Hello,
I am writing you from Nashville as I'm at the National Governors Association meeting. We've already been able to meet 1-1 with some key governors. The meetings are highly productive. It is wonderful to see how many good things many of them have done since we started working with them close to a year ago. It's such an exciting time on our issues! Seeing the WIOA bill pass 415-6 was wonderful. Mind you, it still needs to be signed and go through the implementation stage. Thus, it will take some time. Still, good news is coming.
This week we celebrate our first anniversary. Everything we do is with the support of good people like you who care. So, in honor of our first anniversary, and much more so — all the people with disabilities we try to represent — please make a tax deductible donation now. We need your continued partnership now to empower people with disabilities to have a better future.
On another front, next week our community service project starts where teens with disabilities can serve/help others. There are still a few spots so if you are interested go HERE. We also have an evening of comedy coming up on August 7th. Go HERE for information.
I hope you find the materials below interesting and helpful.
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
www.RespectAbilityUSA.org
P.S. If you haven't started to follow us on Facebook or Twitter I hope you will do so now. As we meet with Governors and have breaking news or things of interest, we are always posting new things.
Jobs Bill for People with Disabilities Passes Congress Overwhelmingly; RespectAbility Marks First Anniversary
Washington, DC. RespectAbility is delighted to share with you the fact that the jobs bill for people with disabilities (WIOA) passed the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly today. This comes on the heals of a 95-3 vote for the bill in the U.S. Senate. It is expected that the WIOA bill will be signed into law soon. Many consider it the most important disability legislation since the groundbreaking Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990.
The vote comes almost exactly one year after the founding of RespectAbilityUSA.org, a non-profit organization working to empower Americans with disabilities to achieve the American Dream. Donn Weinberg, Founding Chair of RespectAbilityUSA.org, and its President/CEO Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, then introduced the nascent national, non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to:
Reshape the attitudes of American society so that people with disabilities can more fully participate in and contribute to society, and
Empower people with disabilities to achieve as much of the American dream as their abilities and efforts permit.
Donn Weinberg and Jennifer Laszlo MizrahiRespectAbilityUSA works to educate, sensitize and engage Americans to focus on what people with disabilities can do, rather than on what they cannot. RespectAbilityUSA thereby seeks — steadily, and in a practical way — to help increase the number and percentage of Americans with disabilities who engage in gainful employment, start and sustain their own businesses, lift themselves into the middle class, and participate in their communities.
Donn Weinberg, RespectabilityUSA’s founding Chair, previously served as the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Chairman of the Board and continues to serve as the Foundation”
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, President/CEO of RespectabilityUSA, is a veteran political and policy advocate whose dyslexia kept her from effectively reading or writing until she was 12. She also knows what it means to be the proud parent of a child with multiple disabilities. Said Mizrahi, “We are deeply grateful to the people who have helped us in our work this first year and look forward to a strong future for people with disabilities. There is a political debate about solving immigration issues in America because people who care about this important topic have groups to give them a voice in Washington. The recent changes on marriage equality for the LBGT community is also an outcome of the Human Rights Campaign and others. For decades approximately 70% of working age Americans with disabilities have been outside the work force and without a strong, coordinated and bipartisan voice. Thus we are delighted that the 56 million of us with disabilities in America can stand up for the same rights and opportunities as every other citizen. Polls show that most citizens with disabilities who are collecting government benefits want to work, but significant obstacles inhibit them from gaining employment.”
In its first year RespectAbilityUSA met 1-1 with 33 of America’s governors. This week RespectAbility will again meet with numerous governors on site at the National Governors Association meeting. RespectAbility is working to inspire smart public-private partnerships that can save American taxpayers billions of dollars a year as citizens with disabilities get what they want — real jobs for real pay.
RespectAbilityUSA is under no illusions that positive change will be easy. At the launch a year ago, said Weinberg, “Change will require strong bipartisan cooperation — not something in ample supply today. It will also need public-private partnerships. We will reach out to companies, non-profits, the faith community, philanthropists and media alike.”
Said Mizrahi, “The WIOA bill, which passed today, is completely bipartisan and will be one key piece of a solutions puzzle, but we have a long way to go before people with disabilities are seen for the ABILITIES they have.”
Shelley Cohen is the group’s secretary, and Thomas “Doc” Sweitzer and Louis Zweig also serve on the board with Weinberg, Cohen and Mizrahi. Members of the Board of Advisors are disability experts Kelly Buckland, Donna Meltzer, Steve Tingus, Mark Johnson and Steve Eidelman. Organized as a District of Columbia non-profit corporation, RespectAbilityUSA is waiting for final IRS approval. Until final approval, RespectAbilityUSA is operating as a project of the Autism-Society of America, which receives tax-deductible contributions on its behalf. RespectAbility recently received a $100,000 matching grant from the Milbank Foundation so all new donations will be matched one-to-one. Donations are needed and may be given online HERE.
“Today, every family has, in some way, been touched by a disability” said Weinberg. “The growing ranks of children who have been diagnosed with Autism, the veterans returning from foreign wars without limbs or with PTSD, or people with Down Syndrome – these and all people have value and can contribute to the productivity of our great nation.”
### If you would like any more information about RespectAbilityUSA or to interview Donn Weinberg or Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, please contact Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi at 202 365 0787 or jenniferm@respectabilityUSA.org or matthewj@respectabilityusa.org.RespectAbility Celebrates 1st Anniversary of Jewish Inclusion Work for Jews with Disabilities!!!!!!
