Monday, February 13, 2012 at 2:17PM Click here to read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/jobs/disabilities-can-be-workplace-assets.html?_r=2
CAL, Paul Hippolitus, UC Berkeley, disability, employment in Peer Mentorship, education Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 2:39PM
ACTION ALERT: Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley
Southern California Edison is seeking approval to raise its electricity rates and change its rate structure in a way that is likely to hurt low-income people, including many in households with a person with a disability. Please help the Center for Accessible Technology in Berkeley (CforAT) collect stories and information to illustrate the harmful effects increased utility bills have on people with disabilities. The ILCs can help fight these proposed changes pending this month before the California Public Utilities Commission.
ILC clients and staff are likely to have personal human impact stories about how increased utility bills will be harmful to individuals with disabilities -- who are most likely to struggle living on fixed low incomes and rely on residential utilities for essential medical related purposes. Our state’s decision makers and public need to be given a complete picture of the harmful impact Edison’s proposed electricity rate increases and changes will cause.
Please help provide CforAT with information for the essential testimony it is preparing to reflect the real-world impact of increased costs of utilities on individuals with disabilities, when you are contacted very soon to ask if you have such information or any data.
More specifically, what is needed by CforAT as soon as possible is:
• General information regarding client’s utility issues. Do you regularly help clients with utility issues/cost concerns? Roughly how many or what percentage of your clients report such problems? How often? How does your ILC usually respond to these kinds of issues (e.g., refer out, help arrange payment plan, inform client of utility-specific low-income support plan, etc.).
• Individual stories. What kinds of stories, if any, have individual utility payers shared with your ILC? (In the past, ILCs have reported compelling client stories about not being able to pay their electricity bills, and about being faced with the horrendous choice between paying different utilities or between paying for either medication, food or their electricity bill.) Please make any effort possible now to also arrange permission for CforAT/DREDF to directly contact such individuals – especially if there are compelling stories.
This information is being gathered for CforAT by Nicolie Bolster who works at DREDF (Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund) in Berkeley.
Nicolie Bolster, DREDF
Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 9:18AM Higher Education and Disability: Improved Federal Enforcement Needed to Better Protect Students' Rights to Testing Accommodations
Among accommodations requested and granted in the most recent testing year, approximately three-quarters were for extra time, and about half were for applicants with learning disabilities. High school and postsecondary school officials U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) interviewed reported advising students about which accommodations to request and providing documentation to testing companies, such as a student's accommodations history.
Testing companies included in GAO's study reported that they grant accommodations based on their assessment of an applicant's eligibility under the ADA and whether accommodation requests are appropriate for their tests. Testing companies look for evidence of the functional limitations that prevent the applicant from taking the exam under standard conditions. They also consider what accommodations are appropriate for their tests and may grant accommodations that were different than those requested. For example, one testing company official told GAO that applicants with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder all might request extra time, but may be granted different accommodations given their limitations--extra time for an applicant unable to maintain focus; extra breaks for an applicant unable to sit still for an extended time period; a separate room for an easily distracted applicant.
Documenting need and determining appropriate accommodations can present challenges to students and testing companies. Some applicants GAO interviewed found testing companies' documentation requirements difficult to understand and unreasonable. Most applicants GAO spoke with said they sought accommodations that they were accustomed to using, and some found it frustrating that the testing company would not provide the same accommodations for the test. Testing companies reported challenges with ensuring fairness to all test takers and maintaining the reliability of their tests when making accommodations decisions. Testing company officials said that reviewing requests that contain limited information can make it difficult to make an informed decision. Some testing company officials also expressed concern with being required to provide accommodations that best ensure an applicant's test results reflect the applicant's aptitude rather than providing what they consider to be reasonable accommodations.
Federal enforcement of laws and regulations governing testing accommodations is largely complaint-driven and involves multiple agencies. While Justice has overall responsibility for enforcing compliance under the ADA, Education and HHS have enforcement responsibilities under the Rehabilitation Act for testing companies that receive federal financial assistance from them. Education and HHS officials said that they investigate each eligible complaint. Justice officials said they review each complaint at in-take, but they do not make a determination on every complaint because of the large volume of complaints it receives. Justice has clarified ADA requirements for testing accommodations primarily by revising its regulations, but it lacks a strategic approach to targeting enforcement. Specifically, Justice has not fully utilized complaint data--either its own or that of other agencies--to inform its efforts. Justice officials said that they reviewed complaints on a case-by-case basis but did not conduct systematic searches of their data to inform their overall approach to enforcement. Additionally, Justice has not initiated compliance reviews of testing companies, and its technical assistance on this subject has been limited. GAO recommends that the Department of Justice take steps to develop a strategic approach to enforcement such as by analyzing its data and updating its technical assistance manual. Justice agreed with GAO's recommendation....
