On September 27, the U.S. Department of Labor announced funds amounting to $21,166,560 for seven states under the Disability Employment Initiative. The funds will not only help improve education and training, but also provide better employment opportunities for youth and adults who are unemployed, underemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits. Employment and Training Administration and the Office of Disability Employment Policy have collaborated to fund this initiative.
The Disability Employment Initiative supports 16 state projects, and the present initiative is a part of the second round of funding. There have been cooperative agreements with California, Hawaii, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin, and the present grants are a part of them. The grants will help these states implement unique employment services for individuals with disabilities. The states that are already getting the grants are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
Hilda L. Solis, Secretary of Labor, said, “During these difficult economic times, it is important to ensure that all workers, including those with disabilities – who as a group face employment barriers even during times of prosperity – are able to benefit from the Labor Department’s employment and retraining services. These federal grants will help to provide services and support to individuals with disabilities in seven additional states, and put them on the path to permanent and secure jobs.”
The U.S. Department of Labor has implemented the Disability Program Navigator Initiative, and all the projects under the Disability Employment Initiative will work on a similar model. In the Disability Program Navigator Initiative, staff with expertise in disability and workforce issues is hired. The grants will help form strong collaboration across multiple workforce and disability service systems in each state. These service systems are vocational rehabilitation services, mental health and developmental disability agencies, independent living centers, Medicaid Infrastructure Grant-supported activities, business leadership networks, and other community and nonprofit organizations.
The initiative will also help the workforce development system to become a part of the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program, with the help of which state workforce agencies or local workforce investment boards will act as employment networks.
According to ODEP Assistant Secretary, Kathy Martinez, “Access to high-quality employment and training services is vital to moving youth and adults with disabilities into the workforce and preparing them for good jobs in high-growth, high-demand industries.”
Helping the people with disabilities and those who are receiving Social Security disability benefits, is the main aim of the U.S. Department of Labor, and it wants to help them before they become Social Security disability beneficiaries.
