Office on Disability

Internship OPPORTUNITY - DESCRIPTION

Students interested in the following internship opportunity should contact Eileen Elias, Deputy Director, at 202 205 1104 or eileen.elias@hhs.gov.

Hubert H Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC, Room 637D

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ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:

The Office on Disability provides a comprehensive rotation through a tremendously positive learning experience resulting in an understanding of persons with disabilities from a public health perspective across the following domains:

Homeownership: improving homeownership opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Young Adult: supporting the special needs of young adults (14-30 years) in transition.
Physical Fitness and Health: ensuring access to health care and physical fitness for children an youth with disabilities.
508 Adherence: ensuring all HHS purchased technology complies with accessibility federal standards.
Minority Health: addressing special needs of persons from under-represented minorities.
Transportation: addressing transportation barriers of persons with disabilities.
Caregiving: addressing personal care services and caregiver-workforce challenges of persons with disabilities.
Co-occurring Conditions: addressing the complex and special needs of youth with multiple disabilities.
Women and Disability: increasing awareness and improved access to health care for women with disabilities.
Tax Incentives: promoting Information on tax incentives for employers, and tax credits for persons with disabilities.

Objective 1: Represent the Office on Disability at policy-based meetings.

Represent the Office on Disability at local Congressional and other policy based federal and non governmental meetings on issues such as housing, asset development for persons with disabilities, employment, transportation, caregiving, and those that are health and human services related.

Outcome: Gain experience in working within a federal interdepartmental approach to disability-based policy development across all life domains and in understanding the interface between Congress and the administrative branches of government.

Objective 2: Team member on interagency and/or interdepartmental disability-based Interdepartmental planning committees.

Serve as essential team member (or, depending on the project, act a project leader) with the Office on Disability Director and/or Deputy Director and other Office staff on interagency and interdepartmental planning committees addressing policy relating to persons with disabilities across the lifespan.

Outcome: Obtain hands on experience in developing and implementing disability-based public health policies.

Objective 3: Assist in developing and implementing new public health proposals and initiatives.

Assist in developing and implementing new proposals and initiatives to support the mission of the Office on Disability on such domains as transportation, education, assistive technology, housing, health, employment, and integrated services as they support the President's New Freedom Initiative and overall challenges of helping persons with disabilities effectively reside in the community.

Outcome: Obtain hands on experience in understanding the importance of addressing the comprehensive needs of persons with disabilities.

Objective 4: Work with high level Department-wide executives.

Outcome: Gain experience in understanding the roles of top level HHS administrators in shaping and carrying out disability-based policies.

Objective 5: Help carry out constituent meetings of national significance and those specific to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Outcome: Understand from hands on experiences the importance of including constituent input on all levels of policy development.

Objective 6: Address constituents' issues (where such issues are from persons representing all types of disabilities) as referred to the Office on Disability.

Outcome: Understand the challenges persons with disabilities experience through hands on experience in addressing constituent issues.

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OFFICE ON DISABILITY FINANCIAL SUPPORT:
The Office on Disability will provide transit support.