New Freedom

Initiative

A PROGRESS REPORT

MARCH 2004
Table of Contents 

Executive Summary 3

Background 7

Chapter 1. Increasing Access Through Technology 10

Chapter 2. Expanding Educational Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities 15

Chapter 3. Integrating Americans with Disabilities into the Workplace 19

Chapter 4. Promoting Full Access to Community Life 27
Executive Summary 

The President’s New Freedom Initiative for People with Disabilities: 

The 2004 Progress Report 

Introduction 

Announced in February 2001, the New Freedom Initiative is President George W. Bush’s bold 

plan to tear down the remaining barrie rs to full integration into American life that many of this 

Nation’s 54 million citizens with disabilities still face. This Progress Report highlights 

accomplishments under the New Freedom Initiative since the issuance of the May 2002 Progress 

Report. 

Increasing Access Through Technology 

Assistive and universally designed technology offers people with disabilities better access than 

ever before to education, the workplace, and community life. To promote the development and 

dissemination of technology for individuals with disabilities, the President has: 

• Secured $120 million over three fiscal years (FY 2002 through FY 2004) to promote the 

development of assistive and universally designed technology and to fund alternative 

financing programs, such as low-interest, long-term loans to put technology into the 

hands of more people with disabilities; 

• Created a working group of Federal agencies that developed strategies for improving 

access to assistive technology mobility devices (i.e., wheelchairs and scooters); 

• Established DisabilityInfo.gov, a web portal providing information about the array of 

Federal programs that affect people with disabilities; and 

• Promoted full implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires 

that electronic and information technology purchased, maintained, and used by the 

Federal government be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. 

Inspired by the vision of the New Freedom Initiative, agencies did the following to further 

promote access to technology for people with disabilities: 

• Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans announced an eight-point plan to promote the 

development of assistive and universally designed technology nationally and 

internationally. 

• The Department of Defense significantly expanded its Computer/Electronic 

Accommodations Program (CAP), which now provides assistive technology for 

employees with disabilities in 58 agencies. 
Expanding Educational Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities 

A quality education is critical to ensur e that individuals with disabilities can work and fully 

participate in their communities. The President has done the following to ensure that no child 

with a disability is left behind by our Nation’s education system: 

• Secured more than $3.7 billion in additional annual funding for the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act Part B State Grants program since FY 2001 (for a total of 

nearly $10.1 billion in FY 2004), and proposed an increase of $1 billion in FY 2005; and 

• Established the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education, which 

issued a report in July 2002 emphasizing, among other things, the importance of 

accountability under the No Child Left Behind Act for the educational outcomes of 

students with disabilities. 

Additionally, agencies are advancing the New Freedom Initiative’s goal of ensuring a quality 

education for youth with disabilities. 

• The Department of Education, alone and in collaboration with other agencies, has 

recently funded a number of grants and studies to determine what strategies best enable 

students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum and what kinds of 

early interventions promote the best results for students with disabilities. 

• Several agencies have supported activities that reach out to youth with disabilities who 

are making the transition from high school education to other life goals, including postsecondary education and work. 

Integrating Americans with Disabilities Into the Workforce 

More than a decade after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the unemployment rate 

of people with severe disabilities remains stubbornly high. To bring more people with 

disabilities into the workplace, the President has: 

• Secured $20 million for a fund to help individuals with disabilities purchase technology 

needed to telework; 

• Continued to support a proposal that would exclude from an employee’s taxable income 

the value of computers, software, and other equipment provided for telecommuting; 

• Ensured implementation of the landmark “Ticket to Work” program, so that Social 

Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability beneficiaries who want to 

work can choose their own employment related services; 

• Promoted vigorous enforcement of the ADA and challenged Federal agencies to do 

innovative outreach to employers, particularly small businesses; and 

• Secured funding for a number of demonstration projects aimed at removing disincentives 

to work that currently exist in the Social Security and SSI disability benefit system. 

Federal agencies have also undertaken the following activities to promote increased employment 

opportunities for people with disabilities: 
• The Department of Labor and other agencies have worked to improve the capacity of 

community One-Stop Career Centers to provide employment-related services to people 

with disabilities. 

• The Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are each 

working to promote employer best practices for the hiring and retention of qualified 

individuals with disabilities. 

• The Office of Personnel Management and other Federal agencies have worked to 

promote the Federal government as a model employer of people with disabilities. 

• Several agencies have complemented outreach efforts to employers with outreach to 

people with disabilities, educating them about their rights and responsibilities under the 

ADA as future employees. 

Promoting Full Access to Community Life 

The Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), said that, wherever 

possible, people with disabilities should be provided services in the community, rather than in 

institutions. For the promise of full integration into the community to become a reality, people 

with disabilities need safe and affordable housing, access to transportation, access to the political 

process, and the right to enjoy whatever services, programs, and activities are offered to all 

members of the community at both public and private facilities. The President has done the 

following to promote full integration of individuals with disabilities into the community: 

• Issued an Executive Order calling for swift implementation of Olmstead, which resulted 

in a report identifying barriers to full integration that exist in Federal programs and 

proposing more than 400 solutions for removal of these barriers; 

• Proposed a budget increase of $2.2 billion over the next five years for the Department of 

Health and Human Services to fund demonstration projects that promote communitybased services for people with disabilities; 

• Proposed $918 million over six years to remove transportation barriers still faced by 

individuals with disabilities; 

• Established the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which issued a report 

recommending ways to improve America’s mental health care delivery system; and 

• Secured $15 million under the Help America Vote Act to improve access to voting for 

people with disabilities. 

Agencies have also done or are doing the following to advance the goal of full integration of 

people with disabilities into the community: 

Implementation of Olmstead 

• Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson established the Office on 

Disability to coordinate disability programs across HHS agencies. 

• The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded nearly $160 million in Real 

Systems Change Grants since 2001 to support community-based services for people with 

disabilities. 

• In FY 2003, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services funded a $6 million demonstration grant that enables state and 
community-based providers to test new strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining 

direct service workers. 

• The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have entered into an 

agreement under which HHS refers Olmstead-related complaints to DOJ’s ADA 

mediation program. To date, several complaints have been successfully mediated. 

Housing 

• Thirty percent of the families participating in the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development’s home ownership voucher program include family members with 

disabilities. 

• During FY 2003, the Department of Housing and Urban Development trained more than 

1,500 housing professionals under its Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST initiative, which 

helps architects and builders to design and construct apartments and condominiums with 

legally required accessibility features. 

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development has funded grants to enable older 

individuals and individuals with disabilities to remain in their homes and live 

independently in their communities. 

• The Department of Justice has vigorously enforced the Fair Housing Act, filing fifteen 

lawsuits during the past two years against developers, architects, and civil engineers who 

designed inaccessible multi-family housing, and resolving another fifteen cases through 

consent decrees. 

Transportation 

• The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued a report, 

entitled “Freedom to Travel,” based on the first national survey of the views of people 

with disabilities about transportation. 

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently issued a Final 

Rule regulating platform lifts and their installation in new motor vehicles. 

• Since the inception of its Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, the Department of 

Transportation has funded over 200 state and local grantees in 44 states to provide new 

employment transportation services for low-income persons, including persons with 

disabilities. 

• The Departments of Transportation, Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services 

are sponsoring “United We Ride,” a five-part initiative to assist states and communities in 

coordinating human service transportation. 

Improving Access 

• The Solicitor General intervened in the Supreme Court case of Tennessee v. Lane to 

defend the constitutionality of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act as applied 

to state governments. 

• The Department of Justice has reached 36 agreements with towns and cities under 

“Project Civic Access,” an effort to ensure that towns and cities across America are fully 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

• In 2003, the Department of Justice has achieved favorable action for persons with 

disabilities in well over 350 matters. 
Background 

On February 1, 2001, fewer than two weeks after his administration began, President George W. 

Bush announced the New Freedom Initiative. The New Freedom Initiative is a comprehensive 

strategy for the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of American life. 

In 2001, more than a decade after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the 

unemployment rate for people with severe disabilities remained unacceptably high – as high as 

seventy percent according to some estimates. Too many people with disabilities who could be 

living in the community with family and friends were still in institutions. People with disabilities 

had less access to transportation and education than the population at large. And technology, 

which holds such tremendous promise for people with disabilities, was still inaccessible to many 

of them. 

