Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Employment First A Potential Game Changer for Employment of Persons With Disabilities



               Adults with disabilities are faced with so many unique challenges that many persons in the United States take for granted.  Few are more challenging, and frustrating, than employment.
               Medical insurance is guaranteed through Medicaid.  Transportation, while less than perfect, is likewise available through public funds, mass transit systems and families/friends.  Housing certainly presents many formidable challenges but is nonetheless available for most.  The primary obstacle regarding housing is to find an available “slot” in one of the appropriate waiver programs.  Sadly these slots are too few in number to cover the great need.  Many families are forced to compromise one member’s job in order to provide for the needs of their loved one in their own home.
               Employment, however, presents its own unique set of hurdles, often beyond the control of caregivers.  While a family may choose to survive on one or one and a half incomes in order to allow one member to stay at home more to provide care, they cannot create a job for their loved one to hold.  There are vocational rehabilitation centers but these are in many ways counterproductive in that the individual must pay in order to be enrolled in the program.  That is, they must pay to work.  And sadly for most, what they earn is far less than what they pay to be in the program.  In fact in many cases the amount they earn in two weeks’ time is sufficient to pay for only one day of vocational rehabilitation if they are lucky.  There are exceptions and the enrollment fee is typically covered by State funding of one sort or another but the fact remains in general it is a losing proposition financially, if not for the individual, then for society.
               The statistics are staggering.  19.9 million people in this country (ages 16-64) are diagnosed as disabled.  Of these less than 35% are employed.  This means the unemployment rate among the disabled community is 65%.
In 2014 (the latest year for which I have found statistics) Pennsylvania had 876,854 individuals of working age (ages 16 - 64) who were diagnosed with a disability.  This includes all disabilities.  Of that number 302,598 were employed in some capacity.  This represents 5 % of the total population of work-age people in Pennsylvania.  [These figures are from www.employmentfirst.leadcenter.org]
               The overall unemployment rate in Pennsylvania for 2014 was 6%.  Yet according to these figures the unemployment rate among the disabled is 65.5% for that same period, consistent with the national average.  That is simply unacceptable.  It is this kind of discrepancy that has given rise to Employment First, a federal program from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) designed to increase community based, integrated employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.  Employment First is built on the premise that “ALL citizens, including individuals with significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in integrated employment and community life” [www.dol.gov/odep].  The goal of Employment First is to see that every disabled person has a chance to be employed, preferably full time, earning the greater of minimum wage or the prevailing wage for that particular job.  The catch is this employment must be in an integrated environment.  That is to say the disabled person must have the opportunity to work with and interact with non-disabled persons.  They must share the same work space and be treated like any other employee.
               To ensure this will be implemented the Federal government is now saying if an agency wants to continue receiving Federal/State funds they must comply with the requirements of Employment First.  As can be expected this has social agencies, especially vocational rehabilitation agencies, scrambling to find a way to de-segregate.  The government in its infinite wisdom wants to do away with the sheltered workshop model, where a person with a disability can go to work in an environment that is safe, with trained staff who can assist them and provide for them in times of crisis or need while they labor at a task that the agency provides for them through contracts with vendors.  They are allowed to work at their own pace, doing whatever they are capable of doing, and receive a wage based on piece work.  The more work they do the more money they earn. 
               Some feel the sheltered workshop model is degrading and unfair.  As I said previously the individual must pay to be enrolled in the program but what they earn often is far less than what they pay out.  For most the enrollment fee is covered through State funding, whether it is the Consolidated Waiver, the Autism Waiver, or some other funding source.  And herein lies the point of contention for politicians, though they do not want to admit it.  In this age of budget cuts and tax breaks everyone seemingly wants to find ways to eliminate government spending.  One of the easiest segments of the population to target is the disabled community.  In general terms they cannot speak out in their own defense as readily or as competently as others.  Theirs is an entitlement program and the word entitlement has become a negative term these days.  But no one wants to appear as if they are picking on the disabled community.  Therefore they want to shroud their intentions in a cloak of decency and self-respect.  If we can force them to get “real” jobs they will earn more money, require less public assistance, increase their self-worth, and pay more taxes (with the implication that we in turn can pay less taxes).
