Work Incentive and Disability Employment Grants Conference Washington Court Hotel Washington, D.C. May 29-31, 2002 Michael Morris, Director Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workforce Investment and Employment Policy For Persons with Disabilities Law, Health Policy & Disability Center University of Iowa College of Law / Robert Silverstein, Director Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy /

Key Statistics on Working Age Americans with Disabilities Social Security Programs: Number of working age beneficiaries as of 2001:  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): 5,274,183 (Average monthly benefit amount: $814.46)  Supplemental Security Income (SSI): 1,511,000 (Blind or disabled individuals)

Key Statistics on Working Age Americans with Disabilities One out of every three adults with disabilities lives in very low-income households (less than $15,000 income). Seventy-two percent of working age Americans with disabilities do not have jobs. Even when people with disabilities are employed, they earn substantially less than their nondisabled counterparts – roughly 72 cents to the dollar.

Key Statistics on Working Age Americans with Disabilities Sixty percent of working people with disabilities report they are under-employed. Thirty-six percent of working people with disabilities report they have experienced discrimination at work. Only four percent of people with disabilities own their own home compared to seventy percent of Americans without disabilities.

Key Developments and Policy Challenges

Six Key Developments 1.Olmstead Supreme Court Decision 2.Workforce Investment Act (WIA) 3.Welfare Reform 4.New Freedom Initiative 5.Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement Act (TWWIIA) 6.Barnett and Toyota Supreme Court Decisions

Policy Challenges 1.Service Delivery System Integration, Coordination, Collaboration 2.Customer Choice and Self Determination 3.Asset Development and Lifting Asset Limits for Service/Benefit Eligibility

Policy Challenges 4.Performance Measurement – Core Indicators and Data Collection and Analysis 5.Connect the Dots: Multiple Federal Initiatives State Partnership Systems Change Initiative (SPI) Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) Work Incentive Grants (WIG) Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Americans with Disabilities Act / Olmstead Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO)

Performance Measurement WIA is in its second year of implementation WIA State Reports at: The Department of Labor’s FY 2001 Report on Performance and Accountability at:

Law, Health Policy & Disability Center University of Iowa College of Law