While recognizing the critical role that the ADA has played in removing barriers – both 

architectural and attitudinal – faced by this Nation’s 54 million people with disabilities, the New 

Freedom Initiative recognizes that more work needs to be done. For example, while the ADA 

makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against qualified applicants and employees 

because of disability, reliable transportation, a quality education, and access to technology are 

equally important to reducing the unemployment rate of people with disabilities. The Supreme 

Court’s landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), stated that people with 

disabilities should be provided services in the community rather than in institutions, whenever 

appropriate. Olmstead was an important step toward achieving the promise of full integration of 

people with disabilities into the community. But this promise can only be realized if biases in 

our Medicaid system that favor institutional treatment change and only if safe and affordable 

housing options are available. 

Much progress toward breaking down the barriers that still confront individuals with disabilities 

has been made since the announcement of the New Freedom Initiative. This Report summarizes 

significant activities that have occurred since publication of the first New Freedom Initiative 

Progress Report in May 2002. 

Some of this progress builds on efforts undertaken during the first year of the New Freedom 

Initiative. For example, on March 21, 2002, nine agencies released a report entitled Delivering 

on the Promise in response to Executive Order 13217, which called for swift implementation of 

the Olmstead decision. Progress is being made on implementing many of the report’s more than 

400 solutions to remove barriers to full integration that exist in Federal programs affecting 

people with disabilities. Presidential commissions established by Executive Orders – the 

Commission on Excellence in Special Education and the New Freedom Commission on Mental 

Health – have now completed their work and have issued reports and recommendations that will 

inform future policy development. 

The President has secured $120 million since the beginning of his administration to promote 

research and development of assistive and universally designed technology and to put technology 

into the hands of more people with disabilities. Promoting full implementation of Section 508 of 

the Rehabilitation Act, which requires the accessibility of electronic and information technology 
purchased, maintained, and used by the Federal government, also remains a priority for the 

President. 

President Bush has continued to follow through on his promise to provide more funding for the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, the President 

has secured more than $3.7 billion in additional annual funding for the IDEA Part B State Grants 

program. He has proposed a further increase of $1 billion in FY 2005. 

Since 2001, the Social Security Administration has been answering the President’s call for 

implementation of the Ticket to Work program. The program allows Social Security and 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability beneficiaries to receive a “ticket” that they can 

take to a provider of their choice in order to obtain employment-related training and services. 

Thus far, approximately 4.9 million people in 33 states and the District of Columbia now have 

tickets, and an additional 3.5 million people will be issued tickets in the remaining 17 states and 

the U.S. territories this year. 

The President continues to push for increases for the Department of Transportation to promote 

innovative solutions to transportation barriers that people with disabilities still confront. The 

Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are 

advancing the President’s commitment to full enforcement of the ADA. For example, the 

Solicitor General intervened in the Supreme Court case of Tennessee v. Lane to defend the 

constitutionality of ADA provisions that require state and local governments to make their 

programs and activities accessible to people with disabilities. DOJ, EEOC, and other agencies 

have also engaged in creative outreach efforts – to educate businesses about the advantages of 

seeing people with disabilities as potential employees and customers, and to inform people with 

disabilities about their rights and responsibilities under the ADA. The Department of Housing 

and Urban Development has promoted homeownership for people with disabilities through its 

voucher homeownership program and has provided technical assistance nationwide to architects, 

engineers, and developers on how to build accessible housing. 

Several new initiatives have also been undertaken since May 2002. An August 2002 Executive 

Memorandum called for the development of a web portal containing links to government-wide 

resources on disability. Fewer than sixty days after issuance of the Memorandum, 

DisabilityInfo.gov was launched, and the site had more than 1.5 million visitors (with 30 million 

“hits”) during 2003. A second Executive Memorandum, issued in February 2003, required 

agencies to better coordinate the availability of assistive technology mobility devices for people 

with disabilities. The working group that was created has detailed 34 agency actions that will be 

taken to make these devices more available. 

In order to further implementation of Olmstead, the President has proposed $2.2 billion in the 

budget over the next five years for the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct 

demonstration projects that promote community-based services for people with disabilities. The 

President is also supporting a number of demonstrations aimed at removing disincentives to 

work that exist in the Social Security and SSI disability benefit programs. 
Agencies have also undertaken new activities on their own to further the New Freedom 

Initiative’s goals of full integration of people with disabilities. Last July, Secretary of Commerce 

Donald Evans announced an eight-point plan for getting assistive and universally designed 

technology to the marketplace more quickly. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao established the 

New Freedom Initiative Awards, which annually recognize employers and individuals who 

promote the employment of people with disabilities. Secretary of Health and Human Services 

Tommy Thompson established the Office on Disability to coordinate HHS activities that support 

the New Freedom Initiative. And the Department of Education has undertaken a number of new 

funding projects that support the recommendations in the report of the President’s Commission 

on Excellence in Special Education. More than ever before, agencies are working together on 

initiatives that affect people with disabilities. They are also forging new partnerships with state 

and local governments, the business community, and organizations of and for individuals with 

disabilities. 

Under the leadership of President Bush, and with the New Freedom Initiative serving as a set of 

guiding principles for change, the Administration will continue its efforts to break down the 

remaining barriers to the full integration of people with disabilities into everyday American life. 
The President’s New Freedom Initiative for People with Disabilities: 

The 2004 Progress Report 

Chapter 1. Increasing Access Through Technology 

Providing Access to Technology 

New technologies are providing individuals with greater access to school, work, and community 

life. In addition to promoting the development of new assistive and universally designed 

technologies, the New Freedom Initiative helps to put assistive technology into the hands of 

more individuals with disabilities through policies that reduce barriers associated with cost. 

Accomplishments 

• The President secured $37 million in FY 2002 funding for loan programs for individuals 

with disabilities to purchase assistive technologies under Title III of the Assistive 

Technology Act of 1998. The program matches state dollars with Federal dollars to 

create alternative financing mechanisms, such as low interest, long-term loans. The 

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research made 26 new awards in 

September 2003 totaling nearly $36 million. A project to assess the performance and 

impact of the program was also funded. 

• The President secured $20 million in FY 2002, $19 million in FY 2003, and $20 million 

in FY 2004 to fund Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers to promote research on 

assistive and universally designed technology. 

• The President secured $5 million in FY 2002, FY 2003, and FY 2004 for the Assistive 

Technology Development Fund to assist small businesses in the development and transfer 

of technologies. 

• The President secured $3 million in FY 2002, FY 2003, and FY 2004 for the Interagency 

Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) to improve coordination of the Federal 

Assistive Technology Research and Development Program. Several new agencies have 

been added to the ICDR. 

Next Steps 

• The President’s FY 2005 budget includes the following: 

o $20 million for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers; 

o $15 million for the Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program; 

o $5 million for the Assistive Technology Development Fund; and 

o $3 million for the ICDR. 

Assistive Technology Mobility Devices 

In February 2003, the President signed an Executive Memorandum establishing the Interagency 

Working Group on Assistive Technology Mobility Devices. The Executive Memorandum 

directed the Working Group to: improve coordination between programs that fund or finance 
assistive technology mobility devices (i.e., wheelchairs and scooters); train vocational 

rehabilitation counselors, other service providers, and individuals with disabilities on strategies 

to maximize access to assistive technology mobility devices; and inform individuals with 

disabilities about opportunities to access assistive technology mobility devices. 

The Working Group submitted its report to the President in August 2003. It identifies 34 

specific recommendations for Federal agencies to take in response to the President’s Executive 

Memorandum. The report also identifies major Federal programs that provide financial support 

to eligible individuals with disabilities and describes how individuals with disabilities can pool 

funding from existing resources to obtain the assistive technology they need. 

DisabilityInfo.gov 

In August 2002, President Bush signed an Executive Memorandum requiring the creation of a 

cross-agency portal to make disability information easily accessible to all Americans. Fewer 

than sixty days later, Disabilityinfo.gov was launched. Operated by the Department of Labor, 

DisabilityInfo.gov streamlines access to information about Federally-sponsored employment, 

housing, job accommodations, transportation, income support, health care, state and regional 

assistance programs, technology, emergency preparedness, and other programs relevant to the 

daily lives of people with disabilities. DisabilityInfo.gov had more than 1.5 million visitors 

(more than 30 million hits) during 2003. More importantly, DisabilityInfo.gov averages over 

2,000 referrals a day to partnering websites. Beginning in February 2004, DisabilityInfo.gov 

will be hosted on FirstGov.gov, the official one-stop portal for the United States government. 

