Washington, D.C. – RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, is proud to release a toolkit for policy leaders on employment for people with disabilities. The toolkit is important because:
News
United Nations Partners with ABILITY to Raise Awareness
ABILITY Awareness, in conjunction with the United Nations’ Department of Public Information hosted a panel discussion: The Art of Engagement.
The event will take place on Friday July 19th as part of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The panel is described as, an entertaining approach to building awareness through music, theater, humor and various visual arts stimulates attention to an otherwise resistant society: http://www.abilitymagazine.com/UN-ABILITY.html.
TJ Lavin PSA
Action Sports Star/Host of The Challenge TJ Lavin Stars in New PSA on disability: “We all should have the same opportunity to achieve the American dream.”
Washington, D.C. – With fully 70 percent of working-age Americans with disabilities outside the workforce, BMX bike legend and host of MTV’s The Challenge, T.J. Lavin, is starring in a new public service ad where he says, “whether it is me, you, or someone who just wants to work — we all should have the same opportunity to achieve the American dream.”
NGA Meeting: Governors making key progress on jobs for people with disabilities
Governors Making Dramatic Changes to Expand Employment for People with Disabilities (PwDs)
Disability Leaders to Meet With Governors To Discuss Employment For People With Disabilities
Washington, D.C. – As the National Governor’s Association (NGA) begins its meeting in Washington, many of the nation’s governors are making dramatic, positive changes to expand job opportunities and avenues for success for people with disabilities. The changes are an outgrowth of the NGA Chairs’ Initiative, “A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities” led by previous NGA Chairman, Gov. Jack Markell (DE). The initiative created a blueprint that identified best practices and outlined steps that can be put in place by businesses and states to increase employment of people with disabilities.
MTV’s TJ Lavin, Gov. Jack Markell, Rep. Pete Sessions, Rep. Brad Sherman and Gold Medalist Matt Cowdrey Join RespectAbilityUSA
MTV’s TJ Lavin, Gov. Jack Markell, Rep. Pete Sessions, Rep. Brad Sherman and Gold Medalist Matt Cowdrey Join RespectAbilityUSA to Stand Up for Jobs for People with Disabilities (PwDs)
New Poll of Faith in the Disability Community Released
New poll on faith in disability community shows:
- 80% of Evangelicals, 59% of Protestants, 41% of Catholics and 25% of Jews say religion “very important” to their lives
- Half of Jews surveyed say religion “not very important” in their lives; Jews in disability community much less likely to attend religious services than other faiths
(Washington, D.C.) Faith questions from a groundbreaking new poll of 3839 members of the disability community were released today by RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to enable people with disabilities to have the opportunity to achieve the American dream. [continue reading…]
10 Tips to Enable People with Disabilities to Get Jobs
Fully 70 percent of working-age people with disabilities in America are not working. This leads to poverty, powerlessness and prison. So how can we, who care about people with disabilities, change that? [continue reading…]
Open letter to elected officials, public servants and political consultants
Dear Elected Officials, Public Servants and Political Consultants,
RespectAbilityUSA.org knows that you want to be in touch with voters and meet their needs so that America can be a better place. Thus, we want to help you serve your constituents better. We recently completed a large-sample national poll of 3800 people within the disability community, and the results offer a unique insight into a community of 56 million Americans. We know that this information can help you who understand what matters to millions of Americans with disabilities and their loved ones. [continue reading…]
New Poll of 3839 People in Disability Community Shows 3 out of 4 people with disabilities surveyed value a job and independence over government benefits
New Poll of 3839 People in Disability Community Shows:
- 3 out of 4 people with disabilities surveyed value a job and independence over government benefits (no partisan split)
- Disability community sites employer perceptions that they will be “less successful than someone without a disability” as primary barrier to jobs
- Disability community names top ways to impact work environment as change in employer attitudes, employer training, and change in structure of benefits system
- Younger PwDs (Post IDEA/ADA Generations) More Interested in Self-advocacy
- Less than half of PwDs looking for work have access to quality training programs, career counseling, and professional resources (e.g., job coach) needed to help with a job search. [continue reading…]
New Resolution in NC! “Disability Employment Awareness Month”
Governor McCrory (NC) intends to improve the employment outlook for those with disabilities. He signed a resolution proclaiming the observance of October 2013 as “Disability Employment Awareness Month.”