               It all sounds good.  But let’s be realistic.  How many of these politicians and advocates have ever visited a vocational rehab center, aka sheltered workshop?  They are not the gloomy dungeons of 40 years ago.  The ones I am aware of are very nice facilities.  More importantly they are designed and staffed in such a way as to meet the holistic needs of the people they work with.  Some have sensory rooms where persons with autism can go to de-escalate or de-stress.  Most are designed to accommodate the visual and audible sensory concerns of many of their clients.  And they are staffed with social workers, psychologists, and persons certified in first aid and CPR.  These are important considerations when dealing with persons with disabilities.  In my experience as a job developer I have seen people who have had seizures, emotional breakdowns, moments of high anxiety and other distracting issues while working.  How would most places of industry or business handled such situations?
               Please do not misunderstand me.  I firmly believe in employment opportunities for the disabled.  I have seen it work in many circumstances.  Generally speaking persons who are disabled will prove to be excellent workers who are very loyal, faithful in attendance, and conscientious.  But the fact remains that not all are able to function at the same level of competency.  Some by the very nature of their disability are limited in one skill or another.  It may be with eye-hand coordination; it may be a lack of literacy skills or the ability to comprehend what they read.  Many are incapable of following compound instructions of 3 or 4 steps.  Others have difficulty standing in one place for any length of time.  Some cannot tolerate the loud noise of a machine.  Still others are subject to seizures at a moments’ notice.  The list goes on and on.  Again, in most cases accommodations can be made to overcome these issues.  But the concerns do not go away.  We can treat the symptoms and provide for preemptive measures but there simply is no way to cure the problems.
               It takes a patient and understanding employer to accept these conditions.  An ever increasing number of employers are on the cutting edge of providing employment opportunities with appropriate accommodations.  But not enough.  Far too many employers look at the disabled community and immediately see problems and headaches they do not want to deal with, even if such concerns are only in their warped imagination.  Employment First calls for disabled workers to be employed by the company for which they work and not the agency which placed them.  This means the employer must provide all the benefits that they offer to any other employee including workers compensation and unemployment.  Workers compensation, in particular, is not cheap.  It becomes a major stumbling block for many employers who fear the disabled worker will be more vulnerable to workplace accidents, whether or not such fears are justified.  They may also presuppose that the disabled worker will not be able to work at the same pace or level of quality.
What many employers fail to know is that there are incentives for hiring disabled individuals.  ODEP offers the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).  This program says that when a company hires a disabled worker they can receive a tax credit for a portion of the new employee’s salary.  There is also the Small Business Tax Credit which allows businesses that earned $1 million or less in the past year or had 30 or fewer full-time employees to take an annual tax credit of up to $5,000 for a variety of accessibility expenditures.   Likewise the Architectural/Transportation Tax Deduction allows business of all sizes to take an annual deduction of up to $15,000 for expenses such as creating accessible parking; installing ramps and curb cuts; making telephones, water fountains and restrooms accessible; and widening walkways. It may also be used for vehicle adaptation.
               The process of education, then, goes both ways.  On the one hand the disabled individual must be trained and allowed to develop job skills both general and specific to a given position.  Likewise employers must be willing to learn how they can be supported while they provide accommodations and opportunity for the worker with a disability.  It can be a win-win proposition.  And the key to making it work is a job developer and job coach who can bring the two together and offer assistance and support to make it work.
               Employment First is significant in helping to bring about this kind of change.  States must present proposals outlining how they plan to implement the tenants of this new effort in the coming months, with full implementation scheduled for March of 2019.  After that agencies that are not adequately integrated will lose their government funding.  That is a powerful and effective incentive.  But I still remain concerned that not every person who is disabled will be able to meet these criteria.  No amount of wishing will bring it about.  We must not - we cannot - place persons in an environment where they are doomed to fail.  We must allow them to progress at their own pace, to experience some level of success and build upon that.  You see, it is the word “First” that I have a problem with.  “Employment”, yes!  Absolutely!  But only after the proper foundation has been laid.