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all electronic and information technology 

purchased, maintained, or used by the Federal government be readily accessible to and usable by 

individuals with disabilities. Section 508 seeks to harness the purchasing power of the Federal 

government to promote greater accessibility of all electronic and information technology. 

President Bush strongly supports implementation of Section 508, and views compliance with 

Section 508 as integral to meeting the requirements of the E-Government Act which he signed 

into law in December 2002. The Administration has taken a number of steps to ensure 

compliance with Section 508, and although the law’s requirements apply only to the Federal 

government, initiatives are also being undertaken to promote better accessibility in the private 

sector and throughout state and local governments. 

Accomplishments 

• The Department of Justice operates a web page, www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508home.html, 

and the General Services Administration hosts an interagency website, 

www.section508.gov, both of which provide extensive technical assistance on Section 

508. In addition, the Department of Justice and the Access Board have provided 

technical assistance materials for web and software developers at the Access Board=s 

website, www.access-board.gov. These websites also serve as useful sources of 

information for private businesses, state and local governments, manufacturers of 

equipment and software, vendors, and individuals with disabilities who want to learn 
about accessible technology. 

• The Department of Justice has issued a new technical assistance publication on making 

state and local government websites accessible. 

• The Department of Justice worked closely with the Office of Management and Budget, 

the General Services Administration, the National Security Agency, and the interagency 

working group on Section 508 to develop the 2003 survey of all Federal agencies 

regarding compliance with Section 508. Federal agencies are currently responding to this 

survey, which will be completed in 2004. 

Next Steps 

• In 2004, the Department of Justice will issue a Section 508 report containing baseline 

data on the accessibility of the Federal government=s websites. 

• The Department of Justice will prepare a new comprehensive Section 508 report on 

procurement information, website compliance, and general implementation issues, based 

on the results of the 2003 survey. 

• The Department of Justice will develop a document on website accessibility for public 

accommodations similar to the one it produced for state and local governments. 

Creating a Robust Assistive Technology Industry Domestically and Internationally 

Department of Commerce Secretary Donald Evans has developed an eight-point initiative to 

support the development of assistive technologies and to promote the U.S. assistive technology 

industry. The initiative is based on recommendations from a two-year survey of the assistive 

technology industry. The Secretary announced the initiative at a July 2003 special exhibition, 

featuring 31 assistive technology exhibitors, held to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The initiative seeks to speed new technologies to 

individuals with disabilities, expand the U.S. assistive technology industry, and boost exports of 

our products and services. The development of a robust U.S. assistive technology industry will 

lead to greater assistive technology development and advancement. 

Accomplishments 

• The Department of Commerce is working with the Assistive Technology Industry 

Association (ATIA), industry trade associations, and disability organizations to provide 

data analysis to increase export promotion opportunities, provide technical manufacturing 

guidance, and catalog trade barriers. 

Next Steps 

• The Department of Commerce will reach out to industry via both technical forums and 

roundtables to engage representatives from industry and trade associations to share 

manufacturing information, discuss regulatory and trade impacts, and gain a greater 

understanding of new methods to improve the capabilities and success of U.S. assistive 

technology providers. 

• The Department of Commerce will facilitate measurement and private sector standards 

development for assistive technology devices, in coordination with standards 

organizations, government agencies, industry, and user groups, so that new technologies 
can be faster commercialized into the marketplace. 

• The Department of Commerce will work with public and private research organizations 

to catalog and raise awareness of sources of technical assistance, product ideas, and 

patented inventions that could lead to the development of new assistive technology 

devices or services. 

Other Activities 

Taking their lead from the New Freedom Initiative, agencies have undertaken a variety of new 

projects to provide individuals with disabilities greater access to technology and greater access to 

information through technology. In other instances, agencies have built on already existing 

programs in significant and innovative ways. Following are some of the most significant agency 

activities that further the New Freedom Initiative’s goal of promoting greater access through 

technology. 

Accomplishments 

• The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration provided a third 

year of funding to four grantees who are providing innovative strategies to address the 

extremely high rate of unemployment and underemployment of persons with disabilities 

by focusing on training in the high-skill, high-demand information technology sector. 

More than 625 individuals with disabilities have been training with the majority entering 

employment at average wages of $14.75 per hour. 

• The Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) is a 

centrally funded program that provides assistive technology to allow Department of 

Defense and other Federal employees with disabilities to access electronic and 

information technology. While this program existed prior to the announcement of the 

New Freedom Initiative, it has expanded significantly since then. From 2001 through 

2003, the program has entered into partnerships to provide accommodations for 58 

Federal agencies. 

• In support of the President’s E-Government initiative, CAP unveiled a revised website, at 

http://www.tricare.osd.mil/cap/, that makes it easier for customers, people with 

disabilities, and supervisors to locate information and resources. The site enables visitors 

to conduct an on-line assessment of job duties to determine accommodation solutions, 

and enables individuals to complete an on-line accommodation request form. The site 

received over 3.5 million visitors in 2003. 

• In 2003, CAP released a new totally accessible CD-Rom, “Real Solutions for Real 

Needs,” describing its services and program goals. 

• CAP’s proactive approach to disability management offers employers assistance in 

addressing the problem of increasing workers’ compensation claims resulting from 

manual dexterity problems. In FY 2003, CAP filled 346 requests for injured workers to 

support their abilities to return to work quickly as outlined in the President’s 

Management Agenda. 

• The Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research increased by seven the number of Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers 

since the announcement of the New Freedom Initiative. Rehabilitation Engineering 

Research Centers continue to develop assistive technologies, transfer assistive 
technologies to the marketplace, and identify immediate assistive technology needs of the 

disability community. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers represent the 

largest Federally-supported program responsible for advancing rehabilitation engineering 

research. 

• Training in rehabilitation technology, including assistive technology mobility devices, is 

a current priority of training programs for state vocational rehabilitation agencies funded 

by the Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration. 

• The Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration established and is 

receiving information from a workgroup tasked with improving procurement policies for 

assistive technology within state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Focused on 

procedural flexibility for state workers and choice for consumers, the workgroup will 

generate a list of possible improvements to the procurement process. 

• The Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center posted and promoted industry-tested 

transit website usability guidelines on a Federal Transit Administration website for the 

use of state and local transit agency webmasters. The guidelines include user-tested 

recommendations for Section 508 compliance for essential transit-specific graphical 

information, such as system and route maps. 

• The Department of Transportation is a major source of funding and supporter of the 

Transportation Research Board (TRB). Transportation is often a barrier for people with 

impaired vision, and a significant challenge to employment. A TRB Transit Innovations 

Deserving Exploratory Analysis project has developed a cost-effective system that helps 

clarify (for all riders) the surprisingly complex process of purchasing a ticket from transit 

fare vending machines. This system requires few modifications to existing equipment. 

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s research program is focused on 

further developing and validating a safety test procedure for electronic steering and brake 

controllers that are used by persons with disabilities. 
Chapter 2. Expanding Educational Opportunities 

for Youth with Disabilities 

Increasing Funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

The President has delivered on his promise in the New Freedom Initiative to increase funding for 

the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which requires that eligible students 

with disabilities be provided a free appropriate public education. 

Accomplishments 

• Since FY 2001, the President has obtained more than $3.7 billion in additional annual 

funding for the IDEA Part B State Grants program. In FY 2004, nearly $10.1 billion are 

available for this program, which represents an increase of 59% since 2001. 

Next Steps 

• The President’s FY 2005 budget proposal includes another $1 billion increase for the 

IDEA Part B State Grants program. 

President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education 

Executive Order 13227, issued on October 2, 2001, created the President’s Commission on 

Excellence in Special Education and charged the Commission with collecting information, 

studying issues related to Federal, state and local programs, and recommending policies for 

improving the educational performance of students with disabilities. The Commission, which 

was chaired by former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, held thirteen public hearings in cities 

nationwide and considered the views of hundreds of experts in the field of education, parents of 

children with disabilities, and individuals with disabilities themselves. 

The Commission submitted its final report to the President on July 1, 2002. The report, entitled 

A New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for Children and Their Families, 

http://www.ed.gov/inits/commissionsboards/whspecialeducation/reports/index.html,

presents the following broad recommendations:

1. Focus on results -- not on process. While IDEA must retain the legal and procedural 

safeguards necessary to guarantee a “free appropriate public education” for children with 

disabilities, it will only fulfill its intended purpose by raising expectations for students 

and becoming more results-oriented, rather than driven by process, litigation, regulation, 

and confrontation. 