Washington, DC. RespectAbility, a non-profit organization working to empower Americans with disabilities to achieve the American Dream, is celebrating the first anniversary of its work to empower Jews with disabilities to be included in Jewish life. Since its inception only one year ago, RespectAbility has worked to help Jewish groups become more inclusive communities. According to the U.S. Census, 18.6% of Americans have a disability. This includes 13% of public school children. Given that there are 5.3 million Jews in America, this means that there are at least 985,500 Jews with disabilities. However, as Jews carry genetic risks and on average have children later in life than any other demographic group it is likely that we have more disabilities per capita than others, including higher rates of Autism, mental health and other issues linked to parental age.
Donn Weinberg, Founding Chair of RespectAbilityUSA.org, and its President/CEO Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, introduced the nascent national, non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to: 1) Reshape the attitudes of American society so that people with disabilities can more fully participate in and contribute to society, and 2) Empower people with disabilities to achieve as much of the American dream as their abilities and efforts permit.
“Sadly, time and again in the Jewish community, we shut our doors to people with disabilities. The discrimination is frequently unintentional as Jews overall are deeply committed to social justice,” said Mizrahi. Indeed, fully 89% of Jews polled by RespectAbility with Jerusalem University strongly agree that, “Jewish events and organizations should be as welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities as everyone else.” The same poll indicated that people with disabilities are dramatically under-represented within the ranks of engaged Jews, with 20% of Jews indicating that they were unable to participate in Jewish life because of their disability.
Another nationwide poll fielded by RespectAbility of more than 3,800 Americans in the disability community (half people with disabilities, half family members and providers to people with disabilities) shows that Jews with disabilities are far less engaged in Jewish life than are their counterparts from the Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical faiths. Indeed, more Jews with disabilities say they “do not attend services” than any other religious group polled. Another survey from the Foundation for Jewish Camp (undertaken together with RespectAbility) demonstrated that there are Jewish children who are being turned away and denied access to Jewish life based solely on their disabilities.
2015 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Religious institutions are exempt from this law if they do not accept Federal money or services and still today have no legal obligation to serve or employ people with disabilities. “Unfortunately, this ‘pass’ has hindered the implementation of simple accommodations such as accessible doors and ramps and attitude changes to enable people with disabilities to participate in religious services and programs,” added Mizrahi. “We believe that this discrimination is denying the basic human and religious rights of thousands of American Jews with disabilities. It also deprives our community of the many gifts that Jews with disabilities offer. While there are laudable exceptions, overall our community’s practice is not reflective of its inclusive laws and values.”
This past year, RespectAbility co-sponsored trainings for Jewish professionals, institutions, family members and self-advocates with the Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish Funders Network, Temple Beth Ami and many other organizations. Additionally, an online webinar can be found here.
RespectAbility co-founded and is co-sponsoring a summer service program with the Washington DCJCC which enables middle school and high school students with disabilities to do service projects, showing once again the ability and value of people with disabilities to the community as givers rather than receivers. It is also working with a group of leaders towards the goal of a national Shabbaton for Adults with disabilities and their families.
Also planned in the year ahead, contingent on funding, is a new program to research and develop a series of effective public service ads with specific messaging that can be used in flyers, newsletters and posters featuring Jews with disabilities fully included and contributing to the Jewish community. These materials will be distributed free of charge to Jewish schools, synagogues, and organizations across the country and will include royalty free photos of Jews with a variety of disabilities succeeding in inclusive Jewish settings.
In its first year RespectAbilityUSA also met 1-1 with 33 of America’s governors on the issue of jobs for people with disabilities. This week RespectAbility will again meet with numerous governors on site at the National Governors Association meeting. RespectAbility is working to inspire smart public-private partnerships that can save American taxpayers billions of dollars a year as citizens with disabilities get what they want — real jobs for real pay.
RespectAbilityUSA is under no illusions that positive change will be easy. At the launch a year ago, said Weinberg, “We will reach out to companies, non-profits, the faith community, philanthropists and media alike.” Said Mizrahi, “We are deeply grateful to the people who have helped us in our work this first year and look forward to a strong future for people with disabilities.”
Shelley Cohen is the group’s secretary, and Thomas “Doc” Sweitzer and Louis Zweig also serve on the board with Weinberg, Cohen and Mizrahi. Members of the Board of Advisors are disability experts Kelly Buckland, Donna Meltzer, Steve Tingus, Mark Johnson and Steve Eidelman.
Organized as a District of Columbia non-profit corporation, RespectAbilityUSA is waiting for final IRS approval. Until final approval, RespectAbilityUSA is operating as a project of the Autism-Society of America, which receives tax-deductible contributions on its behalf. RespectAbility recently received a $100,000 matching grant from the Milbank Foundation so all new donations will be matched one-to-one. Donations are needed and may be given online HERE.
“Today, every family has, in some way, been touched by a disability” said Weinberg. “The growing ranks of children who have been diagnosed with Autism, the veterans returning from foreign wars without limbs or with PTSD, or people with Down Syndrome – these and all people have value and can contribute to the productivity of our great nation.”
If you would like any more information about RespectAbilityUSA or to interview Donn Weinberg or Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, please contact Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi at 202 365 0787 or jenniferm@respectabilityUSA.org.
