2002 Leadership Challenges on Employment Policy
Audio Conference Series - April 25, 2002
Welfare Reform: TANF Recipients with Disabilities Legal Requirements, Policy Guidelines and Promising Practices
Featured speakers:
Moderator: Michael Collins
Co Director and Principal Researcher
RRTC on Workforce Investment and Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities
Eileen P. Sweeney
Director of State Low Income initiatives
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Robert Silverstein
Director of the Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy
Johnette Hartnett
Associate Professor, Department of Special Education
University of Vermont
Dennis Lieberman
Director, Welfare-to-Work Grant Implementation Team
Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Dick Ensor
Division of One-Stop Operations
Employment and Training and Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
Doris Fretz
Division of One-Stop Operations
Employment and Training and Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
This presentation discusses:
- Legal Requirements for Inclusion and Meaningful Participation of Welfare Recipients with Disabilities in State Welfare Agency Supported Self-Sufficiency Programs.
- Policies that can Enhance Full Participation of Welfare Recipients with Disabilities.
- Promising Practices for serving Welfare Recipients with Disabilities through State Vocational Rehabilitation and Welfare Agency Partnerships
For some low-income individuals, opportunities to obtain and maintain employment are hindered due to having a disability that has not been identified and/or adequately addressed. Research indicates that some of the more common disabilities occurring among low-income families today include mental retardation, mental illness, learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, and addictive disorders. Previously, states automatically exempted individuals with disabilities (including caretakers of disabled children) from work and other program requirements under their welfare programs. However, the recent movement toward a "work first" philosophy in welfare reform and workforce development programs, combined with an increasing acceptance on the behalf of employers to hire individuals with disabilities, is changing the way some states structure employment-related policies and services for people with disabilities.
On January 19, 2001 the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued policy guidance on the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability as stated in Section 504 and Title II of the ADA in the administration of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (Manual of Policy and Procedures Division 21-101). OCR issued this guidance to respond to questions raised by state agencies, counties, service providers, and persons with disabilities regarding administrative methods of the TANF programs and to alert providers of federal penalties for failure to comply with ADA and Section 504. OCR found in studies on employment of adults with disabilities that as many as 40% of the population may have learning disabilities and up to 28% of welfare beneficiaries may have mental health conditions. In addition, OCR found that a significant number of these beneficiaries also have physical disabilities.
This audio conference will feature an in-depth look at the collaborative strategies of state agencies in Vermont to support and return to work TANF recipients with disabilities. The audio conference will also feature current policy developments and analysis from a federal perspective regarding welfare reform and individuals with disabilities