2. Embrace a model of prevention, not a model of failure. Reforms must move the system 

toward early identification and swift intervention, using scientifically based instruction 

and teaching methods. This will require changes in the Nation’s elementary and 

secondary schools, as well as reforms in teacher preparation, recruitment, and support. 

3. Consider children with disabilities as general education children first. Special education 

should not be treated as a separate cost system, and evaluations of spending must be 
based on all child expenditures, including funds from general education. Funding 

arrangements should not create an incentive for special education identification or 

become an option for isolating children with learning and behavior problems. Flexibility 

in the use of all educational funds, including those provided through IDEA, is essential. 

Improving Educational Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities 

The Department of Education, sometimes in collaboration with other Federal agencies, funds 

numerous studies aimed at improving educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities. 

The New Freedom Initiative and the recommendations of the President’s Commission on 

Excellence in Special Education have shaped recent funding priorities, as the following notable 

projects demonstrate. 

Accomplishments 

• In September 2003, the Department of Education and the Department of Health and 

Human Services funded eight research projects to explore the effectiveness of curriculum 

interventions or programs in preparing at-risk children for school. The projects have an 

emphasis on early reading intervention curriculum research and evaluation. 

• In September 2002, the Office of Special Education Programs at the Department of 

Education supplemented the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum at the 

Center for Applied Special Technology, Inc. (CAST), to define voluntary accessibility 

standards that would increase the quality and timely availability of accessible versions of 

print textbooks to PreK-12 students with disabilities (e.g., Braille textbooks for students 

who are blind). A forty-member National File Format (NFF) Technical Panel, 

representing educators, publishers, technology specialists, and advocacy groups, achieved 

consensus on a set of standards. It is anticipated that the Panel's finding and 

recommendations will be made public in the very near future. The NFF Panel work is 

documented at http://www.cast.org/nff. 

• Newly funded in FY 2003 by the Department of Education, the National Drop-Out 

Prevention Center for Youth with Disabilities at Clemson University aims to increase 

rates of school completion by students with disabilities, emphasizing drop-out prevention 

for enrolled students and re-entry into education by students who have dropped out of 

school. 

• In July 2003, the Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration 

announced a funding priority to focus attention on the adult literacy needs of individuals 

with learning disabilities pursuing employment under the state vocational rehabilitation 

services program. Projects supported under this priority will demonstrate whether certain 

specific literacy services may raise the literacy levels and earnings of individuals with 

disabilities. 

• The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services have 

formed a partnership to support research to enhance literacy and employment skills of 

young American adults. Three research grants were awarded in FY 2003. 

• The Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs recently funded 

two centers related to student progress monitoring, an underutilized, scientifically-based 

practice that helps teachers better target instruction to enhance student learning. 
• The Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs funds a set of 

directed projects that pursue a systematic program of research designed to increase our 

understanding of access to the general education curriculum for students with significant 

cognitive disabilities. 

Youth Transition 

As the New Freedom Initiative results in better educational opportunities and outcomes for more 

people with disabilities, it is critical that efforts are undertaken to promote the successful 

transition of youth to post-secondary school, work, and other goals. The Administration supports 

this transition in a number of ways, including through programs that promote mentoring. 

Accomplishments 

• As a result of a collaborative effort between the Department of Labor and the Department 

of Education, over $880,000 was awarded in 2003 to six faith-based and community 

intermediary organizations to help build the capacity and knowledge of fa ith-based and 

community organizations to provide mentoring services to young people with disabilities. 

• In March 2003, the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services began an initiative with the Mitsubishi Electric America 

Foundation. The purpose of the partnership was to convene Federal agencies and 

foundations active in funding programs for youth with disabilities to explore working 

cooperatively, leveraging resources and expertise, jointly identifying priority goals, and 

cultivating projects to improve outcomes for youth with disabilities. 

• A set of model projects being funded by the Department of Education’s Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services demonstrate new or improved approaches to 

participation and successful interagency collaboration in planning for the transition of 

youth with disabilities from school to post-school goals and objectives like postsecondary education or training, employment, independent living, and community 

participation. 

• In September 2003, the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services partnered with the National Center on Secondary Education and 

Transition (NCSET), to sponsor a National Leadership Summit in collaboration with 

fifteen Federal agencies and national organizations. The purpose of the national summit 

was to provide a forum for states to increase their capacity to work collaboratively on the 

issues of improved outcomes for youth with disabilities. A coordinated technical 

assistance plan based on the work of the summit is being developed to help guide 

technical assistance strategies targeted to state needs. 

• The Partnerships for Effective Youth Transitions is a set of model projects that 

demonstrates the development of comprehensive services systems designed to meet 

unique developmental needs of transitioning youth with a serious emotional disturbance 

and/or emerging mental illness and their families. Model projects are currently being 

funded in Pennsylvania, Maine, Minnesota, Utah, and Washington. This is a 

collaborative effort between the Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for 

Mental Health Services and the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education 

and Rehabilitative Services. 
• In November 2003, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Family and Youth 

Services Bureau hosted the Second National Youth Summit, which included sessions on 

transition issues for youth with disabilities. This Summit drew approximately 1,200 

participants, including 300 youth leaders. Sessions included information on youth with 

disabilities making a successful transition to employment and lifelong learning, and 

highlighted particular youth development projects. 

• Since 2001, the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy has 

hosted Disability Mentoring Day, in collaboration with the American Association of 

People with Disabilities and corporate sponsors. On October 15, 2003, almost 7,000 

young people from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico 

spent the day in hundreds of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government 

institutions. In addition, Disability Mentoring Day expanded its international reach with 

celebrations in Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Kenya, 

Kosovo, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, and the United Kingdom. 

• In 2003, the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy provided 

approximately $6.3 million in new grant monies to support workforce development 

systems change projects geared toward improving transition results for youth with 

disabilities through the incorporation of evidence-based design features into the system of 

youth service delivery. 

• In FY 2003, the Social Security Administration provided more than $5 million in grants 

to selected states to improve the way services are provided for youth transitioning from 

high school into adult life. The project involves coordination of state and Federal 

resources and targets individuals ages 14 to 25 who receive Supplemental Security 

Income benefits. The President has secured $10.2 million for this project in FY 2004 and 

has requested $9.9 million for FY 2005. 
Chapter 3. Integrating Americans with Disabilities into the Workplace 

Expanding Telecommuting 

Telework is continuing to gain in popularity in both the private and public sectors. President 

Bush believes that the ability to telework increases available employment options for individuals 

with disabilities, and his New Freedom Initiative directs that activities be undertaken to promote 

the expansion of telework options. 

Accomplishments 

• The President established the Access to Telework Fund program to allow individuals 

with disabilities to work from home or from other remote sites away from the office. 

Under this program, individuals with disabilities, their families, guardians, advocates, and 

other authorized representatives will have increased access to computers and other 

equipment, including adaptive equipment, through state programs that offer alternative 

financing mechanisms. The Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services 

Administration has funded 20 projects under this program. 

• The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs are 

conducting a two-year study to evaluate the extent and manner in which various homebased telework/telecommuting arrangements, including call center and medical 

transcription services, can enhance the employment of people with disabilities. The 

three pilots required by this research project were launched during 2003, and an interim 

report to Congress will be sent in early 2004. 

• In February 2003, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a fact sheet 

to help employers and employees determine whether working at home is an appropria te 

form of reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. See 

http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/telework.html. 

• The Office of Personnel Management has recently produced a videotape to promote the 

use of telework and is currently developing two e-Training modules to be posted on 

www.golearn.gov (the website for the Federal government online learning center) on the 

telework program. 

Next Steps 

• The President continues to support in his FY 2005 budget a proposal allowing individuals 

to exclude from taxable income the value of computers, software, and other equipment 

provided by their employers for telecommuting. 

• The Department of Labor will conduct post-pilot follow-up from its telework project to 

prepare a final report to Congress on the feasibility of various home-based telework 

arrangements for promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities. 

Implementation of “Ticket to Work” 

The Bush Administration vigorously promoted implementation of the landmark Ticket to Work 

and Work Incentives Improvement Act (Ticket Act). Under the Ticket to Work program, 

eligible individuals receiving Social Security and/or Supplemental Security Income benefits due 
to disability or blindness receive a ticket that they may use to obtain vocational rehabilitation 

services, employment services, or other support services from an employment network or a State 

vocational rehabilitation agency of their choice. The Social Security Administration administers 

the Ticket to Work program. 

