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Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for 

Individuals with Disabilities

Minutes of First Meeting — January 22-23, 2015

Access Board, 1331 F St. NW, Suite 800

Washington, DC 20004

The first meeting of the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated 

Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (“ACICIEID” or “the Committee”) was 

called to order by the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) Jennifer Sheehy at 8:30 

a.m. on Thursday, January 22, 2015. The meeting took place at the offices of the 

U.S. Access Board, 1331 F St. NW, Suite 800 in Washington, D.C.

The following members were present:

Self-advocates for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities:

Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America

Karen McCulloh, McCulloh and Associates

Santa Perez, People First of Nevada

Providers of employment services, including those who employ individuals with 

intellectual or developmental disabilities in competitive integrated employment:

Brian Itzkowitz, Goodwill Industries of Arkansas Inc.

Christine McMahon, Fedcap

Representatives of national disability advocacy organizations for adults with 

intellectual or developmental disabilities:

Alison Barkoff, Bazelon Center

Ruby Moore, National Disability Rights Network

Mark Perriello, American Association of People with Disabilities
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Experts with a background in academia or research and expertise in employment 

and wage policy issues for individuals with intellectual or developmental 

disabilities:

Valerie Brooke, Virginia Commonwealth University

David Mank, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

Representatives from the employer community or national employer 

organizations:

Oswald Mondejar, Partners Continuing Care

Steve Pemberton, Walgreens

Other individuals or representatives of organizations with expertise on 

increasing opportunities for competitive integrated employment for individuals 

with disabilities:

Cesilee Coulson, Washington Initiative for Supported Employment

Sharyn Hancock, Workforce Essentials, Inc.

Rita Landgraf, Delaware State Department of Health and Social Services

(participated by phone for the 1st day of the meeting)

Lisa Pugh, Disability Rights Wisconsin

Fredric Schroeder, Interwork Institute at San Diego State University

In addition, the following Federal officials were present: 

 Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment 

Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor; 

 Portia Wu, Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration 

at the U.S. Department of Labor;

 David Weil, Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. 

Department of Labor;

 Sharon Lewis, designated by the Commissioner of the Administration on 

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities;
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 John O’Brien, Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

designee; 

 Mariana LaCanfora, the Commissioner of Social Security’s designee; and

 Janet LaBreck, Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration;

Pre-Opening Session – Day One (Closed Session)

From 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., ACICIEID met in closed session to provide 

orientation for the members. After a brief welcome and introductions, members

heard from Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of 

Labor’s (DOL) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the committee’s 

Designated Federal Official (DFO). 

Ms. Sheehy provided an overview of ACICIEID’s charge, including the three 

statutory areas for its interim and final report. She also addressed membership 

structure, member expectations and restrictions, her role as DFO, rules guiding 

meetings and public participation, and recordkeeping requirements. 

Following Ms. Sheehy’s presentation, Joe Plick from DOL’s Office of the Solicitor 

provided an overview of the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA) for the Committee. Members then heard from Anne Tillema from Maher 

& Maher, a consulting organization that is assisting in managing the committee’s 

operations, about travel procedures. 

Following a short break, members reconvened to elect a chairperson. They chose 

Dr. David Mank. Dr. Mank is the Director of the Indiana Institute on Disability and 

Community at Indiana University and full professor in its School of Education 

whose area of expertise is education and employment for people with disabilities. 

Members also established a tentative 2015 meeting schedule before opening the 

meeting to the public. The tentative dates for upcoming meeting in 2015 are

March 23-24, May 11-12 and July 13-14.