RespectAbilityUSA & DCJCC Announce New Community Service NEW!!! Community Service Opportunities and Shabbaton for People With Disabilities
I am really delighted to announce 2 new programs that are near and dear to my heart. The first is a community service opportunity for kids with disabilities. The second is a Shabbaton for adults with disabilities and their families. Please see below and also note that in each case we are asking people who are interested to fill in short surveys so we can design the programs to meet their needs/interests. The links to the surveys are inside this email. Also, please see my piece that was just published in the NY Jewish Week about a win-win program that helps Jewish seniors while training young people with disabilities for jobs. It should be replicated everywhere!
Shabbat shalom,
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
www.RespectAbilityUSA.org
RespectAbilityUSA & DCJCC Announce New
Community Service Opportunities for Middle and High Schoolers With Disabilities
Washington, D.C., The Washington DCJCC, with more than 25 years of proven leadership in providing safe outstanding volunteer service opportunities, and RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to empower people with disabilities to achieve the American dream, are thrilled to announce the formation of community service opportunities for Washington area Middle and High School students with disabilities.
The non-sectarian program will be staffed by professionals who are CPR certified and work during the school year in the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) programs for children with Asperger’s, but will be open to students 11 years old and up with all disabilities. Mr. Ricky Tippett will lead the program at each community service site. Mr. Tippett has years of experience coaching a diverse group of students, both middle school and high school aged at MCPS and at Georgetown Preparatory Academy.
The program will offer two three-hour blocks of service each day during two different time sessions (9 AM – noon and 1PM-4PM). The first session will be July 14-August 1st and the second session will be August 4-15th. Each session will have two teachers/para-educators and a small group of children. There will be breaks and fun time built into the sessions. Students will have the opportunity to earn community service hours in a safe and enriching environment.
We are asking parents of interested students to fill out the survey HERE in order to best match the service projects with the applicants. Space is limited as this is a pilot program that will only be able to serve approximately 12 kids over the course of the summer. Possible projects include:
•Volunteering at an animal shelter
•Preparing food for people experiencing homelessness
•Weeding and gardening at a park or community garden
•Making and decorating a free little library
•Volunteering at the food bank
•Putting together care packages for soldiers or people experiencing homelessness
“We are thrilled to start with this pilot program and look forward to expanding service opportunities year-round year around for people with disabilities.” Said Erica Steen, Director of Community Engagement at the DCJCC who will work to coordinate the volunteer projects for the students.
“This will be the first program of its kind in the Nation’s Capital and we hope it will be a model for others around the country. For far too long people have looked at people with disabilities (PwDs) as objects of pity when the fact is that they have a tremendous amount to offer and are ready and willing to serve others.” Said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, President of RespectAbility, who will support and promote this amazing opportunity to our community.
Retreat For Adults with Disabilities and Families of People with Disabilities
We are working with a great team from Jewish organizations around the country who are considering hosting such an event and would love your input on whether you are interested and what you want at the retreat/Shabbaton — cost, location, activities, speakers and more. We want to know what you think! Would you please take 5-8 minutes to answer this survey and forward the link to others who might be interested?
Here is the link: National Shabbaton for People with Disabilities and Their Families Survey
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pwdshabbaton
DC Live
DC Live, A "Special" Evening of Comedy is a new event collaboration hosted by seven organizations within the Jewish community whose passion is providing a quality of life to individuals with disabilities. All proceeds from the event will benefit: Friendship Circle, Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, Jewish Social Service Agency, Matan, RespectAbility, Sulam, and Sunflower Bakery.More information
We started in Montgomery County and now we're bringing MC Live to the District!!
DC Live, A "Special" Evening of Comedy is a new event collaboration hosted by seven organizations within the Jewish community whose passion is providing a quality of life to individuals with disabilities. All proceeds from the event will benefit: Friendship Circle, Jewish Foundation for Group Homes, Jewish Social Service Agency, Matan, RespectAbility, Sulam, and Sunflower Bakery.
Date: Thursday, August 7, 2014
Time: 6:30pm-9pm
Location: Sixth & I (600 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001)
Event Highlights:
This event is for adults 21 and older
Bar Reception 6:30pm (ID REQUIRED)
Dietary Laws Observed
Comedians take the stage at 7:30pm
http://dclivecomedy.blogspot.com/?utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lots+of+good+news+to+share....&utm_content=More+information
A Precious Baby Died Today By Marcus Jones
Annie died today. And it should never have been. A little girl, two years old–a precious, little heart of incalculable worth–was lost just a little while ago. And it should never have been.Annie was born with Down Syndrome, and some would say with “special needs.” She was a bright and unique light in this world—an epiphany custom-made in Heaven itself—which imbued her with unique and exceptional abilities. Anyone with half a heart could see that.
In spite of all her brilliance, Annie had a extraordinary challenge: the need of a new heart. Hers was failing. A transplant would have saved her life. But a transplant would never come.
Annie died today, a result of being denied a new heart by her doctors due to her genetic diagnosis. The quality of her life was forecast—not by her parents, friends and loved ones, but by a medical litmus that deemed her spark to be inferior to that of people with typical genes. The hospital rejected her appeals for necessary treatment and on the basis of an abhorrent reality: that people born with a particular distinction may not, in fact, always be treated as whole people. And it’s an insidious bigotry that has been bubbling under the surface of our America’s libertarian façade since day one. It is a prejudice that demeans and whacks wonderful people down to a fraction of their whole.
Annie is not the first. America has treated human beings as three-fifths a person before. This time it’s not about skin color. This time a person has been discriminated against based on her genetic constitution. And this intolerance has been going on for years. There are many others besides Annie. Magazine articles and online videos abound, chronicling the systematic discrimination of people born with exceptional abilities. It is a problem that finds its roots in the “Final Solution.”
