DISABILITY ISSUES
Vol. 20 No. 1

Compliance Resource for Business

Very few people with an interest in disability have escaped the experience of having friends or acquaintances complain about the burden placed on business by laws which require them not to discriminate against persons with a disability. The media's fascination with the few dramatic abuses of these civil rights laws, combined with the wide-spread ignorance about disability, has led many Americans to believe that this is just another case of government interference with almighty capitalism.

As a follow-up to our article on the Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 in the last issue, we offer a valuable resource which is available to increase real opportunity for employment while reducing business people's fear and misinformation about hiring people with disabilities. While there may be similar programs in your immediate area, this one is national and has a wealth of business support. If you need a resource to recommend to your friends in the business world who are still confused as to what all the fuss is about - try this.

The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rehabilitation Research and Training Center works closely with business associations, corporate partners, individuals with disabilities, and rehabilitation providers to analyze barriers to employment and to determine the best practices for increasing employment of people with disabilities. The following are among the services provided by the VCU Center.

The Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Workplace Supports - is funded by the U. S. Department of Education and partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Charter Business Roundtable. It is working on return to work strategies for individuals who become disabled; analyze the effectiveness of disability management programs; determine the impact of financial tax credits on hiring, retention, and advancement; assess work support interventions; and evaluate employer perceptions of hiring and retaining workers with disabilities. The Center provides training methods and materials and conducts training in this area.

The State Partnership Initiative (SPI) - is a cooperative agreement with the Social Security Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration. The project helps 18 designated state projects develop innovative and integrated statewide programs of services and supports for residents with disabilities. Some of the systems being developed include: employer partnerships, customer driven services, Medicare Buy-In programs, and employer supports.

The National Supported Employment Consortium (SEC) - VCU is a lead organization; others include Indiana University Institute on Disability and Community, TransCen, Inc. Boston's Children's Hospital Institute for Community Inclusion, and the University of Montana Rural Institute. The purpose of SEC is to critically evaluate supported employment programs nationally and provide technical assistance to state and local agencies.

If you are an employer, or make recommendations to employers about hiring and retaining workers with disabilities (yourself included), you may find some of the following resources helpful.

Fast Facts:

Recruiting from Nontraditional Sources of Labor (March 2000). Provides information to employers on how to find new pools of labor to fill skilled and unskilled job openings.

Business Tax Credits & Deductions for Employment of People with Disabilities (Jan. 2000). Highlights tax credits and incentives available to help employers cover accommodation costs

Reasonable Accommodations & the Americans with Disabilities Act (Sept. 1999). Reviews the definition, key terms and procedures related to job accommodations under Title I of the ADA.

Newsletters

Personal Assistance Services in the Workplace (Winter 2000).

Tapping New Talent for Business: The Manpower, Inc. Approach (Summer 1999)

The Art and Science of Business Partnerships (Winter 2000)

Who's Providing the Support? (Spring 1999)

Personnel Training

Supported Employment Web-Based Certificate Series - an on-line course for national participation.

SET NET Seminars - VCU satellite training events.

Business Seminars - corporate-based seminar designed to in-crease diversity and employment of people with disabilities.

Using SSI Work Incentive - on-line course with open enrollment.

For more information about the VCU Center, listings of trainings, current employment news, and to order Center publications; go to the Center's web site at www.worksupport.com, or write to them at VCU\RRTC on Workplace Supports, P.O. Box 842011, 1314 West Main Street, Richmond, VA 23284-2011.