Accomplishments 

• The Ticket to Work program is being rolled out in three phases, the first two of which 

have already been completed. During the first two phases, approximately 4.9 million 

tickets were issued in 33 states and the District of Columbia. As of December 2003, the 

Social Security Administration had awarded 1,067 contracts to public and private entities 

wishing to serve as employment networks for ticket holders. 

• In 2001, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Labor established 

Ticket to Hire, a free national employer referral service to help beneficiaries participating 

in the Ticket to Work program find work. Ticket to Hire links employment networks and 

state vocational rehabilitation agencies servicing job-ready Ticket beneficiaries to 

employers who are seeking qualified candidates for positions. To date, Ticket to Hire has 

enrolled over 800 employers and referred over 900 candidates. See 

http://www.ssa.gov/work/Ticket/TicketHire.html. 

Next Steps 

• The Social Security Administration will complete the third and final phase of the roll out 

of Ticket to Work. During this phase, 3.5 million tickets will be sent out in the 

remaining 17 states and the U.S. territories. 

Full Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act 

The President supports full enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but 

recognizes that more work needs to be done. Federal agencies, including the Department of 

Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, enforce the ADA through 

complaint investigations and litigation. The New Freedom Initiative also calls upon agencies to 

develop new, innovative strategies to educate covered employers about the ADA and about the 

benefits of hiring qualified individuals with disabilities. 

Accomplishments 

• The Department of Justice created the “ADA Business Connection,” a project to bring 

about increased compliance with the ADA by fostering a better understanding of ADA 

requirements among the business community and by increasing dialogue and cooperation 

between the business community and the disability community. Continuing work has 

resulted in productive discussions and promising collaborations between the business and 

disability communities. 

• The Department of Justice created a new ADA Business Connection destination on its 

ADA website, www.ada.gov, that provides easy access to information of interest to 

businesses including a new series of ADA Business Briefs on specific compliance issues, 

such as assistance at gas stations, accommodation of individuals who use service animals, 

and restriping parking lots. These one-sheet flyers are designed to be easily printed for 

direct distribution to a business=s employees or contractors. 
• The Department of Justice released a new small business video, Ten Small Business 

Excuses: Information on the Americans with Disabilities Act, to educate small businesses 

about their ADA obligations. It provides practical information and dispels common 

misunderstandings that small businesses have about the ADA. The tape can be used for 

ADA training and for presentatio n to local civic associations. 

• In October 2002, the Department of Education announced a partnership with the U.S. 

Chamber of Commerce to acquaint businesses with programs and resources available at 

the Department of Education and at the Chamber to help employers tap into the disability 

community for qualified workers. The two organizations held a Webcast entitled 

Disability Employment 101: Learn to Tap Your HIRE Potential, which featured 

government and private officials discussing current research, successful strategies, and 

initiatives of the Department of Education related to employing people with disabilities. 

In October 2003, the Department of Education and the Chamber of Commerce released a 

guidebook with the same title to acquaint business leaders with programs and resources 

available to assist them in hiring people with disabilities. 

• In December 2003, the Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration 

entered into a Strategic Alliance Memorandum creating the New Freedom Small 

Business Initiative. The agencies will work together to assist adult workers with 

disabilities in acquiring skills and resources necessary to become small business owners 

and educate small business owners about the benefits of hiring people with disabilities. 

The memorandum also calls for creation of a new interagency working group to develop 

and implement a coordinated plan for the New Freedom Small Business Initiative. 

• In October 2003, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released the first in a 

series of fact sheets on how the ADA applies to particular disabilities in the workplace. 

These fact sheets convey information about the ADA in a user-friendly format. The first 

fact sheet answers a series of frequently asked questions about diabetes. See 

http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/diabetes.html. 

• In August 2002, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released The 

Americans with Disabilities Act: A Primer for Small Business. See 

http://www.eeoc.gov/ada/adahandbook.html. In addition to widespread Internet 

dissemination, 15,000 hard copies of the Primer have been distributed throughout the 

country, including through targeted distribution to local Chambers of Commerce in 

traditionally under-served areas. 

• In April 2002, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission initiated its New 

Freedom Initiative Small Business Workshop project, and thus far has delivered more 

than 50 free workshops for businesses with between 15 and 100 employees or businesses 

that expect to expand in the near future. The workshops include practical information 

about the ADA, as well as information about tax incentives for hiring and retaining 

qualified individuals with disabilities, resources that small employers can consult to find 

appropriate reasonable accommodations, and information about how to find qualified 

individuals with disabilities to fill jobs. A number of these workshops have been cosponsored with local Chambers of Commerce, minority business associations, and 

workforce development centers in geographically under-served areas. Many of these 

workshops are presented in partnership with the Department of Justice, which provides 

information on the ADA’s public accommodations provisions. 
• During FY 2002, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission successfully resolved 

over 4,000 complaints of disability discrimination and recovered almost $50 million in 

monetary benefits for ADA claimants. Most of these complaints were resolved 

administratively or with the help of the agency’s highly successful mediation program. 

Next Steps 

• The Department of Justice will expand the ADA Business Connection by reaching out to 

small businesses nationwide, together with the Chamber of Commerce and the Small 

Business Administration, to help small businesses focus on persons with disabilities as 

customers and potential employees. 

• The Department of Justice will establish a strategic partnership that takes advantage of 

the Small Business Administration’s broad distribution network for the purpose of 

outreach to the business community on disability issues. 

• The Department of Justice will develop new publications addressing important concerns 

of small businesses. 

• The Department of Justice will focus more attention in litigation on cases that protect 

access to education, child care, and testing and licensing, all of which are gateways to 

employment and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. 

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will release user-friendly fact sheets on 

how the ADA applies to other disabilities in the workplace. 

Promoting Understanding and Use of Tax Incentives 

Various tax incentives, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, seek to promote the hiring 

and advanceme nt of qualified individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, many businesses are 

not fully aware of them. The New Freedom Initiative calls for increased outreach to business 

about these tax incentives. 

Accomplishments 

• In 2002 and 2003, the Department of Justice sent newsletters to over seven million 

businesses containing articles about ADA-related tax incentives and other advantages of 

complying with the ADA. Readers were directed to the Department’s ADA Information 

Line and the ADA Website for compliance assistance and a free ADA Tax Incentives 

packet. 

• The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy developed and 

disseminated a fact sheet, Tax Incentives for Business. 

• The Department of Labor joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 

Community Renewal Workshops to educate participants in disability related tax matters 

and to disseminate the Tax Incentives for Business fact sheet. Participants of the 

workshops included economic development organizations and managers and operators of 

One-Stop Career Centers. 

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regularly includes information about 

tax incentives as part of its New Freedom Initiative Small Business Workshops. 
Enhancing the Workforce Investment System 

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 requires the establishment of One-Stop 

Employment Centers throughout the country. Governed by Local Workforce Investment Boards 

comprised of business and community leaders, the One-Stop Centers provide a single source of 

information about a variety of Federal programs that provide employment and training services. 

The One-Stop Centers must be accessible and offer their services in a non-discriminatory way to 

individuals with disabilities. 

Accomplishments 

• The Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration collaborated to provide 

$18 million over two years for a pilot and evaluation of a new position within the OneStop Centers, the Disability Program Navigator. The Disability Program Navigator 

provides expertise on the many programs and services that impact the successful 

employment of people with disabilities. A primary objective of the Navigator is to 

increase employment and self-sufficiency for persons with disabilities by linking them to 

employers and by facilitating access to programs and services that will enable their entry 

or re-entry into the workforce. 

• The Department of Labor developed a comprehensive checklist for use by One-Stop 

Career Centers to aid in their compliance with WIA’s disability non-discrimination 

requirements, and conducted a series of training sessions and on-site evaluation reviews 

for specific One-Stop Centers. 

• The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s eighteen 

Customized Employment grants served 1,292 persons with significant disabilities with 

customized employment strategies through the One-Stop Career Center programs. Of 

that group, 595 have secured employment, earning an average hourly wage of $8.99. 