Men, women and children with Down Syndrome were among the first people exterminated in Hitler’s Nazi Holocaust–all in the name of “mercy.” Atrocities and abominations, carried out in the name of medical science, eviscerated an entire people with the steeliest resolve. “They’re not worth it,” the haters tirade. “They diminish us all!”
But in fact, who’s really the one in need of the heart transplant? Pervasive, long-antiquated prejudices are the knife-blade at the throat of America’s humanity.
Just look at Annie. You SHOULD be agog. You SHOULD be aghast. An exquisite, irreplaceable, extraordinary person just slipped from our grasp. And we are all diminished.She died today, not because her heart failed, but because ours did. Our heart: chambers calcified with bigotry and hubris. Our heart: arteries clogged with a self-consumed penchant to play God. Don’t point at her little heart. The blame is squarely on ours.
She died today because in our minds she wasn’t “person” enough to deserve a new pump. She wasn’t whole enough to deserve a new heart—not a child enough to warrant a fighting chance.
There was more than one person who needed a heart transplant today. The lack in the one snuffed out the life of a toddling treasure. The lack in the other will surely choke the nation in time.
A precious little heart of incalculable worth was lost just a little while ago. It should never have been. And anyone with half a heart could see that.
How America's goalie inspires focus on "ability" not disability
EUREKA, Mo. (KSDK) - To see Tim Howard's success through the eyes of 16-year-old Drew Guise of Eureka, Missouri is nothing short of extraordinary. The two have more in common than you might think. On the surface, most would assume Howard is the one inspiring Guise. One day, it might be Guise who inspires Tim Howard.
Four years ago, when Guise was in sixth grade, doctors said he suffered from one of the worst cases of Tourette's syndrome they had ever seen.
"I was making noises nonstop. I was severely jerking my body," Guise said.
It was around that time that Sports Illustrated featured Tim Howard on its cover. Howard, also has Tourette's syndrome. Guise cut out Howard's picture and kept it with him for inspiration.
Fast forward to Tuesday's epic battle between the entire Belgian soccer team and Team USA goalie Tim Howard. The Belgians' relentless attack led to Howard making an astounding 16 saves—setting a World Cup record. The United States lost the match, but America anointed a new sports hero.
Watching every second of it from his home in a suburb about 30 miles west of St. Louis, was Guise.
"We both love sports with a passion. We're both Christians. We both really try to do our best even though we have Tourette's syndrome," Guise said.
Drew Guise and Tim Howard learned to set their goals high.
Tourette's didn't make things easy.
"Back in 5th and 6th grades I had one of the worst cases in the Midwest, actually," Guise said. "I was on about 12 pills a day. But now some people have no idea I even have Tourette's."
Guise finds inspiration in Howard's success.
"It proves that anything is possible… just because you have a disability you can't let it hold you back," he said. "(Howard) demonstrated that."
But Guise is also inspiring people. He runs cross country, has leadership goals, and a passion for politics.
"I'd love to do great things in the world and I'd like to think I'm on my way," he said.
For this 16-year-old high school junior, the sky sets no limits.
"If anything, Tourette's is a platform for me and even Tim Howard to get a message out there that nothing can stop you in the world. Especially in an awesome country like this; Team USA, America. The American dream is possible and you can't let anything hold you back."
Guise credits great doctors, support from his parents, community, and his faith for his own personal successes. He also works with the Greater Missouri Tourette's Syndrome Association and not surprisingly, is now a leader and role model in that organization.
To learn more about the organization: http://missouritsa.org/
Watch here
http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/07/02/how-americas-goalie-inspires-focus-on-ability-not-disability/12117817/?utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lots+of+good+news+to+share....&utm_content=Watch+here
Project SEARCH Offers Futures to Developmentally Disabled By Nicole Briggs
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Project SEARCH, in partnership with Montefiore Medical Center and United Hebrew Home, provides opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities to learn skills necessary to join the workforce and create a bright future.Project SEARCH interns are given assistance with creating a career plan, practicing interviews and communication skills, workplace safety, and other common workplace skills.
As a part of the SEARCH program, interns perform clerical work, assist the elderly, work in the hospital kitchen and other jobs.
“They’re great at their jobs,” said Josephine Catalano, volunteer coordinator at Montefiore Medical Center.
“They do all different things, not just the tasks for their jobs, but all different kinds of tasks that are a tremendous help to us.
"They learn the importance of attendance, signing in, knowing the rules, understanding the rules, proper work dress code, etc.,” she said.
Project SEARCH aims to instill good work skills in their interns and erase the stigma attached to those with developmental disabilities that they cannot work.
Project SEARCH benefits both the interns and taxpayers. Each adult with a disability in the workforce who earns minimum wage at a full-time job saves taxpayers $300,000 over the span of each employee’s lifetime.
Former Project SEARCH intern Deliaha Ochoa is in her second year of performing clerical work at New Rochelle City Hall.
“I try my hardest at work. Project SEARCH taught me how to work, and I took that from there to City Hall,” she said.
Delaware's Gov. Markell urges 'focus on the ability rather than on the disability' in hiring By Jennifer Lynn
Next month will mark two years since Delaware Governor Jack Markell introduced his landmark initiative, "A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities," as chairman of the National Governors Association.The report found 20 percent of Americans have a disability, but just 20 percent of them were employed or looking for work.
"We have so many people in Delaware and across the country who may have some kind of disability and, as a result, are not given a shot at employment," Markell said. "But we know that when we focus on the ability rather than on the disability, they can make a big contribution to their employer."