Opening Session – Day One

ACICIEID was formally called to order in open session at 11:30 a.m. The DFO 

outlined the afternoon agenda before turning things over to newly elected 

Chairperson Mank. Dr. Mank welcomed everyone and had each committee 

member reintroduce himself or herself by name and organization for the benefit 

of themselves and the members of the public present. 
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Introductory Remarks of ACICIEID Members (Federal)

Each of the seven Federal members provided brief opening statements regarding 

the perspective they bring the committee. These individuals were:

 DOL Wage and Hour Division (David Weil, Assistant Secretary)

 DOL Office of Disability Employment Policy (Kathy Martinez, Assistant 

Secretary)

 DOL Employment and Training Administration (Portia Wu, Assistant 

Secretary)

 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration on 

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Administrator’s Designee:

Sharon Lewis, Principal Deputy Administrator, Administration on 

Community Living)

 HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) (Director’s 

Designee: John O’Brien, Senior Policy Adviser, Disabled and Elderly Health 

Programs Group)

 U.S. Department of Education (ED) Rehabilitation Services Administration

(RSA) (Janet LaBreck, Commissioner) 

 Social Security Administration (SSA) (Administrator’s Designee: Marianna 

LaCanfora, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability 

Policy)

Details on each Federal member’s position and professional background can be 

accessed at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/biographies.pdf.

Members broke for lunch at 12:30 p.m. 

Introductory Remarks of ACICIEID Members (Non-Federal)

Upon reconvening, each non-Federal member was similarly asked to introduce 

himself or herself. These individuals were:

Self-advocates for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities:

 Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America; 

 Karen McCulloh, McCulloh and Associates; and 

 Santa Perez, People First of Nevada.
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Providers of employment services, including those who employ individuals with 

intellectual or developmental disabilities in competitive integrated employment:

 Brian Itzkowitz, Goodwill Industries of Arkansas, Inc.; and 

 Christine McMahon, Fedcap.

Representatives of national disability advocacy organizations for adults with 

intellectual or developmental disabilities:

 Alison Barkoff, Bazelon Center; 

 Ruby Moore, National Disability Rights Network; and 

 Mark Perriello, American Association of People with Disabilities.

Experts with a background in academia or research and expertise in employment 

and wage policy issues for individuals with intellectual or developmental 

disabilities:

 Valerie Brooke, Virginia Commonwealth University; and 

 David Mank, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (elected 

Chairperson).

Representatives from the employer community or national employer 

organizations:

 Oswald Mondejar (MA), Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network, and 

Partners Home Care; and

 Steve Pemberton (IL), Walgreens.

Other individuals or representatives of organizations with expertise on increasing 

opportunities for competitive integrated employment for individuals with 

disabilities:

 Cesilee Coulson, Washington Initiative for Supported Employment; 

 Sharyn Hancock, Workforce Essentials, Inc.; 

 Lisa Pugh, Disability Rights Wisconsin; and 

 Fredric Schroeder, Interwork Institute at San Diego State University.

Committee member Rita Landgraf from the Delaware Department of Health and 

Social Services did not attend the first day in person but participated by phone.

Details on each non-Federal member’s position and professional background can 

be accessed at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/biographies.pdf.
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Overview of the FLSA 14(c) Program

After a short break, members heard from Helen Applewhaite, the Branch Chief in 

DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), who provided an overview of the Fair 

Labor Standards Act (FLSA) 14(c) program. In summary, section 14(c) authorizes 

the employment of workers with disabilities at subminimum wages when the 

disabilities impair their productivity for the work being performed. Ms. 

Applewhaite noted that such wages can only be paid when authorized by a 

certificate issued to the employer by DOL. Ms. Applewhaite provided a summary 

of the regulation and addressed its origins in the context of the FLSA at large, 

which was passed in 1938. 

The presentation also discussed the process for determining subminimum wages, 

the Wage and Hour Division’s process for issuing certificates under section 14(c)

and the types of establishments to which it issues them. Enforcement 

procedures, including certificate revocation when employers are found to be in 

violation of the certificate’s requirements, were also discussed, along with the 

Wage and Hour Division’s compliance assistance efforts and outreach to 

employers regarding the program’s requirements. 

During her presentation, Ms. Applewhaite also highlighted Executive Order 

13658, which President Obama signed last year. The EO establishes a minimum 

wage for workers working on or in connection with a covered Federal contract. 

Under this Executive Order, section 14(c) certificate holders may continue to pay 

commensurate wages to workers employed on or in connection with such 

contracts only if the rate is greater than this minimum wage. 

