[Nfbf-l] White House Disability Update Thursday, September 26marks the 40th anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

[Alan Dicey]

Tuesday, September 24th, 2013
White House Disability Update
Dear Friends:
In this White House Disability Update, you will learn about recent and 
upcoming Obama Administration activities including efforts to advance 
equality, inclusion and access on behalf of the disability community.
Notably, this Thursday, September 26marks the 40th anniversary of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This federal law created the largest and most 
comprehensive training and vocational program for people with disabilities. 
It also prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with 
disabilities in employment and in programs that are conducted by federal 
agencies or entities that receive federal financial assistance. 
Administration officials will be commemorating the occasion with a variety 
of events including a Twitter Chat.
President Obama Speaks at Memorial for Victims of Navy Yard Shooting
On Sunday September 22, President Obama eulogized the 12 victims of the Navy 
Yard shooting. "And so, once again, we remember our fellow Americans who 
were just going about their day doing their jobs, doing what they loved --  
in this case, the unheralded work that keeps our country strong and our Navy 
the finest fleet in the world. These patriots doing their work that they 
were so proud of, and who have now been taken away from us by unspeakable 
violence."
Read the full transcript of the President's remarks.
Nearly 6 in 10 uninsured Americans can pay less than $100 per month for 
coverage in the Health Insurance Marketplace
The latest report released by the Department of Health and Human Services 
that shows nearly 6 in 10 of the people who don't have health insurance will 
qualify for coverage that costs less $100 per month per person, including 
tax credits and Medicaid. That's 23.2 million of the 41 million uninsured 
(56 percent).
The report also tells us that if all 50 states took advantage of new options 
to expand Medicaid coverage, nearly 8 out of every 10 people who currently 
do not have insurance could be paying less than $100 a month for coverage 
under the Affordable Care Act. That's 32.1 million of the 41 million 
uninsured (78 percent).
Make sure you get the facts and share this important information with your 
networks. With your help we can work to get uninsured Americans the guidance 
they need to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace starting October 
1st.
Read more about this report.
The Five-Year Anniversary of the Financial Crisis: A Look Back at the 
Progress We've Made
Five years ago last week, a financial crisis unlike any in generations 
rocked Wall Street, turning a recession that was already hammering Main 
Street into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In the 
months before President Obama took office, the economy was shrinking at a 
rate of over 8%, businesses were shedding 800,000 jobs a month, lending to 
families and small businesses dried up, and the American auto industry was 
on the brink of collapse.
Upon taking office, Obama acted with unprecedented speed to respond to the 
crisis and its impact on American families - taking actions to stabilize the 
financial system, rescue the auto industry, and boost the economy by 
providing tax relief to working families and keeping teachers and first 
responders on the job. Within six months, he had signed the Recovery Act 
into law, announced a framework for a new financial stability plan and 
implemented its key elements, and taken action to support GM and Chrysler 
while requiring the companies to retool. Now, on the five-year anniversary 
of the crisis, the Administration has prepared a report that describes 15 
key elements of the response to the financial crisis and where we find 
ourselves today. Read more about the five-year anniversary of the financial 
crisis.
Agency Updates
Secretary of State John Kerry Delivers Remarks At a High-Level Meeting of 
the United Nations General Assembly On Disability and Development
On September 23, Secretary Kerry delivered remarks at his first high-level 
meeting at the United Nations General Assembly as Secretary of State. 
Secretary said:
"Through our development agenda, we have a very important opportunity to 
show the world that we value everyone's contributions, and that we leave no 
one behind, including those with disabilities. It is clear, and we have seen 
here in the United States over the last years, that we can make an enormous 
number of lives better in that process."
"The principle behind this is really very, very simple: Our societies, all 
of our societies, are stronger when every single one of our citizens, able 
bodied and disabled alike, all get to live up to their full potential. And 
that's why here in our country, many states have established standards, and 
they steadfastly enforce them - laws like the Americans with Disabilities 
Act, which we passed in 1990 and we believe is really a gold standard with 
respect to how we treat people and how we open up the world for 
opportunities. We encourage the international community to look at, study, 
and, hopefully, emulate this law."
Read Secretary Kerry entire remarks.
Department of Education Awards $1.4 Million Grant to Establish Center on 
Technology and Disability
On September 20, the U.S. Department of Education announced the award of a 
$1.4 million grant to Family Health International (FHI) in Washington, D.C. 
to establish a Center on Technology and Disability. The center is a 
collaborative effort among FHI, American Institutes for Research, and PACER 
Center, and will increase the capacity of families, schools, and providers 
to obtain and help children with disabilities use assistive and 
instructional technology to improve learning. The use of assistive and 
instructional technology enables children with disabilities to participate 
fully in daily routines in their natural environments; have increased access 
to the general education curriculum; improve their functional outcomes and 
educational results; and meet college- and career-ready standards.