• The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Emp loyment Policy awarded thirteen 

additional Customized Employment grants at the end of FY 2003, including five new 

grants extending customized employment services to persons with disabilities who are 

chronically homeless. These five collaborative grants are part of an unprecedented 

partnership between the Departments of Labor and Housing and Urban Development, 

with the assistance of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. They are 

designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a coordinated effort to eradicate chronic 

homelessness by combining the efforts of local workforce development systems with 

their community’s permanent housing service providers. 

• The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration awarded 42 Work 

Incentive Grants totaling $17 million during FY 2003. The Work Incentive Grant 

program addresses infrastructure inadequacies and programmatic access of the One-Stop 

system for people with disabilities. 

Removing Disincentives to Work 

Last year, approximately 5.85 million disabled workers received Social Security Disability 

Insurance (SSDI) benefits, and nearly four million working-age persons with disabilities received 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Fewer than one half of one percent of these 

individuals ever join or re-enter the workforce. While SSDI and SSI benefits are essential for 
some individuals who, because of their disabilities, are unable to obtain gainful employment, the 

President is committed to removing disincentives to work that have lo ng existed in the Social 

Security system and providing adequate supports for those wishing to move from the benefit 

rolls to work. 

Accomplishments 

• The President has supported increases to the Social Security Administration’s budget to 

fund several demonstration projects aimed at removing disincentives and providing 

appropriate employment supports for those who want to work. 

o The President has committed $7 million in FY 2004 and has requested $25.5 

million for FY 2005 for a project that would allow individuals to face a gradual 

reduction in benefits when they earn more than a certain amount, rather than a 

complete loss of benefits. Certain employment supports would also be provided, 

and individuals would be allowed to remain eligible for other benefits available 

under Title II of the Social Security Act, including health coverage. 

o The President has committed $8.6 million in FY 2004 and has requested $18.7 

million in FY 2005 for another project that would provide a number of 

interventions to enable applicants for SSDI benefits to find and maintain gainful 

employment. Interventions would include access to a wide range of necessary 

employment services, a one-year cash stipend equal to the applicant's estimated 

SSDI benefit, and Medicare for three years to locate and maintain gainful 

employment. 

o The President committed $5.4 million for FY 2004 and has requested $12.6 

million in FY 2005 for a demonstration project that studies the effects of 

the availability of treatment funding on the health care and job seeking of 

individuals with mental disabilities. Social Security would pay the costs of 

outpatient treatment and vocational rehabilitation services not covered by 

other insurance for individuals with mental disabilities participating in the 

study. 

Promoting Best Practices 

Promoting public and private sector best practices that work to enhance employment 

opportunities for people with disabilities works hand-in-hand with technical assistance efforts to 

foster integration of people with disabilities into the workplace. 

Accomplishments 

• In October 2002, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao established the New Freedom 

Initiative Awards to recognize organizations and individuals that demonstrated 

exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the New Freedom Initiative’s employment 

objectives. For information about the program and the 2003 recipients, see 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/nfi03.htm. For information about the 2002 

recipients, see http://www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/recipients.htm. 

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has initiated a project in which the 

agency, in partnership with the governors from several states, will conduct a study of 

state best practices for promoting the hiring, retention, and advancement of individuals 
with disabilities. Thus far, the governors of Maryland, Vermont, Washington, and 

Florida have agreed to participate in the project. 

Next Steps 

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission expects that additional states will 

participate in its review of best practices. EEOC will release a report on state best 

practices, disseminate it to all states, and post it on the agency’s website, www.eeoc.gov. 

Promoting the Federal Government as a Model Employer 

The Administration takes seriously the Rehabilitation Act’s call for the Federal government to be 

a model employer of individuals with disabilities. In addition to efforts to promote compliance 

with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, agencies have done or will do the following to further 

the hiring, retention, and advancement of qualified individuals with disabilities: 

Accomplishments 

• Seeking to substantially increase the number of individuals with disabilities employed by 

Federal agencies, the Office of Personnel Management is currently analyzing the 

excepted service Schedule A appointment authority for possible restructuring. This 

appointing authority is used when competitive examining is not practicable. After a 

period of satisfactory performance, individuals hired under Schedule A can be converted 

to competitive service appointments. 

• The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy hosted Emergency 

Preparedness for People with Disabilities: An Interagency Seminar of Exchange for 

Federal Managers. The seminar provided an opportunity for Federal managers in the 

fields of emergency preparedness, office safety, and disability programs to exchange 

effective practices that involve employees with disabilities in agency planning activities. 

• In October 2002, the Office of Personnel Management provided a briefing for more than 

sixty agencies’ Selective Placement Program Coordinators and other Federal human 

resources professionals regarding hiring flexibilities and the appointing authorities that 

permit agencies to hire persons with disabilities. 

• The Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 

is providing technical assistance to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of 

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to assist in the recruitment and hiring of people with 

disabilities. Working with state vocational rehabilitation agencies and Centers for 

Independent Living, DHS hopes to attract qualified candidates with disabilities for 

opportunities at headquarters and in field offices. 

Reaching out to Individuals with Disabilities 

Efforts to educate individuals with disabilities complement outreach efforts to businesses. A 

number of initiatives aimed at individuals who have either never worked before or who are 

seeking to return to work, help to inform potential employees of their rights and responsibilities 

as they seek employment with better informed employers. 
Accomplishments 

• In FY 2003, through the Workforce Recruitment Program, the Department of Labor’s 

Office of Disability Employment Policy helped 329 college students with disabilities 

obtain summer work experience in nineteen Federal agencies. 

• In October 2003, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a fact sheet 

for individuals with disabilities seeking employment entitled Job Applicants and the 

Americans with Disabilities Act. See http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/jobapplicant.html. 

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has begun providing free ADA 

workshops for individuals with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce. These 

workshops will be cosponsored by Centers for Independent Living and other 

organizations that provide employment-related services to people with disabilities. 

• The Office of Personnel Management has launched a nationwide recruitment initiative at 

high schools that have a high concentration of people with disabilities. 

Other Employment Related Activities 

There are a number of other Administration activities that are expected to contribute to reducing 

the unacceptably high unemployment rate among individuals with disabilities. 

Accomplishments 

• On September 3, 2003, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 

announced that it will exempt certain insulin-treated diabetic truck and bus drivers from 

the diabetes prohibitions in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The new 

program for these exemptions will apply to drivers of commercial motor vehicles in 

interstate commerce. The FMCSA is not amending its diabetes standard. 

• As the result of a January 2003 meeting with individuals with psychiatric disabilities and 

professionals who serve this population, the Rehabilitation Services Administration is 

developing a publication containing the most innovative practices currently used by 

vocational rehabilitation professionals in assisting individuals with psychiatric disabilities 

to become employed. RSA is consulting with representatives from the state vocational 

rehabilitation agencies, consumers, mental health advocates, community-based 

rehabilitation providers, and university personnel. A draft of the report will be available 

in May 2004. The final publication will be used in training rehabilitation professionals 

and as a technical assistance resource for other individuals interested in this topic. 

• In March 2003, the Rehabilitation Services Administration held the first in a series of 

meetings to highlight the vocational rehabilitation needs of individuals with traumatic 

brain injury. The one-day meeting facilitated discussion with advocates, researchers, 

partner program administrators, consumers, and providers of services and resulted in a 

list of recommendations designed to improve the services provided to this population. 

• In November 2003, the Department of Labor joined the Department of Education, 

university personnel, and representatives from the state vocational rehabilitation agencies 

in forming a new study group on the topic of “Developing a New Paradigm for 

Vocational Evaluation.” This group, which will release its draft report in May 2004, will 

make recommendations on how vocational evaluations can be provided more efficiently 

and effectively to improve the employment of individuals with disabilities. 
Chapter 4. Promoting Full Access to Community Life 

Swift Implementation of the Olmstead Decision 

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999), affirmed the 

right of individuals with disabilities to live in the community rather than in institutions whenever 

possible. The President recognizes, however, that making the promise of full integration a 

reality for people with disabilities means not only changing existing practices that favor 

institutionalization over community-based treatment, but also providing the affordable housing, 

transportation, and access to state and local government programs and activities that make 

community life possible. 

As part of his promise in the New Freedom Initiative to swiftly implement the Olmstead 

decision, the President issued Executive Order 13217, which requires coordination among 

numerous Federal agencies that administer programs affecting access to the community for 

people with disabilities. On March 25, 2002, nine Federal agencies submitted to the President a 

report entitled Delivering on the Promise. The report summarizes agency activities that support 

Olmstead’s goal of integration, identifies barriers that exist within programs to full 

implementation of Olmstead, and proposes more than 400 solutions aimed at removing these 

barriers. Many of the accomplishments that follow are direct consequences of Executive Order 

13217 and the recommendations made in Delivering on the Promise. 

