force, however, ensured that

people with disabilities were not forgotten by

assisting Federal agencies in responding to people

with disabilities who were affected by the terrorist

attacks. The Department of Education (ED)

assisted state and local programs in New York to

provide assistance and referral for services. The

Social Security Administration (SSA) expedited

eligibility approval for benefits. The Equal

Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

pggg

efforts and accomplishments since January 

in eliminating obstacles to employment and 

increasing opportunities for people with

disabilities. These programs, policies, and

initiatives reflect the lessons the Task Force 

gleaned from unprecedented interagency

collaboration and attentive study. Some of 

accomplishments detailed here have been

previously announced, while others are ent

new or have only recently been completed.

With important laws such as Section 508 of 

Rehabilitation Act and the Ticket to Work a

Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWII

the infancy of their implementation, the sta

set for sweeping change across America. O

the last 18 months, agencies have instituted

aggressive plans to enforce these laws that 

enormous potential to boost employment o

people with disabilities in the Federal gove

ment and private sector.

Taking the lead from the President, whose N

addresses multiple areas of policy using a s

strategic approach, Task Force agencies

recognized the necessity of synchronized

teamwork, partnerships, and interagency

collaboration. Departments and agencies h

worked together across jurisdictional borde

eliminate cumbersome processes and to bu

upon shared strengths with support throug

each agency, including at the highest level.

Enormous bureaucracies have conducted d

self-assessments in response to Executive O

13217, Community-Based Alternatives for Indi

with Disabilities, to eradicate barriers and
Final Report 

and useful resources to assist them in the hiring

of people with disabilities.

Finally, this report details lessons learned and

accomplishments made by the Task Force

agencies in fulfilling their mandate to create a

coordinated, aggressive national policy to increase

participation of Americans with disabilities in the

competitive labor market. As the Task Force

and summits to study both barriers and bes

practices in order to develop innovative sol

that increase employment of people with

disabilities. These efforts investigated prog

key disability policy arenas and identified f

policy development options. The following 

summary provides a review of some of the 

significant results.

Current Employment Rates and Trends

1 Demographic Profile of the Federal Workforce, September 30, 2000, Office of Personnel Management, Office of Workforce Inform

2 Disabilities defined by the EEOC as deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial or complete paralysis, convulsive disorders, m

retardation, mental illness, and genetic and physical conditions affecting limbs and/or spine.

THE FEDERAL WORKPLACE:

The resources of the Federal

government are crucial to

the goal of raising the employment rate of people with

disabilities to a level comparable

with that of the general population. The Federal government is

the nation’s largest employer and

purchaser of goods, services,

technology, and health care.

When President George Bush

launched the NFI on February 1,

2001, he made it clear that the

Federal government itself must

be a model employer —

instituting exemplary practices,

demonstrating through its

actions what it expects and

trusts state and local governments to do, and illustrating for

the private sector what is

possible.

The Federal government is

working toward its goal of being

a model employer for people

with disabilities. However, in

contrast to the increasing

representation of women and

minorities, the representation of

employees with disabilities has

remained stable over the past

two decades. Although there are

30 million Americans aged 21-64

with disabilities, comprising

almost 20 percent of the U.S.

population, only 7.1 percent of

all civilian employees in the

Federal Executive Branch

workforce (or 120,525 of a t

Federal workforce of almost 

million) are individuals with

disabilities.1

The Office of

Personnel Management (OPM

found that, in non-postal

Executive Branch Agencies a

Federal Independent Agenci

representation of people wit

disabilities ranged from 7.0

percent to 11.0 percent and 

2.6 percent to 10.0 percent

respectively. Further, emplo

with targeted disabilities2

co

prise only 0.4 percent to 2.0

percent and 0.6 percent to 2

percent in Federal and indep

dent agencies respectively. 
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

4

• Employment Rate Measurement: Without

an accurate baseline measure of the rate of

employment of people with disabilities, it is

impossible to evaluate the success of disability policy and programs. In keeping with the

Administration’s focus on measuring results,

the Task Force led research in partnership

with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to

develop a valid and reliable measurement of

the employment rate of people with disabilities. Under ODEP’s leadership, the Employment Rate Measurement Methodology

(ERMM) Workgroup’s Committee on

Statistics will continue to address the persistent and complex statistical challenges 

related to achieving a valid and reliable

employment measurement of people with

disabilities. 

• Practices in the Federal Government

Workforce: Because the Federal government

requests private sector employers to work

toward an increase in the rate of employment

for people with disabilities, the Task Force

initiated research to explore disability

employment policies and practices in the

Federal workforce. In partnership with the

Task Force’s Committee of the Federal

Government as a Model Employer, the Task

with the EEOC of governm

wide procedures for provi

reasonable accommodation in Federal a

cies, helped launch a new telework/tele

muting initiative, and facilitated initiati

five-year effort to increase the employm

opportunities in the Federal workforce 

people with disabilities. 

• People with Significant Disabilities: A 

cal area of Task Force research concern

strategies for increasing employment o

and wages for people with the most sig

cant disabilities, including cognitive, p

cal, and sensory, who continue to rema

non-work, segregated, or residential pl

ments. Many reside in nursing homes 

institutions. Increasing numbers of the

individuals are preparing to move to th

community, following the Supreme Co

decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 58

(1999)(Olmstead).1 Others may be on w

lists for services, in day health or activi

programs, or in other sheltered environ

ments. Many of these individuals can 

in integrated, competitive environmen

Moreover, when provided with approp

supports and matched with jobs that u

their strengths and abilities, many can 

matically increase their earnings poten

and begin a career. 

1 The Olmstead decision held that unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities in institutions is a form of discrimination under th

and that individuals with disabilities have a civil right to receive services in the community in certain circumstances. Under the Cou

decision, states are required to provide community-based services for persons with disabilities who would otherwise be entitled to

institutional services when 1) treatment professionals reasonably determine that such placement is appropriate; 2) the affected person

oppose such treatment; and 3) the placement can be reasonably accommodated, taking into account the resources available to the stat

needs of others who are receiving state-supported disability services.
Final Report 

300 individuals participated in a series of dis

cussions or offered comments and recommendations that included policy changes and

possible strategies for improving employment outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities. In addition to the survey

research, more than 200 individuals representing the full spectrum of interested stakeholders from 31 states participated in a

National Summit sponsored by the Task

Force in Washington, D.C., entitled Real

Choices, Real Jobs, Real Pay: Employment for the

21st Century for Persons with Significant

Disabilities. The Summit was followed by a

two-day think tank to further explore

research findings and identify themes for

potential actions.

• The Workforce Investment Act: Another

critical area for research has been on understanding how the workforce development

system is serving adults and youth with disabilities. To begin the process, the Task Force

conducted a Review of State Plans for the

Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This project

• Wage Changes: Integrated Employme

The Task Force conducted three separa

research studies examining longitudina

documenting the change in wages and 

factors following a move from segrega

integrated employment for people with 

abilities. Following the Supreme Cour

Olmstead decision, this compendium of 

ies contributes to new data on the pote

benefits of integrated employment for 

with disabilities.

• Informed Choice: The Task Force cond

two qualitative research studies docum

the issues, findings, and experiences of 

ticipants in the Choice Demonstration 

jects previously funded by the ED’s

Rehabilitation Services Administration

(RSA). Because allowing informed cho

increasingly recognized as a best pract

lessons learned from these early projec

serve as a valuable foundation for futu

efforts. 

THE NEED FOR RELIABLE AND ACCURATE INFORMATIO

I

n order to institute workplace

changes necessary to make

the Federal government a model

employer, accurate and reliable

information is needed, including

employment and disability

statistics. Complying with the

mandate of Executive Order

13078 to “design and implement

a statistically reliable and

accurate method to measure the

employment rate of adults with

disabilities,” the Bureau of Labor

Statistics (BLS) has been working

to make improvements in the

Current Population Survey (CPS),

which is the government’s official

source of labor force data. An

interagency Employment Rat

Measurement Methodology

(ERMM) Workgroup, chaired 

BLS Assistant Commissioner

Philip Jones and consisting o

representatives from 20 Fede

agencies, has been tasked w

reviewing and revising quest

for the survey.
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

6

sal and accessible design. The research

y g 

following actions: 1) conducting a Nati

DEVELOPING RELIABLE STATISTICS

I

n order to develop survey

questions that provide both

accurate and reliable data, the

Employment Rate Measurement

Methodology (ERMM) Workgroup

is addressing two related facets

of disability measurement: 1)

the current lack of an objective

and reliable standard against

which to measure the accuracy

and reliability of a set of

disability questions; and 2) the

understanding of disability as a

social construct. Because of the

social construct of disability (i.e.,

that disability as a concept is

defined by the set of values,

attitudes, and beliefs that

society brings to bear on it,

rather than existing as an

objective reality that must be

discovered and measured), the

ERMM Workgroup will include

public participation in its survey

and question development and

testing. Public participation,

regression analyses, and reinterviews will help to further

gauge the accuracy and

reliability of the questions.

Using accepted standards for

measuring reliability and

accuracy of surveys, the ERMM

Workgroup has developed a

research plan for establishing a

new set of questions, including

identifying potential questions,

conducting interviews, fieldtesting the questions, reinterviewing field-test

respondents, and conducting

various analyses on the data

collected. The final goal of this

important project is to identify a

relatively small number of

questions that will reliably and

accurately classify the disability

status of individuals with many

different disabilities. To date,

the ERMM Workgroup is in the

process of modifying a set of

questions that have already

undergone preliminary

laboratory and field-tests.

Ongoing analysis of this data

has generated a large set of

tables, based on about 7,500

cases, containing information on

the types of conditions and

impairments reported by people

responding to all, some, or only

one of its questions. 

The next phase of the proje

will correlate demographic a

disability-related information 

reported by survey respond

Individual profiles will be

circulated among members 

public panel who will then b

asked to classify the disabil

status of the profiled individ

in light of both the informat

included in the profiles and 

responses of others on the

panel. Finally, using the

information gained from the

public panel, the ERMM

Workgroup will determine

whether there is a small set 

questions that would predic

generated classifications. T

new set of questions would 

generate data with the relia

and accuracy needed to

understand the connections

between disability and

employment.
Final Report 

Transition Summit on Young People with

Disabilities; 2) convening national focus

groups of young people with disabilities; 

3) conducting a Resource Mapping Project; 

4) addressing the training and employment

needs of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system; 5) exploring the barriers

and supports in postsecondary education;

and 6) increasing access to electronic mentoring for young people with disabilities. The

results of this research have focused on

encouraging interagency collaboration,

expanding work-based learning and postsecondary education opportunities, and eliciting

the perspectives of young people themselves

as Federal policy is developed.

• Small Business and Entrepreneurship:

More and more, individuals with disabilities

see self-employment as an unexplored area

for potential employment opportunity. The

Task Force collaborated with its Committee

on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and

with the Abilities Fund to conduct an environmental scan to identify private sector

interest and involvement in expanding entrepreneurship opportunities for people with

disabilities. The resulting study identified

numerous attitudinal, systemic, and physical

barriers, including the following: 1) access to

capital; 2) stereotypes that people with disabilities are not viable candidates to own a

business; 3) Vocational Rehabilitation’s 

support of self-employment as a vocat

goal; and 4) attitudes of business devel

ment professionals about working with 

people with disabilities. These issue ar

will provide a framework for future po

development. 

• Health Care and Income Supports: Th

implementation of TWWIIA and the

Olmstead decision provided the Task Fo

with new areas for research. Working 

our partners from the Department of H

and Human Services (HHS) and SSA, t

Task Force conducted numerous forum

focus groups, and grantee meetings to 

understand the implementation of thes

tiatives. One result was the developm

The Employment of People with Disabilitie

Tools for Advocates and States, an aid for

researching, developing, and dissemin

materials to the states in support of 

TWWIIA.

Research conducted by the Task Force was 

to understanding the multiple barriers to

employment faced by people with disabiliti

and to identifying best practices. Most

importantly, it has reinforced the urgency fo

Federal agencies to work closely together to 

a comprehensive approach to increasing the

employment of people with disabilities.

integratio

—President George W. B
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

8
Final Report 

Business Partnerships 

and Assistance

Even in a lean economy, companies need good employees. In 

critical time of strengthening the economy, hiring workers 

disabilities makes more business sense than ever before. Inclu

people with disabilities in the candidate search broadens the talent poo

recruiters and gives companies a competitive advantage. 

Employees with disabilities provide new perspectives and solutions to old problems. Companies with an eye on the bottom line have found

that returning disabled employees to the workplace after an injury increases the morale of all

employees and reduces training and hiring costs.

And of course, increasing the taxpayer base and

reducing the number of people receiving public

assistance benefits everyone who pays taxes,

including companies, which bear the greatest tax

burden. 

Another compelling reason to hire people with

disabilities is the potential to increase revenues.

New awareness of the market power of 53 million

consumers with disabilities is fueling corpo

America’s interest in hiring people with dis

lities who have the expertise to develop stra

to reach that market. Companies that draw 

the knowledge and talents of employees wi

disabilities can craft creative marketing stra

for attracting Americans with disabilities an

$180 billion in discretionary income they

command. 

Keeping close watch on current and future

employment needs in the private sector is t

fore a critical element in developing effectiv

disability employment policy. Accordingly, 

Presidential Task Force on Employment of A
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

10

with Disabilities (Task Force) has been working

closely with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

to keep abreast of employment trends by industry

and geography. In addition, the Task Force

maintains relationships with employers to

identify areas of job growth and to monitor

evolving employment issues that affect the hiring

decisions of both large and small businesses.

Understanding employers’ challenges and

successes helps direct crucial research and policy

development that will produce achievable

employment results.

• The Business Leadership Network (BLN) is

an employer-led venture assisted by the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce and the Department

of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability

Employment Policy (ODEP) that promotes

best practices to enhance employment opportunities for candidates with disabilities. The

BLN raises employer awareness by leveraging employer experience to increase both

career opportunities for people with disabilities and access for business to the disability

community market. The vision of the BLN is

for every employer in America to exemplify,

as a best business practice, the inclusion of

people with disabilities in their employment,

product, service, and community outreach

planning. Since January 2001, BLN chapters

have held more than 100 training sessions to

educate employers about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

• DOL’s Employer Assistance Referral

Network (EARN) connects employers 

have job vacancies with qualified empl

ment agencies who have direct access t

ready individuals with disabilities. EA

also provides employers with technica

tance in locating appropriate organizat

and information as they seek to hire qu

candidates with disabilities.

EARN, which went live in March 2001

fully equipped to handle any disability

employment-related issue an employer

might have. EARN’s expertise and val

job candidates and employers were rec

nized immediately by the Society of H

Resource Management (SHRM) and by

President Bush, who took time to meet 

staff in June 2001 at Secretary Chao’s 2

Century Workforce Summit. EARN’s s

cesses can be attributed to the support 

receives from partnerships with other

Federal agencies and to its reach to ove

15,000 employers nationwide. EARN h

connections to over 40,000 Employmen

Service Providers nationwide, providin

employers maximum accessibility to q

fied individuals with disabilities. 

• DOL’s ODEP will launch a comprehen

and coordinated public awareness and 

cation campaign to decrease stigma, el

nate attitudinal barriers, and increase
Final Report 

employment opportunities for adults and

youth with disabilities; specifically, the campaign will target big business and industry,

lenders, small businesses, families, and others. Part of this campaign will present profiles of successful entrepreneurs who have

disabilities through a variety of mainstream

media outlets in order to increase awareness

about the self-employment potential of people with disabilities.

• Through the direction of the Department of

Education (ED), state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies continually build relationships with employers in their localities, their

states, and their regions. Without these relationships, the placement of individuals with

disabilities would not occur. Many state VR

agencies are becoming increasingly savvy

marketing entities, fully understanding that

employers seek qualified workers ready to hit

the ground running in a job. As a result, VR

staff members familiarize themselves with the

needs of employers and seek to meet those

needs through adequate and appropriate

training and other support services provided

to individuals with disabilities.

• On a biennial basis, ED’s Rehabilitation

Services Administration (RSA) conducts

National Employment Conferences, marketed primarily to VR staff, for which employers

are the primary trainers. Through presentations and networking, VR staff have an

opportunity to learn about effective pr

in the VR field and to hear directly from

employers about the most important fa

in the hiring and retention of any emp

with or without a disability.

• RSA has collaborated with the Social S

Administration (SSA) to provide traini

technical assistance activities to state V

agencies. In February 2002, 13 state VR 

cies began participating in the Ticket to 

(TTW) program under the Ticket to Wo

and Work Incentives Improvement Act 

1999 (TWWIIA). Under this program, 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) re

ents and Social Security Disability Insu

(SSDI) beneficiaries between the ages o

and 64 will be offered a ticket that may 

used to obtain employment services, V

vices, and other support services from 

employment network of their choice. S

VR agencies have the option of particip

in the TTW program as an employmen

work or remaining in the current reimb

ment system. In an effort to assist state 

agencies transitioning into the new sys

RSA has provided regional training ses

and videoconference technical assistan

seminars.

