Ensuring “Opportunity” Extends to All

Last summer, President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the first major reform of the nation’s job training system in more than 15 years. The inclusion of the word “opportunity” is significant – it reflects a big step forward for our nation’s workforce system and the job seekers and employers it serves.

WIOA helps job seekers access the services they need to succeed in employment. It also helps match employers with the skilled workers they’re looking for. Notably, the law includes a specific focus on increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and sets out a number of provisions to facilitate doing so.

One of these is the formation of an Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities. The purpose of this committee is to make recommendations on ways to increase opportunities for competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. This includes recommendations on the use of, and ways to improve oversight of, the certificate program under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

WIOA’s use of the words “competitive integrated” is also highly intentional. Competitive integrated employment refers to jobs held by people with disabilities in workplaces where the majority of employees do not have disabilities. In these jobs, individuals with disabilities earn wages consistent with those earned by workers without disabilities performing the same or similar work, make at least minimum wage and are paid directly by their employer.

Competitive integrated employment works — for individuals, for employers and for society. Models have shown repeatedly that people previously considered “unemployable” can work, can be productive and can achieve independence. As such, investing in this approach is a wise use of public funds.

Consider Orquideo, or “Q,” a young man who spent his first eight years after high school in a non-integrated environment doing piece rate work. When that workplace closed following enforcement actions by the department’s Wage and Hour Division and the U.S. Department of Justice, Q obtained competitive integrated employment in an auto-repair shop—a great fit given his lifelong passion for cars. He now works 30 hours a week and enjoys the satisfaction that comes from a good day’s work. He’s also making money and paying taxes.

 

The advisory committee’s goal will be to ensure more people like Q have more opportunities to find meaningful work. That’s why today, I was pleased to announce the 17 members of the public who will sit on the committee. Per the law’s requirements, these individuals, selected from more than 280 impressive nominations, represent six groups essential for this important discussion. Needless to say, the selection was difficult. But, we are committed to ensuring those chosen have access to others who can contribute the highest level of expertise and experience to inform the committee’s work. Thus, we will engage additional nominees, as well as others with knowledge of the myriad complex issues involved, as appropriate.

 

For America’s workers with disabilities, the committee is an important part of expanding opportunities. I look forward to working with its members to ensure that all-important “Opportunity” applies to all.