G. D. Gehr
March 9, 2016

NEXT:  a possible model for vocational training for persons with disabilities.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Smackdown vs. Solitire: Redefining Reality In American Politics



I am sure I need not tell anyone that this is a Presidential Election year.  The evidence is everywhere and it is not pretty.  I am writing this within 24 hours of the most recent Republican Presidential Debate, hosted by Fox News.  Actually, I use the term “Debate” only out of respect for the system.  From what I have seen and heard and read it was more like a school yard brawl.  I could not actually watch the debate because my cable tv package does not include Fox News Channel.  I do not believe I missed anything of value. 
Honestly, this nation deserves better than what it was given last night.  The comments were misleading at best and downright false in many cases, according to every fact-check source I viewed.  Questions from the moderators were left unanswered as the candidates chose instead to make personal attacks on the character of their opponents - and this within the same political party!  Reason was replaced with vulgarity.  Seldom did the candidates directly address the pressing needs of this country.  They seemed to be of the opinion that they (the candidates) are much more important that any issue of national interest.  Perhaps they are correct.  After all, those on stage last night have thus far raised $243.4 million toward their campaigns.  That does not include the $388.5 million raised by the Republican candidates who have dropped out of the race.  (Makes one wonder what they did with the unspent balances in their war chest!)  That is a combined total of $631.9 million for the GOP candidates in this election alone!  Together with the $293.44 million raised by the Democrats for their candidates and we have an insane sum of $925.24 million wasted…for what?
[Note:  These figures were reported in the New York Times on February 22, 2016 and are based on numbers reported to the Federal Election Commission and the IRS.  They represent amounts donated through January 2016.  The figures include money raised by the candidates themselves and by Super-PAC’s supporting them.]
Before I go any further I must clarify that from what I could learn there was one candidate on stage last night who did not engage in the “smack down” approach that shamefully dominated the evening.  Gov. John Kasich appeared to sincerely want to avoid the childish behaviors of his peers and attempt to address serious topics.  Sadly it appeared he was playing a game of solitaire while his opponents were rolling in the mud at the far corner of the school yard.
The Debate - or should I say the Debacle - yielded no winner.  The so-called big three - Trump, Cruz, & Rubio were the biggest losers, having lost their dignity and character.  As I said Kasich lost the chance to have a serious conversation because no one would play with him.  The RNC lost, too.  They are increasingly looking like they have absolutely no control over their own fate.  In fact, if things continue as they have been thus far, the GOP will lose not only the election but very likely their majority in the U. S. Senate.
We, the citizens of the United States, have also lost.  We have lost our moral and ethical standard that once demanded a sense of integrity, decency, and honor from our elected officials.  As I listen to the news analysts and read the opinion pages in the paper or on social media it becomes increasingly clear that far too many of us really do not give a rat’s tail for the values that we once held dear.  Like the Romans of old who flocked to the Coliseum to scream and incite themselves at the blood-drenched Gladiator fights, so we have become intoxicated by the foul rhetoric, the vulgarity, the disrespect that is set before us on stage.  We are numb to the lies and distortions madly thrown across the podiums like lumps of coal cast into a furnace, building a fire of self-destruction that will consume us all if we do not awaken from this political trance.
               I will freely admit that I am “old school” in many ways.  For example, I have no time for “Reality Television”.  It is cheap, degrading, and meaningless.  It preys on the ego and pride of so-called contestants.  I would even go so far as to suggest that reality tv is infiltrating these same negative characteristics into American society.  More accurately, I suppose these characteristics have always been present in the populace but reality tv is granting them permission to go public.  It encourages people to be “real”, that is, to express their anger, hostility, pride, and greed for all to see.  Those who are more expressive, more intense, more flamboyant are the ones who are deemed the stars of the show.
               Sound familiar?  I see a strong parallel with the Republican Presidential race.  Perhaps that is what happens when you let a tv reality personality enter the race and take center stage.  The result is a lack of any serious discussion that seeks a mature response to the issues of the day.  Issues-centered discussions are boring and predictable.  They do not draw attention to the egos on stage.  Neither do they draw ratings for the network that has invested time and money to host the debate.  Therefore, like the rest of society, we have sacrificed our dignity by promoting a raucous rumble.  We have replaced politics with entertainment.  Perhaps this is the only explanation why the Master Entertainer, Donald Trump, is leading the delegate count so far.  And that guy who is playing solitaire while he waits for a chance to speak intelligently remains in last pace.

by G. D. Gehr   March 4, 2016