• SSA has targeted businesses in its far-r

ing TTW program marketing campaign
have initiated bold programs that bring tog

previously competitive or adversarial group

order to break down attitudinal barriers an

facilitate voluntary compliance in hiring pe

with disabilities. Other agencies use public

g

enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities

Act (ADA). As one way of carrying out this

commitment, several Task Force agencies

involved with oversight and enforcement

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

12

Getting New Yorkers Back to Work

PROJECT RE-EMPLOY: 

To locate and assist area residents with disabilities who lost t

following the September 11th attacks, the National Bus

Disability Council (NBDC) participated in the New York C

Towers Job Fairs and a Long Island Job Fair. Through the 

Fairs, staff received résumés of more than 400 individuals w

abilities eligible for NBDC’s placement assistance services. 

were individuals whose places of employment were directly 

ed and persons unable to travel to temporary or new pe

locations of their present employers, as well as those re

from the emotional effects of these traumatic events.

With seed money provided by

the employees of Motorola,

Philip Morris Companies, Inc.,

and Motorola Foundation, NBDC

began providing services immediately in office space in midtown Manhattan donated by

Bowne Business Solutions (a

division of Bowne & Co.) and at

Adecco International offices.

While every effort is being made

to provide intensive assistance

to enable individuals to re-enter

the job market as quickly as possible, some will require vocational assessment, workplace and

computer literacy, and shortterm (three to six months) skills

training, as well as as

with job seeking skills. 

the program has had a 

able placement rate of 5

It is anticipated that in 

six to 18 months, a third 

applicants will be ind

who may have sustain

tional (post-traumatic 

disorders and are in 

extensive case mana

individual and group cou

and referral for other 

like financial, housing a

care assistance, prior to 

employment. The NBD

rola & Phillip Morris Co

program will be ready t
y pj

a new ADA Business Connection web destination on the ADA web site, providing easy

access to information of interest to businesses

as well as a new series of ADA Business

Final Report 

y y 

business and trade association represen

tives. The meeting raised many issues 

can be addressed through collaborative

efforts, and triggered several construct

tiatives that will improve access to goo

services and employment for people w

disabilities. For example, one hotel com

is working with a graduate business sc

to develop an instructional module on 

ing guests with disabilities for the scho

new hotel curriculum. The June 2002 m

ing explored ways of ensuring adequa

training about both the ADA and peop

with disabilities for staff in service indu

which have a high staff turnover rate. 

• Under the leadership of Equal Employ

Opportunity Commission Chair Cari M

Dominguez, the EEOC is expanding be

its traditional enforcement role with re

to Federal anti-discrimination statutes 

innovative education and technical ass

strategies for the employer community

EEOC will also partner with DOJ to of

small businesses insight into the ADA 

ing to Title III, which covers public acc

modations and commercial facilities.

In April 2002, the EEOC, in conjunction 

field offices and local small business or

zations, began to offer, throughout the 

try, free programs on disability tailored 

small businesses. These interactive, cu

tomized programs offer the following i

mation:

➢ information about recruitment sourc

The National Business & Disability Council at the

National Center for Disability Service is streamlining the job-search process for disabled people whose

jobs were affected by September 11th and the souring economy.

“I thought [Dolan] wouldn’t call me. He shocked

me,” says hearing-impaired Charles Jones, 44, of

the Bronx, who bypassed the long line at one of the

job fairs with the help of a guard who is an old

friend. At their meeting, he says that Dolan spent

“three or four hours calling and calling and calling” on his behalf, finally landing him an interview

with Schuster Meats in the Bronx. Assigned to the

early morning shift, Jones leaves home at 2 a.m. so

he can make it to work by 4, a commute that

involves three buses. “I am so happy to be working...to me it’s like a miracle...Mike Dolan is like

an angel. I handed my résumé to so many people

in that place and not one called me except Mike.”

Mike Dolan is an Assistant Project Manager 

for the National Business & Disability Council

The following is an excerpt of an article from the 

Sunday, November 25, 2001 edition of Newsday.

“Disability Doesn’t 

Have to be a Strike”
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

14

qualified individuals with disabilities and

resources for obtaining information about

reasonable accommodations; 

➢ information about tax credits and other

incentives for small businesses that hire

and retain qualified individuals with

disabilities; and

➢ information about the substantive

requirements of the ADA with respect to

job interviews, reasonable

accommodation, performance, conduct,

and safety.

This free, flexible outreach program aims to

increase the participation of small business

chambers of commerce, associations, and

development centers outside of major metropolitan areas. 

The EEOC has already conducted thes

reach programs in Rapid City, South D

Reno, Nevada; Atchison, Kansas;

Morgantown, West Virginia; Kenosha,

Wisconsin; Southfield, Michigan; and

Phoenix, Arizona. Many more program

being scheduled for the summer and fa

various locations, including venues in

Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, T

Utah, Alaska, California, Massachusett

Florida.

• DOL’s ODEP and Office of Federal Con

Compliance Programs (OFCCP) are wo

in collaboration with employer organiz

like the National Industry Liaison Grou

(NILG) and BLNs to explore mutual pa

ships that effectively promote the emp

ment of people with disabilities. This 

collaborative effort with representative

from business, industry, and education 

include the development of combined 

cal assistance materials, training semin

and joint conferences, as well as the de

ment of additional public-private partn

ships to improve employment opportu

among Federal contractors for people w

disabilities.
Final Report 

Accomplishments 

and the Future

Disability-Related Employment Accomplishments and Future Directions 

Increasing the Employment of People with Disabilities

The New Freedom Initiative (NFI) is a comprehensive plan for remo

the barriers facing people with disabilities. Through programs 

proposals that promote the development of and access to assistive 

universally designed technologies, expand educational opportunities, fu

integrate Americans with disabilities into the workforce, and help rem

barriers to full participation in community life, the NFI seeks to ensur

inclusion of people with disabilities in American society. 

❚ Employment and Training 

Programs ..............................16

❚ Expanding Opportunities 

for Youth with Disabilities ......23

❚ Employment in the Federal 

Government ..........................27

❚ Implementation of 

Ticket to Work ......................36

❚ Microenterprise, Entrepreneurship,

and Economic Independence for

People with Disabilities ..........38

❚ Technology ............................40

❚ Telecommuting ......................43

❚ Veterans’ Issues ....................45

❚ Transportation ......................47

❚ Health Care .....................

❚ Housing ...........................

❚ Personal Assistance ...........

❚ Community Living .............

❚ Civil Rights .......................

❚ Future Directions for Increa

Employment of People with

Disabilities .......................

In This Chapter...

co
16

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)

provides the infrastructure for streamlining

employment-related services through a One-Stop

delivery system. The purpose of the One-Stop

system is to establish programs and providers in

co-located and integrated settings for customers

seeking employment, including people with

disabilities. Accordingly, ensuring that One-Stop

Centers have the capacity to serve people with

disabilities effectively and that relevant expertise

and services are leveraged from other systems is

of critical import in meeting the workforce

participation goals of the President’s NFI. In

addition, improving job-training programs, such

as those provided by vocational rehabilitation

(VR) service agencies, continues to be a primary

focus of the Administration.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

Task Force agencies have also worked to en

that traditional recruiting resources other th

One-Stop Centers are accessible and prepar

serve people with disabilities. In order to p

meaningful and effective employment

opportunities for people with disabilities, a

otherwise promote their employment and

economic independence, the Administration 

been involved in the following activities:

Accomplishments

Department of Labor

• The President’s FY 2002 budget almost do

the funding for the Department of Labor’

(DOL) Office of Disability Employment P

Employment and Training Programs

, g pypp, g 

at the state and local levels. A particular focus of Task Force activities has 

on the ways in which existing Federal programs and policies shoul

modified to ensure that all people, including people with disabilities, 

equal access to the benefits derived from these generic programs and ser

intended for all people. This chapter highlights these activities, some of w

have been publicized previously in Delivering on the Promise, the interag

response to Executive Order No. 13217 Community-Based Alternative

Individuals with Disabilities, and the Progress Report on Fulfilling America’s 

mise to Americans with Disabilities.
gg g

➢ In 2002, $6 million will be awarded under the

Working for Freedom, Opportunity and Real

Choice through Community Employment

(WorkFORCE) Grant Initiative to assist persons with significant disabilities in making

the transition from institutional settings to

the community and employment consistent

with the United States Supreme Court’s 1999

decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581

(1999) (Olmstead) and Executive Order

13217.

➢ In 2002, $3.5 million will be awarded to

expand the One-Stop Customized Employment Initiative and support the implementation of the Ticket to Work and Work

Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA)

through One-Stop Career Centers. These

funds are to be used to award up to seven

competitive grants for strategic planning and

implementation activities designed to

improve the employment and career

advancement of people with disabilities

through enhanced availability and provision

of customized employment services through

the One-Stop Center system.

➢ In 2002, $600,000 will be awarded to fund a

technical assistance center to help community service providers operating sub-minimum

wage certificate programs established under

section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act

(FLSA), 29 U.S.C. §214(c), to move from segregated and non-employment services

toward program outcomes that lead to customized, competitive employment. 

• DOLparticipated with the Departments o

Education (ED) and Health and Human

Services (HHS) and the Social Security

Administration (SSA) in a cross-agency p

forum on implementation of WIA from a 

ability perspective. The purpose of the fo

was to focus on issues realting to implem

tion of WIA for people with disabilities, in

anticipation of its reauthorization next ye

• DOL’s Pension and Welfare Benefits

Administration (PWBA) is expanding its 

tion campaigns and programs to provide 

education and outreach directed toward

Americans with disabilities who are enter

the workplace. Building on its current m

als, PWBA will develop new materials ad

ing the importance of health benefits cove

the important choices to be made about h

benefits when entering the workforce, an

cific information and questions relevant t

Americans with disabilities. PWBA will a

expand its materials addressing the impo

of saving for a secure future and will prov

information on retirement benefit plan rig

assist American workers with disabilities

• DOL’s ODEP and PWBA are conducting

research on issues related to retirement sa

and asset development for people with d

ties. Among other areas, this research wi

on issues of specific concern to people wi

Final Report
18

abilities who receive Supplemental Security

Income (SSI) disability benefits, such as asset

exclusions and limits; the potential of

Individual Development Accounts and other

savings/asset development tools; information

and ideas for entrepreneurs and small business

owners with disabilities; and ideas for creating

new partnerships with public and private sector

organizations. 

• DOL’s ODEP, working within DOL and with

other appropriate Federal agencies, will develop

and implement an action plan to promote the

full inclusion of people with psychiatric disabilities in workforce investment programs and services. ODEP will consult with HHS’ Substance

Abuse and Mental Health Services — (SAMHSA), the Small Business Administration (SBA),

and the Office of Personnel Management

(OPM), as well as other relevant stakeholders,

to increase One-Stop Center employment services for people with psychiatric disabilities,

including those transitioning to the community

from institutions or those at risk of placement in

residential facilities.

• DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is supporting President Bush’s NFI

through a number of activities designed to provide skill training and comprehensive services

in the workforce investment system for people

with disabilities, including the following:

2002. 

➢ In 2002, ETA will award up to $300,000 

fund three to five grants, ranging in am

from $60,000 to $100,000 each, to comm

and faith-based organizations for the p

es of developing new or enhancing exi

employment training and/or other ser

for people with significant disabilities. 

activities may include the purchase of, 

lization of, and training in the use of el

tronic and information technology.

➢ ETA has awarded 12 Disability Employ

Partnership Grants totaling $5.5 million 

multi-state employment and training p

serving people with disabilities. This i

direct-service demonstration grant pro

working in coordination with the work

delivery system, to develop and provid

innovative training and employment s

to people with disabilities. ETA has pr

funds for similar grant projects with na

disability organizations for approxima

years. 

➢ ETA’s One-Stop Guide to Accessibility an

Accommodation of People with Disabilities 

provide detailed guidance to the work

delivery system on compliance with W

Section 188 non-discrimination provisi

people with disabilities, as well as othe

islative and regulatory requirements im

ing the delivery of workforce services t

ple with disabilities. The guide is expe

to provide the basis for technical assist

and training to the workforce system a

will assist DOL’s Civil Rights Center (C

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
()pp

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and

other legislative and regulatory requirements

affecting people with disabilities, in addition

to information on assistive technology.

DBTACs also developed, in coordination

with ETA, a self-directed, on-line tutorial for

One-Stop Center staff called At Your Service,

which has been extremely well-received by

gg

on-line tutorial. 

Department of Education

• The President has requested an increase o

million in the FY 2003 budget to improve

employment outcomes through ED’s VR 

gram (includes a $63 million consolidatio

three duplicative job training programs in

Final Report

PROMISING PRACTICE

SUNTRUST AND

MANPOWER’S PARTNERSHIP

ALSO WORKS BECAUSE IN

EACH COMPANY, THE

COMMITMENT TO EMPLOYING WORKERS WITH

DISABILITIES COMES

FROM THE TOP:

“THE FOCUS ON HIRING

QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES

FROM THE DISABLED

POPULATION IS, 

IN FACT, GOOD FOR

BUSINESS. THE ENTIRE

MANAGEMENT TEAM

IS COMMITTED TO

THIS

INITIATIVE.”

— C.T. HILL, CHAIRMAN,

PRESIDENT, AND CHIEF

EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

SUNTRUST MID-ATLANTIC 

SUNTRUST BANK MID-ATLANTIC AND

MANPOWER, INC., SHARE A COMMITMENT TO INCLUDING MORE PEOPLE

WITH DISABILITIES IN THE WORKFORCE. One of the nation’s largest

commercial banks and one of the

world’s largest staffing services see

employing people with disabilities as

not just the right thing to do, but the

smart thing to do.

“We know that there is a strong business case for hiring people with disabilities,” said Katherine McCary, Vice

President of Human Resources for

SunTrust Bank, Richmond, Virginia,

and Chair of the Virginia Business

Leadership Network. “When we bring

talented individuals who happen to

have disabilities into our workforce, it

strengthens our talent pool and helps

us develop products and services that

are friendlier to customers with disabilities.” SunTrust works with Ma

in part because of the staffin

commitment to the employm

people with disabilities. “When 

ness wants to expand its w

diversity by hiring people wh

disabilities, a staffing firm ca

broaden the company’s access 

population.”

Manpower, which has provided 

services to SunTrust in the R

area for two decades, also vi

employment of workers with 

ties as good business sense. 

always looking for applicants w

meet our customers’ skill nee

we draw an increasing number 

from the disabled population, w

find to be an underutilized re

source,” said Millie Hewett, are

Manager for Manpower’s Ri

operations. 

Employer Partnership with Staffing Serv
20

VR State Grant). In addition, the President has

requested $30 million in incentive grants to

states to reward VR agencies based on their performance. 

• In FY 2002, ED’s Rehabilitative Services

Administration (RSA), a sub-agency within

OSERS, has several specific initiatives that are

expected to supplement the achievements it has

already made toward its goal of furthering the

employment of individuals with disabilities

including the following:

➢ RSA is working to establish extensive interagency collaborations between VR and related

programs at the state level. The State VR

Services Program is a required partner on

State Workforce Investment Boards under

WIA. This partnership, along with collaborations in service to individuals transitioning

from welfare and other public assistance, dictates strong relationships between VR and

other entities of state government.

➢ As of October 1, 2001, state VR agencies

could no longer consider individuals who are

working in non-integrated settings (e.g.,

extended or sheltered employment) to have

achieved an employment outcome under the

State VR Services Program.

➢ In FY 2002, the evaluation standard for com

g 

Disabilities of New York, located in Lo

Manhattan. The money was used to as

individuals with disabilities in the dist

area, providing information and referr

support services as well as grief counse

and other on-site services.

• In FY 2002, ED’s National Institute on Dis

and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) fun

extensive research related to improving e

ment outcomes for individuals with disab

NIDRR supports a number of Rehabilitat

Research Training Centers (RRTCs) focusi

a variety of areas, including economic po

issues, community-based rehabilitation ef

workplace supports, transition from scho

employment, public systems promoting

employment, and employment for certain 

populations of individuals with disabilitie

individuals with long-term mental illness

sons who are blind, substance abusers, an

sons who are deaf or hearing-impaired). 

RRTCs also investigate employment of se

geographic or ethnic populations (e.g., ru

idents and American Indians), and collect 

ability statistics relating to the employme

persons with disabilities. 

• NIDRR’s Model Systems for the Rehabilit

of Individuals with Particular Injuries pro

focus on a continuum of services to assist 

viduals with spinal cord injuries, traumat

brain injuries, and severe burn injuries. 

• NIDRR’s DBTACs provide information, t

ing, and hands-on technical assistance to 

parties with rights and duties under the A

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
y yy

found that the increased need in the labor

market for more cognitive ability, education

and training, and ability to manage others, as

well as the decline in availability of health

insurance, have a negative impact on

employment rates of people with disabilities. 

➢ Technical Assistance Study on the

Employment of Individuals to State and

Federal Agencies; University of Iowa. In this

study, researchers developed a model of policy guidelines that 12 states have adopted

related to comprehensive work incentive

policies. 

➢ Traumatic Brain Injury Model System

(TBIMS); the Mayo Brain Injury

Comprehensive Day Treatment Program and

the Mayo Brain Injury Vocational Case

Coordination Project, Mayo Clinic. Both programs focused on participants with brain

injury who were either currently employed

or were training in the community with or

without support, and who had been out on

their own for a year following withdrawal

from services. The Mayo clinic also developed an employer education booklet entitled

Understanding After Brain Injury: A Guide for

Employers. It is available on the Mayo Clinic

web site at <www.mayo.edu/pmts/mc1200-

mc1299/mc1298.pdf>. 

