One can’t help but understand this is driven by the increasing number of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with severe disability which renders them useless to their former employer, the US Military. However, the end result is that people who may have been formerly overlooked, without a war to spur initiative, may benefit. About.com offers a comprehensive and insightful look at President Bush’s initiative.

President Bush has asked Congress for sweeping changes to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) designed to improve educational, employment and social opportunities for over 54 million disabled Americans.

Signed into law eleven years ago by President George Bush, the ADA represented the first major piece of civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and opened many of the real and virtual doors of society closed for years to the disabled.

“Because of that law, millions of Americans can now compete for jobs once denied them; enter buildings once closed to them; travel on buses and trains once unequipped for them,” stated President Bush in a Feb. 1, 2001 announcement.

# Lower cost and improve access to “assistive” technologies (text telephones, adaptive computer equipment, lightweight and powered wheelchairs, modern artificial limbs, etc.)
# Expand employment opportunities for the disabled, including opportunities for the disabled to work from home.
# Offer new transportation solutions for the disabled.
# Improve access to places of worship.

Colleges are carefully watching the political wrangling concerning the ADA and what it means to already stretched budgets and resources. While most colleges already go above and beyond the ‘letter of the law’ in regards to accessibility, mandating certain levels of compliance can end up causing a poor return on investment with colleges spending more money to administrate the program than the actual output provided to benefit the intended recipients. Red tape is almost never good. Stay tuned.

Although it has been stalled in Congress for several months, legislation that would broaden coverage under the Americans With Disabilities Act has recently been on the radar of some college officials and the associations that represent them. Their concern: that expanding the definition of a disability could overwhelm offices that work to accommodate such students on university campuses.

Several higher-education associations have met recently about the bill, both with one another and with key Congressional staff members. Though the bill faces opposition from the Bush administration, its key sponsor hopes to get a modified form to the floor by this summer.
Most universities voluntarily go beyond the letter of the law in accommodating students on their campuses. But broadening the definition of a disability could add even more demand for campus offices that already work with hundreds, if not thousands, of students.

“There is a concern that having too many more students coming forward looking for accommodations would cause the resources of the disability offices to be extremely stretched,” said Ada Meloy, general counsel for the American Council on Education.

By Governor Rell’s office

Governor M. Jodi Rell and Department of Social Services Commissioner Michael Starkowski announced that 10 organizations and non-profit agencies have been awarded funding of up to $200,000 each toward their plans to implement creative ways to help people with disabilities join the workforce. Specific grant amounts will be determined after the selected grantees’ strategic plan submissions are reviewed.

“As many employers already know, people with disabilities can be among the most valued workers in a company or organization when given the chance to put their skills to good use,” Governor Rell said. “The challenge is to overcome the barriers that stop many people from getting jobs in the first place. Our goal is to foster a job market in Connecticut that is more inclusive than our current environment—one that brings together more people with disabilities and employers in mutually beneficial ways.”

Designed to extend the reach of the state’s recently-launched Connect-Ability initiative on a local level, organizations from throughout Connecticut answered the Department of Social Services’ Bureau of Rehabilitation Services’ request for qualifications call in early November.

Successful bidders and the priority areas and communities they will service include:

Oak Hill/New England Assistive Technology Center will focus on recruiting, hiring and promoting in Hartford, East Hartford, West Hartford, Bloomfield, Windsor, Wethersfield, New Britain, Farmington and Avon.

Padres Abriendo Puertas/Parents Opening Doors in will focus on School to Work Transition in Hartford and New Britain.

The Workplace, Inc. will focus School to Work Transition in lower Fairfield and New Haven towns including Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Westport, Weston and Wilton.

Connecticut Association of Centers for Independent Living will focus on recruiting, hiring and promoting in the Windham region including Ashford, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Hampton, Lebanon, Mansfield, Scotland, Willington and Windham.
Futures, Inc. will focus on School to work transition in Hartford.

Capitol Region Education Council will focus on school to work transition in the Bloomfield and Rocky Hill Public Schools.
Bristol Community Organization, Inc. will focus on school to work transition in Bristol and Plymouth.

Workforce Alliance will focus on school to work transition and recruiting, hiring and promoting in several towns including Bethany, Branford, Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Haven, Essex, Guilford, Haddam, Hamden, Killingworth, Madison, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Old Saybrook, Orange, Portland, Wallingford, West Haven, Westbrook and Woodbridge;

City of New Haven Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities will focus on School to work transition in New Haven County.

The Arc of New London County will focus on school to work transition in Norwich, Waterford and Lisbon.

Bidders were selected based on their proposals for addressing key priority areas including school-to-work transition (for high school students) and recruitment, hiring and promotion of individuals with disabilities. The request for qualifications (RFQ) also mandated organizations to address transportation related to the chosen priority and demonstrate how they can develop and implement local-level strategic plans that address barriers to employment for people with disabilities.

“We’re eager to facilitate connections between employers and able employees,” said Amy Porter, Connect-Ability project director for the state. “These local initiatives will help us achieve Connect-Ability goals in a more meaningful way.”

The Department has awarded contracts of up to $200,000 each for the development and implementation of local-level strategic plans. The contracts will consist of two phases. The planning phase is anticipated to begin on April 1, 2008 and end up to six months later. The implementation phase will begin upon Department approval of resulting strategic plans and end on December 31, 2009.

About Connect-Ability:

Connect-Ability is an initiative connecting Connecticut employers with the state’s talent pool of people with disabilities. Connect-Ability will open minds by helping employers see the ability, not the disability. The initiative will bring together more resources than ever to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Addressing the fundamental barriers to employment, it is one of the first initiatives of its kind in the nation and a model for other states planning similar efforts. Connect-Ability is funded by a four-year federal grant from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and managed by the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Visit at www.Connect-Ability.com or call toll-free 1-866-844-1903.