Disability Program Navigator Training A Joint Initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: OVERVIEW Michael Morris, Director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workforce Investment and Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities

People with Disabilities I - Facts and Figures II - Disability Policy: The New Paradigm III – The Lives of People with Disabilities: Multiple Support Systems

54 million Americans – one in five - have disabilities. Over 30 million working age Americans (between ages 21 – 64) have a disability.

The prevalence of disabilities in working age Americans varies by racial/ethnic group: Native American -27% African-American-21% Caucasian-18% Hispanic-17% Asian-American-10%

Type of disability: Sensory: (vision and hearing) over 15 million Cognitive: over 14 million Mobility: over 8 million Learning: over 3 million

Over 10 million Americans currently receive disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income programs (SSI).

Of these, fewer than 1 percent ever stop receiving benefits because they start or return to work and earn income at a sufficiently high level.

Adults living in households with a combined annual income of $15,000 or under:  adults with disabilities – 34%  adults without disabilities – 12%

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Recipients:  Up to 30 % - work-related disabilities  From 25 to 40 % - learning disabilities.

Educational Levels High School: One-third of students with disabilities do not finish high school. Post-Secondary Education Programs: Enrollment is at half the rate of the general population.

The unemployment rate of working-age Americans with disabilities - may be as high as 70 %.

72 percent of working-age Americans with disabilities want to have jobs. Source: National Organization on Disability

Part II - Disability Policy: The Changing Paradigm

The Old Paradigm Policies of Exclusion and Segregation The Medical Model of Treatment, Fixing, and Restoration

The New Paradigm New Definition of Disability Focus on Relationship between the Individual and the Environment Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act – 1990.

“The Nation’s Proper Goals regarding Individuals with Disabilities are to Assure Equality of Opportunity, Full Participation, Independent Living, and Economic Self- Sufficiency …” --ADA, Section Two.

From the enactment of the ADA in 1990 to the present, there have been unprecedented public policy developments to advance social and economic freedom for Americans with disabilities.

ADA Protection Against Discrimination Effective and Meaningful Participation Access and Accommodation Workforce Investment Act Universal Access Streamlined and Integrated Services Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act Work Incentives Medicaid Buy-In New Consumer Choices Benefits Counseling

Olmstead Supreme Court Decision (1999) “Community Imperative” States Must Allocate Resources to Expand Community Choices President’s Executive Order 13217

New Freedom Initiative (2001) “Americans with Disabilities should have every freedom to pursue careers, integrate into the workforce, and participate as full members in the economic marketplace. The New Freedom Initiative will help tear down barriers to the workplace, and help promote full access and integration.”

Federal Grant Initiatives Work Incentive Grants – DOL ETA Medicaid Infrastructure Grants – CMS Real Choice Systems Change Grants – CMS Olmstead Action Grants – DOL ODEP Customized Employment Grants – DOL ODEP Youth Demonstrations – SSA, DOL Disability Program Navigator - SSA and DOL Homelessness -- Housing and Employment – DOL and HUD Research and Training Centers – Employment – NIDRR Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach – SSA

Common Themes Focus on Systems Change Reduce and Eliminate Public Barriers to Economic Advancement Collaborate Across Agencies Increase Customer Choices Produce Improved Outcomes

Part III -- Orientation to Systems Devolution of Decisionmaking Federal Funds – State and Local Decisions Vocational Rehabilitation and the Workforce System

Beyond Mandated Partners Medicaid Housing Transportation Social Security Mental Health Other Navigating the Disability Maze

Linking Disability Specific and Generic Resources Special Education – Youth Services Medicaid Funded Support Services and Housing Benefits Counseling and Financial Education Public, Faith-Based and Community Resources

Key Players’ Investment Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) Staff Mandated Partners Generic and Disability Specific Resource Systems

Key Players’ Investment Collaborator LWIB Staff Mandated Partners Other Systems Role Leadership – Values Policy Development and Oversight Front Line Performance Service Delivery Capacity Expanded Capacity

“The underlying notion of One-Stop is the coordination of programs, services, and governance structures so the customer has access to a seamless system of workforce investment services.” --WIA Final Regulations.

This training has been designed and developed by the Law, Health Policy & Disability Center (LHPDC) of the University of Iowa College of Law disability.law.uiowa.edu