Department of Health and Human Services

• HHS has adopted and circulated national

guidelines to protect and support Temporary

Aid for Needy Families (TANF) recipients with

• SAMHSA supported the production of tw

excellent resources for communities work

improve employment prospects for peopl

psychiatric disabilities. Work as a Priority: 

Resource for Employing People Who Have a S

Mental Illness and Who are Homeless is avai

through the National Resource Center on

Homelessness and Mental Illness (NRCH

by phone at 1-800-444-7415 and on the NR

MI web site at <www.nrchmi.com/pdfs/

WorkAsPriorityNoPics.pdf>. The Maine 

the EIDP produced a booklet, Business Pa

ships, Employment Outcomes: The Mental H

Employer Consortium, which describes how 

communities may replicate its highly succ

Employer Consortium model for engagin

nesses in hiring people with psychiatric d

ties; this booklet is available from the Mai

Medical Center Department of Vocational

Services by calling 1-207-871-2088. 

Final Report 
22

() pg 

grants activities related to employment through

its National Network of University Centers for

Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

Education, Research, and Service. These grants

focus on a wide variety of issues including the

use of customized employment strategies for

young adults with disabilities; improvement of

the Medicaid Purchase Plan; creation of a more

coordinated return to work approach; development of a personal assistance service model in

cooperation with employers; development of

and participation in State-to-State Coalitions to

enhance their effectiveness; the development of

user-friendly software that allows individuals,

case managers, and policy-makers to weigh various health and long-term care options; establishment of state waivers to make personal

assistant services available in the workplace and

later to create a Medicaid Buy-In Program; and

provision of real work experiences to youth in

transition.

• ADD’s Projects of National Significance

Program has funded grants exploring the following issues relating to employment of individuals with disabilities: personal networking

as a job search strategy in culturally diverse

communities; transitional training for students

with developmental disabilities in their communities; training individuals with developmental

disabilities to make self-directed choices; and

access to integrated employment national data

on day and employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

• In 2001, ADD’s State Councils on

Developmental Disabilities assisted 5,854 adults

• HHS’ SAMHSA, Administration for Child

and Families (ACF), and ADD are workin

the Urban League to use its affiliates as li

and facilitators allowing urban residents w

disabilities access to VR services and othe

vices and supports so that residents may

become employed.

Department of the Interior

• The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bu

of Indian Affairs (BIA) is working closely 

its interagency Native American Work Gr

investigate employment barriers facing N

Americans and Alaska Natives with disab

The work group has received numerous r

mendations from tribal leaders, tribal mem

with disabilities, service providers, and ad

cates about how best to address the extra

narily high unemployment rate of Native

Americans with disabilities.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
rates for students with disabilities are

significantly below those of youth without

disabilities. ED’s National Center on Educational

Statistics (NCES) reports that 88 percent of

students without disabilities graduated, while

OSEP reports that only 62 percent of youth with

disabilities graduated. ED also estimates that

only one-third of young people with disabilities

receive necessary job training and assistance. 

In implementing the NFI, the Administration is

engaged in a number of activities designed to

increase academic skill expectations, expand

lifelong learning opportunities, improve

transition results, increase access to programs and

services, and ensure that young people with

disabilities keep pace with the ever-increasing

technical skills required by the job market. In

order to serve young people with disabilities

effectively and prepare them for the workplace of

the 21st century, a bridge must be created

between education and other adjunct systems of

support — such as VR, One-Stop Career Centers,

health care, income supports, transportation,

housing, and postsecondary education — so that

young Americans with disabilities have access to

the tools necessary to allow them to transition

successfully from school to adult life prepared for

and expecting to contribute to both our nation’s

economy and their own communities.

Commission on Excellence in Special Edu

and charging the Commission with devel

recommendations for improving services 

students with special education needs. T

Commission released its report in July 20

• The President requested the largest increa

any President in history for the IDEA Par

State Grants program in his FY 2002 and 

2003 budgets.

Department of Labor

• DOLcompleted a resource-mapping proj

identified and critically evaluated 232 you

programs across 12 Federal agencies base

45 characteristics representing best practic

serving youth with disabilities in transitio

These best practices focused on six broad 

student-focused planning and developme

career pathways and contextual learning; 

involvement; physical and mental health; 

ness, labor, and community involvement; 

structure, policy, and practices within pro

The results of this project will help agenci

understand the extent to which young pe

with disabilities are currently being serve

better coordinate activities within and acr

agencies, and to expand their capacity to 

vide better service delivery in the future.

• In FY 2001, $4.95 million was awarded to 

similar projects as well as a technical assis

center (the WIA Disability Technical Assis

Consortia for Youth) to help implement th

demonstration grants. In FY 2002, DOL’s 

will award $ 2.5 million in Innovative

Demonstration Grants for Youth with

Final Report
24

gjg p

toring with volunteers at public and private

places of employment. On National Disability

Mentoring Day 2001, more than 1,000 students

were mentored by hundreds of public and private employers in more than 30 states.

• In 2002, ODEP and the U.S. Department of

Defense’s (DOD) Workforce Recruitment

Program (WRP) successfully secured summer

employment for 325 college students with disabilities in 31 Federal agencies.

• The Departments of Labor and Education are

implementing a joint proposal to increase the

high school graduation rate of participants in

Job Corps Center programs by establishing a

Job Corps distance-learning program through a

Department of Education

• President Bush signed legislation increasi

$1.2 billion the FY 2002 budget for ED’s ID

Part B State Grants program to raise the F

contribution to the cost of providing child

with disabilities a free and appropriate pu

education. Overall, ED received more tha

billion for IDEA Part B to help states and 

ties provide special education and related 

vices to America’s students with disabilit

• The President requested in the FY 2003 bu

an additional increase of $1 billion for the 

Part B State Grants program, for a total of 

billion. 

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

PROMISING PRACTICE

Internships for Students with Disabiliti

IN 2001, BOOZ ALLEN & HAMILTON

BEGAN ITS EMERGING LEADERS

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.

The paid internship program exposes

students to a variety of career choices

at Booz Allen and provides students

with a crash course on job skills such

as interviewing and résumé writing.

For the final week, Booz Allen pays for

the students to intern at a nonprofit or

Federal agency where they can witness firsthand the strength of publicprivate partnerships. Throughou

internship program, students 

mentored by Justin Dart, succ

businessman and grandfather o

Americans with Disabilities Act (

Mr. Dart inspired students to be 

sionate advocates for the civil rig

people with disabilities while pur

fulfilling careers. Ralph Schrader, 

Executive Officer of Booz Allen, 

child with a disability and see

guarantee that the company cult

welcoming to employees with all 

ties.
, pgg

While these initiatives will benefit many students identified as disabled, there will be students who do not respond to these interventions and who need more intensive instruction.

ED’s OSEP is supporting four additional reading projects that seek to identify the critical

components necessary to ensure that children

with the most severe reading disabilities who

do not respond to effective classroom interventions learn to read.

• ED’s OSEP funded the National Longitudinal

Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2). This study examines the academic and vocational performance

of secondary school students with disabilities as

well as their postsecondary school and employment outcomes, and identifies other factors that

influence student success. 

• OSEP established the Promoting What Works

project, which assists educational and other

agencies in improving results for secondaryaged youth with disabilities by synthesizing,

analyzing, and disseminating information in

three areas: academic results improvement, secondary transition practice, and dropout prevention and intervention, including factors associated with early school exit for students with disabilities. Colorado State University is summarizing the work, which will illustrate what

works in secondary school programming for

youth with disabilities. 

• ED’s OSEP participated in transition model

demonstration grants. In FY 2001, OSEP funded three grants to demonstrate effective locallevel collaboration on transition planning

y

grants for Postsecondary Education Regio

Centers for the Deaf; these centers serve i

viduals with a wide range of hearing loss

Centers will form the Post-secondary

Educations Program Network (PEPNet), 

work promoting technical assistance coor

tion and collaboration. Priorities include

expanding the array of educational oppor

ties for students who are deaf by providin

technical assistance to institutions current

serving the student population, and assis

those institutions currently providing serv

in improving their existing programs. 

• ED established the National Center on

Secondary Education and Transition (NC

technical assistance center with activities 

are national in scope, coordinated with ot

technical assistance and dissemination eff

and aligned with other Federally-funded 

thesis and research centers and institutes. 

goals of the Center are to promote second

education and transition models integrati

academic, career, and community-based l

ing; support state and local capacity-build

promote systemic change by facilitating c

munity-based linkages in the provision of 

sition services to students with disabilitie

translate research into practice by using te

cal assistance and dissemination mechani

Department of Health and Human Service

• HHS is implementing a 10-year national a

plan for children and youth with special h

care needs. This will include service deliv

systems providing comprehensive screen

and health care via a medial home, family 

Final Report
26

ticipation and satisfaction in those systems, and

a focus on transitioning youth to all aspects of

adulthood, including from pediatric to adult

health care, employment, and independence.

• HHS’ Family and Youth Services Bureau hosted

the National Youth Summit in June 2002, which

included a variety of presentations and workshops designed to benefit youth with disabilities. 

Social Security Administration

• In 2001, SSA held a series of Youth Preparing for

Tomorrow Conferences to obtain information

and views on what directions and activities SSA

can undertake to assist youth who receive SSI

or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to

achieve positive adult outcomes.

• SSA instituted the Youth Continuing Disability

Initiative involving SSI youth in Maryland and

Florida ages 15 and 16 who have had a

Continuing Disability Review performed by the

State Disability Determination Services. This

project is designed to assist youth in obtaining

the information and services they need to successfully transition to work. The Youth

Continuing Disability Initiative will allow SSA

to examine the feasibility of such an approach

on a national basis.

Department of Commerce

• The Department of Commerce’s (DOC)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Department of the Interior

• DOI’s Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) estab

a partnership with the CAST for Kids Na

Foundation to provide opportunities for d

abled and disadvantaged children to expe

the great outdoors. This partnership supp

program that increases opportunities for p

sons with disabilities to use and enjoy Fed

lands and waters. 

Department of Justice

• The Department of Justice (DOJ) continue

have as its primary goal effective enforcem

of the ADA, concentrating on opening up

everyday American life to people with di

ties. As indicated in its report to the Pres

under Executive Order 13217, Community

Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities, 

Department is considering outreach to de

mine what specific barriers keep children 

institutions and away from family setting

Department is especially interested in hel

children remain with their families, and k

families together within communities, an

seeks to assess whether the problem of ch

residing within institutions lies chiefly in 

of accessibility in child care settings or oth

similar barriers that are covered by the AD

The Department will collaborate with ED 

undertaking this effort since ED is respon

for administering the statutes applicable t

cational services for children with disabil

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
g g

Director Kay Coles James, “The Federal

government is looking for America’s best and

brightest. We want to remove every barrier so

that individuals with disabilities know that the

door is open and that they are welcome to come

work for their country. As we work to bring in

the best and the brightest, we must remember

that the disability community can be a

tremendous resource and those who are members

of that community can be great assets.”

As Chief Executive of the nation’s largest

employer, the President has taken steps to equip

the Federal workplace and workforce to recruit,

accommodate, retain, and promote people with

disabilities. The President’s commitment to

supporting full implementation of Section 508 of

the Rehabilitation Act, ensuring that Federal

agencies participate in the Ticket to Work (TTW)

program, and appointing people with disabilities

to senior positions helps all people with

disabilities enter the public sector. In the past 18

months, agencies have undertaken preparations

for attracting people with disabilities to public

service. New assistive technology centers, a

centralized web-based job and accommodation

resource, education for managers about hiring,

and top-down support encouraging agencies to

recruit applicants with disabilities are just some of

the factors that will accelerate the employment of

people with disabilities in the Federal

government. The President recognizes that the

best way to convince the private sector of the

benefits of hiring people with disabilities is to

demonstrate successful inclusion within his own

organization. 

DOLemployees. Of all DOLemployees w

disabilities, those with targeted disabilitie

196 and constitute 1.2 percent of all DOL

employees. 

Department of Health and Human Service

• HHS has an aggressive, targeted plan to s

stantially increase the number of individu

with disabilities who are hired by the

Department for professional, administrati

and support positions, and has accomplis

the following:

➢ The representation of persons with targ

disabilities in the permanent workforce

increased from 1.13 percent to 1.18 per

➢ The representation of persons with all 

abilities in the permanent work force

increased from 5.87 percent to 6.45 per

➢ In all employment categories, 484 pers

with disabilities were hired from outsid

Federal government in the first year (2

tracking the OPM initiative to increase 

of people with disabilities. This repres

3.5 percent of all HHS Federal hires du

that period and reflects the percentage 

HHS employees in Federal civilian em

ment.

➢ In the summer of 2001, HHS hired 83 s

dents with disabilities. Sixteen of the s

dents hired were from the WRP for Co

Students with Disabilities in which HH

ticipates with other Federal agencies. F

numbers for the summer of 2002 are no

Final Report
28

available yet, but 19 hires of WRP students

have been reported.

• HHS’ Health Resources and Sevices

Administration (HRSA) has developed and

implemented a Plan for the Employment of

People with Disabilities. Under this plan,

HRSA established the Section 508 Coordinating

Committee, which worked to ensure that

HRSA’s electronic and information systems

were in compliance with the law. Under the

leadership of the Office of Information

Technology (OIT), HRSA’s Web Team ensured

that HRSA’s web pages were Section 508 compliant. To further implement this plan, HRSA

conducted a self-identification survey on disabilities, which enabled them to assess the effectiveness of accommodations and identify future

needs. HRSA has also developed and published internal policies and procedures for providing reasonable accommodations to facilitate

the hiring and retention of employees with disabilities. Within the last year, HRSA has hired

15 persons with disabilities, eight of whom are

veterans.

• HHS is initiating an agreement with DOD’s

Computer/Electronic Accommodation Program

(CAP) to provide assistive technology to HHS

employees with disabilities.

• HHS has committed to establish a program to

recruit the expertise of talented individuals who

• SSA is fully committed to recruiting and h

people with disabilities. Under Executive 

13163, Increasing the Opportunity for Indivi

with Disabilities to be Employed in the Federa

Government, SSA committed to hire 3,000 

viduals with disabilities over a 5-year per

beginning in FY 2001. To accomplish this 

and ensure that the Agency’s recruiting m

sage is clear and consistent and permeate

recruitment efforts, SSA developed a com

hensive plan to recruit people with disabi

this plan includes aggressive advertising 

key publications, internet-based employm

related services, and web-based recruitme

clearinghouses. It also calls for establishin

maintaining recruitment relationships wit

employment offices, VR agencies, and the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The 

targets companies in private industry tha

downsizing, displaced Federal employees

college and university recruitment offices

• Using the strategies in this recruitment pl

SSA’s FY 2001 hires totaled 5,744, of whic

or 9.5 percent, were individuals with disa

and 138, or 2.4 percent, were individuals 

severe disabilities; these hires bring the nu

of employees with disabilities to 5,336, 8.1 

cent of all SSA employees. Employees wi

geted disabilities comprise 1,500 of all em

ees with disabilities, constituting 2.3 perce

all SSA employees.

• Because the success of the recruitment str

hinges on ongoing timely evaluation and 

toring, the Deputy Commissioner for the 

of Human Resources monitors and report

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
pypppy

ees with disabilities. SSA’s reasonable accommodation program has been recognized by

many local and national government agencies

as well as civic and academic institutions

including the John F. Kennedy School of

Government at Harvard University, the General

Services Administration, the Stevie Wonder

, 

proposed accommodation.

• Reasonable accommodation policies, prac

and other information are disseminated th

training, memorandums, brochures, and 

sentations to Agency executives, managem

and employees. SSA policies and require

Final Report

PROMISING PRACTICE

Disability-Friendly Business Recognition Progra

DESIGNED TO RECOGNIZE BUSINESSES FOR OUTSTANDING SUCCESS AND COMMITMENT to employing, accommodating, and providing

products and services accessible to

individuals with disabilities, the

Virginia Disability-Friendly Business

Recognition Program was launched in

January 2002. This program is a joint

venture of the Virginia Business

Leadership Network, Disability Services Boards of Virginia, and the Virginia

Department of Rehabilitative Services. 

The Disability-Friendly Business Recognition Program

was created to acknowledge

those businesses that have

instituted and promoted best

practices concerning employment of and service to persons with disabilities. Specifically, it seeks to recognize

businesses that have not

only met the legal requirements o

Americans with Disabilities Act (A

but have demonstrated a clear 

conscious effort and intention t

disability-friendly. 

As part of the program,

deserving businesses are

awarded with a DisabilityFriendly Business Recognition

Seal. This seal 1) stands as a

symbol to patrons, staff, and othe

the community of the business’ c

mitment to hiring, accommoda

and serving individuals with dis

ties; and 2) encourages other Vir

employers to apply similar practic

their own companies. 

In addition to receiving 

Recognition Seal, businesses are h

lighted in newspaper or similar m

outlets and at other workforce de

opment events.

Virginia Lieutenant Governor John

Hager announces the DisabilityFriendly Business Recognition Seal 

program.
30

are also contained in administrative manuals to

which all offices have access. In addition, an

Employees with Disabilities web page is maintained on the SSA Intranet containing a wealth

of information on disability issues and concerns. The web site includes information on

reasonable accommodation; issues to consider

for new hires, transfers, and retirements; training information for employees with disabilities;

assistive devices request information; development/accessibility standards; a library of technical and informational documents; and contact

persons and their telephone numbers. 

• SSA maintains an Employees with Disabilities

Help Desk staffed with five technicians available to answer software-related questions. The

hardware vendor answers hardware questions. 

