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April
DisabilityInfo Connection
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In This Issue
April 2007
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Welcome to DisabilityInfo Connection, the newsletter of DisabilityInfo.gov. DisabilityInfo.gov, managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, is the federal government's online resource for people with disabilities, employers, job seekers, service providers and many others. This newsletter will keep you informed about new developments relating to DisabilityInfo.gov. It will also offer timely information about the important contributions and initiatives of the 21 federal agencies that support this Web site. — W. Roy Grizzard, Jr., Ed.D., Assistant Secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor |
News & Events |
DisabilityInfo.gov Wins Knowledge Management AwardDisabilityInfo.gov is the 2007 recipient of the E-Gov Institute's Knowledge Management (KM) Award for Delivering High Value to Citizens in a Knowledge Management Solution. The DisabilityInfo.gov team, represented by officials from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), accepted the award on April 4 at the 8th Annual Knowledge Management Conference and Exhibition held in Washington, D.C. The KM Awards recognize innovative knowledge management best practices in public sector organizations. Nominations were received from all levels of government, including federal, state and local government organizations, as well as successful programs from outside the United States. To view the full press release visit DisabilityInfo.gov's online Press Room. Nomination Deadline Extended for 2007 New Freedom Initiative AwardsThe nomination deadline for the 2007 Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Awards has been extended from April 30 to May 31, 2007. The 2007 awards mark the sixth year that U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao is honoring businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in increasing employment opportunities for adults and young people with disabilities. Complete criteria and instructions for the New Freedom Initiative Awards are available in the February 12, 2007 issue of the Federal Register. Self-nominations are encouraged. For more information on the New Freedom Initiative Awards, visit the Office of Disability Employment Policy's New Freedom Initiative Web Page or the Employment section of DisabilityInfo.gov. New Regulations to More Accurately Assess Students with DisabilitiesU.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced new regulations under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act allowing states to test certain students with disabilities using an alternate assessment that more appropriately aligns with students' needs and yields more meaningful results for schools and parents. The new regulations offer states and schools greater flexibility by allowing them to more accurately evaluate these students' academic progress and tailor instruction based on individual needs. A new fact sheet entitled Measuring the Achievement of Students with Disabilities is also available. Visit the Education section of DisabilityInfo.gov for additional resources for students, parents and educators. JWOD Is 'AbilityOne'"AbilityOne" is the new name for the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) program, the longstanding procurement program that employs people who are blind or who have severe disabilities. AbilityOne replaces the "JWOD" acronym, but does not change the underlying law, which was established to create job opportunities for people who are blind or severely disabled in the manufacture and delivery of products and services for the federal government. Today, this program is the single largest employer of people with severe disabilities in the United States, with more than 46,000 jobs nationwide. The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (Committee), the independent federal agency that administers JWOD, determined that the program's future success requires an enhanced ability to communicate its purpose and value to others. "AbilityOne has a much closer linkage to the program's workforce and capabilities, and alludes to the convergence of all participants into one umbrella program," said Andrew D. Houghton, chairperson of the Committee. Upon his election, Mr. Houghton, a distinguished leader in the disability arena, became the first private citizen to serve as chairperson in the Committee's 68-year history. Moreover, the newly elected vice chairperson, James H. Omvig, marks the first time that a private citizen has occupied both the chair and vice chair positions. Mr. Omvig is a nationally recognized leader in the field of rehabilitation and lifelong advocate for people who are blind. For more information about AbilityOne and other federal employment programs, visit the Employment section of DisabilityInfo.gov. |
Federal Agency in Focus |
The Access BoardThe U.S. Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities, the Board is now a leading source of information on accessible design. The Access Board develops and maintains design criteria for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment and for electronic and information technology. In March the Access Board elected public member Tricia Mason as its new chair. Appointed to the Board by President Bush in 2005, Mason also serves as a State Government Relations Specialist at Easter Seals in its Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., and is a former president of Little People of America, a non-profit organization for individuals of short stature and their families. "I appreciate this opportunity to help lead an organization that plays such an important leadership role in accessible design," Mason noted. "I look forward to the year ahead and the work the Board has underway to advance accessibility on a variety of fronts." This agenda includes developing new guidelines for public rights-of-way and passenger vessels and updating existing design criteria for transportation vehicles and electronic and information technology. For more information on assistive technologies and accessible design, visit the Technology section of DisabilityInfo.gov. |