Accomplishments 

• In October 2002, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson established 

the Office on Disability to address the coordination of disability policies and programs 

across HHS agencies. It also oversees the implementation of the New Freedom Initiative 

within HHS, enhances Federal initiatives among individuals with disabilities, and 

coordinates interagency and interdepartmental actions. 

• The Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 

Services has awarded approximately $160 million since 2001 to states and other eligible 

entities under the Real Choice Systems Change Grants for Community Living to enable 

individuals with disabilities to reside in their homes and participate fully in community 

life. The President secured an additional $40 million for this program in FY 2004. 

• In FY 2003, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services funded a $6 million demonstration grant to improve the direct service 

community workforce, which enables state and community-based providers to test new 

strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining direct service workers. In FY 2004, $6 

million will be provided for this program. 

• The Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging continues to 

support family caregivers through the National Family Caregiver Support Project. 

Established in 2001, this program has provided over $400 million to states and tribes to 

develop multi-faceted systems of support to extend the caregiving efforts of families, 

friends, and neighbors. 
• The Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services have entered into an 

agreement under which HHS refers Olmstead-related complaints to DOJ’s ADA 

mediation program. To date, several complaints have been successfully mediated. 

• The Department of Justice evaluates residential placements in each new investigation 

under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) of healthcare facilities in 

light of the ADA's requirement that services be provided to residents in the most 

integrated setting appropriate to their needs. The Department has issued letters of 

findings citing violations of Olmstead involving four facilities for persons with 

developmental disabilities, six nursing homes, and the children's unit of a psychiatric 

hospital. 

• The Department of Justice has worked with officials in several states to help states and 

other jurisdictions provide community-based services to persons who are currently 

residing in publicly-operated institutions. 

• In September 2003, the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy 

and Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives awarded $500,000 to eight 

recipients to provide home modifications as a means of expanding the community 

integration of individuals with disabilities, particularly those seeking employment. The 

grant addresses a frequently cited barrier to participation in work and community -- the 

lack of affordable home modifications, such as ramps, widened doorways, lowered 

countertops, and cabinetry accessible to those who use wheelchairs. 

Next Steps 

• In the FY 2005 budget, the President has proposed the following to establish 

demonstration projects aimed at removing barriers to community-based treatment and 

services for individuals with disabilities 

o $1.75 billion through FY 2009 for the “Money Follows the Individual 

Rebalancing Demonstration,” with $350 million targeted for FY 2005. This 

demonstration would assist states in re-balancing long-term care systems to 

support cost-effective choices between institutional and community options, 

including financing Medicaid services for individuals who move from institutions 

to the community. 

o $327 million through FY 2009, with $18 million for FY 2005, to fund three 

demonstrations that promote home and community-based care alternatives. Two 

of the demonstrations provide respite care services for caregivers of adults with 

disabilities or long-term illness and children with substantial disabilities. Another 

demonstration provides community-based care alternatives for children who are 

currently residing in psychiatric residential treatment facilities. 

o $102 million through FY 2009, with $17 million in FY 2005, to continue 

Medicaid eligibility for spouses of individuals with disabilities who return to 

work. Under current law, individuals with disabilities might be discouraged from 

returning to work because the income they earn could jeopardize their spouse's 

Medicaid eligibility. This proposal would extend to the spouse the same Medicaid 

coverage protection now offered to the worker with a disability. 

o $40 million to continue the Real Systems Change Grants Program administered 

by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services. 
o Nearly $3 million to continue the demonstration program being administered by 

the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services to promote the recruiting, training, and retention of direct 

service workers. 

Promoting Homeownership for People with Disabilities 

For many, homeownership is an important part of what it means to achieve the “American 

Dream.” The New Freedom Initiative is committed to making the American Dream of 

homeownership a reality for more people with disabilities. 

Accomplishments 

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development is advancing homeownership for 

persons with disabilities with its voucher homeownership program. Currently, thirty 

percent of families on the voucher homeownership program include a person with 

disabilities. 

• On November 5, 2003, the Office on Disability within the Department of Health and 

Human Services co-sponsored with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 

Fannie Mae, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the National Institutes 

on Health, the Symposium on Homeownership for Persons with Disabilities. The 

Symposium provided best practices and lessons learned from states that have effectively 

provided homeownership to individuals with disabilities. Presented as a live webcast, the 

symposium can be accessed for one year from the Office on Disability website, 

www.hhs.gov/od/. The Office on Disability, along with the homeownership co-sponsors, 

is continuing to provide information forums and “think tank” meetings targeted to 

national constituent organizations to help increase the availability of affordable housing 

for individuals with disabilities. 

Next Steps 

• Building on recent success, the Office on Disability, the Department of Housing and 

Urban Development, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the National 

Institutes on Health will sponsor a second webcast on homeownership in June 2004, as 

part of Homeownership Month. 

Expanding Rental Housing Options 

Individuals with disabilities seeking access to rental housing face a number of challenges – from 

physically inaccessible units and common areas to attitudinal barriers. The New Freedom 

Initiative is committed to removing these barriers, and much has been accomplished through a 

combination of outreach, technical assistance, and enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. 
Accomplishments 

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development will complete a study in the fall of 

2004, on the nature and extent of discrimination that persons with disabilities face when 

they seek to rent housing. It will help the Department address such discrimination. 

• The Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, 

Veterans Affairs, and Labor have sponsored “Policy Academies,” a collaborative 

initiative that provides assistance to help state and local governments access mainstream 

supportive services for homeless people. The Policy Academy panels provide broad 

representation from many organizations, including advocates for persons with 

disabilities. Five academies have been conducted and two more are planned. 

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST 

(FIRST) initiative is a major education and outreach program providing training and 

technical guidance on a national scale to assist architects and builders design and 

construct apartments and condominiums with legally required accessibility features. In 

FY 2003, FIRST trained over 1,500 housing professionals in 26 training events 

nationwide and responded to over 800 inquiries for technical guidance. In FY 2004, 

FIRST will continue to provide education and outreach through trainings, the FIRST 

website (www.fairhousingfirst.org), and a toll free technical guidance number (1-888-

341-7781 V/TTY). 

• In FY 2003, the Department of Housing and Urban Development provided $30 million in 

grants to provide Service Coordinators in Federally supported housing for low income 

elderly and people with disabilities. Service Coordinators work with residents to locate 

and access health care, meals, and other critical support services. These grants help 

residents to obtain supportive services that enable the elderly and people with disabilities 

to remain in community based housing, rather than be forced to move to nursing homes, 

segregated housing for persons with disabilities, or institutions. 

• In collaboration with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Veterans 

Affairs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has developed a $35 million 

initiative to jointly fund eleven grants for three years to provide services and permanent 

housing to people with disabilities who are chronically homeless. 

• The Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development 

collaborated to provide training on the accessibility requirements of section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to public housing authorities across the country. 

• During the past two years, the Department of Justice filed fifteen lawsuits under the Fair 

Housing Act against developers, architects, and civil engineers who designed and 

constructed inaccessible multi-family housing. Also during this time, the Department 

entered into fifteen consent decrees resolving FHA enforcement actions filed to require 

recently constructed apartments and condominiums to be made accessible to persons with 

disabilities. 
Access to Transportation 

Access to transportation is absolutely critical for achieving full integration of individuals with 

disabilities into the community. People with disabilities need reliable transportation so that they 

can get and keep jobs, access medical care, and participate in all of the activities a community 

has to offer. 

President Bush requested $145 million in new funding for the Department of Transportation in 

FY 2002 and FY 2003 to promote innovative programs that would remove transportation barriers 

that individuals with disabilities continue to face. Congress did not appropriate these funds. In 

May 2003, the Administration proposed a six-year reauthorization of surface transportation 

programs in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act 

(SAFETEA), which included $918 million from FY 2004 through FY 2009 to fund a New 

Freedom Initiative formula grants program. Under the program, states would allocate their 

Federal funding competitively to state or local public authorities, non-profits, or private operators 

of public transportation service to provide new transportation services and transportation 

alternatives beyond those required by the ADA for individuals with disabilities. Congress did 

not appropriate the $145 million requested under SAFETEA for FY 2004. 