Following her presentation, Ms. Applewhaite answered a few questions from 

committee members. As part of this conversation, she noted that the Wage and 

Hour Division’s jurisdiction only extends to laws it enforces thus, when inspecting 

workplaces, it does not assess for potential violations of the Americans with 

Disabilities Act, including whether or not accommodations are provided when 

conducting time studies to determine wage rates. However, WHD does make 

appropriate referrals when it feels they are appropriate, as was the case in Rhode 

Island in 2013. 

Ms. Applewhaite’s slide presentation may be accessed on the meeting agenda 

webpage at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.
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Voices of Experience: Perspectives of Individuals with Disabilities about 

Competitive Integrated Employment

Following a short break, committee members heard from Nancy Ward, who 

previously worked in a sheltered workshop and transitioned to competitive 

integrated employment; today, Ms. Ward is co-director of the National Technical 

Assistance Center for Voting and Cognitive Access. She is also president of 

Oklahoma People First, and she shared her experiences learning to become a selfadvocate and how important that side of her work is to her life. 

Following her remarks, Ms. Ward answered a few questions from the committee. 

She stated that Committee members should listen to people with disabilities and 

not make assumptions. She also shared that, when she worked in the sheltered 

workshop, other employment options were not discussed with her.

Next, Serena Powell, President and CEO of Community Work Services in Boston 

and Fedcap Senior Vice President for the New England Region, spoke briefly about 

her experiences in 2013 reengineering a sheltered workshop program in Rhode 

Island. She introduced Pedro Alba, one of the 88 employees in the sheltered 

workshop. To assist in transitioning out of segregated employment, Mr. Alba

participated in a culinary arts program and within four months obtained 

employment with a local restaurant, where he now works cleaning and 

dishwashing in the kitchen three days a week earning $9/hour and is well 

respected for his work ethic. He spends two days a week improving his English 

literacy skills. He has been on the job for 17 months.

Mr. Alba himself then spoke about his experiences transitioning to competitive 

integrated employment, with his brother, Jesus Alba, translating. He said his goal 

is to do his best, and that although he’s tired when he gets home from work, he 

also misses work and his friends at the restaurant when he is away from the 

restaurant. Both Mr. Alba and Ms. Powell then answered a number of questions 

from committee members. 

Ms. Powell noted that the sheltered workshop where Mr. Alba worked was 

phased out completely, and that 57 of the 88 people who were there now work in 

integrated settings making at or above minimum wage, which in Rhode Island is 

$9/hour; about 10-15 percent of these individuals are working full time. The goal 

is to increase hours, wages and stamina, but there is also an important benefits 
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counseling component since many of these individuals are also on disability 

benefits; however, some are coming off of benefits by choice.

Ms. Powell also noted the importance of both family and employer engagement 

in making competitive integrated employment successful and the critical role 

vocational rehabilitation can play, despite people with intellectual and 

developmental disabilities not traditionally being among its customers. 

Signing-In Ceremony

At this point, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez joined the meeting and spoke 

to committee members about the importance of their work and increasing 

employment opportunities as essential to fulfilling the spirit of the ADA. He then 

presided over a group signing-in ceremony and took photos with committee 

members. 

The meeting adjourned for the day at 5:00 p.m.

Day Two

The committee reconvened at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 23. To start, Chairperson Mank 

asked Rita Landgraf to provide a few introductory remarks since she was unable 

to attend in person the previous day. Dr. Mank also asked each member to 

briefly state one thing that the Committee keep in mind as it started its 

deliberations. Summaries of responses were as follows:

 Ruby Moore: Federal agencies need to work together to establish and fund 

performance outcomes regarding competitive integrated employment and 

ancillary supports; realign resources to provide technical assistance in 

implementation of new Home and Community Based Services settings 

guidance and performance outcomes. 

 Cesilee Coulson: Invest in our workforce so we have skilled/professional 

labor; consistent steady resources within Centers for Medicare and 

Medicaid Services (CMS) to promote capacity building on the ground; 

technical assistance.

 Sharyn Hancock: Public disclosure; increase funding for the Work 

Opportunity Tax Credit; reform online job application/assessment 

processes that create unintentional barriers for people with disabilities; 

address cultural/social barriers within human resources; customized 

employment/job training is time intensive; fear of liability insurance so 
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employers don’t want to hire; adequate professional development and 

investment in direct support professionals.

