Policy

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Topeka, KS, October 12 – Kansas recognizes “the skills, reliability and productivity that Kansans with disabilities brings to our workforce,” said Governor Laura Kelly in a proclamation marking October as Kansas Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Gov. Kelly also recommitted her state to an “Employment First policy, [supporting] the efforts of business leadership networks in Kansas City and Sedgwick County, [providing] support to workers with disabilities through the WORK and Work Healthy programs” as well as other service programs that help Kansans with disabilities find jobs. To that end, the state of Kansas has “created the Special Employment Supports Coordinator position to coordinate employment opportunities for people with disabilities across agencies,” and is “supporting telework for state employees as well as private sector employees that help those with disabilities continue to work at home.”

Gov. Kelly concluded that “all Kansans have a role to play in – and benefits to gain from – increasing opportunities for competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities.” [continue reading…]

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Helena, MT, October 11 – Later this month, Montana’s State Workforce Development Board will meet to discuss the status of workforce practices in Big Sky Country. In response to this meeting, RespectAbility, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization, submitted testimony on how to implement best practices, advocate for greater inclusion and improve the standing of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“When it was passed with broad, bipartisan support in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) invested unprecedented resources into efforts to get people with barriers to employment into the labor force,” said Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII, RespectAbility’s new Chairman. “Now, after the pandemic that has reshaped our economy, it is time to devote significant attention to supporting the economic advancement of students, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.”

There are more than 63,386 working age (18-64) Montanans living with some form of disability. Before the pandemic, 46.9 percent of the working age population of people with disabilities were employed. It is critical that Montana’s Workforce Development Board listen to the individuals with disabilities and advocates impacted by these unemployment rates. In order to make the workforce more inclusive, and to find practical ways to make the workforce more accessible for the entire population, RespectAbility collects, summarizes, and publicizes ideas on key workforce solutions. To learn more about RespectAbility’s advocacy work, please visit our Policy website. [continue reading…]

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Raleigh, NC, October 8 – North Carolina must “increase opportunities for fair wages, career employment, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities,” said Governor Roy Cooper in a proclamation marking October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Gov. Cooper also recommitted to “transforming state government into a model employer of people with disabilities” according to Executive Order No. 92. The order announced North Carolina as “an employment first state,” and promised North Carolinians with disabilities further access to employment, internship opportunities, job development, transition programs, and support services through the state’s vocational rehabilitation divisions and services for the blind within the Department of Health and Human Services.

These are important public commitments for the more than 682,617 working-age people living with disabilities in the Tar Heel State. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina had a 35.3 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 77.4 percent. That means that there is a 42-percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities. [continue reading…]

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St. Paul, MN, October 8 – “Individuals with disabilities are valuable and skillful workers, as well as productive contributors and taxpayers in the workforce,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in a proclamation marking October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Gov. Walz’s proclamation highlighted “the decades of activism and advocacy by the disability community” which have opened doors and improve society. Additionally, the proclamation spotlighted Minnesota’s continued work on the state’s Olmstead Plan and included a commitment to provide “Minnesotans with disabilities with a continuum of work options that best meet individual needs and choices in a person-centered manner.”

This is an important public commitment for the 296,969 working-age people living with disabilities in the North Star State. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota had a 48.1 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 85.3 percent. That means that there is a 37.1percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities. [continue reading…]

Topeka, KS, October 8 – This week, the Kansas State Workforce Development Board met to discuss the status of workforce practices in the Sunflower State. In response to this meeting, RespectAbility, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization, submitted testimony on how to implement best practices, advocate for greater inclusion and improve the standing of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“When it was passed with broad, bipartisan support in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) invested unprecedented resources into efforts to get people with barriers to employment into the labor force,” said Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII, RespectAbility’s new Chairman. “Now, after the pandemic that has reshaped our economy, it is time to devote significant attention to supporting the economic advancement of students, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.”

