Unfinished Business: Making Employment of People with Disabilities a National Priority - 0 views
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Terry Booth on 23 Jul 12Click here to read the full report (.pdf) As we all know, children/youth with special health care needs eventually become adults, many of whom will continue to have health challenges or disabilities but will want to join the workforce. This week, in anticipation of the July 26 anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) issued a report entitled "Unfinished Business: Making Employment of People with Disabilities a National Priority." The report notes that there has been little to no change in the overall employment rates of people with disabilities since passage of the ADA almost 22 years ago. Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), announced a goal to increase the number of people with disabilities in the workforce from under five million to six million by 2015. He plans to introduce a series of bipartisan bills aimed at: improving outcomes in transitioning young adults from school to work; increasing opportunities for people with disabilities to own a business; encouraging states to be innovative with programs that provide support to people with disabilities; and providing incentives for people with disabilities to save in order to ensure their economic security.