 Alison Barkoff: Setting high expectations for people with disabilities; using 

schools and early intervention; engaging families early and often; ensuring 

that an expectation of employment is built into our disability service 

systems.

 Christine McMahon: Need for thoughtful structure around the 

committee’s work is critically important to the relevance of our outcomes; 

structure matters.

 Fredric Schroeder: View the employment of people with disabilities as a 

civil rights issue; reinforcing high expectations will occur by looking at these 

issues in that context; competitive integrated employment as a civil right 

that cannot be casually taken away.

 Brian Itzkowitz: Money should be tied to outcomes. 

 Lisa Pugh: Integrated work experiences in schools; provider capacity must 

be strengthened to assure that customized employment and other 

strategies that help individuals with complex disabilities succeed in 

competitive integrated employment.

 Rita Landgraf: How to utilize the state/local entitlement programs toward 

this work; must also engage both public and non-public funding entities 

from an anti-poverty perspective. 

 Vicki Brooke: We need to have an outcome in which youth leave school 

with a competitive integrated employment outcome or go on to postsecondary education; business engagement must also be a critical priority. 

 Patrick Hendry: Align public resources (Federal/state/local) and encourage 

resource braiding and service coordination so that people on the ground 

have a seamless set of options and supports to help them achieve 

competitive integrated employment.

 Santa Perez: Perception comes in two parts; people with disabilities often 

believe they only have one option; we must educate that there are other 

options available to them; they must make an informed choice.

 Portia Wu: Restructure and reshape field agencies supported through 

Federal statute/funding to make sure they are focused on helping people 

with significant disabilities achieve competitive integrated employment; 

also need to drill down and understand what specific strategies need to be 

scaled/elevated.
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 John O’Brien: Need to provide stronger technical assistance to states and 

providers of disability services, additional guidance that will promote one 

or more Federal agencies’ perspectives; also need to look at 

reimbursement models like pay for performance or other incentives to 

encourage greater focus on the delivery of services and supports that lead 

to competitive integrated employment.

 Karen McCulloh: Funding and training need to be coordinated and aligned; 

we have to customize the job training needs; not a one-size-fits-all 

approach; must make sure Federal policies/agencies are promoting 

collaborative and coordinated focus around training.

 Bob Williams (SSA): Fear is the greatest reason for the status quo, and we 

need to address this paradigm, especially with younger citizens with 

disabilities; the career pathway to employment is not just possible, it is an 

expectation and a responsibility; unless we make that clear, the systems 

that need reform have no incentive to change or even collaborate with 

each other. 

 Sharon Lewis: Civil rights enforcement is important, but we need to focus 

on the two primary funding areas—CMS and Education; Education needs to 

be at the table because that is where the seeds of early expectations 

around employment begin; need to focus on those professionals who are 

part of a young person with disability’s life early on, such as educators, 

school counselors, and parents/siblings. Data is also very important; we 

need to be able to review data across systems to identify where the 

problems/barriers are still occurring despite Federal public policy and civil 

rights law. 

 David Weil: Align the regulatory, financing and support services so they 

push consistently towards competitive integrated employment.

 Janet LaBreck: We need to be using a consistent definition of competitive 

integrated employment and using concrete examples/models so that the 

field will have access to promising practices to reshape their 

work/strategies.

 Oz Mondejar: Consider the dialogue with business; focus on making sure 

the work of the committee translates with the business world. 

 Steve Pemberton: The rule of culture change is not to look at what’s wrong 

but to look at what’s working. Businesses are motivated by their 

competition; we need to highlight the positive reforms and strategies that 
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are demonstrating progress in order to ignite further interest from the 

business community.

 Mark Perriello: Education is vital to preparing young people with 

disabilities for jobs in the future; employers also have indicated there is a 

pipeline problem, so we need to prepare students with disabilities with 

appropriate skills. 

 David Mank: The majority of public funds are not supporting competitive 

integrated employment, and we need to realign Federal resources with the 

desired outcomes. 

