[nfbmi-talk] misilc employment position statement

[joe harcz Comcast]

So bring it up for inclusion in the State Plan for Independent Living.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Wurtzel" <f.wurtzel at att.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 10:26 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] misilc employment position statement


> Well, there is no mention of minimum wages.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of joe
> harcz Comcast
> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 8:22 AM
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] misilc employment position statement
>
>
> People with Disabilities WANT to Work and Contribute to our Economy!!!
>
>
>
> Summary: People with disabilities want to work and contribute to our
> community. We encourage policy-makers to support policies that promote
> employment for people with disabilities in competitive, integrated setting
> so that our citizens with disabilities have the opportunity to achieve
> economic self-sufficiency and reduce dependency on benefits.
>
>
>
> Issue: Seventy percent (70%) of working age individuals with disabilities
> have expressed the desire to find employment, yet they face a higher
> unemployment rate than their non-disabled counterparts. According to the
> United States Department of Labor the unemployment rate for people with
> disabilities is 14.5%; versus 6.5% for people without
> disabilities.(usdol.gov, March 2014)
>
>
>
> Barriers to employment typically are not related to the disability, but
> rather the disincentives and impact on Social Security and other benefits
> and lack of employer awareness about hiring people with disabilities. Many
> employers in Michigan have expressed a desire to hire more people with
> disabilities, however they need to support of community organizations, 
> such
> as CILs, to help educate them about the Americans with Disabilities Act,
> disability awareness and resources to help with low-cost reasonable
> accommodations in the workplace. As an effort to increase knowledge about
> the benefit to hiring people with disabilities Governor Snyder has hosted
> the Michigan Disability Employment Summit in 2012 & 2013; where over 100
> Michigan employers have participated each year.
>
>
>
> Additional barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment also include 
> the
> need for in-home personal assistance to help address in-home support needs
> for individuals to prepare for the work day. At this point there are very
> few financial resources to help off-set the costs of these valuable 
> in-home
> supports. CILs have a small amount of funding, Personal Assistance 
> Services
> Reimbursement for Employment Program (PASREP), that is appropriated to 
> help
> off-set these costs, but due to the limited amount of money the program is
> currently able to assist 35-40 working adults with disabilities.
>
>
>
> Recommendations:
>
> .         Adopt a statewide policy, either through legislation and/or
> executive order, on employment that honors the choices and goals of the
> individual and includes a variety of appropriate options to achieve those
> goals. It is also recommended that the State of Michigan be a leader in
> adopting these employment practices within state government;
>
>
>
> .         Expand the number of sites incorporating the Pathways to 
> Potential
> model and ensure that each site includes access to employment and training
> services for students with a mental illness, substance use disorder or
> developmental disability;
>
>
>
> .         Support the Independent Living Guide Pilot Project that is
> designed to help individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency;
>
>
>
> .         Continue to invest adequate funding in Michigan Rehabilitation
> Services and the Bureau of Services for Blind Person to ensure people with
> disabilities have access to vocational rehabilitation services and
> Michigan's businesses have a resource to find qualified job candidates 
> with
> disabilities;
>
>
>
> .         Increase support for Michigan's CILs to ensure they have 
> adequate
> financial resources to provide disability awareness and stigma reduction
> training to business's and community members.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> <continued on next page>
>
> Closing:
>
>
>
> Michigan's network of Center's for Independent Living (CILs) feel that
> public policy and resources in the State of Michigan need to empower 
> people
> to live independent lives by working and contributing to our economy.
> Policies that deter people from working need to be amended to ensure we 
> are
> not inadvertently perpetuating dependence.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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