[nfbmi-talk] Fw: at ada rally in dc

Wed Jul 29 23:31:52 UTC 2015

To bad Michigan does not have any one of like mind. Instead we have the corrupt folks sitting on the SRC and other gangs that steal form the disabled. 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: joe harcz Comcast 
To: David Robinson NFB MI 
Cc: terry Eagle ; Mark Eagle ; Elmer Cerano MPAS ; Sarah Gravetti MISILC DNM ; Rodney Craig MISILC ; Marlene Malloy MCRS Dir. ; MARK MCWILLIAMS MPAS ; BRIAN SABOURIN ; Laura Hall ; Susan Fitzmaurice ; Norm DeLisle ; Scott Heinzman ADAPT ; Leigh Campbell-Earl ; Gary Kidd TDN ; Mike Zelley TDN ; Becky Ogle ; Fran Fulton 
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 11:24 AM
Subject: at ada rally in dc

At ADA rally, calls to overhaul AbilityOne program for disabled people

By Curt Devine CNN Investigations

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As hundreds marched on Capitol Hill Tuesday to support the rights of people with disabilities, some called for an overhaul of the nation's

premier program for helping the disabled find jobs. An exclusive CNN investigation found the program is mired in corruption and fraud, according to sources.

The AbilityOne program and the nonprofit agency that manages it, SourceAmerica, are being investigated by the Department of Justice and at least four separate

inspectors general offices for allegations of illegal operations, financial fraud and mismanagement, corruption and "contract steering," sources tell CNN.

At Tuesday's rally, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, some demonstrators held signs that read, "Shame on SourceAmerica,"

while others demanded more transparency in the AbilityOne program, which funnels about $2.3 billion of taxpayer money each year to organizations that employ

people with severe disabilities.

Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, said she is "significantly concerned" by the investigations into the program.

"If there is any corruption in that program, I will absolutely be following it to make sure that we end that," said Duckworth, a veteran who lost her legs

and partial use of her right arm in Iraq.

"Everyone deserves the opportunity to live as productive a life as they capably can, so we need to be sure to really protect their rights to work," she

said.

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum, in a Facebook comment, urged Attorney General Loretta Lynch to get to the bottom of the allegations.

"As the father of a special needs little girl, I am sickened by these revelations. A nation is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable in society,"

Santorum wrote. "We are better than this."

Santorum called for the prosecution of anyone involved.

Sources tell CNN as many as half the companies contracting with SourceAmerica under the AbilityOne program may be violating the law by not employing enough

severely disabled employees. Moreover, several lawsuits have been filed in recent years accusing AbilityOne and SourceAmerica decision-makers of steering

contracts to benefit their own interests.

Kelly Buckland, the executive director of National Council on Independent Living, which organized the Tuesday rally, said the government should begin closely

monitoring AbilityOne contractors to ensure they have a 75% severely disabled workforce, which the program's regulations require.

"They should change how they operate, so they actually guarantee that these jobs are going to people with disabilities, which they're not right now," Buckland

said. "Someone needs to hold them accountable."

Buckland said the AbilityOne program functioning properly is important because job opportunities enable people with disabilities to provide for themselves,

whereas disability benefits may trap individuals in cycles of poverty.

SourceAmerica has refuted the recent allegations, saying no one who makes decisions on contract awards is employed by an organization seeking those contracts.

AbilityOne refused to answer any specific questions, citing pending litigation, even though many of the questions did not involve litigation.

Source:

http://www.kbzk.com/story/29654121/at-ada-rally-calls-to-overhaul-abilityone-program-for-disabled-people