White House to Host State-Specific Calls About the American Jobs act and the FY2012 Budget on October 13 & 14

On Friday, October 7, the White House released the following invitation:

Good morning,

Please join us for state-specific calls on Wednesday, October 12th, Thursday, October 13th and Friday, October 14th to talk about the American Jobs act and the FY2012 Budget.

Below is dial-in information for each state call. If you require captioning for any of the calls, please emailsfeuerstein@who.eop.gov and put the following in the subject line of your email — "captioning required for state call"

In the body of your email, identify the state call for which you need captioning services.

These services only will be available for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. We will not maintain or provide transcripts of the calls.

Please email us by Monday, October 10th no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern in order for us to be able to arrange captioning services.

You can also visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/disabilities where you can keep up with what the Administration is doing for Americans with disabilities.

Please circulate to those in the specific states that you know may be interested in these calls.

If you did not receive this email and would like to be added to the White House disability distribution list to receive email updates and information, please email disability@who.eop.gov with your name, city, state, and organization.

Call Times — All Times are Eastern

Wednesday, October 12th: New York American Jobs Act Call 12 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1093 Florida American Jobs Act Call FL 2 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 288-8976

Thursday, October 13th: Missouri American Jobs Act Call 10 a.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 288-8960 Minnesota American Jobs Act Call 10 a.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1096 Illinois American Jobs Act Call 11 a.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 288-8968 Massachusetts American Jobs Act Call 1 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (877) 258-1466 Maine American Jobs Act Call 2 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 288-8968 Colorado American Jobs Act Call 3 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1085 Arizona American Jobs Act Call 4 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 288-8960 Michigan American Jobs Act Call 4 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1092 Wisconsin American Jobs Act Call 5 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1093 Oregon American Jobs Act Call 6 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1059

Friday, October 14th: Virginia American Jobs Act Call 11 a.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1092 Texas American Jobs Act Call 12 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 288-8960 Ohio American Jobs Act Call 2 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1059 Pennsylvania American Jobs Act Call 3 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1074 New Jersey American Jobs Act Call 4 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1085 California American Jobs Act Call 5 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1074 Montana American Jobs Act 6 p.m. EDT Dial-in #: (800) 230-1059

ODEP Home Page | Contact Us

$2.2 million through ‘Add Us In’ initiative to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities

ODEP News Release: [09/30/2011]
Contact Name: Bennett Gamble or Gloria Della
Phone Number: (202) 693-4667 or x8666
Release Number: 11-1435-NAT

Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis announces $2.2 million through ‘Add Us In’ initiative to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced four two-year cooperative agreements totaling $2,165,998 to consortia led by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois in Chicago, the National Organization on Disability in New York City, TransCen Inc. in Rockville, Md., and the World Institute on Disability in Oakland, Calif. These awards represent the second round of funding provided through the "Add Us In" initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. The first round of awards was made in September 2010.

"This administration is committed to expanding job opportunities for all Americans, including those with disabilities," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The Add Us In initiative addresses employment disparities for people with disabilities by helping employers integrate disability and diversity considerations into their workforce planning."

The goal of the "Add Us In" initiative is to identify and develop strategies to increase the capacity of small businesses and communities, including underrepresented and historically excluded communities, to employ youth and young adults with disabilities. To achieve this goal, the consortia will create replicable models and strategies that can be used nationwide by businesses and employers to reach out to people with disabilities in their communities; develop sustainable partnerships between businesses and organizations addressing issues of diversity and disability; and build national and local networks of experts skilled in meeting the needs of business while also serving individuals with disabilities.

More than 10 million Americans who are members of ethnic and racial minority groups have long-lasting disabling conditions or impairments. Researchers have found that individuals with disabilities from these groups are often at increased risk for unemployment. Recent data from the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that, as of August 2011, the percentage of individuals with disabilities that participate in the labor force is 21 percent, compared with 69.9 percent for individuals with no disability. The unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is 16.1 percent, compared with 8.8 percent for individuals with no disability.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathy Martinez noted, "Small businesses, particularly in minority and underserved communities, offer a real opportunity to improve employment outcomes for one of our country's most underutilized talent pools. People with disabilities, in turn, can improve the competitiveness of our nation's small businesses because of the unique skills and perspectives they bring."

