Senate Holds Hearing on Employment of People with Disabilities

From the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions ("HELP") Committee (3.2.11):

Harkin Convenes Hearing on Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today convened the first in a series of hearings to examine how to improve employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Testimony and archived videos will be posted at: http://help.senate.gov/hearings/

Excerpts from Harkin’s opening statement as prepared for delivery are below:

“The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will come to order.  The title of this hearing is “Improving Employment Opportunities for People with Intellectual Disabilities.”  We are here today to examine the barriers and, most importantly, identify solutions to increase the employment participation rate for all individuals with disabilities. 

“For this hearing, we focus first on persons with intellectual disabilities because, in many ways, they have faced the most significant barriers and the lowest employment participation rates of any group of individuals with disabilities.  According to some sources, the employment participation rate for persons with intellectual disabilities is as low as 23.9%, and for those receiving Supplemental Security Income the participation rate is as low as 9%.  Persons with intellectual disabilities also may face the most significant of barriers to employment—that of poor attitudes about their abilities and low expectations for their possibilities.  We are here today to identify strategies for increasing employment participation for this important group of citizens...

>>> For the full Opening Statement

Comments

[Brad Fallon]

This is a good thing that they give attention to this kind situation. I think people with intellectual disabilities should be given a chance to participate in society and be given a job that they can perform to the best of their ability. This would make them feel important.

[Patricia Bordonaro]

The Federal Government needs to look at State governments. State agencies (Johnston County Schools - a NC state agency) DO NOT follow the Equal Opportunity Employment Laws. This is done with the knowledge of the superintendent and the school board. They spend $600,000 in one year on OT to Classified employees (Teachers Assistants, Custodians, Cafeteria & Office Workers) because they force them to drive school buses before and/or after a full day on a school site. It is not because they do not have personnel, they do not hire personnel. JCS will not hire a prospective classified employee if they are disabled and they will not keep employed someone becomes disabled. They say it is because their policy is all classified personnel must have a commercial drivers license and be willing to drive a school bus. They hide behind the DMV saying it is the DMV rules for a CDL. Yes, the DMV has rules for the safety of everyone, but it is just a county policy to have a CDL. A policy that also states that the superintendent can exempt it. Also the school board can change a policy. Under current policy - JCS is not an EOE. I find it comical that they send bus drivers to have "random" drug tests to make sure that the children are being driven by safe drivers, yet- I know for a FACT - that I am going to be force drive very soon with limited vision in one eye due to a disability (medically documented) or I will be fired. I have already received a letter telling me that if I can not drive I must resign. How safe is that! I even met with the superintendent and he is fully aware of it! Lets make sure our children are safe!