Policy

I recently researched three disability organizations in the countries of Afghanistan, India, and Kenya to find out the differences and similarities between what they and RespectAbility do. Upon exploring them, I realized the unifying thread that was the Convention on Rights for Persons with Disabilities. I believe that the U.S. should immediately ratify the treaty.

Here’s what I learned: [continue reading…]

Last month, we shared monthly employment data from the BLS. In this month’s Data Corner, we examine the National Trends In Disability Employment (nTIDE) and their work tracking employment for people with disabilities. We will also explore some educational data that shows some encouraging progress.

In February 2023, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities rose to an all-time high of 40.2%, compared to 36.6% in February 2022. This is encouraging as we work towards closing the gap between workers with and without disabilities. Workers without disabilities experienced a smaller uptick in the labor force participation rate, which rose from 76.9% in February 2022 to 77.3% in February 2023.

Likewise, the employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities rose from 33.1% in February 2022 to 36.9% in February 2023. For those without disabilities, the employment-to-population ratio increased from 73.8% to 74.4%. [continue reading…]

The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) was introduced in February 2023 in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MA). The bill is designed to end the exception to the minimum wage enacted in the 1930s which allows certain employers of people with disabilities to pay wages significantly under the minimum wage, as little as pennies an hour, colloquially known as subminimum wage. We recognize that this would realize one of our main strategic policy goals.

Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 instructed the Department of Labor (DOL) to provide certificates to employers specifically involved in the training of people with disabilities, allowing them an exemption to minimum wage standards. The original purpose of this exemption was to allow workshops for people with disabilities to continue operating through the end of the Great Depression, despite the fact that the federal government had enacted a minimum wage. It has long outlived this purpose, and has in fact created inequitable outcomes, and diverted people with disabilities from the more effective training programs available this century. [continue reading…]

As we roll out this new newsletter format, we are excited to have the opportunity to share recent and upcoming trainings. Where possible, we will include a link to registration or to a previous training. Even when it is not possible for you to register or watch a recording, we encourage our readers to carefully note subjects of interest. You may well be able to book a version of the same training through RespectAbility’s Disability Training and Speakers Bureau. Use these links to Meet The Speakers and learn about some of our existing Speaker Topics. If you find something of interest, you can Request Speakers Here.

On January 31, our Senior Director of Policy and Workforce Development, Wally Tablit, presented at the APSE Pacific Northwest Regional Event to more than 70 attendees from various states in the Pacific Northwest Region. This includes California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Wyoming. There also were participants from Maryland, Oklahoma, and Philadelphia in attendance. Wally spoke to the critical need to infuse the concepts and movements of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility into the work of employment and workforce development for people with disabilities. Attendees learned of the importance and power of creating diverse teams, creating the necessary space to do the work of DEIA, and why it is an essential piece of your strategic plan and process to increasing employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

We also are excited to announce that we will be resuming our regular webinar schedule in early March with a presentation for Employee Resource Group members and other internal advocates on “Presenting the Business Case For Disability Inclusion Within Your Organization.” Learn more about that webinar and register to attend at our website.

Each month, RespectAbility’s Policy Department testifies on multiple plans and pieces of legislation, providing our insight, perspective, and advocacy.

This month, we are pleased to share recent testimony to the Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board’s February 2023 meeting, and testimony to the Workforce Arizona Council regarding Public Comments on ARIZONA@WORK Job Center Vision and Structure of One Stop Delivery System. [continue reading…]

RespectAbility has long emphasized the importance of basing our inclusion practices and decision on hard data. We always have provided this data in press releases and trainings, and upon request. This new data corner feature is designed to supplement these other sources and share the raw data directly with you. We are starting simply in this first month, providing you with basic disability employment information as provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Please feel free to share other data that you would like to receive. While we will be updating this information monthly, you can always find current data, and much more, at www.bls.gov. [continue reading…]

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that we are equipping our readers with the best and most up to date strategies for workforce inclusion, we are pleased to share on January 24, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released an updated resource explaining ADA requirements for individuals with hearing disabilities in the workplace. Called “Hearing Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” it details how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to job applicants and employees who are deaf or hard of hearing or have other hearing conditions.

The EEOC publication outlines how certain pre- and post-job offer disability-related questions can violate the ADA, describes easy-to-access technologies that can make providing a reasonable accommodation for a hearing disability free or low-cost, addresses employer concerns about safety, and shares realistic scenarios of potential discrimination. The agency points out that it both provides updated information about discrimination against job applicants and provides new or updated examples that reflect available technologies. [continue reading…]

Policy Apprentices are ambassadors for the policy work of RespectAbility and will support the broad work of RespectAbility’s Policy Department. Assigned projects will help to advance our nation-wide policy agenda, educate candidates for public office about disability issues, and support existing state-based coalition building strategies. Apprentices will work substantively to contribute to RespectAbility’s work by developing resources, researching new materials, and publishing reports.

A few weeks ago, we welcomed 13 new Apprentices, including 3 Policy Apprentices to our National Leadership Program. You can read their bios, along with a bio for our continuing Policy Apprentice, below. They represent the future of the disability rights movement! [continue reading…]

Last week, as he delivered his State of the Union Address, President Biden called upon Congress to “get seniors and people with disabilities the home care services they need and support the workers who are doing God’s work.” RespectAbility joins with the rest of the disability community in gratitude for this call to leadership, and further thanks the President for recognizing the value of the choice for those of us who rely on care to stay in our homes, and reminding us that these programs are already fully paid for. You can learn more about this issue in this informative article in Disability Scoop. We also are grateful to President Biden for calling out the critical need for stronger mental health support, especially for young people.

At the same time, we encourage the President and Congressional leadership to ensure that other important initiatives include people with disabilities. The President celebrated the creation of 12 million new jobs in his first two years in office, and pointed out that unemployment is at a 50 year record low, including record employment levels for Black and Hispanic workers. While people with disabilities also have benefited from this job creation, our employment rate remains less than half that of the general population. [continue reading…]