To read more please go to Article Source
Article Source: http://gao.gov/products/GAO-12-40
Stay informed! Go to the Advocacy Corner for frequent updates!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 12:25PM California Youth Leadership ForumFor Students with Disabilities
July 23-27, 2012
Sacramento, CA
California State University, Sacramento (CSUS)
(Dates subject to change.)
Develop Leadership Skills, and learn how to reach your academic, career, and independence goals.
Talk with policy makers and educate them on ways they can improve the lives of young people with disabilities.
Live on the CSUS campus during the week at no cost to you!
Make new friends for life!
Application Information:
For more information and how to complete an application, please go to the website.
Contact us at (916) 558-5407 (voice) - (916) 558-5403 (TTY).
Stay informed! Go to the Advocacy Corner for frequent updates!
Youth Leadersip Forum, disability, leadership development, youth in Disability, Youth Thursday, December 8, 2011 at 9:54AM An update from the United States Department of Labor:
OFCCP News Release: [12/08/2011]
Contact Name: Laura McGinnis or Mike Trupo
Phone Number: (202) 693-4653 or x6588
Release Number: 11-1614-NAT
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is proposing a new rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to set a hiring goal of having 7 percent of their workforces be people with disabilities, among other requirements. The department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs invites public comment on this proposal, which will be published in the Dec. 9 edition of the Federal Register.
OFCCP's proposed rule would strengthen the affirmative action requirements established in Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 obligating federal contractors and subcontractors to ensure equal employment opportunities for qualified workers with disabilities. The proposed regulatory changes detail specific actions contractors must take in the areas of recruitment, training, record keeping and policy dissemination — similar to those that have long been required to promote workplace equality for women and minorities. In addition, the rule would clarify OFCCP's expectations for contractors by providing specific guidance on how to comply with the law.
"This proposed rule represents one of the most significant advances in protecting the civil rights of workers with disabilities since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "President Obama has demonstrated a commitment to people with disabilities. This proposed rule would help federal contractors better fulfill their legal responsibility to hire qualified workers with disabilities."
Although Section 503 regulations have been in place for decades, the current unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 13 percent, 1 1/2 times the rate of those without disabilities. Even more discouraging, data published last week by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics show stark disparities facing working-age individuals with disabilities, with 79.2 percent outside the labor force altogether, compared to 30.5 percent of those without disabilities.
"For nearly 40 years, the rules have said that contractors simply need to make a 'good faith' effort to recruit and hire people with disabilities. Clearly, that's not working," said OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu. "Our proposal would define specific goals, require real accountability and provide the clearest possible guidance for employers seeking to comply with the law. What gets measured gets done. And we're in the business of getting things done."
Establishing a 7 percent hiring goal for the employment of individuals with disabilities would be a tool for contractors to measure the effectiveness of their affirmative action efforts and thereby inform their decision-making. The proposed rule also would enhance data collection and record-keeping requirements — including for documentation and processing of requests for reasonable accommodation — in order to improve accountability. Additionally, it would ensure annual self-reviews of employers' recruitment and outreach efforts, and add a new requirement for contractors to list job openings to increase their pools of qualified applicants.
To read the notice of proposed rulemaking or submit a comment, visit the federal e-rulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Comments also can be submitted by mail to Debra Carr, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, U.S. Department of Labor, Room C-3325, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20210. All comments must be received by Feb. 7, 2012, and should include identification number (RIN) 1250-AA02.
In addition to Section 503, OFCCP enforces Executive Order 11246 and the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. As amended, these three laws require those who do business with the federal government, both contractors and subcontractors, to follow the fair and reasonable standard that they take affirmative action and not discriminate in employment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. For general information, call OFCCP's toll-free helpline at 800-397-6251 or visit its website at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/.
Stay informed! Go to the Advocacy Corner for frequent updates!
US Labor Department, disability, employment, hiring practices in Disability, Policy 