Department of the Treasury

• The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) is

committed to improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities across all

career fields and grade levels in all Bureaus. To

this end, in support of the Federal-wide hiring

initiative for individuals with disabilities,

Treasury developed its Department-wide plan

to increase the number of individuals with disabilities hired. The purpose of the plan is to

establish a Department-wide program for identifying employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and to ensure that the necessary steps to recruit, hire, and retain individuals with disabilities are taken by the

Service and the U.S. Secret Service  excee

their annual hiring commitment for two c

utive years. The remaining Bureaus conti

make significant progress towards meetin

hiring commitments.

• Treasury also continues to identify service

assist in making the work environment m

accessible to employees with hearing, vis

dexterity, cognitive, and communication i

ments. As a result, in FY 2002, the Depar

entered into a partnership agreement with

DOD’s CAP. CAP provides a variety of a

modations, including teletypewriters (TT

the deaf; scanners, magnification systems

speech recognition systems, and hands-fr

computer systems for individuals with de

ty disabilities; and electronic communicat

aids and speech output systems for indiv

with communication disabilities. 

• Treasury has developed and issued proce

for processing requests for reasonable acc

modations Department-wide. The proced

apply to all employees and applicants for

employment. Each of the Treasury Burea

also developed Bureau-specific procedure

addition, the Office of Thrift Supervision 

lished a centrally managed account to pu

assistive devices and equipment to meet t

needs of employees who are or become d

abled on the job.

• To ensure that Treasury’s electronic and in

mation technology is fully accessible to in

uals with disabilities, Treasury established 

Council to ensure Department-wide comp

with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
activities, Treasury has achieved the following

successes:

➢ The Department developed a web site that

provides information about Section 508 and

the Department-wide Council, and related

links to other resources such as the General

Services Administration (GSA) and the

Access Board.

➢ Accessibility requirements have been added

to all Treasury Information Systems Manuals

to ensure that those requirements are considered in all phases of new system development and deployment.

• Many of the Treasury Bureaus have established

a 508 Council/Working Group to focus on

Bureau-specific issues and/or have developed a

Section 508 web site. 

➢ Bureaus reporting councils or working

groups include the Internal Revenue Service

(IRS), the Office of the Comptroller of the

Currency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco

and Firearms (ATF), the U.S. Customs

Service (Customs), the U.S. Mint, and the

U.S. Secret Service. 

➢ The IRS has developed a web-enabled 508-

training site, available through the IRS

School of Information Technology. The site is

available to all Treasury employees and is

designed to assist them in understanding

Section 508 and their roles and responsibilities in implementing its requirements. IRS

also produced and distributed a 56-minute

training video that offers an overview of

pg p

employees involved in procurement ac

ties.

• Customs is in the process of developing a 

agers’ desk manual to provide supervisor

managers with guidance on recruiting, hi

motivating, retaining, and accommodatin

sons with disabilities. Customs is also de

ing a book of etiquette to assist staff in co

nicating with persons with disabilities. B

documents are proposed for publication i

near future.

• Recognizing the reality of a shrinking lab

pool and the largely untapped pool of eag

willing, and able people with disabilities 

able to government employers, Customs

expanded its Disability Employment Prog

Each of the Service’s 22 service areas was 

to appoint at least one Disability Employm

Program Manager. Their primary functio

be to target and recruit qualified persons 

disabilities for the variety of employment

Final Report 
32

opportunities that Customs offers. All appointments are scheduled to be completed during FY

2002.

• Anticipating the increased presence of people

with disabilities in the workforce over the coming years, Customs is conducting a facility

accessibility review of each of its 375 plus facilities. The reviews are being conducted in accordance with new directives and procedures

developed by Customs for monitoring accessibility at Customs facilities nationwide. The procedures, developed by the Office of Equal

Employment Opportunity (EEO), in concert

with the Customs National Logistics Center,

delineate responsibility and accountability for

ensuring that all Customs facilities are reviewed

for accessibility on an annual basis.

• The IRS has begun development of a video and

CD-ROM for release during FY 2002 that focuses on recruitment and employment of individuals with disabilities. The video will feature several employees with disabilities in different

career fields in their places of work and will

depict reasonable accommodations made for

IRS employees. Copies of the video and CDROM will be provided to career offices at IRS

partnership colleges and universities. In addition, copies will be warehoused for use by the

full-time IRS recruiters specifically targeted for

recruitment of college students with disabilities.

Partnerships are being explored with organizations and companies for the purpose of educating taxpayers with disabilities about the various

g, g p

changes and budget initiatives, that must 

taken to advance opportunities for emplo

applicants, and taxpayers with disabilitie

Department of Commerce

• In FY 2001, DOC hired 589 people with d

ties. This compared favorably with DOC

goal of 3,000 to be achieved by 2005. Dur

the last quarter of FY 2001, $137,626 wort

assistive technology was ordered for emp

with disabilities, at no cost to the Departm

• DOC implemented a Memorandum of

Understanding with DOD’s CAP to obtai

DOC employees with disabilities the assis

technology necessary for successfully acc

plishing their job duties.

• DOC began establishing partnerships wit

ability organizations in mid FY 2002 in or

make the information in DOC’s automate

vacancy announcement and application s

more accessible to prospective applicants 

disabilities. 

• DOC provided staff who volunteered to s

as recruiters for the WRP; these volunteer

interviewed and evaluated students with 

abilities at colleges across the nation. In F

2001, five recruiters interviewed students 

colleges in 19 days. In FY 2002, seven rec

interviewed students at 28 colleges in 29 d

• DOC’s Bureau of the Census (Census) con

ed the following activities to promote the 

and retention of people with disabilities.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
yg

sets of survey questions; and to contribute to

the development and progress of the research

agenda.

➢ Census’ National Processing Center (NPC)

distributed pagers to all hearing-impaired

employees to alert them to the

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf

g

versities, and state and local organizati

a recruiting source for applicants with 

abilities.

• DOC’s International Trade Administratio

has built partnerships with colleges and u

sities as a recruiting source for applicants 

disabilities.

Final Report

PROMISING PRACTICE

A Sweeping Approach to Systems Chang

THE KENTUCKY BUSINESS LEADERSHIP NETWORK (KYBLN) developed a comprehensive approach to

attaining its mission of "expanding

diversity in the workplace through

dynamic exchanges of information..."

Led by Bank One, KYBLN members

agreed on three means most likely to

effect positive change in workplace

diversity, particularly concerning the

employment experiences of people

with disabilities: 1) grass roots dialogue regarding the capability of persons with disabilities; 2) one-on-one

professional consultation within the

workplace; and 3) facilitated contact

between job seekers with disabilities

and employers. 

An important part of KYBLN’s approach

was the development of a web site

containing practical information for

the web site’s primary users: Kentucky job seekers with disabili

employers, and employment agen

Following the launching of the KY

web site, members began work o

On-Line Career Center at the 

Prior to actual completion of the Ca

Center, a pilot effort was develope

test its efficacy. The result of this e

was KYBLN’s first placement. B

One in Lexington, Kentucky, h

Cynthia Dixon, who was referred 

her Department of Vocational Reha

tation (DVR) counselor.

KYBLN’s strategy for 2002-03 i

bring the Career Center to frui

expand membership via business 

cheons, develop chapters throug

the Commonwealth, and begin st

wide informational forums for b

nesses that have hired or are in

ested in hiring employees with 

abilities.
34

recruit candidates, and has strengthened ties

with various universities and disability organizations as recruitment sources.

• DOC’s Western Regional Administration Center

solicited applications from the University of

Washington Neurological Rehabilitation

Services and hired two applicants through this

effort.

Office of Personnel Management

• On May 15, 2002, OPM launched the Federal

• On May 31, 2002, OPM launched a compr

sive and user-friendly web site on Federa

employment of adults with disabilities fo

by applicants, current employees, manag

and human resources professionals. This 

Stop source of information is located at

<www.opm.gov/disability>. The web sit

tains a training module for managers on r

able accommodation, as well as new guid

to make it easier for people with disabilit

apply for Federal jobs by obtaining an ini

certification of disability. 

• OPM has made significant progress in en

that qualified people with disabilities and

employees who become disabled after ap

ment have equal opportunities to be place

hired, and advanced within the agency. I

2001, over 14 percent of new hires were p

with disabilities.

Small Business Administration

• SBA’s five-year hiring goal, starting in FY 

is 300 employees with disabilities, equalin

eight percent of the Agency’s workforce. 

2001, SBA’s target goal was 60; 92 individ

were actually hired. In FY 2002, SBA’s go

120; to date, they have hired 119 individu

a two-year total of 211 individuals. Accom

plishment to date against the two-year go

180 new employees with disabilities is 11

cent, and accomplishment to date against 

five-year goal is already 70 percent.

• At the end of FY 2001, SBA’s permanent w

force totaled 3,347 employees. Of that nu

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
• SBA works with all Federal agencies to establish

procurement goals under their procurement

preference programs, which reserve three percent of total Federal procurement for veterans

with service-connected disabilities, and monitors agency accomplishments against those

goals. In addition, SBA monitors and evaluates

remediation plans to further help agencies meet

their goals. In FY 2001, $554 million in Federal

procurement contracts were awarded to veterans with service-connected disabilities.

Department of the Interior

• All DOI Bureaus have initiated efforts to

remove physical and programmatic barriers in

all of their facilities and programs in an attempt

to integrate Americans with disabilities into the

workforce. By identifying and removing barriers, DOI has worked to ensure that applicants

and employees with disabilities can be readily

accommodated and integrated into the work

environment.

Department of Agriculture

• From April 2001 through May 2002, the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) hired 1,350

individuals with disabilities as a result of the

Five-Year Hiring Plan implemented in compliance with Executive Order 13163.

• USDA hired a total of 53 students with disabilities via the WRP for College Students with

Disabilities in FY 2001, and established a

Department-wide goal to hire 50 students via

the WRP during FY 2002.

• USDA developed recruitment and hiring

resources within the disability community

including state and private rehabilitation 

grams and other community-based progr

that provide job placement services to per

with disabilities.

• USDA is developing working agreements 

state rehabilitation agencies in the Distric

Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, and h

vided training to staff and clientele of the

agencies regarding employment with USD

and the Federal government. 

Food and Drug Administration

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA

ducted a Special Emphasis Briefing for Sp

Emphasis Representatives nationwide.

Employment issues affecting employees w

disabilities were an integral part of the br

in order to ensure implementation of the

employment goals in the agency’s Plan on

Employment of People with Disabilities.

• Under an interagency agreement between 

and USDA’s Technology Accessibility Res

Gives Employment Today (TARGET) Cen

FDA employees nationwide receive one-o

assessments of reasonable accommodatio

needs, particularly in the areas of comput

accommodation and ergonomics. They a

receive information concerning assistive t

nology available to meet their needs.

Final Report 
losing their benefits, a consequence that

contributed to a dismal employment rate for

people with disabilities. As part of the NFI, the

President is committed to ensuring the Act’s swift

implementation and to breaking the pattern of

dependence. 

Accomplishments

President George W. Bush

• President Bush has promoted swift implementation of TWWIIA, which provides incentives to

work for more than 7.5 million Americans

receiving benefits under Federal disability programs.

Department of Labor

• DOLhas worked to inform its local workforce

system partners of the benefits of the Ticket. 

➢ DOL’s ETA developed a Training and

Employment Notice (TEN) on TWWIIA.

This TEN will provide the workforce investment system with information on how to

prepare for the introduction of the Ticket by

explaining how tickets work generally, and

by providing guidance to states for the early

implementation on what to do when presented with a Ticket.

➢ Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Pro

For individuals who receive SSDI and/

benefits, the TTW Program expands th

verse of service providers available for 

tance in finding and retaining employm

SSA published final regulations in the

Federal Register on December 28, 2001

addition, SSA produced internal opera

instructions, developed public informa

materials, launched systems processing

enhancements, and began actual imple

tation of Phase One of the TTW Progra

mailing tickets to eligible beneficiaries 

initial 13 states from February through 

2002. To date, nearly two million ticke

have been mailed and approximately 3

tickets have been assigned to employm

networks and state VR agencies for em

ment-related services. SSA will continu

with Phase Two of the TTW implemen

later in 2002 by mailing tickets to eligib

beneficiaries in 20 additional states and 

District of Columbia. 

➢ Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Out

(BPAO) Program: TWWIIA authorized 

to award cooperative agreements in ev

state and U.S. Territory, to provide SSD

SSI disability beneficiaries with access 

BPAO services. 

• SSA awarded BPAO cooperative agr

ments to 116 entities in all 50 states a

as the District of Columbia and five 

Territories.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

36
y

grants to Protection and Advocacy systems

nationwide to assist individuals who receive

SSDI and/or SSI benefits. The purpose of

this program is to provide information and

advice about obtaining the VR, employment,

and advocacy services that a beneficiary

needs in order to secure or regain employment. The grantees have been serving individuals with disabilities under this program

since April 2001.

➢ State Partnership Initiatives (SPI): The SPI

• OPM and SSA co-sponsored the Federal F

on Ticket to Work in April 2002. The purp

the Forum was to educate Federal employ

about the TTW program. 

Department of Justice

• DOJ joined with SSA and the Equal Empl

ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) t

lish and distribute A Guide for Persons Wit

Disabilities Seeking Employment. The prim

target audience for the guide is those indi

als seeking to return to work under TWW

Final Report

PROMISING PRACTICE

Full Integration of Disability into Company Capabilitie

GENERAL MOTORS espouses complete integration of accessibility and

disability from engineering to marketing — a soup to nuts approach.

GM Mobility Center hires and includes

employees with such disabilities as

arthritis, hearing disabilities, and

spinal cord injuries in key decisions

on vehicle features, adaptive equipment, and marketing strategy. GM

has established an Affinity Group of

employees and retirees with and

without disabilities to identify and

address issues inside and outside the

Corporation to create a disabilityfriendly culture and to entice skilled

candidates with disabilities to consider jobs at GM. The group advises

many GM divisions, including the

UAW-GM Paragon project, a labo

management partnership to enhan

vehicle design to accommodate 

customers’ needs.

An important aspect of being 

responsible employer and cari

company is providing broader tran

portation assistance to the disabil

community. GM partnered with ICA

a leading internet-based commun

for people with disabilities, to spo

sor a section featuring bulletin boar

and chat rooms, as well as resourc

concerning issues ranging from ve

dors for additional modifications a

GM financial assistance, to oth

manufacturers’ vehicles and rebat

and government funding sources. 
38

created by small and medium sized businesses,

self-employment has become one of the fastest

growing employment options in the United

States. The entire structure of the U.S. labor

market is changing, with contingent, contracted,

and self-employment and microenterprise all on

the rise. Small business ownership is not meant

for everyone, either with or without a disability,

but it can be a desirable vehicle and real option

for achieving economic independence. Three

factors in particular appear to make small

business ownership a particularly attractive

alternative for individuals with disabilities: 

tines. Transportation barriers, for exampl

appear when the commute is across the h

rather than across town. 

• The reality of employment discrimination

Thirty-six percent of working people with 

abilities report that they have experienced

employment discrimination. More than h

the employed people with disabilities wh

experienced job discrimination (51 percen

they have been refused a job due to disab

Self-employment eliminates or drastically

reduces the likelihood of unemployment

because of employment discrimination.

• The most direct route to social and econo

empowerment. Entrepreneurship enable

people with disabilities to circumvent arti

barriers to career advancement that are p

lent in the workplace. Sixty percent of wo

people with disabilities report that they a

underemployed, and 28 percent of workin

people with disabilities who have experie

job discrimination indicate that they were

passed-over for a promotion due to their 

ability.

The Task Force, with its existing coordinatin

structures and interagency agreements in p

across the Federal government, has been w

to support the goals of the NFI and ODEP. 

the past 18 months, these Federal partners h

implemented multiple initiatives. Each

acknowledges the importance of entreprene

ship and small business ownership as a rou

economic independence for people with

disabilities. 

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

“The role of government is not to

create wealth, the role of

government is to create an

environment in which people who

have a dream of owning their own

business are able to do so if

they’ve got the good idea and are

able to work hard for it.

We must remember that small

businesses create most of the new

jobs in America. And therefore,

we’ve got to put forth good policy

that encourages the

entrepreneurial spirit to flourish.” 

- President George W. Bush, May 8, 2001, the

White House East Room, at an event honoring the

“Small Business Person of the Year.”
py 

microenterprise development opportunities for

Americans with disabilities. During the twoday meeting, Summit delegates explored how

they could use their resources and influence to

promote entrepreneurship among people with

disabilities. 

Department of Labor

• DOL’s ODEP is working with SSA to explore

ways to include in its TTW program provisions

that would allow individuals with disabilities to

use their tickets to undertake a business venture. Using the TTW opportunity, an individual

could develop an employment plan that included the purchase of small business planning services and specialized technical assistance. Such

a plan could also help to purchase needed

inventory, provide operating capital, and secure

equipment. Additionally, tickets could be used

as owner equity to leverage other financing

needed to adequately capitalize the business.

• ODEP is working with the Association for

Enterprise Opportunity to create linkages

between its nearly 400 microlenders and the

disability community. In addition, ODEP is

working with the Association of Small Business

Development Centers to ensure that its products and services are accessible and marketed to

potential entrepreneurs with disabilities.