Some business owners, however, are skeptical of the idea that hiring people with disabilities will improve rather than damage their bottom line.
Not so, says Markell. He recently sat in on an event where Walgreen Co. president and CEO Gregory Wasson told a group of business leaders that hiring people with disabilities helped his company make money.
"The people that [Wasson] has employed show up, they're grateful to have the job, there's less absenteeism, less turnover," said Markell.
In response to Markell's efforts, programs to encourage the hiring of those with disabilities are ongoing in states including Wisconsin, Florida, California and, of course, Delaware.
So what is a success story to Gov. Markell?
"[People with disabilities] being given the shot to improve themselves and, as a result, when they wake up in the morning they have a purpose, they have a place to go, they're making a contribution where otherwise they would not have that opportunity," he said.
Bipartisan, Bicameral Group Announces Deal to Improve American Workforce Development System
After months of negotiations, leaders from House, Senate introduce Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
Current federal workforce laws, written in 1998, have been overdue for reauthorization for more than ten years
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in announcing a deal has been reached to improve the nation’s workforce development system through new legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, also known as WIOA. The bill, which will now be considered by both the House and Senate, modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st century jobs, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete.
WIOA represents a compromise between the SKILLS Act (H.R.803), which passed the House of Representatives in March of 2013 with bipartisan support, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S.1356), which passed through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee with a bipartisan vote of 18-3 in July of 2013.
A one-page summary of the legislation can be found HERE.
The statement of managers, including a section-by-section summary of the legislation, can be found HERE.
A summary of key improvements WIOA makes to current workforce development programs can be found HERE.
The text of the bipartisan, bicameral agreement can be found HERE.
“Access to training, education, and employment services opens doors to the middle class for workers and helps strengthen our economy. This bipartisan, bicameral reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act will help ensure that all workers—including those with disabilities—can access these opportunities. It will provide better coordination and value to our workforce development system,” said Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “This bill also makes groundbreaking changes that will raise prospects and expectations for Americans with disabilities, many of whom, under current law, are shunted to segregated, subminimum wage settings without ever receiving the opportunities and skills to succeed in competitive, integrated employment. It will stem the flow of young people into segregated employment by requiring that they be given experience in integrated settings, and require state Vocational Rehabilitation programs to work with individuals to develop an individual employment plan and support them in integrated work settings. This bill truly represents the spirit of bipartisan compromise and cooperation, and I applaud my colleagues on the HELP Committee and on the Education and the Workforce Committee for their perseverance and commitment to updating this critical law. I urge senators on both sides of the aisle to support this bill when it comes up for a vote.”
“We can’t expect a modern workforce to succeed with an outdated job training system. The current workforce development system is broken with too much bureaucracy, too many inefficiencies, and too little accountability,” said Representative John Kline, R-Minn., Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “The problems we face have been apparent for a long time and I am pleased we are moving toward adopting comprehensive reform that provides employers, workers, and taxpayers the job training solutions they deserve. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to send this agreement to the president’s desk without delay.”
"Last year the federal government spent more than $145 million in Tennessee through a maze of programs trying to help Tennesseans find work,” said Senator Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “Our legislation will simplify that maze, give governors and states more flexibility, and make it easier for Tennessee's 13 local workforce investment boards to match job seekers with the skills employers are looking for.”
“By revising the original Workforce Investment Act to support access to real-world education in fields that are in demand locally, this legislation will help more workers across the country find a good job or train for a new career. Similar to the legislation proposed by Reps. Tierney and Hinojosa earlier this Congress, this bill also makes job training programs more efficient and effective by requiring that states developed unified plans to streamline and better coordinate these services,” Representative George Miller, D-Calif., senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “By strengthening the workforce development system, we will increase accountability, promote innovation, and make it easier to track results, while helping put more Americans back to work. I'm proud to have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop this proposal and hope to see it signed into law this year.”
“Every year, federal workforce investments help millions of Americans get back to work, go back to school, and increase their skills for an economy that’s changing faster than ever, but for too long, we’ve been relying on workforce development programs written in the 1990s,” said Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will bring federal worker programs into the 21st Century, give workers and students the resources they need to succeed, and foster a workforce that American businesses rely on to compete. It’s a prime example of what’s possible when Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate work together to write laws that help our economy grow. I want to thank Senator Isakson, who co-authored the Senate reauthorization bill with me, and all of my colleagues, for their hard work and commitment to moving this forward.”
“This is a good example of what Congress can achieve when we all come to the table and work towards a compromise that respects the opinions of legislators on both sides of the aisle,” said Representative Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Workforce Training. “This bill will eliminate fifteen duplicative programs, help the remaining programs better align worker education with available jobs and improve our ability to gauge how well the system is working as a whole. I want to thank my colleagues in the House for passing the SKILLS Act and my colleagues in the Senate for considering this long overdue re-authorization of the Workforce Investment Act.”
“Workforce investment and training is critically important to help grow the American economy still recovering from recession and to bridge the widening skills gap separating thousands of unemployed workers from good-paying jobs,” said Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “I thank Senator Murray and my colleagues for their bipartisan efforts on this legislation, and I look forward to getting this measure passed so we can get Americans back to work and meet the modern demands of businesses employees in a global environment.”
