RespectAbility is gearing up for a critical year in state legislative policy. With several key states carrying stalled bills over from 2023 into 2024, the first few months will bring significant opportunities for individuals with disabilities. States poised to see some action include California, New York, and Pennsylvania. Though these three populous states encompass unique [click to continue...]
Jimmy Fremgen
As State Policy Manager for RespectAbility, state legislators often share with me that they or their spouse, child, parent, sibling, or close friend has a disability and they would like to be more active and involved with disability issues, but don’t know where to start. Currently, there are not very many state legislatures that have [click to continue...]
With California wrapping up its legislative session on September 14 and North Carolina adjourning on October 13, state legislatures are going into recess just in time for autumn. Even the full-time representatives are largely done with their major efforts for 2023. So, what now? Is everyone on vacation leaf-peeping and sipping their pumpkin spice lattes? [click to continue...]
RespectAbility is proud to be a member of the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), a national organization that promotes the importance of community-integrated employment for people with disabilities. In early June, Wally Tablit, Senior Director for Leadership and Workforce Development, and I attended APSE’s annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, where we met with [click to continue...]
On the last day of February 2023, I joined a roomful of employers, job seekers, and advocates in a conference center in San Francisco all united by one passion – building a workforce that was diverse, inclusive, and welcoming to all. This one-day event, hosted by Roy Baladi of Jobs for Humanity and cosponsored by [click to continue...]
In December 2022, hundreds of state legislators from different states gathered at the Council of State Governments (CSG) National Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. They shared legislative priorities, including workforce shortages, the aging workforce, interstate compacts, and Western state emergency response. At each discussion, I had the opportunity to educate these leaders on the disability dimensions [click to continue...]