• ODEP, working within DOLand with other

appropriate Federal agencies, will develop and

implement an action plan to promote selfemployment and small business development

among people with disabilities, particularly

those with the most significant disabilities.

g 

business operations of successful entrepre

with disabilities. The program, known as 

Alpha Entrepreneur project, will research 

interview entrepreneurs with disabilities 

wide for selection as case studies that wil

featured in multi-media, robust Internet T

based training and collaborative training 

als to educate SBA personnel. The progra

be a comprehensive, accessible, and intera

educational package that will provide spe

insight into the culture and successful

approaches of entrepreneurs with disabili

• SBA and VA signed a Memorandum of

Understanding, as a result of which servi

offered by SBA in the areas of pre-busines

workshops, concept assessments, busines

preparation, comprehensive feasibility stu

entrepreneurial training, and mentoring w

advertised to veterans with disabilities. 

Final Report 
40

Veterans Business Outreach Centers.

• Because Federal law has established a government-wide goal for participation by small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans with service-connected disabilities at not

pyy 

for individuals with disabilities, SBA has

increased marketing of the Microloan Pro

and microenterprise-oriented technical as

tance via outreach through The Abilities F

Project Leadership, and state-based outre

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

Technology 

Electronic and information technology have

fundamentally changed the way we work

and the requisite skills and knowledge needed to

fully participate in the 21st century workplace.

Technology is leveling the work environment by

removing physical and communication barriers

while opening an enormous range of employment

opportunities. Moreover, technology represents a

critical potential opportunity for meaningful and

stable careers for people with disabilities because

of its status as a high-growth industry.

Accordingly, ensuring access to technology —

including assistive technology, universally

designed technology, jobs in the technology

industry, technology transfers, etc. — is an

important component in the overall strategy to

increase employment opportunities for people

with disabilities. Through the NFI, the Bush

Administration is working to ensure that

Americans with disabilities are prepared to work

in the field of technology and have affordab

access to the best technologies of today and 

better technologies in the future.

Accomplishments

President George W. Bush

• President Bush secured $65 million for FY 

allowing ED to work toward the followin

goals:

➢ jumpstarting research in the area of ass

and universally designed technologies 

ters that conduct advanced research in 

field; and

➢ supporting NIDRR in its work to coord

Federal disability research programs an

assist small businesses in the developm

and transfer of new technologies.
• In FY 2002, President Bush secured $20 million

for ED’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research

Centers, which conduct advanced research in

the field of assistive technology. 

• The President secured $5 million in the FY 2002

budget for the Assistive Technology

Development Fund to assist small businesses in

the development and transfer of new technologies. 

• Responding to President Bush’s promise of full

implementation of Section 508 of the

• In FY 2002, DOL’s ODEP will award two 

competitive grants totaling $500,000 to as

states in developing statewide HS/HT in

structure and operations and integrating 

HS/HT programs into the youth services 

vided through the One-Stop Center Syste

HS/HT is a series of nationally establishe

grams designed to provide young people 

disabilities with an opportunity to explor

careers or further education leading to tec

gy-related careers. In FY 2001, a total of

$600,000 was awarded to 12 organization

develop demonstration HS/HT program 

Final Report

PROMISING PRACTICE

Using Information Technology to Enhance Employme

Collaboratively staffed by IBM, the

California Governor’s Committee for

Employment of Disabled Persons, and

the California Department of Rehabilitation, it relies heavily on the use of

current information technology. While

lead companies host quarterly Educational Forums, members throughout

the state are kept up-to-date on

news, resources, and events through

regular e-mailings. 

A wealth of information has been

compiled and is continually updated

on the organization’s web site at

<www.cabln.org>. The web site contains information to assist CABLN

members in employing people with

disabilities more successfully. Comprehensive information and links to

other web sites are available on such

topics as disability-specific issues,

employment issues (e.g. recruiting,

interviewing, supervising, etc.), legal

issues, tax incentives, and best business practices. The web site also provides profiles and contact information

for services provided by communitybased organizations. Lastly, in keeping with the intent to maximize the

use of information technology, CABLN

has also partnered with RecruitABILITY.org, an internet-based résumé and job-posting site for people

with disabilities.

THE CALIFORNIA BUSINESS LEADERSHIP NETWORK (CABLN), LED BY IBM, 

IS STRUCTURED TO BE RESOURCE-LEAN AND TIME EFFICIENT.
that would align the HS/HT program with

WIA’s youth-related programs. An additional

$165,000 was awarded to five grantees to allow

11 existing HS/HT sites to move into alignment

with WIA youth programs.

• ODEP will establish an on-line registry, similar

to America’s Job Bank, on the

DisabilityDirect.gov web site where local or

community-based organizations that help locate

personal assistance can be identified. 

• ODEP is expanding its DisabilityDirect.gov web

portal to better serve the needs of people with

disabilities. In recognition that people with disabilities, and their families, employers, and service providers need access to the multitude of

resources that the NFI represents in a centralized location, ODEP will work with other

Federal agencies to expand its Disability

Direct.gov web site to encompass all facets of

the NFI. 

• In June 2001, DOL’s ETA awarded approximately $2.8 million in Disability IT Grants to six

organizations to develop and provide information technology skills training for people with

disabilities in partnership with the IT business

community and local One-Stop Center system. 

• ETA has supported the American Indian

Disability Technical Assistance Center’s development of a culturally appropriate IT training

curriculum in consultation with Tribal governments, Tribal Colleges, Tribal VR Programs,

DOL’s Indian and Native American

gy y 

women with disabilities to become active 

ticipants in the workforce. Participants al

cussed resources available to assist emplo

in responding to workplace needs, as wel

the accessibility implications of Section 50

the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794d.

• The Women’s Bureau, in collaboration wi

ODEP, will develop an on-line communit

resource guide that will be available on th

DisabilityDirect.gov web site. This guide 

provide consumers and workforce profes

with a listing of community and faith-bas

vices for women available in their local co

nities. 

Small Business Administration

• SBA also completed Section 508 complian

requirements for public web sites, includi

government” programs, such as HUBZon

Empowerment Contracting, PRO-Net ®, 

Net, and SUB-Net for entrepreneurs with 

abilities. 

Department of the Interior

• With the important addition of the Nation

Business Center’s Accessible Technology 

(ATC) and the inclusion of Section 508 int

Departmental policy in January 2002, DO

made a significant commitment to create 

accessible office environments. These act

encourage increased employment of pers

with disabilities and greater job opportun

for current employees with disabilities. T

ATC also provides education and training 

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

42
gy 

America (ITAA) and the Southwestern Indian

Consortium (AIHEC) to establish a new publicprivate partnership to close the digital divide

within Native American communities. This initiative will reach into even the most remote and

pJ

• DOJ has developed a web page that prov

technical assistance regarding accessible t

nology pursuant to Section 508, available 

<www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508home.html

Final Report

Telecommuting

Telework and telecommuting are terms used

interchangeably for a wide variety of work

arrangements. Teleworkers/telecommuters may

be employees or independent contractors who

may work full-time or part-time. In addition,

teleworkers/telecommuters may work either

from home or from a telecenter all of the time, or

may alternate between the two.

In general, telework/telecommuting provides

opportunities for both employees and employers

seeking alternative employment options. For

employers, telework/telecommuting can be

useful in solving business problems by decreasing

certain overhead costs, satisfying fluctuating

demands for additional office and parking space,

and increasing employees’ loyalty, productivity,

and retention by helping them balance work and

family demands. Certain employees value

teleworking because it can eliminate long

commutes and because of its flexibility. For

people with significant disabilities, telework

telecommuting is often more than a conven

sometimes presenting the most viable oppo

unity to work by eliminating potential prob

related to a lack of reliable and available

employment supports such as transportatio

personal assistance. Accordingly, in the NF

President Bush established teleworking-rela

objectives and priorities that the Task Force

member agencies have been implementing

through a variety of activities.

Accomplishments

President George W. Bush

• President Bush secured $20 million in the 

2002 budget in matching telework grants 

states to help people with disabilities pur
44

by the individual’s employer for telecommuting

purposes.

Department of Labor

• DOL’s ODEP will award a competitive grant of

$1 million to support the implementation and

evaluation of three pilot demonstration projects

involving DOLand two other Federal agencies

over a period of 24 months. This initiative is

designed to evaluate the extent to and the man

ppJ

restructuring include those appropriate fo

center operations, as well as contact cente

such as claims processing, loan processin

collection, audit resolution, and a variety 

miscellaneous financial transactions and

grant/contract management activity. 

Office of Personnel Management

• OPM promotes telework on an ongoing b

presentations to the Federal human resou

community as a mechanism for offering e

lent flexibility to remove the commuting b

for those whose disabilities prevent them 

driving or taking mass transit to a Federa

building.

Equal Employment Opportunity Council

• As a participant in the President’s Telewo

Initiative, EEOC is incorporating an ADA 

sonable accommodation component into 

Administration’s support of telework.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
y gp

higher were employed or in the job market.

Moreover, more than 500,000 veterans experience

homelessness annually. A large percentage of this

segment of the homeless population become

homeless due to disabilities, chronic illness, and

histories of mental illness or substance abuse.

Because of these dire statistics, it is critical that

Federal disability policy address not only the

issues of education, training, and job placement,

but also those issues unique to veterans with

disabilities, including rebuilding the veteran’s

self-esteem and self-sufficiency.

VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

Program (VR&E) has conducted several activities

designed to increase employment opportunities

for veterans with disabilities. The VR&E Program

uses a wide range of strategies to promote the

employment of veterans with disabilities,

including the following:

• local analysis of labor market information to

forecast economic considerations in specific

geographical locations;

• creation of a recognition program for employers

who hire veterans with disabilities;

• implementation of a comprehensive marketing

plan similar to the employment recruiter

approach; 

• membership in employment-based networks;

and 

• focus on local partnerships. 

py g

• The VR&E Program has improved the rat

rehabilitation from 41 percent at the end o

1998 to 65 percent in FY 2001. During thi

time, VA has seen the rehabilitation rate o

erans with disabilities who have serious

employment handicaps increase from 35.

cent to 64 percent. Of those rehabilitated, 

obtained employment in the professional

nical, and managerial fields with average 

al earnings at the time of rehabilitation of

$31,111. 

• The VR&E web site is being redesigned to 

Section 508-compliant.

• VR&E is launching a major initiative to m

substantial improvements in VA’s ability 

assist veterans with disabilities seeking se

employment. 

Final Report

“Our Nation’s veterans, particula

those disabled in military service 

our country, epitomize America

strength and courage. My

commitment to their successful

transition to civilian life transcen

gratitude. It is the focus of my tw

decades of public service.”

— Secretary of 

Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi
46

• VR&E will establish a national pilot resource

center to assist VR&E staff and veterans with

the development of self-employment programs.

To accomplish this initiative, VR&E is undertaking the following tasks:

➢ developing a set of training materials to

improve the ability of VR&E staff to deliver

self-employment services;

➢ researching best practices for VA staff;

➢ sponsoring a network of veteran education

programs to insure veterans are well

informed about self-employment issues;

➢ performing a longitudinal study of program

participants to identify best practices and

opportunities to improve services; and

➢ strengthening its strategic partnerships with

VA’s Center for Veterans’ Enterprise, SBA,

ED’s RSA, and DOL’s ODEP. 

A major feature of the initiative will be the

pp

rehabilitation and employment organizat

rehabilitation academia, veterans’ service

nizations, and ED’s RSA. Following nine

months of study, the panel submitted its f

report, which outlined five areas to furthe

improve the quality of VR services to vete

with disabilities. 

• To acquire sound strategies for the delive

employment services, VR&E collaborated 

public, private, and academic experts from 

fields of economics, employment of perso

with disabilities, rehabilitation, and comm

This one-day symposium provided VR&E 

the necessary expertise to develop action 

to improve employment outcomes for vet

with disabilities.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
g g

employment. Several Federal agencies, including

DOL’s ODEP, will be developing new policies and

programs to address this critical issue. 

In his 2003 budget to Congress, President Bush

included $145 million in funding for two new

grant programs promoting innovative

transportation solutions for people with

disabilities. This funding would provide states

with $100 million to fund competitive matching

grants to promote innovative transportation

solutions for people with disabilities in order to

integrate them more fully into the workplace.

Community-based organizations, non-profits, and

other transportation providers would receive

funding to conduct a range of activities, including

purchasing specialty vans, promoting ridesharing

options, developing community assessment

plans, and expanding existing transportation

resources. The second grant program would

include $45 million to fund 10 pilot projects that

use innovative approaches to overcoming the

transportation barriers faced by Americans with

disabilities. These projects, which will be

developed in close consultation with disability

organizations and transportation providers, will

address both technological and institutional

solutions for overcoming mobility barriers.

Accomplishments 

Department of Labor

• DOL’s ETA funded the development of a 

prehensive document for states and locali

expand transportation services entitled Li

People to the Workplace, produced by the

Community Transportation Association o

America. 

• The Departments of Labor and Transport

sought input from the disability commun

the role of transportation and employmen

their respective legislative mandates. The

impending reauthorizations of both the

Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Cen

(TEA-21) and WIA afford a unique oppor

to re-examine Federal transportation poli

Americans with disabilities, particularly a

relates to increasing the employment of th

individuals. On June 26 and 27, 2002, the

Departments co-sponsored a national Sum

on Employment and Transportation for P

with Disabilities.

Department of Transportation

• DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

is conducting a national survey to collect 

on how individuals with disabilities use t

Final Report

every employee can realize his 

or her fullest potential.”

— Secretary of Transportation

Norman Y. Mineta, May 28, 2002
48

g, 

local grantees in 44 states to provide new

employment transportation services for lowincome persons, including persons with disabilities. This competitive grants program funds

additional transportation services to jobs and

job training sites and addresses unmet needs of

persons with disabilities. 

• DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FT

hosted two invitational dialogues (March 

June 2002) with the key leadership from t

ability and transportation communities to 

tify recommendations for local, regional, 

national activity. 

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

Health Care 

For many people with disabilities, adequate

health care coverage is the primary

consideration when evaluating job offers. Until

recently, people with disabilities had to make an

impossible choice: maintaining their current

health benefits by remaining unemployed, or

risking the loss of those benefits by going back to

work. With the rollout of the breakthrough

TWWIIA and with Medicaid Buy-In programs,

progress has been made to remove unintended

disincentives to work. Federal agencies have

pooled expertise and are examining their

programs to address the remaining barriers to

providing healthcare supports. Agencies are

tackling important issues such as improving the

Medicaid Buy-In models and are exploring

options to increase coverage for those with mental

health disabilities in the workplace.

Accomplishments

Department of Education

• ED’s OSEP has collaborated with HHS’ 

SAMHSA and other partners on transition 

models.

Department of Health and Human Service

• To date, 22 states have chosen to design a

implement Medicaid Buy-In programs fo

working persons with disabilities. Severa

tional states have enacted legislation to cr

such programs. In the last year, Departm

Health and Human Services Secretary To

G. Thompson announced the approval of 

additional Medicaid Buy-Ins: the state pla

Washington, Wyoming, and Pennsylvania 

allow people with disabilities who return 

work to retain their Medicaid.
pp, pg

grants to states that want to develop health care

coverage for workers with disabilities. 

• SAMHSA has approved two technical assistance centers focusing on assisting state efforts

relating to Medicaid Buy-In programs and

infrastructure development. Technical assistance on Medicaid Buy-In programs and other

employment-related Medicaid supports is available for state policymakers and program staff

from the Center for Workers with Disabilities

and from the National Consortium for Health

Systems Development.

• HHS’s HRSA and Maternal and Child Health

Bureau are working with the nation’s health

care delivery systems to bring the pediatric

model of comprehensive care to the adult system, thereby improving the access to and quality of care provided to youth and adults with

special health care needs and disabilities.

• HHS’ SAMHSA, together with the Annie E.

Casey Foundation and other Federal partners,

announced the availability of FY 2002 funds for

cooperative agreements to develop, implement,

stabilize, and document models of comprehensive programs to support youth with serious

emotional disturbances or serious mental illness

as they enter adulthood. The issues central to

this transition period include completion of secondary education, transition to postsecondary

education and training, entrance into the workforce, independent living, and community participation.

• In October 2001, SAMHSA, in partnership with

the Task Force and several corporate spon

held a National Summit on Best Practices 

Mental Health in the Workplace.

• HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for

Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), in collab

tion with SAMHSA, contracted to fill a cr

gap in knowledge regarding the employm

persons with significant disabilities and th

design and implementation of Medicaid B

programs for workers with disabilities. T

overall project purposes included the foll

➢ examining and describing the early im

mentation experiences of states;

➢ informing and providing technical assi

to state policy makers;

➢ informing Federal policy makers conce

the experiences of states implementing

Medicaid Buy-In programs, and 

➢ informing other stakeholders in the sta

including persons with disabilities, ser

providers, and employers, about the ra

policy options and tradeoffs possible in

developing and improving Medicaid B

programs. 

Final Report
50

y 

employment to make a down payment or pay the

mortgage every month. According to recent

studies, there is an insufficient number of

accessible rental units in many housing markets

in the nation. As more people with disabilities

leave institutions to enter community life, this

housing shortage will become even more acute.

Many of these issues are being addressed by the

Department of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD), DOJ, and other Federal agencies.

Accomplishments

President George W. Bush

• In order to increase homeownership rates for

people with disabilities, President Bush supported a program that permits people with disabilities to use Section 8 rent subsidy vouchers

to make mortgage payments to buy their own

homes. 

• To increase the availability of accessible and

affordable housing for individuals with disabilities, the Administration has 1) recently awarded

a major national education and outreach grant

to help communities ensure that more apartments and condominiums are built to be accessible to people with disabilities and 2) launched

a program through HUD to provide training

and technical assistance to the building industry

on the Fair Housing Act’s accessible design and

construction requirements.