"Enhancing the infrastructure and increasing the capacity for our schools 
and providers to help all students learn to high standards and become 
college and career-ready is an important part of our education agenda," said 
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "This center will provide 
information and technical assistance on assistive technology and 
instructional technology to many audiences, including providers and 
families, to help them implement effective programs."
The grant was made under the Technology and Media Services for Individuals 
with Disabilities program, a primary source of support for accessible 
technology and media-related activities under the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Technology activities promote the 
development, demonstration, and use of technology, including technology with 
universal design features. It includes activities such as research on using 
technology to improve learning and provide access to curricula, and 
technical assistance and dissemination activities to states, local schools, 
providers, and families to enhance the use of technology by children with 
disabilities.
The Technology and Media Services program is administered by the Education 
Department's Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special 
Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Caddell Construction to Pay $125,000 to Settle EEOC Disability 
Discrimination Suit
Construction Contractor Did Not Provide a Reasonable Accommodation and 
Terminated the Employee, Federal Agency Charged
Montgomery-based Caddell Construction Company, a major national general 
construction contractor, has agreed to pay $125,000 and be subject to a 
consent decree to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the 
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced 
today.
The EEOC brought suit on behalf of Patricia Pittman, a former Caddell 
employee, who suffered a leg fracture requiring surgery while working at 
Caddell's Eglin Air Force Base facility. Following the surgery, Caddell 
refused to provide Pittman with a reasonable accommodation. Pittman had 
requested the accommodation of a wheelchair ramp to enter the office and to 
be allowed to use her crutches and a walker. Caddell fired Pittman days 
after her request for accommodation. Read more about this settlement.
Labor Department Extends Minimum Wage and Overtime Protections to Direct 
Care Workers
Fulfilling a promise by President Obama to ensure that direct care workers 
receive a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, on September 17, 2003, the 
U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule extending the Fair Labor 
Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime protections to most of the 
nation's workers who provide essential home care assistance to elderly 
people and people with illnesses, injuries or disabilities. This change will 
result in nearly two million direct care workers - such as home health 
aides, personal care aides and certified nursing assistants - receiving the 
same basic protections already provided to most U.S. workers. It will also 
help guarantee that those who rely on the assistance of direct care workers 
have access to consistent and high-quality care from a stable and 
increasingly professional workforce.
"Many American families rely on the vital services provided by direct care 
workers," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "Because of their hard 
work, countless Americans are able to live independently, go to work and 
participate more fully in their communities. Today we are taking an 
important step toward guaranteeing that these professionals receive the wage 
protections they deserve while protecting the right of individuals to live 
at home."
"Direct care workers play a critical role in ensuring access to high-quality 
home care that many people need in order to remain healthy and independent 
in their communities, and they should be compensated fairly for this 
important work," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen 
Sebelius. "We will continue to engage with consumers, states, advocates and 
home care providers in the implementation of this rule to help people with 
disabilities, older adults and their families receive quality, 
person-centered services."
The rule will be effective January 1, 2015. The Department of Labor has 
created a new web portal with interactive web tools, fact sheets and other 
materials to help families, other employers and workers understand the new 
requirements. These, along with information about upcoming webinars on the 
rule, are available at www.dol.gov/whd/homecare/.
Read the DOL press release announcing the rule.
Agency Announcements
EEOC, Department of Labor to Host Twitter Chat on September 25
Experts to Answer Questions on Disability in Federal Government in 
Commemoration of 40th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
The Rehabilitation Act was codified on Sept. 26, 1973, creating the largest 
and most comprehensive training and vocational program for people with 
disabilities, and prohibiting discrimination against qualified workers with 
disabilities in programs supported by federal tax dollars. Join the 
department (@USDOL) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
@EEOC_OFO for a Twitter Chat this Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 1-2 p.m. EDT to 
commemorate the act's 40th anniversary. You'll have a chance to ask policy 
experts questions about the Rehabilitation Act and discuss its impact on you 
and your colleagues.
Tweet using the hashtag #RehabAct to join the discussion between 1 and 2 
p.m. EDT on Wednesday, or to submit your questions in advance. You can also 
submit questions by emailing them to ODEP at dol.gov.
Read the full DOL blog post about this Twitter Chat event which also 
includes important tips for making tweets accessible.
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