[Nfbf-l] Feds Take Aim At Sheltered Workshops

[Sherri]

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Feds Take Aim At Sheltered Workshops

By Michelle Diament

April 14, 2015 Text Size  A  A



Leslie Winkler repackages plastic sprayers at Job One, a sheltered workshop 
for adults with disabilities in Independence, Mo. Proposed regulations would 
set new limits on who would be eligible to work in such environments. (Tammy 
Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS)

The Obama administration is proposing new regulations that would sharply 
limit people with disabilities from entering employment situations where 
they earn less than minimum wage.

The U.S. Department of Education is unveiling a draft rule this week 
designed to encourage competitive employment for most people with 
disabilities, largely through modifications to the Vocational Rehabilitation 
program.

The proposal comes less than a year after the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act was signed into law mandating the changes.

With the rule, the administration is placing a heightened emphasis on 
competitive integrated employment. Unpaid work would no longer qualify as a 
potential employment outcome in Vocational Rehabilitation plans and 
"economic self-sufficiency" must be among the criteria considered in helping 
individuals with disabilities establish goals.

"Individuals with disabilities, with appropriate supports and services, are 
able to achieve the same kinds of competitive integrated employment as 
non-disabled individuals," the rule indicates.

States and schools would be barred from establishing agreements with any 
entity to employ people with disabilities at less than minimum wage under 
the proposal.

What's more, those with disabilities age 24 and younger would be prohibited 
from working for subminimum wage unless they first receive pre-employment 
transition services at school and are provided "meaningful opportunities" to 
achieve competitive integrated employment. Meanwhile, anyone who is employed 
for less than minimum wage must regularly receive career-counseling 
services.

The rule would also require the Vocational Rehabilitation program to 
increase the share of funding set aside for helping people with the most 
significant disabilities participate in supported employment and would allow 
such services to be provided for up to four years.

Dedicated funding must also be earmarked under the plan to provide job 
exploration and similar services to individuals with disabilities in the 
early stages of transition.

"With the addition of these early pre-employment transition services, the VR 
program can be characterized as providing a continuum of VR services, 
especially for students and youth with disabilities," the rule states.

The proposed rule is expected to be published Thursday in the Federal 
Register and will be open for public comment for 60 days.

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Sherri Brun

NFBF Newsline Chair
flmom2006 at gmail.com


Character is the side of yourself you choose to show the world.
Integrity is what you do, what you say and how you act when you think no one 
is paying attention.