• While homeownership is important, the Bush

Administration recognizes that there is also a

dire need for accessible, high-quality, tenant

gpp

6,000 Section 8 tenant-based rental vou

for non-elderly disabled families.

➢ The President requested $250 million, a 

million increase, in the FY 2003 budget 

HUD’s Section 811 program that provi

funding for construction and ongoing 

housing assistance for people with disa

ties.

• In support of NFI, the President requested 

million for HUD to fund 1,000 Section 8 r

subsidy vouchers for people with disabili

who are transitioning from institutions in

community.

Department of Labor

• DOL’s ODEP will collaborate with ETA, H

and DOT to develop strategies to encoura

integration of housing and transportation 

vices for people with disabilities within O

Stop Career Centers.

Department of Housing and Urban Develo

• Under its Fair Housing Initiatives Program

HUD recently awarded a major national e

tion and outreach grant to help communi

ensure that more apartments and condom

ums are built to be accessible to people w

disabilities. 

• HUD’s 2002 Super Notice of Funds Availa

(SuperNOFA) encourages grant applicant

add accessibility design features beyond t

required by civil rights laws and regulatio

Such features eliminate barriers limiting t

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
pg p

standing of the Fair Housing Act. 

• HUD is enhancing its guidance to Public

Housing Agencies, private landlords, and persons with disabilities participating in the housing choice voucher program by reminding

providers of their responsibility to provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities in the housing choice voucher program.

Similarly, the guidance will inform persons with

y

annual income, rather than 40 percent of 

family’s adjusted annual income.

• HUD has developed voluntary agreemen

the District of Columbia Housing Author

make six percent of its housing stock (app

mately 510 units) fully accessible to perso

with mobility impairments, and an additi

two percent (approximately 170 units) of 

housing stock accessible to residents who 

Final Report

PROMISING PRACTICE

Win-Win Partnership with Chambers of Commerce

THE EASTERN SHORE BUSINESS

LEADERSHIP NETWORK (ESBLN) IS

SPONSORED BY THE SALISBURY AREA

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. The

Chamber adopted the ESBLN following

a presentation to the Board of Directors

in early 2000 by several members who

had recognized the program as a service to businesses. The Chamber established the ESBLN Committee as a standing committee under the Vice-President

of Business Affairs. In addition, the

Chamber has promoted the mission of

the ESBLN by providing space in its

monthly newsletter to highlight both

employment candidates with disabilities

and success stories. The Executive

Director of the Chamber has participated in several nationally broadcast 

forums on the subject of disabilit

employment hosted by the 

Chamber of Commerce.

In 2001, the ESBLN expanded it

vice area to cover all of the Delm

Peninsula, which includes the sta

Delaware, nine Maryland counties

two Virginia counties. With en-cou

ment from the Salisbury Area Cha

three other Delmarva Cham

became sponsors of the ESBLN. 

ESBLN’s philosophy holds that a 

goal is reachable through the po

business outcome of helping emp

recruit and retain qualified workers

business community response to 

ESBLN has been positive and cont

to be productive and rewardin

employers and candidates who 

disabilities.
52

visual or hearing disabilities. A similar voluntary agreement has been developed with the

Boston Housing Authority to make 700 of its

housing units fully accessible to persons with

disabilities. 

• HUD has signed a Memorandum of

Understanding with IRS and DOJ that will help

multifamily properties operating with LowIncome Housing Tax Credits comply with disability requirements under the Fair Housing

Act.

• HUD has signed an historic Fair Housing

Partnership Accord with the National

Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to educate and train persons in the housing industry

about their responsibilities to provide accessible

housing to persons with disabilities. HUD and

NAHB will aggressively promote design and

construction requirements for accessibility in all

multifamily housing, including apartment

buildings, condominiums, and cooperatives.

HUD is also working with the International

Code Council and disability rights organizations to make local building codes consistent

with the accessibility requirements of the Fair

Housing Act.

Department of Justice

• DOJ has devoted substantial resources to

enforcing the Fair Housing Act’s requirements

that apartments and condominiums be

designed and built to be more accessible to persons with disabilities. Thirteen lawsuits are cur

• DOJ has committed resources to enforcem

actions under the Fair Housing Act where 

ing providers, including retirement comm

ties, use restrictive criteria to prohibit resi

by or deny full use of facilities to persons 

disabilities.

• DOJ is working with Treasury and HUD 

vide training and technical assistance to S

housing finance agencies, developers, and

investors, to help ensure that low income 

ing financed with federal tax credits comp

with the accessibility requirements and ot

nondiscrimination requirements of the Fa

Housing Act. Properties that fail to comp

losing their tax credits.

• DOJ has made a commitment to interven

participate as amicus curiae in private law

against public housing authorities and oth

recipients of federal funds that have failed 

provide accessible housing as required by

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The

Division is also encouraging HUD to mak

gation referrals for public housing author

with a history of longstanding noncompli

with Section 504 requirements.

• DOJ is working with HUD to develop tec

assistance materials explaining the rights 

sons with disabilities and the obligations 

housing providers under the Fair Housin

and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
very low pay, work long hours, and often receive

no benefits. There is an urgent need to address

the areas of recruiting, training, retaining,

promoting, and improving the earnings and/or

benefits of personal assistants and other

community service workers. Task Force member

agencies are engaged in many activities to

address this worker shortage.

Accomplishments

Department of Labor

• DOL’s ODEP and ETA are working with internal and external agencies to identify and propose options for increasing the availability of

personal assistants for people with disabilities

and for providing some path of career progression for personal assistants and other direct care

staff. Consultations are underway with OPM,

ED, HHS, and other appropriate Departments

with the overarching goal of developing a crossagency/cross-department plan to increase the

availability and quality of personal assistants,

and of identifying options for the education,

training, and career advancement for personal

assistants and other direct care staff and community service workers. In designing this plan,

consideration is being given to patterning some

activities after those currently underway at

ETA’s Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training

(BAT) to increase the number and employment

status of professional childcare providers. The

possibility of encouraging the use of Senior

Community Service Employment Program participants, volunteers from the National Service

Corporation’s programs, former welfare recipi

• HHS’ SAMHSA has developed a technica

tance project, Understanding the Adequa

Availability of Community-Based Persona

Assistance Services, whose purpose is to 

ate the size and scope of the shortage of p

al assistance services and to explore polic

practices that influence the recruitment an

retention of qualified personal assistance 

vices workers. The work will include the 

lowing: 

➢ the development of practical, useful, co

nity-based products that can be used to

address workforce shortage issues; 

➢ the creation of an electronic database (w

querying capabilities) of resources, con

and tools to be used by Federal, state, a

local organizations in designing and im

menting policies and programs to incre

the availability of personal assistance s

workers; 

➢ the development of a foundation for fu

research in community-based personal 

tance services and supports; 

➢ the identification of areas needed for a

tional research or for policy or program

changes; and 

➢ immediate assistance to new projects fu

under the Systems Change grants relat

workforce development in community

care settings. 

Final Report
54

qpy

persons with disabilities who would otherwise be

entitled to institutional services, provided that 1)

treatment professionals determine that such

placement is appropriate, 2) the affected persons

do not oppose such placement, and 3) the state

can reasonably accommodate the placement,

taking into account the resources available to the

state and the needs of others with disabilities.

The Supreme Court stated that institutional

placements of people with disabilities who can

live in, and benefit from, community settings

perpetuates the unwarranted assumptions that

persons so isolated are incapable or unworthy of

participating in community life, and noted that

“...confinement in an institution severely

diminishes everyday life activities of individuals,

including family relations, social contacts, work

options, economic independence, educational

advancement, and cultural enrichment.”2

On June 18, 2001, President Bush issued Executive

Order 13217, Community-Based Alternatives for

Individuals with Disabilities (the Olmstead Executive

Order), which calls upon participating agencies to

undertake a range of activities to promote

community-based living for qualified individuals

with disabilities and to ensure swift implementation of the Olmstead decision. These activities

broadly fall into three categories: (1) coordinated

technical assistance to states; (2) the identification

of specific barriers in federal law, regulation,

policy and practice; and (3) enforcement activities,

President George W. Bush

• The President requested $15 million in fu

for HHS’ SAMHSA for grants to states an

communities to develop, implement, and 

integrated services for individuals with co

occurring mental illness and substance ab

disorders. Some of these individuals are 

entering society from confinement in the 

nal justice system. 

• Recognizing the important role of the Cen

for Independent Living in helping people 

into the community and locate services, th

President requested an increase of $7 mill

11 percent, for the Centers. The commun

based Centers are run by and for people w

disabilities and provide services such as o

reach, advocacy, and personal assistance s

vices referral.

• The President has requested $14 million i

FY 2003 budget for four HHS demonstrat

projects to support community-based alte

tives for and independent living by peopl

disabilities. These projects were announc

Delivering on the Promise and represent a c

mitment of $216 million in funding over t

next five years and $750 million over 10 y

Department of Education

• ED’s RSA is providing collaborative assis

to the National Endowment for the Arts (

for a program designed to expose interest

individuals with disabilities to careers in 

arts.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

2

Olmstead, 119 S.Ct. 2176, 21789, 2187 [emphasis added].
yg

imum grant award to an eligible state is

$500,000 per fiscal year. To date, SAMHSA has

awarded grants to 38 states.

• HHS played a leading role in Federal agencies’

response to Executive Order 13217. As directed

by the Executive Order, HHS coordinated comprehensive self-evaluations and extensive public input activities by agencies to identify barriers in their policies, programs, regulations, and

statutes to community integration and to develop action steps to address these barriers. 

• HHS’ awarded $70,000,000 in system change

grants to expand the range of community-based

services available to individuals with disabilities; such grants affect an individual’s ability to

acquire appropriate supports and services so

that they may return to or remain in the community, as well as seek and secure employment. 

• HHS’ HRSA’s Maternal and Child

Health Bureau co-sponsored a

Summit on Children with Special

Health Care Needs, which showcased community and state successes, models, and best practices related to building community systems

for children and youth with special

health care needs. Other sponsors

included Family Voices, the

American Academy of Pediatrics,

and the March of Dimes. 

• HHS’ Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC) and ED’s

NIDRR will hold a Conference on

Health and Disability in September

gpp

disabilities. For example, HHS will use th

Administration on Aging’s (AoA) Nation

Family Caregiver Support Program (NFC

assist states in the implementation of Olm

Launched in February 2001 and currently 

ed at an annual appropriation of $125 mil

the NFCSP provides innovative and flexib

vice options for families and other inform

caregivers of older persons, as well as for 

caregivers of relative children, including c

dren with developmental disabilities. Th

of the program is to help families maintai

loved ones at home and in the communit

Department of Justice

• In its report to the President, DOJ identifi

action items necessary for swift implemen

of the Olmstead decision. Consistent with 

President’s Executive Order’s mandate to 

Final Report
56

technical assistance and participate in alternative dispute resolution, the Department will

give priority to the following initiatives: 

➢ DOJ and HHS will create a pilot project to

refer appropriate Olmstead-related complaints

received by HHS to an ADA mediation program established by DOJ. The mediation

program has more than 450 professional

mediators trained in the ADA and available

nationwide. 

➢ DOJ is developing three technical assistance

pieces on the implementation of the Olmstead

decision. The first piece, which will be developed in consultation with HHS, ED, and

DOL, will provide guidance to states as they

create comprehensive plans for community

placement of persons with disabilities. DOJ

is also developing two “Know Your Rights”

pieces, one for people currently residing

within institutions and the other for persons

at risk of institutionalization.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

• In June 2001, HUD announced a pilot program

in 11 states called Project Access, which will

facilitate the successful transition of non-elderly

persons with disabilities from institutional settings to community living.

the design of accessible outdoor rec

facilities, including boat docks, fishi

piers, beaches, trails, picnic areas, an

campgrounds. The proposed stand

are currently in varying stages of be

ing official, and, when completed, will pr

enormous guidance in ensuring that indiv

with disabilities will have greater access t

full range of recreation opportunities prov

to the rest of the society. 

• DOI’s BOR created and is using a compu

Accessibility Data Management System to

assess access deficiencies and to plan and 

accomplishments. They have also establi

corporate approach to managing their acc

bility program that includes a 10-year pla

evaluations and action plans and a long-t

schedule for the required modifications.

• The individual Bureaus within DOI are se

creative solutions to providing optimum 

of access while continuing to preserve an

tect the natural and cultural significance o

national resources. 

➢ The Bureau of Land Management (BLM

Cascade Streamwatch Project, the prem

environmental education center in the 

Northwest, is a model accessibility pro

with its trails, interpretive exhibits, and 

vative interpretive sites accessible to a 

of visitors, including those with hearin

visual impairments.

➢ BLM’s field office in Carson City, Neva

recently received a state Tourism

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
packet on compliance with Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act.

➢ The National Park Service’s (NPS) Lowell

National Historical Park has recently completed the design and construction of three

wheelchair accessible canal boats and docks.

This project provided structural access to one

of the most significant experiences at this

park, which had previously been denied to

persons with mobility limitations.

➢ NPS’ Shenandoah National Park has constructed the Limberlost Trail, the first accessible trail in the park. This trail winds gently

for 1.3 miles, with a well-packed crushed

greenstone surface and no more than an

eight percent grade. The trail provides a

unique opportunity for all visitors, including

those who use wheelchairs, to have an outdoor experience that represents the significance of Shenandoah National Park.

• DOI’s NPS designated $5 million from the FY

2001 20 percent Fee Demonstration Fund to

finance projects that improve accessibility in

non-collecting parks. Final approval was given

to 120 projects in over 150 parks. These projects

will improve access to visitor centers, campgrounds, boat docks, picnic areas, in-park transportation systems, and educational programs.

• NPS has established and maintains a cooperative agreement with Indiana University for the

operation of the National Center on

Accessibility. This Center, in conjunction with

the NPS Accessibility Management Program,

py

nect to DOI’s Recreation.gov system. The

tems will provide people with disabilities 

access to information about the accessibil

facilities and programs on Federal lands. 

enables people with disabilities to have fu

access to community life by offering infor

tion about the accessibility of facilities for 

use and enjoyment.

Final Report 
g 

Federal government would purchase electronic

and information technology that is open and

accessible for people with disabilities. President

George W. Bush believes that the ADA has been

an integral component of the movement toward

full integration of individuals with disabilities but

recognizes that there is still much more to be

done. Accordingly, a number of Task Force

member agencies have engaged in activities

promoting the enforcement of the ADA, Section

508, and other important civil rights laws

designed to promote the inclusion of people with

disabilities.

sequently disseminated to the entire work

development system, and is still the defin

guide on the non-discrimination provisio

WIA.

• Several agencies within DOLwill be cond

disability-focused reviews and evaluation

implementation of Section 188 of WIA, th

nondiscrimination and equal opportunity 

ations. Under the leadership of the CRC, 

evaluations will enable DOLto identify a

tional areas in which Federal training and 

nical assistance activities are needed to el

nate barriers and to prevent disability dis

nation in WIA programs.

Department of Education

• ED's OCR prepared a resource document 

nationwide distribution targeted to paren

students that clarifies the rights of studen

disabilities who are in transition from hig

school to postsecondary education and th

obligations of postsecondary schools. 

• OCR is conducting ongoing technical assi

and training initiatives, through its region

offices, to stakeholders regarding transitio

students from secondary school to post-se

ondary institutions and improved vocatio

education services to students with disab

so that they can progress further in educa

and employment.

Department of Health and Human Service

• HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is wor

to resolve more than 400 administrative c

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

58
py 

DOJ’s ADA mediation program.

• OCR staff are also aiding approximately 40

states in undertaking efforts to develop the

working plans for community integration discussed in the Olmstead decision. In several

states, OCR played a key role in bringing

together state officials and people with disabilities, advocacy organizations, and other stakeholders to address issues of community integration. OCR has also worked with expert consultants to provide on-site technical assistance to

states involved in collaborative planning efforts,

and is developing technical assistance products

to guide states in these efforts.

• OCR and HUD sponsored a nationwide teleconference entitled Understanding HUD’s

Section 8 Vouchers. The conference call, which

attracted more than 600 participants, was

designed to assist states, consumers, and others

involved in Olmstead implementation by providing 1) information to help address the critical shortage of accessible and affordable rental

housing for people with disabilities; 2) best

practices for maximizing choice and consumer

control; and 3) strategies for expanding access

to Section 8 vouchers for people with disabilities.

• OCR staff nationwide have been engaged in

extensive outreach and public education activities regarding the ADA and the Olmstead decision. For example, OCR served on the planning

committee and as trainers in a national training

effort funded by HHS and ED to equip stakeholders from each of the states and territories

with the necessary tools to engage in the 

opment of comprehensive, effectively-wo

Olmstead plans. OCR regional offices in t

evant locations participated as trainees an

worked with stakeholders in each of thes

workshops.

Department of Housing and Urban Develo

• HUD has two education, outreach, and te

cal guidance efforts underway that will a

assuring greater compliance with the Fair

Housing Act’s accessible design and cons

tion requirements, thereby increasing the 

able accessible housing options for person

disabilities:

➢ The Project for Accessibility Training a

Technical Guidance will provide traini

direct technical guidance to builders, a

tects, other design professionals, and o

building industry groups, as well as or

zations representing persons with disa

and other interested persons. 