Member Discussion of Subcommittees

The DFO then encouraged committee members to sign up for a subcommittee. 

To assist, the names of the subcommittees were listed on large poster-size sheets 

of paper around the room. These included: Transition to Adulthood; Complexity 

and Needs in Delivering Competitive Integrated Employment; Marketplace 

Dynamics; Building Local and State Capacity; and Independence and SelfSufficiency.

Each member was also provided a handout which described the subcommittees in 

more detail. Chairman Mank emphasized that the subcommittees are not fixed in 

stone but rather a possible framework on how to proceed. He added that the 

final report will not necessarily need to be structured in alignment with them. 

Expert Panel #1: What is Possible: What the Research Tells Us About the 

Employment of People with Disabilities in Competitive Integrated Employment 

Committee members then heard from a series of expert panels. The first panel 

consisted of two researchers whose work focuses on the employment of people 

with disabilities: Dr. Robert Cimera from Kent State University and Dr. John 

Butterworth from the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of 

Massachusetts Boston. 

Dr. Cimera presented data he has gathered drawing various comparisons 

between supported employment and sheltered workshop employment. He noted 

that the data consistently indicates that supported employment costs less than 

sheltered workshop employment. Furthermore, he noted that, over time, the 

costs of supported employment tend to go down while the costs for sheltered 

workshop employment tend to go up, meaning the longer individuals in 

competitive integrated employment are on the job, the fewer services they 

require, while the opposite appears to be true for those in sheltered workshops. 
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Dr. Cimera also pointed out differences in employment outcomes based on when 

students develop individualized education plans. In conclusion, he said that 

integrated employment provides workers and taxpayers greater benefits and 

lower costs than sheltered workshop employment. Dr. Cimera’s slide presentation 

can be accessed on the meeting agenda webpage at 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Next, Dr. John Butterworth summarized various data sets to provide an overview 

of the employment situation for people with intellectual and developmental 

disabilities (I/DD). Dr. Butterworth also addressed I/DD agency services and 

outcomes, noting that non-work appears to be growing and participation in

competitive integrated employment services varies widely by state. He also 

addressed vocational rehabilitation agency services and outcomes with regard to 

people with I/DD, which also vary widely by state. 

Dr. Butterworth noted that the major challenge before the Committee is

realigning investments to promote choice and ensuring a “meaningful day” so 

that a transition from a sheltered workshop does not mean that segregation at 

work is simply exchanged for segregation at home. He emphasized the 

importance of engaging youth in a conversation about work and choice early and 

aligning vocational rehabilitation goals to better support people with I/DD. He 

also highlighted the importance of defining competitive integrated employment

precisely, since different data sources do so differently; establishing minimum 

data requirements within Medicaid services; strengthening Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reporting; and encouraging transparency at all 

levels. As part of this, he advised the committee to take time to understand state 

differences and to integrate outcome, service, cost and demographic variables.

Dr. Butterworth’s slide presentation may be accessed on the meeting agenda 

webpage at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Expert Panel #2: Transitioning to Competitive Integrated Employment

After a short break, committee members heard from three individuals: Dr. 

Richard Luecking, Past President of TransCen, Inc., Meghan Jones, a person with a 

disability and self-advocate, who was accompanied by her mother, Sylvia Jones; 

and LaVerne Buchanan, Senior Associate, TransCen, Inc. 

Dr. Luecking provided a brief overview of TransCen, which is a Maryland-based 

non-profit dedicated to improving educational and employment outcomes for 

people with disabilities. He said TransCen’s vision is that secondary education 
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should be not just work readiness, but work itself, and that its demonstration 

projects over the years have shown that this ideal is indeed practical. The 

number one predictor of success, he said, is whether or not a student has had 

paid jobs and work experiences while still in school. He concluded by saying that 

the key to success is a presumption of employability by all partners and 

employment before exit, so that the last day of school doesn’t look very different 

than the next day, with students already working with the same level of support. 