“This bipartisan agreement helps American workers get back on track by promoting sector strategies and career pathways that lead to good jobs and postsecondary education in our nation's public workforce training and adult education system.” said Representative Rubén Hinojosa, D-Texas, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Workforce Training. “This bill makes certain that the connection between adult education, postsecondary education and the workforce is strengthened. We as a nation must be inclusive in our workforce, and this bill provides better services to workers young and old, with disabilities, and to those populations that have significant barriers to employment. It also addresses the need to improve services for English language learners that will ease their participation into our nation's workforce. I am pleased to see the progress we are making in the Senate and in the House and look forward to having this bill signed into law.”
### Permalink: http://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2014/5/bipartisan-bicameral-group-announces-deal-to-improve-american-workforce-development-system
Isakson Applauds Senate Passage of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
Urges swift House approval to send long-overdue update to president's desk
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., along with his Senate co-authors of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), today applauded the Senate passage of the bill, which seeks to update and improve the nation’s workforce development system. The senators also urged the U.S. House of Representatives to take up the bill and pass it swiftly.
The bill, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 95-3, modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st century jobs, provides supports to people with disabilities to enter and remain in competitive, integrated job settings, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete.
“Workforce training is critically important to help grow the American economy still recovering from recession and to bridge the widening skills gap separating thousands of unemployed workers from good-paying jobs,” said Senator Isakson. “I am extremely pleased that my colleagues in the Senate have passed with overwhelming bipartisan support the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide an opportunity for millions of Americans to receive the training and the skills necessary to find a job and keep a job. I urge the House to join us in support of this bill so we can continue making critical investments in American workers to meet the modern demands of businesses in a global environment.”
Isakson, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, led the effort to update and pass WIOA in coordination with HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, HELP Committee Ranking Member Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and HELP Committee senior member Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash.
View Isakson’s remarks on the Senate floor in support of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act online here.
“The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will provide access to the training, education, and employment services that all of America’s workers, including those with disabilities, need to prepare for and fill 21st-century jobs,” said Senator Harkin. “Now that it has been approved by the Senate by an overwhelming majority, I urge the House of Representatives to take up and pass this bill swiftly so that the President can sign it into law. Giving workers the skills they need and employers the workforce they require are at the heart of this legislation, and I applaud my colleagues on the HELP Committee and on the Education and the Workforce Committee for their perseverance and commitment to updating this critical law.”
"Last year the federal government spent more than $145 million in Tennessee through a maze of programs trying to help Tennesseans find jobs,” said Senator Alexander. “This legislation simplifies that maze, gives governors and states more flexibility, and makes it easier for Tennessee's 13 local workforce investment boards to match Tennesseans who want a job with the skills employers are looking for.”
“Today’s overwhelming, bipartisan vote is proof that Congress is still capable of working across party lines to break through the gridlock and invest in American workers and the economy,” said Senator Murray. “I’ve seen firsthand that federal workforce programs can change lives, boost our economy, and get people back to work, but we can’t expect to adequately train Americans for jobs at Boeing or Microsoft with programs designed in the 1990s. With the global economy changing faster than ever, we need to make sure that when new, 21st Century jobs are created, we have Americans ready to fill them. I’m thrilled Republicans and Democrats in the Senate stood together today, and I fully expect the House to do the same and send this bill to the President’s desk.”
The proposal, which was introduced by the bipartisan group of leaders from the House and Senate in May, would improve federal workforce development laws that have been overdue for reauthorization for over a decade. Dozens of labor, business, disability advocacy, and workforce development leaders have endorsed the legislation and urged Congress to pass it promptly. See the current list of supporters here.
The legislation represents a compromise between the SKILLS Act (H.R. 803), which passed the House of Representatives in March of 2013, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356), passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee with a bipartisan vote of 18-3 in July of 2013.
A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here.
The statement of managers, including a section-by-section summary of the legislation, can be found here.
A summary of key improvements WIOA makes to current workforce development programs can be found here.
The text of the bipartisan, bicameral agreement can be found here.
Overhaul of America's Job Training Programs Headed to President's Desk Following Strong Bipartisan Support from Congress
Current Federal Workforce Development Laws, Written in 1998, Have Been Overdue for Reauthorization for More Than Ten Years; Leaders from Senate and House Announced Bipartisan, Bicameral Agreement in May
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Legislation to update the Workforce Investment Act, overdue for reauthorization for more than a decade, is headed to the President’s desk following overwhelming bipartisan support from both houses of Congress. The Senate and House authors of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) applauded the passage of the bill, which seeks to update and improve the nation’s workforce development system. The legislation was approved today by a vote of 415 to 6 by the House of Representatives; it was approved by the Senate last month by a vote of 95-3 and will be signed into law by President Obama.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st century jobs, provides supports to people with disabilities to enter and remain in competitive, integrated job settings, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete. In addition to winning strong bipartisan support in both chambers, the bill is supported by a broad array of labor, business, workforce development leaders, and disability advocates, as well as governors and mayors from around the country.
“The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act modernizes our workforce development system to ensure that all our workers can prepare for and fill 21st century jobs, including individuals with disabilities. It also makes groundbreaking changes that will raise prospects and expectations for Americans with disabilities so that they receive the skills and training necessary to succeed in competitive, integrated employment,” said Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “Access to education, training, and employment services is critical to helping our workers secure good jobs, gain access to the middle class, and become economically self-sufficient, and this bill is part of the solution to the challenges facing our middle class. This bill represents the best of what Congress can accomplish when we work together and I urge President Obama to sign it into law as soon as possible.”