➢ The second project, which is currently 

awarded through a competitive grant u

the Department’s Fair Housing Initiativ

Program (FHIP) Education and Outrea

national component, will provide focu

technical guidance to assist states and 

of local government in ensuring that b

codes, whether newly adopted or revis

Final Report
60

consistent with the accessibility requirements

of the Fair Housing Act. 

• HUD and DOJ have recently completed training

of field staff on conducting Title VI and Section

504 compliance reviews. The training included

on-site work and conducting compliance

reviews under the supervision of experienced

staff. In FY 2001, HUD committed to increasing

the number of compliance reviews it conducts

pursuant to Section 504 and Title VI of the Civil

Rights Act of 1964 by at least 25 percent, and

has included a specific goal for this purpose in

its Business and Operating Plan (BOP). 

Department of Justice

• To promote voluntary compliance with the

ADA, DOJ initiated Project Civic Access.

Rather than focusing on individual entities

within a community, Project Civic Access is a

national effort to ensure that all aspects of

towns and cities are fully accessible to people

gy y 

teacher who uses a service animal. She

alleged that the school system offered h

teaching position after two interviews 

which she had used a cane. After she m

tioned that she would soon be picking 

new service animal, the school princip

allegedly withdrew the offer rather tha

allow her to bring a dog in the buildin

charging party later found employmen

teacher with another school system. T

EEOC’s regional office in Baltimore inv

gated the employee’s ADA charge, fou

reasonable cause to believe that the sch

system had violated the ADA, attempt

conciliate the matter, and then referred 

DOJ. Under the consent decree in U.S

Baltimore Public School System, the syste

ensure that all personnel who participa

employment decisions are trained in th

requirements of the ADA. The school 

will also designate an employee to serv

an ADA coordinator for employment m

and to serve as a liaison with people w

disabilities. The coordinator will atten

annual ADA training. The school syste

will also post notices about the ADA in 

school or other location in which its em

ees work. 

➢ The Arizona State Compensation Fund

agreed to pay $150,000 in compensator

damages to resolve a charge that was f

with the EEOC by a former employee w

severe depression and subsequently re

to DOJ for litigation. The complainant

alleged that the Fund unlawfully termi

her after failing to grant her the reason

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
her doctor, advised her supervisor that she

planned to return to work soon. The complainant alleged that shortly after the expiration of her FMLA leave, the State Fund terminated her instead of granting her a brief

additional period of unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation. The employee’s

termination came just one day after she submitted to her employer a release from her

physician clearing her to return to work the

following week.

➢ DOJ signed a settlement agreement with the

Nevada Governor’s Committee on

Employment of People with Disabilities to

resolve a complaint of retaliation. The

employee alleged that the Governor’s

Committee, for whom she worked for 23

years, barred her from public meetings,

harassed her, and terminated her because she

publicly criticized the committee and the

State for failing to provide appropriate auxiliary aids, including sign language interpreters, for people who are deaf or

hard of hearing. The complaint was

referred to the Department by the

EEOC. Under the agreement, the

state agreed to reinstate her, to grant

her back pay, to pay a lump sum

totaling $87,000, and to provide

administrative leave for a brief period until she was able to retire with

full benefits.

➢ DOJ reached a settlement agreement

with Leesburg, Virginia resolving a

Title I charge filed with the EEOC

by a deaf individual. The charge

he was employed elsewhere, the charg

party did not seek a permanent positio

the town. 

➢ The Supreme Court ruled in EEOC v. W

House, Inc. that an employee’s private a

ment with his employer to submit all

employment disputes to binding arbitr

does not limit the remedies that the EE

may seek in a lawsuit enforcing that em

ee’s rights under the ADA. The U.S. C

Appeals for the Fourth Circuit had rule

the EEOC could bring a lawsuit for gen

relief, such as an order requiring the de

dant not to engage in discriminatory p

tices, but could not obtain victim-speci

relief, such as damages, back pay, and 

statement. EEOC sued on behalf of an 

vidual who was fired from his job at a 

House in West Columbia, South Caroli

allegedly because of his seizure disord

DOJ’s brief before the Supreme Court a

that EEOC’s authority to sue to enforce 

Final Report
62

in the public interest is independent of the

individual’s authority to sue, and that the

EEOC may seek all remedies authorized by

the statute including victim-specific relief.

The Court agreed with DOJ, and held that

the EEOC’s authority cannot be limited by an

arbitration agreement to which it is not a

party. 

➢ DOJ reached an agreement with the

Honolulu Police Department regarding the

hiring of individuals who use hearing aids.

Previously, the Honolulu Police Department

automatically excluded all police recruits

who use hearing aids even though it retained

veteran officers who continued to perform

their jobs effectively after they began to use

hearing aids. Under the agreement, police

recruits who use hearing aids will be tested

on an individual basis to determine whether

their ability to hear with a hearing aid meets

state standards for police officers.

➢ DOJ entered into a settlement agreement

with the City of Inkster, Michigan, resolving

a complaint of employment discrimination

referred to the Department by the EEOC.

The City of Inkster refused to provide the

charging party, a police sergeant, with an

accommodation under its policy prohibiting

reassignment of employees to existing light

duty positions if the employees have nonduty related injuries. The City of Inkster

p

of employment law with an emphasis on 

outcomes of those cases referred to the

Department from EEOC. In addition, in A

of this year, Department staff will help lea

advocacy skills training for EEOC staff at

neys from across the country.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commiss

• EEOC has primary responsibility for the n

discrimination in employment section of 

ADA. EEOC received over 16,000 charge

ing disability discrimination in the past y

securing $47.9 million in 2001 for individu

with disabilities through administrative e

ment (pre-litigation).

• In its litigation role, EEOC was successful 

resolving several important ADA cases. A

first seeking to resolve these charges adm

tratively, the Commission brought suit in 

following cases that furthered the goal of

employment of people with disabilities: 

➢ EEOC v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. EEOC se

13 ADA lawsuits against Wal-Mart in a 

prehensive settlement. EEOC alleged t

through the use of a Matrix of Essentia

Functions in its application and hiring

process, Wal-Mart made disability-rela

pre-employment inquiries of job applic

and then excluded them based on disa

at its facilities throughout the United S

The cases were resolved through conse

decrees in which Wal-Mart agreed to m

tary relief as well as to the following:

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di
py g 

accommodation and internal ADA

complaint procedures, replace its Matrix of

Essential Job Functions with accurate job

descriptions, and institute training and

evaluation procedures for managers

related to their ADA responsibilities.

➢ EEOC v. Schofield Foods, Inc., d/b/a Quality

Foods IGA. EEOC alleged that a grocery store

discharged a 15-year-old part-time

bagger/stocker because she was HIV-positive. The case was resolved through a consent decree providing the charging party

with $1,000 in back pay and $89,000 in compensatory damages. The decree also provided that Schofield Foods would send the

charging party a letter, signed by the defendant’s president and two managers, expressing its regret regarding the incidents that precipitated the lawsuit. 

➢ EEOC v. GMRI, Inc., d/b/a The Olive Garden.

EEOC alleged in this ADA action that the

defendant, a nationwide restaurant chain,

subjected a dishwasher to daily physical and

verbal abuse because of his mental retardation, and finally discharged him because of

his disability. The case was resolved through

a consent decree providing monetary relief

and requiring the Olive Garden to do the following: 1) reasonably accommodate employees with mental retardation by involving the

employee’s guardian (and, where the

guardian consents, the employee’s job coach)

in resolving performance-related issues; and

2) revise and expand the anti-harassment

y p

emergency evacuation plan.

Final Report
64

Through the efforts of the Task Force,

the discussion among Federal agencies

has shifted. It is clear that only a

coordinated effort among all relevant

Federal agencies will significantly

affect the low employment rate of

individuals with disabilities. As

discussed in this

report, there

remain a number

of components in

this strategy that

Federal agencies

will need to

implement in the

coming years.

With the assistance

of ODEP, Federal

agencies will

continue to form

partnerships to remove barriers and increase

employment opportunities for people with

disabilities.

The mission of ODEP is to provide leadership in

the effort to increase employment opportunities

for adults and youth with disabilities. To

accomplish this mission, ODEP has formulated

strategic goals in the areas of national leadership,

workforce development systems, and promoting

attitude and practice change. With ODEP’s

assistance, the Federal government will continue

to implement a coordinated strategy to increase

the employment of adults and young people with

disabilities. This strategy includes promoting the

Federal government as a model employer,

disabilities, implementing 

accurate measure on disab

employment, and most im

tantly, ensuring accountab

the conduct of policy and t

of Federal dollars.

People wit

disabilities 

are more k

ledgeable, 

empowere

more likely 

achieve the

potential th

any other t

our nation

history. A 

foundation 

been laid. 

critical piec

in place for

ensuring th

people wit

disabilities are employed at a rate as close a

possible to that of the general population. T

future direction is in place to ensure that th

promises of the ADA — equality of opportu

full participation, independent living, and

economic self-sufficiency — are fulfilled.

The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

“We must reach

out to those who

have been denied

the right to a

productive,

meaningful work

life because of a

disability.”

— Secretary of Labor

Elaine L. Chao
Final Report
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

January 2001 The Small

Business Administration

(SBA) launched its

Section 508-compliant

web site and Americans

with Disabilities Act

(ADA) Guide.

February 5, 2001 The

Social Security Administration (SSA) officially

launches the Ticket to

Work (TTW) Program in

13 states: individuals

with disabilities who

receive Social Security

Disability Insurance

(SSDI) or Supplemental

Security Income (SSI) disability benefits will

receive a Ticket that may

be used to obtain vocational rehabilitation (VR),

job training, and other

support services. The

program will be in operation nationwide by

January 2004.

February 20, 2001 To

increase accessible transportation options, Department of Transportation

(DOT) Secretary Norman

Y. Mineta announces a

final rule to streamline

the regulatory process for

modifications in passenger vehicles that are

adapted for use by people with disabilities. 

February 25, 2001

Department of Health

and Human Services

(HHS) Secretary Tommy

G. Thompson announces

start-up grants for states

to involve consumers and

other partners in developing new programs for

persons with disabilities

in support of President

Bush’s NFI. The $50,000

awards are the first payments in the $50 million

Real Choice Systems

Change Grant Program,

aimed at improving the

home- and communitybased services available

to children and adults living with disabilities. 

February 2001 The

Department of Education’s (ED) National

Institute on Disability and

Rehabilitation Research

(NIDRR) issues First

National Study of People

with Disabilities Who Are

Self Employed, available

on the Research and

<ruralinstitute.um

crural/SelEm/SelE

Rpt.htm>.

March 19, 2001 H

Substance Abuse 

Mental Health Se

Administration (S

announces availa

funds to plan, des

and assess cultur

appropriate ment

systems of care f

American Indian/A

Native children, y

and their families 

March 21, 2001 H

SAMHSA announ

availability of fund

build statewide n

to improve servic

able for children a

lescents with ser

emotional disturb

and their family m

bers, and to creat

strengthen coaliti

among family me

service providers

policy makers.

March 22, 2001 H

SAMHSA announ

availability of fund

improve mental h

services for peop

are racial and eth

minorities living w

HIV/AIDS.

Initiative (NFI) focusing on removing barriers faced

by people with disabilities in the areas of technology,

education, employment and living in the community.

66
Final Report 

Spring to Action: A

National Mental Health

Symposium to Address

Discrimination and

Stigma, bringing together

Federal and state officials

and over 350 mental

health policy makers,

researchers, consumers,

advocates, and family

members to develop a

blueprint for action for

states and local communities to address the continuing negative impact

that stigma has on the

lives of people with mental illness.

April 4, 2001 SSA, the

Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission

(EEOC), and the Department of Justice (DOJ)

jointly released A Guide

for People with Disabilities Seeking Employment. Available on the

EEOC web site at

<www.eeoc.gov/press/4-

4-01.html>, this document explains to individuals with disabilities who

are receiving Social

Security disability benefits and who want to

become employed what

their rights are under the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

the award of $2.8 million

by DOL’s Employment

and Training Administration (ETA) to six organizations that provide intensive skill training in the

Information Technology

(IT) sector; these funds

will support programs

addressing IT skill shortages and leading to

career opportunities for

individuals with disabilities. 

April 17, 2001 HHS’

SAMHSA releases

Challenging Stereotypes:

An Action Guide, a new

how-to guide to fight discrimination in the media

against people with mental illness. 

May 2, 2001 DOL’s Office

of Disability Employment

Policy (ODEP) holds

Employment Fair for

People with Disabilities in

Washington, D.C.

May 9 – 11, 2001 In order

to include a broad disability perspective, ED’s

Rehabilitative Services

Administration’s (RSA) VR

program actively participated in the three WIA

readiness workgroups,

led by DOL’s Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), and

ucts and strategies to

advance WIA implementation. The workgroups

were held: on May 9-11

in Philadelphia, Penn-sylvania; June 27-29 in

Washington, D.C.; and

August 22-24 in Chicago,

Illinois.

May 2001 HHS sponsors

New Opportunities for

Community Living, a conference targeted toward

states, consumers,

providers, and advocates

to share information and

ideas on home- and comJune 19, 2001

Community-Based Alternat

for Individuals with Disabil

President Bush signs

Executive Order 13217,

Community-Based

Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities

directing his agencies to swiftly implement the

Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. 1

S. Ct. 2176 (1999)(Olmstead). The Executive O

charges six agencies — DOJ, HHS, ED, DOL, 

Department of Housing and Urban Developme

(HUD), and SSA — with evaluating their agenc

policies and programs to determine whether a

should be revised to improve the availability of

community-based services for qualified individ

with disabilities.

EXECUTIV

ORDER 

13217

dissemination pro

ABLEDATA, is na

Forbes magazine 

of its “Best of th

sites in the Summ

2001 issue; ABLE

available at <ww

data.com>.

June 10-12, 2001 

sponsors Indepen

Choices: A Nation

Symposium on

Consumer Direct

Self-Determinatio

the Elderly and P

with Disabilities t
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

68

vey experiences of existing programs and demonstration projects and

identify future directions

for policy development,

research, and demonstration projects that promote effective and

responsible consumerdirected service systems

for the elderly and people

with disabilities.

June 19, 2001 President

Bush tours an assistive

technology lab at the

Department of Defense

(DOD), and announces

his strong support of the

implementation of

Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act which

requires Federal agencies

to ensure that their 

electronic and information technologies are

accessible to people with

disabilities. 

July 16 OCR and HUD

sponsored a nationwide

teleconference entitled

Understanding HUD’s

Section 8 Vouchers. The

conference call, which

attracted more than 600

participants, was

designed to assist states,

consumers, and others

involved in Olmstead

implementation by providing; 1) information to

help address the critical

shortage of accessible

and affordable rental

housing for people with

disabilities; 2) best practices for maximizing

choice and consumer

control; and 3) strategies

for expanding access to

Section 8 vouchers for

people with disabilities.

Incentives Improv

Act (TWWIIA) by 

people with disab

become and rem

petitively employ

grants will enable 

to increase servic

supports to work

well as to help ot

return to work w

the fear of losing 

coverage. 

August 15, 2001 H

holds National Te

ference Call to ga

public comments 

implementation o

President Bush’s 

tive Order, Comm

Alternatives for P

with Disabilities.

August 21, 2001 

settles disability b

for $650,000 aga

United Blood. Th

nationwide assessment

is a first step in carrying

out Executive Order

13217 directing Federal

agencies to assist states

in expanding communitybased services for people

with disabilities; additionally, it will include a

national public comment

meeting in Washington

this summer, a written

comment process

announced in the Federal

Register, and a series of

toll-free teleconference

sessions to help people

throughout the country to

easily share their observations and ideas.

July 26, 2001 Secretary of

Transportation Mineta

signs DOT’s new

Accessibility Policy

Statement, signifying his

commitment to the

July 26, 2001

11th Anniversary of the

Americans with Disabilities Act
Final Report 

holds a Listening Session

to gather public comments on the implementation of President Bush’s

Executive Order on

Community Alternatives

for People with

Disabilities.

September 28, 2001

Secretary of Health and

Human Services

Thompson announces

$64 million in new grants

to states so that they can

ensure that people with

disabilities or long-term

illnesses can live in the

most integrated setting

suited to their needs,

exercise meaningful

choices about their living

arrangements, and exercise more control over

the providers of the services they receive. The

four Systems Changes

for Community Living

grants are: 1) Real Choice

Systems Change grants

to help states design and

implement effective and

enduring improvements

in community long-term

support systems to

enable children and

adults of any age who

have disabilities or longterm illnesses to live and

participate in their communities; 2) Community

nursing facility transitions

in centers for independent; and 4) National

Technical Assistance

Exchange for Community

Living grants to provide

technical assistance,

training, and information

to states, consumers,

families, and other agencies and organizations. 

October 1, 2001 Secretary

of Labor Chao announces

$11.3 million in Federal

grants to support increasing the number of

Americans with disabilities into the workforce by

developing innovative

programs and technical

assistance that will

improve employment

Disabilities, and High

School/High Tech (HS/HT)

Programs. 

October 1, 2001 National

Child Health Day focused

on the theme All Aboard

the 2010 Express: A 10-

Year Action Plan to

Achieve CommunityBased Service Systems

for Children and Youth

with Special Health Care

Needs and Their

Families. The Action

Plan includes transition to

all aspects of adulthood,

including from pediatric

to adult health care,

employment, and independence. HHS mailed

more than 5,000 kits to

states and communities

October 3, 2001 P

Bush establishes

Presidential Com

on Excellence in 

Education to colle

mation and study 

related to Federa

and local special 

tion programs wi

goal of recomme

policies for impro

education perform

students with dis

October 24, 2001

NATIONAL DISABILITY MENTORING DAY — 

Twenty-five federal agencies and businesses in more than 30 states particip

in National Disability Mentoring Day.