Dr. Luecking’s slide presentation can be accessed on the meeting agenda 

webpage at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Through an interview format with Dr. Luecking asking questions, Ms. Jones then 

shared her story of working while still in school and her current employment 

status and goals. Ms. Jones has two jobs, one at Giant supermarket, where she 

does a variety of general duties such as stocking shelves and collecting carts, and 

the other at TransCen, where she is an office clerk. She particularly likes working 

at TransCen because she has always wanted to work in an office. 

Ms. Jones had several work experiences before finishing school, both paid and 

unpaid. These included volunteering in schools and working part-time at Target, a 

Project SEARCH placement at the National Institutes for Health, and an internship 

at the Kennedy Center. For some of her experiences, she had the support of a job 

coach through Maryland’s Division of Rehabilitation Services. Her goal is to work 

in an office 20-40 hours a week, have benefits and earn enough to have her own 

apartment. She would also like to be able to be in an environment where she can 

use her sign language skills.

After Ms. Jones’ presentation, her mother, Sylvia Jones, shared that her daughter 

has always been highly motivated to do well in school, work and gain 

independence. Ms. LaVerne added that Ms. Jones’ many work experiences 

should be a real asset to her in moving onto the next phase of her career, and 

TransCen is helping her get to the level she’d like, in terms of both hours and 

nature of job.

Dr. Luecking, both Ms. Joneses and Ms. LaVerne then answered several questions 

from committee members. They reiterated the importance of starting the 

conversation about employment early with individuals and family involvement in 

setting and achieving goals. Dr. Luecking also stressed the need for 

accountability. When Ms. Jones was asked what she likes to do when not at 

work, she shared that she enjoys writing and has written a book about her 
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experiences as a person with Down syndrome, which she hopes to get published 

one day. She also likes singing and dancing. When asked if she feels it is fair that 

some people with disabilities are paid less than minimum wage for their work, she 

said “no.”

Expert Panel #3: Civil Rights and Competitive Integrated Employment 

The next panel consisted of Sheila Foran, Special Legal Counsel in the U.S. 

Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division (CRD); Regina Kline, Trial 

Attorney at DOJ/CRD; and Chai Feldblum, Commissioner, U.S. Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Ms. Foran delivered a presentation on behalf of DOJ/CRD, noting that it works on 

a range of ADA issues regarding community integration for people with 

disabilities. The foundation for this work in recent years has been the Olmstead 

decision, which requires that publicly financed services to individuals with 

significant disabilities be provided in the most integrated setting possible. This 

includes employment services, and as of late, this has been a significant focus of 

DOJ/CRD’s work. As a result, Ms. Foran said, the provisions of WIOA, particularly 

its disability-related provisions, including the establishment of the advisory 

committee and its prohibition of students under age 24 being slated directly into 

sheltered employment, are very timely. The Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision 

used very clear language to affirm that integration is a core value of the ADA, and 

this means not only where people live, but how they spend their days; thus, 

segregated employment does not comport with its intent. Ms. Foran then 

provided details about the landmark U.S. v. Rhode Island settlement in 2013 and 

its consent decree.

Ms. Foran’s slide presentation may be accessed on the meeting agenda webpage 

at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Ms. Feldblum then delivered a presentation on competitive integrated 

employment in the context of the ADA. She started by reemphasizing Ms. Foran’s 

comment that there are a nexus of factors leading to this being the right time to 

take action on this issue, and these include changing social expectations, 

especially for youth with disabilities, regulatory changes with regard to sections 

503 and 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, and a reinvigorated ADA through the ADA 

Amendments Act. She then went on to provide an overview of EEOC’s mission, 

Title I of the ADA and her agency’s enforcement processes under it. Ms. Feldblum 

then reviewed several enforcement examples, addressing cases of disparate 
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treatment; reasonable accommodations; support services as reasonable 

accommodations; wage rates; harassment; and employment tests. 

Ms. Feldblum’s slide presentation may be accessed on the meeting agenda 

webpage at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Ms. Foran, Ms. Kline and Ms. Feldblum all answered a few questions of 

clarification from committee members.