Hot Topics in Health |
HHS's Office on Women's HealthThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office on Women's Health (OWH) works to improve the health and well being of all women and girls in the United States. To achieve that long-term goal, OWH focuses on the health differences between men and women, between boys and girls and among populations of women. One of OWH's primary goals is to promote comprehensive health services for women. OWH also supports the use of culturally appropriate practices in medical education and research, so all individuals and communities benefit. OWH provides reliable information on hundreds of health topics for women. OWH oversees ten Regional Women's Health Coordinators (RWHCs) across the United States who coordinate and implement national public health initiatives to promote a greater focus on women's health issues at the regional, state and local levels. Initiatives include the National Women's Health Information Center, which acts as the federal "women's health central" for the public, health care professionals, researchers and the media, and GirlsHealth.gov, a Web site created to help girls (ages 10-16) learn about health, growing up and issues they may face. For more information on the programs and services offered by HHS's Office of Women's Health and other organizations on women's health issues, visit the Women's Health section of DisabilityInfo.gov. EEOC's Employment of Health Care Workers with Disabilities Fact SheetThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a new question-and-answer (Q&A) fact sheet on the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to job applicants and employees in the health care industry. The new publication is part of a series of Q&A documents about specific disabilities in the workplace and specific industries. The new fact sheet provides practical information about applying ADA employment rules in health care jobs, in a variety of settings — from public and private hospitals and nursing care facilities to doctors' and dentists' offices and diagnostic laboratories. The occupations within the health care field are many and varied, including physicians, surgeons, dental hygienists, nurses, workers, physical therapists, medical records clerks, laboratory technicians, paramedics, home health aides and custodial and food service workers in medical facilities. Although the rules under Title I of the ADA are the same for employers and individuals with disabilities in all industries, this fact sheet explains how the ADA applies to some unique situations that may arise in health care settings. Many of the real-life examples in the fact sheet are based on cases that have been decided by courts or settled by the EEOC. For more information about the ADA and other laws that protect people with disabilities, visit the Civil Rights section of DisabilityInfo.gov. HHS Initiative to Assist Hospitals in Effective CommunicationIn March, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new program, Effective Communication in Hospitals, to assist hospitals in meeting the communication needs of individuals who do not speak English as their primary language (i.e., are limited English proficient) or who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will collaborate with state hospital associations and their members to develop and implement these programs. A central component of the initiative is collaboration between each OCR regional office and a state hospital association to develop goals and activities to support the initiative. Complementing the state level projects is a joint effort by OCR headquarters and the American Hospital Association to ensure that the project participants have access to resource materials, share the results of the initiative with other hospitals and address related issues of national concern. For more resources for health care professionals, visit the Health section of DisabilityInfo.gov. |
Featured Tools & Resources |
New Fact Sheets on Youth Entrepreneurship Education & Youth with Mental Health NeedsThe U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has developed two new fact sheets to support youth with disabilities. Both resources are available from the Publications Page of the ODEP Web site. The first fact sheet, Encouraging Future Innovation: Youth Entrepreneurship Education, is beneficial to service providers and youth with disabilities. It contains a number of resources as well as information on how to make entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education programs inclusive of youth with disabilities. The second fact sheet, Entering The World of Work: What Youth with Mental Health Needs Should Know About Accommodations, addresses the concerns youth with mental health needs, who are entering the workforce, may have regarding disclosure and accommodations. Visit the Youth section of DisabilityInfo.gov for more information on programs and resources for young people with disabilities. Tool Kit on Teaching & Assessing Students with DisabilitiesThe U.S. Department of Education recently updated its Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities to include information specifically for parents. The Tool Kit offers sources on assessment, instructional practices and accommodations. This newly updated resource assists parents as they work with schools to ensure that their children are receiving a quality education. It also helps parents become more active and better informed participants in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) discussions and other areas that support students with disabilities and their families. Additional resources for parents can be found in the Education section of DisabilityInfo.gov. START-UP/ USASTART-UP/ USA is the Web site of the Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, & Training