The Office of Disability Employment Policy provides national leadership on disability employment policy by developing and influencing the use of evidence-based disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative partnerships, and delivering authoritative and credible data on employment of people with disabilities.

To learn more about the Add Us In initiative, visit http://www.dol.gov/odep/.

September 2011 Disability Employment Statistics Released

September 2011 Disability Employment Statistics Released

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics has released disability employment statistics for September showing that the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 21.1. By comparison, the percentage of persons with no disability in the labor force was 69.7. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 16.1 percent, compared with 8.5 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted.

Posted: 10/06/11 to Employment

Potential employee denied work because of disability

By Staff reports

The Rolla Daily News

The Missouri Department of Labor’s Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) announced that Laclede Cab Company in St. Louis has been ordered to pay $85,000 in damages for not hiring a taxi driver because of his disability.

The Complainant applied for a job with the taxi company but was sent away after disclosing that he had previously had a stroke. Even though the Complainant had been driving taxi cabs for several years after his stroke, the employer told him that it did not think its insurance company would cover him.

The case was heard by the state’s Administrative Hearing Commission and the decision and order was approved by a panel of three commissioners with the MCHR.

Assistant Attorney General Vanessa Howard Ellis represented MCHR at the hearing. This case only went to hearing after MCHR attempted to reach a voluntary settlement with the company.

MCHR ordered the company to pay $50,000 in actual damages and $35,000 for violating the Complainant’s civil rights. MCHR also ordered the company to cease and desist from practicing this unlawful discrimination.

EEOC sues Walgreen for disability discrimination in diabetic worker firing

SAN FRANCISCO—The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity is suing Walgreen Co., alleging disability discrimination for firing a worker with diabetes who ate a snack sold at the store because she was suffering from low blood sugar.

The EEOC, which filed the lawsuit Thursday, said Josefina Hernandez, a cashier at a South San Francisco, Calif., store operated by Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen, had worked for the company almost 18 years with no disciplinary record, and the drugstore chain knew of her diabetes.

However, she was fired in 2008 after Walgreen was informed she had eaten a $1.39 bag of chips because her blood sugar was low, even though she paid for the snack when she came off cashier duty.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco federal court, seeks monetary damages, including back pay, compensation for emotional distress and punitive damages, as well as measures to prevent future discrimination by Walgreen. The EEOC said it filed suit after first trying to reach a voluntary settlement.

(full story HERE)

Ten Employment Myths: Information about the Americans with Disabilities Act

Many employers misunderstand the Americans with Disabilities Act and are reluctant to hire people with disabilities because of unfounded myths. This seventeen-minute video responds to concerns expressed by employers, explaining the ADA in common sense terms and dispelling myths about this often overlooked pool of well-qualified employees.

Dial Up (Modem & ISDN) QuickTime: Open Captions | Audio Description Real: Open Captions | Audio Description High Speed Internet (DSL/Cable) QuickTime: Open Captions | Audio Description Real:Open Captions | Audio Description

Monica Yant Kinney: A reverse twist on medical insurance

Jimmy Curran should celebrate.

The 22-year-old Montgomery County native graduated from Temple University's honors program with a finance degree in May and parlayed experience at prestigious internships - on Wall Street and Capitol Hill - into a job offer at Independence Blue Cross.

Last week, Curran and a pal found an apartment in a Center City high-rise. On Monday, he starts work as a market research analyst for the insurer, remarkable given how many smart and savvy grads remain sidelined by the economy.

So what ails this young corporate climber? The gnawing feeling that he's about to be punished for doing exactly what he was told.

(read full story HERE)

September 11, 2011|By Monica Yant Kinney, Inquirer Columnist

Image 1 of 2

View Gallery

• 

At Park Towne Place, Jimmy Curran checks out an apartment with his sister, Adrian. With…