Expert Panel #4: The Complexities of Securing Sustained Competitive Integrated 

Employment 

Committee members then heard from a panel of leaders from four employment 

service providers of varying size, scope and approach: Kimberly Zeich, Deputy 

Executive Director of the Ability One Commission; Jim Martin, CEO Goodwill 

Industries in Eugene, OR; Bruce Phipps, CEO Goodwill Industries in Roanoke, VA; 

and Colleen Morrone, CEO Goodwill Industries in Wilmington, DE. 

Kimberly Zeich started with an overview of AbilityOne’s mission, network and 

program organization, along with statistics about how the program services are 

broken down by different categories of disabilities. She then discussed the roles 

and responsibilities of AbilityOne’s commission, central nonprofit agencies and 

qualified nonprofit agencies. She also provided details about the organization’s 

Quality Work Environment (QWE), under which the AbilityOne commission issued 

three guiding principles in 2009. These three principles include: 1) choice,

supports, workplace flexibilities, integration, competitive wages and benefits; 2) 

access to training; and 3) a clear path to career advancement. Roll out of the 

QWE started in 2010 and significant progress has been made toward its goals; the 

target is for 95 percent of all AbilityOne employees to be covered by QWE action 

plans by the end of 2015. Ms. Zeich concluded by providing a snapshot of 

program data, including related to wages.

Ms. Zeich’s slide presentation may be accessed on the meeting agenda webpage 

at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

In his presentation, Jim Martin provided an overview of Goodwill Industries of 

Lane and South Coast Counties in Oregon. Highlights included its mission and the 

number of people it served in 2014, broken down by the type of employment 

program/services they were involved in. Of the 7,762 people it served, 128 were 

individuals with I/DD. The organization is a section 14(c) certificate holder, and 

Mr. Martin shared a breakdown of wages earned by the 128 individuals under this 
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program; roughly half earn more than the Federal minimum wage and roughly

half earn less. The average is $7.12/hour, which is slightly less than the Federal 

minimum wage ($7.25/hour); however, 40 earn Oregon’s minimum wage of 

$9.25/hour. Mr. Martin then shared the story of one of the employees. 

Mr. Martin’s slide presentation can be accessed on the meeting agenda webpage 

at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Mr. Phipps and Ms. Morrone’s presentations were delivered verbatim from 

written statements. These presentations are available on the meeting agenda 

webpage at http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/20150120.htm.

Following all four presentations, committee members asked each of the panelists 

various questions about their programs and their varied perspectives on 

competitive integrated employment, including strategies they feel may improve it 

to the benefit of individuals and their families.

Member Reflections/Discussion

Before a short break, members spent some time reflecting upon the day’s 

discussions; the majority of the conversation centered on the list of potential 

subcommittees and where there may be gaps that need to be filled. Also, the 

Committee discussed the possibility of developing principles to guide their work 

and that of the committee overall in order to ensure a successful process and end 

product. 

Public Testimony

The last session of the day comprised public testimony. Nine statements from 

members of the public had been submitted in advance of the meeting. 

Individuals who submitted these statements and were present at the meeting 

were asked to deliver them in person. One additional person also delivered a 

statement that had not been submitted in advance. The following is a list of the 

individuals who submitted and/or delivered statements and their organizational 

affiliations:

1. Katy Beh Neas, Vice President, Government Relations, Easter Seals

2. Laura Walling, Director of Advocacy and Legislative, Goodwill (on behalf of 

Jim Gibbons, CEO)

3. Samantha Crane, Director of Public Policy, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
17

4. John Kelly, Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy,

SourceAmerica

5. Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, President, RespectAbilityUSA

6. Rose Sloan, Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the Blind

7. Barb Trader, Executive Director, TASH 

8. Allison Wohl, Executive Director, Association of People Supporting 

Employment First 

9. Michael Gamel-McCormick, Associate Executive Director for Research and 

Policy, Association of University Centers on Disabilities

10.Donna Meltzer, CEO, National Association of Councils on Developmental 

Disabilities 

The testimonies are available online at 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/date/ACICIEID.htm.

After a few closing remarks by Chairperson Mank, the meeting adjourned at 4:45 

p.m.

CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are an 

accurate summary of the meeting

David Mank

ACICIEID chair

Date: March 17, 2015