program, a cooperative agreement funded by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. START-UP/USA provides technical assistance to individuals interested in pursuing self-employment. Today more than ever, small business ownership and other self-employment options have the power to lower the traditionally high unemployment rate among people with disabilities and help them achieve economic independence. The site includes a webcast series in which successful entrepreneurs share their secrets for success and online seminars on topics including self-employment for individuals with disabilities. Visitors to the site can also sign up for the Start-Up/ USA Listserv to receive news updates about the site and issues related to self-employment. For additional resources on self-employment and entrepreneurship for people with disabilities, visit the Employment section of DisabilityInfo.gov. |
In Your Community |
The Corporation for National and Community ServiceThe Corporation for National and Community Service (Corporation) is the federal agency that oversees the AmeriCorps, Senior Corp and Learn and Serve America volunteer programs. Established in 1993, the Corporation strives to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in voluntary service opportunities to their communities and country. Each year more than 1.5 million individuals help meet local needs through a wide array of service opportunities. The Corporation's National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) was developed to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in national service programs. NSIP's online resource center offers information on recruitment, person-first language and inclusion etiquette, accommodations and accessibility and legal responsibilities related to people with disabilities. Many states have disability coordinators who are responsible for ensuring that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to contribute to their communities as volunteers. For further information on volunteer and community service opportunities for people with disabilities, visit the Community Life section of DisabilityInfo.gov. Independent Living CentersIndependent Living Center (ILCs)—sometimes called Centers for Independent Living or CILs—are private, non-profit organizations that provide services and advocacy for people with all types of disabilities. ILCs work to maximize the independence of individuals with disabilities and the accessibility of the communities they live in. There are nearly 500 ILCs located in communities throughout the country. They offer a range of community-based services, including assistance with employment, transportation, housing, health care and living skills. For more information on ILCs and independent living, visit the Community Life section of DisabilityInfo.gov. Work Incentive Planning & Assistance ProjectsIf you receive disability benefits from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) and are interested in going back to work or learning more about how working would affect your benefits, you can get help from the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) project. WIPA works through a nationwide network of Community Work Incentives Coordinators who are specially trained to help you plan a successful return to employment through Social Security work incentives. Visit the Employment section of DisabilityInfo.gov for more information on returning to work. |
Grants & Funding |
Services in Supportive Housing ProgramThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2007 Services in Supportive Housing Program grants. The purpose of this program is to help end chronic homelessness by funding services for individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness in coordination with existing permanent supportive housing programs and resources. Supportive housing provides consumers with long-term, community-based housing options. This housing approach combines housing assistance and intensive individualized support services to people with serious psychiatric conditions and those with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. The application deadline is May 22, 2007. Estimated total funding for this program is $3 million. Additional grants and funding opportunities are available through Grants.gov and the Grants & Funding sections of DisabilityInfo.gov. Improving Services and Results for Children with DisabilitiesThe U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has announced grants under a program to promote academic achievement and improve results for children with disabilities by supporting technical assistance, model demonstration projects, dissemination of useful information and implementation activities that are supported by scientifically based research. See the following announcements for more information: CFDA 84.326E, CFDA 84.326B and CFDA 84.326M. For more information on educational programs and services, visit the Education section of DisabilityInfo.gov. Funding for Grassroots OrganizationsThe U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration has announced two competitions for grants totaling $3.6 million for faith-based and community organizations to help members of hard-to-serve populations prepare for and succeed in employment. Services funded by the grants will focus on people who frequently face major obstacles to employment, including people with disabilities. Grantees will provide personalized care and supportive services, such as mentoring or life skills coaching, to enable individuals to fully use the services of local One-Stop Career Centers. The application deadline is May 8, 2007. A new fact sheet, Demystifying the Rehabilitation Act, is also available to help faith-based and community organizations better understand how Section 504 of the Act applies to them as they deliver services to people with disabilities. Additional grants and funding opportunities are available through Grants.gov and the Grants & Funding sections of DisabilityInfo.gov. |