Chairman John Kline (R-MN): “Today is a good day for the American people. We’ve shown what’s possible when we work together toward a common goal and right now there is no greater goal than putting Americans back to work,” said Representative John Kline, Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “This bipartisan, bicameral agreement will fix a broken job training system, help workers fill in-demand jobs, and protect taxpayers. I am proud to have helped lead this effort and want to thank my Republican and Democrat colleagues in the House and Senate for their hard work. Let’s build off today’s achievement and continue working together on behalf of the American people.”
“Last year the federal government spent more than $145 million in Tennessee through a maze of programs trying to help Tennesseans find jobs, and this legislation simplifies that maze. This bill will help our nation’s workers gain the skills to find jobs and give governors and local workforce boards the freedom and flexibility to make job training meet their local needs,” said Senator Lamar Alexander, Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee.
“The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will update and improve our workforce training programs by aligning them with real-world labor market needs. This legislation will better connect job training programs with the needs of local employers, helping workers to learn the most in-demand skills and to be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Representative George Miller, senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “I want to commend all my colleagues, and particularly Reps. Tierney and Hinojosa, for their commitment to and leadership on strengthening our nation’s workforce development system. For forty years, we have reauthorized these programs through bipartisan collaboration, and I am happy to see that tradition continue.”
“After receiving overwhelming, bipartisan support in the Senate, today’s vote in the House goes to show that both chambers of Congress are still capable of breaking through the gridlock and investing in American workers and the economy,” said Senator Patty Murray. “I’ve seen firsthand that federal workforce programs can change lives, boost our economy, and get people back to work, but we can’t expect to adequately train Americans for jobs at Boeing or Microsoft with programs designed in the 1990s. Today, we can definitively say that both chambers of Congress agree, and I’m thrilled that this long overdue legislation is now headed for the President’s desk to become law.”
“Today’s vote is the culmination of a long process of legislating the old fashioned way: discussion, negotiation and compromise. There is longstanding, bipartisan agreement that the current workforce development system is broken, and this bill turns that consensus into action,” said Representative Virginia Foxx. “The bipartisan, bicameral process through which The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act was developed serves as an example of what we can accomplish when we work together. This legislation is important for the millions of Americans who are looking for work and for the employers who have 4.6 million job opportunities that remain unfilled due to the skills gap. Closing this gap will specifically improve the lives of many American job seekers, while generally helping our economy grow. I urge the President to sign this legislation without delay.”
“Workforce training is critically important to help grow the American economy still recovering from recession and bridge the widening skills gap separating thousands of unemployed workers from promising careers in 21st century workplaces,” said Senator Johnny Isakson. “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will provide millions of Americans the opportunity to receive the training and skills necessary to find a job and keep a job. I am extremely pleased that my colleagues in the House passed this bipartisan measure with overwhelming support. I urge the president to swiftly sign this bill into law so we can continue making critical investments in American workers to meet the modern demands of businesses in a global environment.”
“I am pleased to see the bipartisan support as well as the overwhelming support from business groups, labor unions, state and local elected officials, community colleges, workforce boards, adult education providers, youth organizations, and civil rights groups for this bill,” said Representative Rubén Hinojosa. “In my district in South Texas we have seen how these programs are successful in training our workforce and getting our residents back into good paying jobs. Importantly, this bill includes several key provisions from ‘The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act,’ which I introduced. In the area of adult education, this bill integrates adult education and workplace skills, authorizes the integrated English Literacy and Civics education program for Adult learners, and expands access to postsecondary education.”
WIOA represents a compromise between the SKILLS Act (H.R. 803), which passed the House of Representatives in March of 2013 with bipartisan support, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356), which passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee with a bipartisan vote of 18-3 in July of 2013. A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here. The statement of managers, including a section-by-section summary of the legislation, can be found here. A summary of key improvements WIOA makes to current workforce development programs can be found here. The text of the bipartisan, bicameral agreement can be found here. A full list of WIOA supporters can be found here.
Dream big: Employment for adults with disabilities By Michelle K. Wolf
What group in the United States today has the highest percentage of unemployed? It is not women, or one particular ethnic group, or even those without a college degree. The group with the highest percentage of unemployed, some 80 percent in most parts of the country, is adults with disabilities.That’s about to change with the passage of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which has artfully managed to garner bipartisan congressional and presidential support. Once enacted, it will prohibit individuals age 24 and under with disabilities from working in jobs that pay less than $7.25 an hour unless they first try vocational training programs. There will be exemptions for those already working in subminimum wage jobs, such as sheltered workshops, and for severely impacted individuals. Activists consider this an “Employment First” approach to ensuring that as many people with disabilities as possible are able to work in competitive employment positions.
As Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, CEO and president of RespectAbility USA, based in Washington, D.C., explained to me on the phone, this new law will result in better vocational training for high school students with disabilities, with a new emphasis on internships and trying out different types of jobs. “We are moving away from the pity model, which says, ‘We as a society feel sorry for people with disabilities and out of the goodness of our hearts, we will give you something to do and make sure you don’t starve,’ to finding out the unique talents of each person and helping them to contribute in a meaningful and dignified way.”
States will be required to spend more money coordinating programs between public schools and their state departments of rehabilitation, offering students in special education a better path to adulthood than the current system. Right now, a majority of students in special education stay at their public high school until age 22, after which, most often, they end up staying home with their parents, watching TV or on a computer, and living off their monthly SSI check, which, in California, maxes out at $883. Only a small minority go on to post-secondary education, vocational training, volunteer opportunities or paid employment. With fears of hostile work environments and of losing government benefits if their children earn too much, parents are afraid to dream big.