Even without this requested funding, the Department of Transportation, often with Federal and 

non-governmental partners, has undertaken a number of activities that support the New Freedom 

Initiative’s goal of providing better transportation options for people with disabilities. 

Accomplishments 

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently issued a Final 

Rule, effective December 2005, regulating platform lifts and their installation in new 

motor vehicles. These lifts are designed to carry standing passengers, who may be aided 

by canes or walkers, as well as persons seated in wheelchairs, scooters, and other 

mobility aids, into and out of motor vehicles. 

• In June 2003, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 

and the Access Board participated in a workshop on research needs related to rail 

crossings that can pose dangers for individuals with disabilities, particularly those who 

use mobility devices. 

• The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics has prepared a 

report, entitled “Freedom to Travel,” based on a survey of the views of people with 

disabilities about transportation. This is the first instance of such a specific national 

survey. The data compiled in this report will assist communities across the nation in 

designing paratransit and other services for transportation of people with disabilities and 

people who are homebound. The report can be viewed at 

http://www.bts.gov/publications/freedom_to_travel/. 

• Since the inception of its Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, the Department of 

Transportation has funded over 200 state and local grantees in 44 states to provide new 

employment transportation services for low-income persons, including persons with 

disabilities. This program funds additional transportation services to jobs and job training 

sites and addresses unmet transportation needs of persons with disabilities. 
• During FY 2003, the Federal Transit Administration’s Office of Civil Rights conducted 

paratransit assessments at seven transit agencies, as well as compliance assessments of 80 

key stations and new stations at fourteen rail transit systems nationwide. In addition, 

FTA conducted four pilot assessments to determine how to best integrate the construction 

requirements under the ADA Accessibility Guidelines into the Project Management 

Oversight (PMO) process for major transit investments, to ensure that elements that 

affect the design and construction of rail transit stations are identified as early in the 

project development process as possible. These pilot assessments took place in 

Baltimore, Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. 

• The "United We Ride" program is a five-part initiative to assist states and communities in 

coordinating human service transportation. The Departments of Transportation, Health 

and Human Services, Labor, and Education are working together to remove barriers at 

the Federal level, and to provide assessment tools, technical assistance, peer-to-peer 

sharing opportunities, and modest grants to help states and communities deliver 

appropriate and cost-effective transportation services for all human service recipients. 

• The Federal Transit Administration, the Center for Independent Living, Inc., the 

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), and Easter Seals Project 

ACTION held a series of six Regional Dialogues on Accessible Transportation 

throughout 2003. These Regional Dialogues are a follow-up to last year's two highly 

successful National Dialogues on Accessible Transportation. 

• The Community-Based Transportation Planning Grant program, a coordinated effort 

between the Federal Transit Administration, the Community Transportation Association 

of America, and Easter Seals Project ACTION, will help selected communities create a 

partnership of community stakeholders who will develop community-based plans to 

expand transportation services for persons with disabilities. 

• The Federal Aviation Administration will issue to primary airports an ADA selfassessment package, which will provide a checklist and other documentation to allow 

these entities to assess their compliance with the ADA Accessibility Guidelines. 

• In September 2003, the Department of Transportation awarded a two-year contract to the 

Key Bridge Foundation to support the Department’s mission of ensuring 

nondiscrimination in air transportation. The Key Bridge Foundationwill develop 

materials outlining Federal requirements that prohibit discrimination in air transportation, 

including an easy-to-understand technical assistance manual and model training program 

describing the Air Carrier Access Act and related rules. 

President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health 

On April 29, 2002, the President issued Executive Order 13263 establishing the New Freedom 

Commission on Mental Health. Composed of fifteen members representing providers, payers, 

administrators, and consumers of mental health services, as well as family members of 

consumers, and seven ex officio members, the Commission was charged with conducting “a 

comprehensive study of the United States mental health service delivery system, including public 

and private sector providers,” and was directed to advise the President on methods of improving 

the system. In July 2003, the Commission issued its recommendations in a final report entitled 

Achieving the Promise, Transforming Mental Health Care in America. See 

http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/reports.htm. 
The report identifies barriers to care within the mental health system and examples of 

community-based care models that have proven successful in coordinating and providing 

treatment services. 

The Commission concluded that the mental health service delivery system in the United States 

must be substantively transformed. In the transformed system: 1) Americans understand that 

mental health is essential to overall health; 2) mental health care is consumer and family-driven; 

3) disparities in mental health services are eliminated; 4) early mental health screening, 

assessment, and referral to services are common practice; 5) excellent mental health services are 

delivered and research is accelerated; and 6) technology is used to access mental health care and 

information. 

The Commission also concluded that the roles played by states must be central to the 

transformation process, but states must rely heavily upon the involvement of consumers in 

research, planning, and evaluation activities. At the same time, the coordinated efforts of more 

than 25 Federal agencies must undergird and reinforce the states’ processes. Every adult with a 

serious mental illness or child with a serious emotional disturbance must have an individualized 

plan of care coordinating services among programs and across agencies. Every state must have a 

comprehensive mental health plan, the ownership of which is shared by all state agencies 

impacting the care of persons with serious mental illnesses. 

Next Steps 

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is 

working with other Federal partners and outside stakeholders to develop a National 

Action Agenda designed to respond to the recommendations in Achieving the Promise. 

SAMHSA also plans to make technical assistance grants available to states to help them 

implement recommendations from the Commission. 

• The Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 

Services will release a technical assistance guide on six evidence-based practices (family 

psycho-education, integrated care of co-occurring disorders, personal illness 

management, supported employment, assertive community treatment, and medication 

management). The guide will clarify what services are billable under Medicaid. 

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are working with the Substance Abuse 

and Mental Health Services Administration and constituent representatives to configure 

how a consumer self-direction initiative can address persons with mental disorders, as 

part of a series of planning meetings resulting in action steps. 

• In 2004, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation within the 

Department of Health and Human Services will complete a handbook that describes and 

clarifies Medicaid rules and regulations governing application of Medicaid options for 

people with mental illness. 

Improving Access 

Full access to community life means access to the political process, to civic organizations, to the 

range of programs and activities offered by state and local governments, and to places of public 

accommodation. The President fully supports efforts to achieve voluntary compliance with and, 
where necessary, to enforce laws such as Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The President also signed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) into law on October 29, 2002 to 

improve access to voting process for all Americans, including individuals with disabilities. 

Accomplishments 

• The Solicitor General intervened in the Supreme Court case of Tennessee v. Lane, to 

defend the constitutionality of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which 

prohibits state and local government entities from discriminating against qualified 

individuals with disabilities. The Solicitor General argued that Congress acted properly 

when it made states subject to private suits for monetary relief for violations of Title II. 

A decision in the case is expected in the spring or early summer of 2004. 

• The Department of Justice has continued to carry out “Project Civic Access” with great 

success and is now expanding its efforts. Project Civic Access is a national effort to 

ensure that towns and cities across America are fully accessible to people with 

disabilities. So far, the Department of Justice has reached 36 agreements with cities and 

towns across the country, requiring them to ensure that their public facilities, such as 

convention halls, arenas, municipal facilities, courthouses, libraries, polling places, and 

parks, are accessible to people with disabilities. 

• In 2003, the Department of Justice achieved favorable action for persons with disabilities 

in well over 350 cases and matters, through formal settlements, informal resolutions of 

complaints, successful mediations, consent decrees, and favorable ADA court decisions. 

• The Department of Health and Human Services awarded $13 million under the Help 

America Vote Act to states to make polling places accessible for individuals with 

disabilities, to ensure privacy and independence of voting, to train poll workers to meet 

the needs of individuals with disabilities, and to provide information to individuals with 

disabilities about their rights of accessibility. The Department also awarded $2 million to 

provide advocacy services to individuals with disabilities on issues related to registering 

to vote, casting a vote, and accessing voting places. 

Next Steps 

• The Department of Justice will continue to carry out phase two of Project Civic Access, 

which involves additional communities in all 50 States and focuses on an expanded range 

of issues, including accessibility of sidewalks, voting technology, disaster response 

planning, and government websites. 

• In addition to the employment priorities identified in Chapter 3, the Department of Justice 

will focus litigation on matters that are fundamental to people with disabilities, including 

transportation and travel, consumer access to the free market, polling place access, access 

to core activities of community living, and Olmstead implementation. 

This report was produced by the White House Domestic Policy Council.