There are more than 208,624 working age (18-64) Kansans living with some form of disability. Before the pandemic, 44.2 percent of the working age population of people with disabilities were employed. It is critical that Kansas’ Workforce Development Board listen to the individuals with disabilities and advocates impacted by these unemployment rates. In order to make the workforce more inclusive, and to find practical ways to make the workforce more accessible for the entire population, RespectAbility collects, summarizes, and publicizes ideas on key workforce solutions. To learn more about RespectAbility’s advocacy work, please visit our Policy website. [continue reading…]

Salt Lake City, UT, October 7 – Next week, the Utah State Workforce Development Board meets to discuss the status of workforce practices in the Beehive State. In response to this meeting, RespectAbility, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization, submitted testimony on how to implement best practices, advocate for greater inclusion and improve the standing of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“When it was passed with broad, bipartisan support in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) invested unprecedented resources into efforts to get people with barriers to employment into the labor force,” said Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII, RespectAbility’s new Chairman. “Now, after the pandemic that has reshaped our economy, it is time to devote significant attention to supporting the economic advancement of students, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.”

There are more than 146,969 working age (18-64) Utahans living with some form of disability. Before the pandemic, 50.2 percent of the working age population of people with disabilities were employed. It is critical that Utah’s Workforce Development Board listen to the individuals with disabilities and advocates impacted by these unemployment rates. In order to make the workforce more inclusive, and to find practical ways to make the workforce more accessible for the entire population, RespectAbility collects, summarizes, and publicizes ideas on key workforce solutions. To learn more about RespectAbility’s advocacy work, please visit our Policy website. [continue reading…]

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Madison, WI, October 7 – In a proclamation marking October as Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called on his state to recognize “the critical role that workers with disabilities play in strengthening” Wisconsin’s economy, “especially as we continue to bounce back from the unprecedented economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Gov. Evers also noted that Wisconsin is “reaffirming our commitment to providing an environment that encourages and promotes economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and the creation of employment opportunities” for Wisconsinites with disabilities. Evers’ proclamation also called critical attention to the impactful and innovative work of model programs such as Project SEARCH which has helped “more than 1,250 youth and adults with disabilities” find jobs in the competitive workforce.

This is an important public commitment for the 340,868 working-age people living with disabilities in the Badger state. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin had a 43.5 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 83.2 percent. That means that there is a 39.6 percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities.

[continue reading…]

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Albeurquerque, NM, October 6 – This week, the New Mexico State Workforce Development Board met to discuss the status of workforce practices in the Land of Enchantment. In response to this meeting, RespectAbility, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization, submitted testimony on how to implement best practices, advocate for greater inclusion and improve the standing of people with disabilities in the workforce.

“When it was passed with broad, bipartisan support in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) invested unprecedented resources into efforts to get people with barriers to employment into the labor force,” said Olegario “Ollie” Cantos VII, RespectAbility’s new Chairman. “Now, after the pandemic that has reshaped our economy, it is time to devote significant attention to supporting the economic advancement of students, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.”

There are more than 166,609 working age (18-64) New Mexicans living with some form of disability. Before the pandemic, 35.9 percent of the working age population of people with disabilities were employed. It is critical that New Mexico’s Workforce Development Board listen to the individuals with disabilities and advocates impacted by these unemployment rates. In order to make the workforce more inclusive, and to find practical ways to make the workforce more accessible for the entire population, RespectAbility collects, summarizes, and publicizes ideas on key workforce solutions. To learn more about RespectAbility’s advocacy work, please visit our Policy website. [continue reading…]

Read the full proclamation

Nashville, TN, October 5 – “Tennessee passed the State as a Model Employer (SAME) Bill, ensuring that state agencies and departments design and proactively implement best, promising, and emerging policies, practices, and procedures related to the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in a proclamation marking October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Gov. Lee also recommitted his state to recognizing “the value of employees with disabilities to the state’s current and future workforce,” and celebrated Tennessee’s “public policy accomplishments concerning expanding employment opportunities for citizens with disabilities.”

This is an important public commitment for the more than 533,630 working-age people living with disabilities in Tennessee. In the economic expansion prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tennessee had a 35.2 percent disability employment rate. By contrast, people without disabilities had an employment rate of 78.2 percent. That means that there is a 42.9 percentage point gap in labor force participation rates between people with and without disabilities. [continue reading…]