President B

proclaim

National Disa

Employme

Awareness M
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

70

evaluation of the effec

tiveness of the centers.

Another center will target

learning disabilities, while

still another will work to

identify effective practices to meet the needs

of very young children

with or at risk for behavioral problems.

October 5, 2001 ED

awards more than $7.8

million to 24 states and

territories to help reform

and improve services for

children with disabilities. 

dents with disabilities in

connection with the

upcoming reauthorization

of the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA). Subsequent

meetings were held 

over the next several

months.

October 16, 2001 OSERS

holds the first in a series

of public meetings to

gather information on the

status of special education and needs of students with disabilities in

Mobile, Alabama.

Subsequent meetings

were held throughout the

country over the next

several weeks.

October 19 – 20, 2001

The Presidential Task

Force on Employment of

Adults with Disabilities

(Task Force) co-sponsors

Conference on Asian

Americans and Pacific

Islanders with

Disabilities, held in

Oakland, California.

October 24, 2001

Secretary of Labor Chao

created and convened a

15-member Youth

Advisory Committee to

advise the Secretary of

Labor and her designees,

including the Office of

issues affecting young

people with disabilities. 

October 29, 2001 HHS

announces $20 million in

additional assistance to

eight states and the

District of Columbia to

support critically needed

mental health and substance abuse services

following the September

11 terrorist attacks.

November 19, 2001 A

national event in Broward

County, Florida, for Child

Health Day showcased

the efforts of one community of excellence to

put in place a family-centered, comprehensive,

coordinated system of

care for children and

youth with special health

care needs. 

December 12-13, 2001

HHS holds a National

Summit on Children and

Youth with Special Health

Care Needs in Washington, D.C., showcasing

community and state

successes, models, and

best practices related to

building community systems for children with

special health care

needs. The Summit was

co-sponsored by HRSA,

Pediatrics, the M

Dimes, and other 

zations.

December 17, 200

announced that a 

million consent d

with retail giant W

Stores was signe

Federal District C

Judge Garland Bu

Sacramento, Calif

The decree resolv

EEOC’s lawsuit w

alleged that Wal-

pre-employment 

tionnaire, Matrix 

Essential Job Fun

violated the ADA

to the decree also 

agreed to settle 1

ADA lawsuits file

against Wal-Mart 

states. More info

is available on EE

web site at <ww

gov/press/12-17-0

January 2002 DOJ 

the ADA Busines

Connection, an in

outreach and tec

assistance initiativ

aimed at assisting 

businesses in com

with the ADA and 

grating individuals 

disabilities into th

force. 

December 2001

Agencies presented 

“Delivering 

on the 

Promise”

a preliminary report to

the President 

in response to

Executive Order

13217. 
Final Report 

announces agreements

with 21 local governments requiring physical

modifications to facilities

and improvements in

communications so that

people with disabilities

have better access to the

localities’ programs, services, and activities.

February 14, 2002 HHS’

SAMHSA announces

availability of $13 million

for the development of

community-based mental

health services for children and their families. 

February 20, 2002 HHS’

SAMHSA announces

availability of funds to

develop comprehensive

transition programs serving youth with serious

emotional disturbances

or serious metal illnesses

as they enter adulthood. 

March 4-5, 2002 Secretary

Chao convenes first

meeting of the Youth

Advisory Committee in

Washington, D.C. The

final meeting of the

Youth Advisory Committee will be August 10-12,

2002. 

March 11-14, 2002 SSA,

DOL, and HHS, in coordination with the Task

Force and others, cosponsor the 2002

National Workforce

Inclusion Conference in

Los Angeles for state and

Federal programs supporting employment of

people with disabilities.

Information about this

conference is available on

the State Partnership

Systems Change Initiative web site at <spiconnect.org>.

March 19, 2002 OSERS

holds the first of its public meetings on implementation of the

Rehabilitation Act in 

New York City; subsequent meetings are held

throughout the country

over the next several

months.

March 25, 2002 Secretary

of Health and Human

Services Thompson presented President Bush

with reports from nine

Federal agencies outlining more than 400 specific solutions that the agencies can implement to

support community living

for the nearly 54 million

Americans living with dis

for Community Living

program to enable states

to improve their community long-term care systems for people with disabilities and long-term illnesses. 

April 1, 2002 EEOC

announced a series of

workshops designed to

share information on the

employment of individuals with disabilities with

small businesses nationwide. Information on

these workshops is available on EEOC’s web site

at <www.eeoc.gov/

press/4-1-02.html>.

April 18, 2002 The Office

of Personnel Management (OPM) and SSA cosponsored the Federal

Forum on Ticket To Work.

The Forum educated

Federal employers about

the TTW Program

April 29, 2002 Pre

Bush signs a new 

tive order creatin

Mental Health Co

sion, which will re

mend improveme

the public system

serve adults and 

with serious men

emotional disorde

Commission is ch

with reviewing th

and effectiveness 

lic and private pro

and governments 

ering services to 

with serious men

ness and children 

serious emotiona

bances, and with 

ing policies that g

<

May 1, 2002

Secretary of Labor Chao announces the

award of $5.5 million to 12 organizations

for multi-state programs to

expand career opportunities

for individuals with disabilities under the ETA’s

Disability Employment

Grant program. g
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

72

with Disabilities and

Proyecto Vision: Training/

Technical Assistance

Center for Latinos with

Disabilities co-sponsor

Providing Culturally

Competent Disability

Services to Persons Born

in Other Countries:

International Conference

in Washington, D.C.

May 9, 2002 Secretary of

Health and Human

Services Thompson,

Secretary of Labor Chao,

Department of Housing

and Urban Development

the Administration will

take toward meeting the

New Freedom goals. 

May 15, 2002 Office of

Personnel Management

Director James launched

the Federal Long Term

Care Insurance Program,

under which approximately 20 million Federal

employees and members

of the uniformed services, including people

with disabilities, can

apply for coverage.

May 20, 2002 ED releases

its 23rd Annual Report to

Congress on the

Implementation of IDEA.

May 29 – 31, 2002 ED’s

NIDRR co-sponsors

Bridging Gaps: Refining

the Disability Research

Agenda for Rehabilitation

and the Social Sciences

in Washington, D.C.

May 30 – June 1, 2002

ED’s NIDRR and HHS’

SAMHSA co-sponsor

Building on Family

Strengths: Research and

Services in Support of

Children and their

Families.

Institute holds its annual

symposium, entitled SSA

Disability Benefits: Apply,

Qualify...Return to Work.

June 21, 2002 DOL, ED,

SSA, and HHS hold a

public interagency forum

on the reauthorization of

WIA and issues relating

to the employment of

people with disabilities. 

June 25-27, 2002 The first

RSA and ETA co-sponsored One-Stop reviews

begin in New Hampshire,

to be followed by two

additional reviews this

fiscal year, in Minnesota

in July, and in Oregon in

September.

June 26-27, 2002 The

Departments of Labor

and Transportation cosponsor a National

Summit on Employment

and Transportation in

keynote speaker 

Summit. The 150 

pants included tra

tion leaders, disab

advocates, riders 

abilities, state tran

tion and employm

administrators, lo

portation authorit

providers, and loc

force developmen

July 9-12, 2002 DO

Workforce Innova

2002 in Nashville

Tennessee, whic

includes worksho

assistive technolo

TTW implementa

well as site visits 

local Technology 

Center funded by 

May 10, 2002

Secretary of Labor

Chao announces the

award of $20 million

to 23 state and local

workforce investment areas to

expand career

opportunities for

people with 

disabilities through

enhanced service

delivery in the 

One-Stop Center

system.

$20M
Final Report 

National Vocational Rehabilitation 

Act of 1920

Established Federal/State system of rehabilitation

services.

Social Security of Act of 1935

Established Federal/State system of health

services for “crippled” children; permanently

authorized civilian rehabilitation program.

Wagner-O’Day Act of 1938

Authorized Federal purchases from workshops

for people who are blind.

Randolph-Sheppard Act of 1938

Authorized Federal program to employ people

who are blind as vendors on Federal property.

Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1954

Authorized innovation and expansion grants, and

grants to colleges and universities for professional

training.

Wagner-Peyser Act Amendments of 19

Required Federal/State employment securi

offices to designate staff members to assist p

with severe disabilities.

Social Security Amendments of 1956

Established Social Security Disability Insura

Trust Fund; provided for payments to eligib

workers who became disabled.

National Defense Education 

Act of 1958

Authorized Federal assistance for preparati

teachers of children with disabilities.

Mental Retardation Facilities and

Community Mental Health Centers

Construction Act of 1963

Provided grants for construction of mental

retardation research centers and facilities;

provided for training of educational person

involved with youth with disabilities; autho

grants to states for construction of commun

mental health centers.

y

Legislative Initiatives*

* Adapted from Kay F. Schriner and Andrew I. Batavia, “Disability Law and Social Policy,” Encyclopedia of Disability and Rehabilitation, New Yo

& Schuster Macmillan, 1995, with summaries of legislation enacted since 1995 contributed by Carri George, Rebecca Ogle, Bobby Silverstei

Department of Justice’s 1997 publication, A Guide to Disability Rights Laws. This chart includes laws and amendments to laws significant to the 

this report and is not intended to be exhaustive or all-inclusive.
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

74

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of

1965

Authorized Federal aid to states and localities for

educating deprived children, including children

with disabilities.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Amendments of 1966

Created National Advisory Committee on

Handicapped Children; created Bureau of

Education for the Handicapped in U.S. Office of

Education.

Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1966

Established standards for employment of workers

with disabilities, allowing for subminimum

wages.

Elementary and Secondary Education

Amendments of 1967

Authorized regional resource centers; authorized

centers and services for deaf-blind children.

Handicapped Children’s Early Education

Assistance Act of 1968

Established grant program for preschool and

early education of children with disabilities.

Vocational Education Act Amendments 

of 1968

Required participating states to earmark 10

percent of basic vocational education allotment

for youth with disabilities.

level planning council.

Urban Mass Transportation Act

Amendment of 1970

Authorized grants to states and localities fo

accessible mass transportation.

Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act of 1971

Extended purchase authority to workshops 

people with severe disabilities in addition t

blindness; retained through 1976 preference 

workshops for people who are blind.

Social Security Amendments of 1972

Extended Medicare coverage to individuals 

disabilities; established Supplemental Secur

Income program for elderly people and for 

persons and other persons with disabilities

Small Business Investment Act

Amendments of 1972

Established the “Handicapped Assistance L

Program” to provide loans to nonprofit she

workshops and individuals with disabilitie

Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Prohibited disability discrimination in Fede

assisted programs and activities and Federa

agencies; required affirmative action progra

people with disabilities by Federal agencies 

some Federal contractors; established the

Architectural and Transportation Barriers

Compliance Board.
Final Report 

Housing and Community Development Act

of 1974

Established Section 8 housing program for lowincome families, including individuals with

disabilities and/or their families.

Developmental Disabled Assistance and

Bill of Rights Act of 1975

Described congressional findings regarding rights

of persons with developmental disabilities;

established funding for protection and advocacy

systems; added requirement that State plan

include deinstitutionalization plan; required states

to develop and annually review rehabilitation

plans for all clients.

Education for All Handicapped Children

Act of 1975

Required states to establish policy assuring free

appropriate public education for children with

disabilities as condition for receiving Part B funds;

established procedural safeguards, procedures for

mainstreaming children with disabilities to the

maximum extent possible, and procedures for

nondiscriminatory testing and evaluation

practices.

Civil Rights Commission Act of 1978

Expanded jurisdiction of Civil Rights Comm

to disability discrimination.

Department of Education Organizatio

of 1979

Established Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services in new cabinet-level

Department of Education.

Civil Rights of Institutionalized Perso

Act of 1980

Empowered Department of Justice to bring 

against states for allegedly violating rights 

institutionalized persons with disabilities.

Job Training Partnership Act of 1982

Authorized training and placement services 

“economically disadvantaged” individuals,

including persons with disabilities.

Education of the Handicapped Act

Amendments of 1983

Authorized grants for training parents of ch

with disabilities.

Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Ac

Amendments of 1984

Required states’ child protection agencies to

develop procedures for responding to repor

newborns with disabling conditions were b

denied treatment; established conditions fo

requiring such treatment.
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

76

Consolidated Omnibus Budget

Reconciliation Act of 1985

Expanded the definition of “habilitation” for

Home and Community-Based Waiver recipients

with developmental disabilities to cover certain

pre-vocational services and supported

employment for previously institutionalized

individuals; authorized states to cover ventilatordependent children under the waiver program if

they would otherwise require continued inpatient

care.

Education of the Handicapped Act

Amendments of 1986

Authorized a new grant program for states to

develop an early intervention system for infants

and toddlers with disabilities and their families,

and provide greater incentives for states to

provide preschool programs for children with

disabilities between the ages of three and five.

Handicapped Children’s Protection Act of

1986

Authorized courts to award reasonable attorneys

fees to parents who prevail in due process

proceedings and court actions under Part B of the

Education of the Handicapped Act.

Employment Opportunities for Disabled

Americans Act of 1986

Made the Section 1619(a) and 1619(b) work

incentives a permanent feature of the Social

Security Act; added provisions to enable

individuals to move back and forth among

regular SSI, Section 1619(a) and Section 1619(b)

eligibility status.

functional (as well as categorical) criteria; d

“employability” for first time; added formu

grant program for supported employment;

renamed research branch the National Insti

Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Air Carrier Access Act of 1986

Prohibited disability discrimination in prov

of air transportation.

Protection and Advocacy for Mentally 

Individuals Act of 1986

Authorized formula grant program for state

advocacy services for persons with mental 

provided directly by, or under contract with

protection and advocacy system for person

developmental disabilities.

Developmental Disabilities and Bill o

Rights Act Amendments of 1987

Raised minimum allotment levels for basic 

grant program and protection and advocacy

systems; increased minimum allotment for

university-affiliated programs, basic State g

program, and protection and advocacy syst

The Technology-Related Assistance fo

Individuals with Disabilities Act of 19

Provided grants to states to develop statew

assistive technology programs.
Final Report 

Television Decoder Circuitry Act 

of 1990

Required new television sets to have capability

for close-captioned television transmission.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

Prohibited disability discrimination in

employment, public services and public

accommodations operated by private entities;

required that telecommunication services be

made accessible.

Rehabilitation Act Amendments 

of 1992

Changed eligibility requirements and procedures

for determining eligibility; strengthened

requirements for interagency cooperation;

strengthened consumer involvement

requirements, and provided that ADA Title I

Standards shall be applied to determine whether

there has been non-affirmative action

discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act.

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

Allowed workers to take up to 12 weeks of

unpaid leave a year to care for newborn and

adopted children and family members with

serious health conditions or to recover from

serious health conditions.

educational goals and carrying out systemi

school reform for all children with disabiliti

Telecommunications Act of 1996

Required telecommunications manufacture

service providers to ensure that equipment 

designed, developed and fabricated to be

accessible to and usable by individuals with

disabilities, if readily achievable.

Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996

Improved access to health care for some

Americans by guaranteeing that private hea

insurance is available, portable, renewable, 

limited pre-existing condition exclusions.

Mental Health Parity Act of 1996

Included a provision that prohibits insuran

companies from having lower annual or life

caps for treatment of mental illness than for

treatment of other medical conditions.

Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 199

Required work in exchange for time-limited

assistance; Temporary Assistance to Needy

Families (TANF) replaced the former welfar

programs, ending the Federal entitlement to

assistance; states, territories, and tribes rece

block grant allocation with a requirement o

states to maintain a historical level of State

spending known as maintenance of effort.
The Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Di

78

Formally called P.L. 94-142 or the Education of All

Handicapped Children Act of 1975, IDEA requires

public schools to make available to all eligible

children with disabilities a free, appropriate

public education in the least restrictive

environment appropriate to their individual

needs.

Workforce Investment Act of 1998

Required consolidation of several Federal

education, training, and employment programs;

reauthorized Rehabilitation Act programs

through Fiscal Year 2003 and linked those

programs to State and local workforce

development systems; expanded Section 508 to

ensure that all Federal departments and agencies

procure, use and maintain accessible electronic

and information technology.

Year Plans reflecting their preferences and o

matters such as changes in the “disability-re

tenant composition” of the housing those a

offer and accessibility issues. Public housin

agencies must also certify that their plans a

implementation comply with all Federal civ

rights and fair housing laws including thos

which cover persons with disabilities in add

to covering other protected classes.

Assistive Technology Act of 1998

Authorized State grant programs and prote

and advocacy systems to address the assisti

technology needs of people with disabilities

authorized the development of alternative

financing mechanisms to assist people with

disabilities in purchasing assistive technolo

Ticket to Work and Work Incentives

Improvement Act of 1999

Allowed for Medicaid and/or Medicare ben

for many people with disabilities who go to 

provided for a “ticket to work and self

sufficiency” which allows Social Security

beneficiaries with disabilities choice and

expanded options in pursuing employment 

employment supports.
For More Information, Please Contact:

U.S. Department of Labor ◆ Office of Disability Employment Policy

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room S1303 ◆ Washington, D.C. 20210

(202) 693-7880 main voice ◆ (202) 693-7888 main fax ◆ (202) 693-7881 main T

www.dol.gov/odep