In the Los Angeles Jewish community, we already have some examples of how an “Employment First” approach would work, using equal doses of creativity and collaboration, and there are many exciting ideas in the planning stages.
For starters, there’s the Ezra vocational training program at Camp Ramah in Ojai, now in its 12th year. Older teens and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are taught life and work skills and placed in various jobs, at camp or in town. Recognizing that many of these Ezra participants need year-round vocational assistance, there are plans to expand the scope of the program, if funding can be raised.
Since September 2012, Neal Katz, a 20-year-old highly impacted by autism who loves nature, has been working in the Camp JCA Shalom Shemesh organic farm every Thursday during the past school year. (He is part of the Ezra program at Camp Ramah this summer.)
When Neal was younger, he was a camper at JCA Shalom for 10 years; it was a natural progression for him to move into the paid job. Neal typed: “I water trees, plants and herbs in their organic garden. I pick ripe lemons, oranges and olives … it makes me happy to work. I feel connected to God when I am working in nature.” Bill Kaplan, executive director of the Shalom Institute, is expanding upon Neal’s positive experience and in September will be starting an employment internship program for six adults with developmental disabilities, with plans to expand to 12 participants by January 2015. Interns will be working at the farm at Camp JCA Shalom in Malibu, and selling produce on-site to retreat participants and off-site at farmers markets.
And there’s more: Special-needs expert Lee Chernotsky, a recent participant in Federation’s Present Tense Social Enterprise program, has created ROSIES (“Removing Obstacles Supporting Independence and Everything Social”) — a small-business incubator that will launch for-profit enterprises to create gainful employment and potential ownership opportunities for currently dependent adults. For example, flipping the negative connotations of the “Short Bus” often ridden by students in special education into a “really cool, tricked out healthy ice cream truck,” as Chernotsky said, ROSIES will sell healthy popsicles. And where will the mint flavoring come from? Shemesh organic farm at Camp JCA Shalom!
ROSIES has just hired its first paid employee and is looking at many different partnerships, such as working with Steve Schwartz, CEO of the Art of Tea. It’s also creating a dating app for adults with autism, playfully named “A-Date,” with its target potential users being the ones planning and developing the app, and coding the software.
Yudi Bennett at the nonprofit Exceptional Minds is taking a different creative approach, drawing on the high-level computer skills that come easily to many teens with autism and putting them to use in the entertainment industry. The first graduating class has completed three years of study with experts in animation, special effects and web design. Some grads will go on to well-paying jobs in studios and production companies, while others will stay at Exceptional Minds to be employed in its in-house studio, which provided some of the special effects for the film, “American Hustle.”
ETTA, a local Jewish special-needs organization that merged with New York-based OHEL, is looking to start a vocational training day program in September that would be centered in the Pico-Robertson area and provide a combination of life-skills training and volunteer opportunities.
Last but not least, with funding from the Ruderman Family Foundation, Federation now employs two paid interns with disabilities, who provide administrative support for program staff and make thank-you calls to donors during their 14-week internship.
For my family, these changes can’t come soon enough. We’ve been worried for years what will happen after our son, Danny, ages out of the special education system at age 22. Although walking and talking are still challenges for him, he has always loved listening to music and can now pick out for himself which songs he wants to hear using his iPad. A few years ago, he played out his dream job of being a DJ as part of a Vista Inspire Miracle Theater production, and he hangs out close to the DJ at every dance party. Maybe it is time for us to dream big.
Pete Sessions Applauds the Passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX-32), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, today released the following statement regarding the passage of H.R. 803, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act:
“I am extremely pleased with the bi-partisan passage of H.R. 803, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which will reform and streamline our nation’s current workforce training system in order to make it more effective, modern, and accountable. This legislation will promote the training programs necessary to help American workers acquire the skills that they need to compete for in-demand jobs, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and streamline government programs in order to help place American workers in American jobs, and take an important step towards increasing job opportunities for all Americans - especially those with disabilities.
“As the father of a young man with Down syndrome, I understand the importance of providing individuals with disabilities opportunities in the workplace. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will advance employment options for these individuals and give them the opportunity to receive the training necessary to succeed in today’s economy. I proudly joined my colleagues in the House in supporting this job-creating legislation and will continue to support the development and advancement of individuals with disabilities.”
### Permalink: http://sessions.house.gov/index.cfm/2014/7/pete-sessions-applauds-the-passage-of-the-workforce-innovation-and-opportunity-act
Rare bipartisan approval of job training measure
WASHINGTON (CNN) — In a rare display of bipartisanship the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a job training bill on Wednesday. The vote was 415 -6.The measure was already approved by the Senate and now goes to the White House for the President’s signature.
The “Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act” overhauls the federal effort to promote training and education for American workers. It streamlines programs across government agencies, invests in training for jobs that employers can’t fill because of a skills gap and aims to reduce administrative costs for programs at the state and federal level.
House Education and the Workforce Chairman Jon Kline, R-Minnesota, said on the House floor the system was long overdue for reform.
“Our nation’s job training system is broken. We have too many ineffective programs, too much bureaucracy, and very little accountability; the voices of job creators are stifled, state and local leaders are tied up in red tape, and hard-earned taxpayer dollars are wasted,” Kline said.
Instead of the regular partisan mudslinging frequently seen on the House floor, members from both parties got up and congratulated one another for finally agreeing on a compromise on a measure designed to reduce the unemployment rate and boost the economy. By Deirdre Walsh
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