Rachel Wright – Page 4 – Disability Employment Policy

March 4, 2021August 29, 2022

Utilizing Public Sector Apprenticeships to Improve Employment Outcomes

By Dexter Horne, Senior Policy Analyst

Prior to his inauguration, President Joe Biden pledged to invest $50 billion in workforce training, including a substantial investment in the national Registered Apprenticeship Program that would “exponentially increase the number of apprenticeships in this country.” Concurrently, the House passed a bill in November — which has now received its second reading in the Senate — that would invest nearly $4 billion over five years in apprenticeship program expansion. These promises and actions at the federal level show that, in a country challenged by recession and high retirement rates, policymakers believe that apprenticeships are viable employment solutions.

January 11, 2021August 29, 2022

Building Resilience: How Inclusive Apprenticeship Programs Are Responding to COVID-19

By Elise Gurney, Senior Policy Analyst

Work-based learning experiences – like apprenticeships, job shadowing, and internships – serve a vital role in helping youth with disabilities transition into the workforce. In particular, they allow youth to develop job skills, identify strengths and career interests, and build their resumes. Yet, just like school-based learning, work-based learning has faced significant disruptions due to COVID-19. While some work-based learning can be easily transitioned to an online format, other programs pose greater challenges.

January 11, 2021August 29, 2022

Inclusive Apprenticeships: How States are Supporting Skills Training for People with Disabilities

By Elise Gurney, Senior Policy Analyst

Apprenticeships are on the rise. Employers are increasingly turning to apprenticeships to build strong pipelines of talent, and states are investing in apprenticeships as important workforce development tools. Inclusive apprenticeships – that is, apprenticeships that provide skills training to people with disabilities – provide additional benefits. In particular, they can help employers and states increase the hiring and retention of people with disabilities. States are taking a number of approaches to make apprenticeship programs more inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities.

December 18, 2020August 29, 2022

Telework: Ensuring Inclusion During COVID-19 & Beyond

By Elise Gurney, Senior Policy Analyst

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of Americans who work remotely has increased from roughly 15% to 50%. The transition to telework has required everyone to adjust, but it has posed unique challenges for some people with disabilities. On December 17th, The Council of State Governments’ (CSG) National Conference session, “Telework: Adapting to the COVID-19 Economy” explored these challenges, and showcased strategies that state governments, local governments, and the private sector are using to accommodate employees with disabilities amid new telework conditions and beyond. The session also premiered CSG and the State Exchange on Employment & Disability’s new report “Disability-Inclusive Telework for States“.

December 9, 2020January 11, 2021

Disability Employment Etiquette National Conference Session

Individuals with disabilities bring unique talents, skills, and perspectives to the workplace. The benefits of including more individuals with disabilities in the workforce are numerous, including higher workplace morale, a more inclusive workplace culture, improved operational performance, productivity, creativity, and profitability, and a reduction in turnover, not to mention more financial stability and other benefits to the worker with disabilities. However, sometimes employers and policymakers may not be adequately tapping into this skilled pool of employees due to a lack of knowledge on how to engage and work with individuals with disabilities.

On Friday December 11, 2020 at 2pm ET, The Council of State Governments (CSG) will host a “Disability Employment Etiquette” session as part of the CSG 2020 National Conference REIMAGINED.

December 2, 2020

California Proposition 22 Overturns Employee Classification for Rideshare and Delivery “Gig Workers“

By Dina Klimkina and Bobby Silverstein

On Nov. 3, roughly 58.6% of California residents voted to approve California Proposition 22, which classifies app-based drivers working for rideshare and delivery companies — like Uber and Lyft — as “independent contractors” instead of “employees.” Workers are only classified as employees if a company sets drivers’ hours, requires acceptance of specific ride or delivery requests or restricts working for other companies. Proposition 22 also requires rideshare and delivery companies to provide their drivers with certain minimum benefits and protections from discrimination.

October 20, 2020March 7, 2023

States Celebrate Two Key Disability Anniversaries in 2020

By Elise Gurney, Senior Policy Analyst, and Trent Patrick

This year marks two important anniversaries in our Nation’s efforts to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in our workforce: the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990, and the 75th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which seeks to enhance awareness of disability employment issues and celebrate the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. States have found various ways to commemorate these two occasions, including issuing proclamations, establishing disability awareness and mentoring days, hosting webinars and virtual events, and launching educational campaigns. Below are examples of how several states are celebrating, as well as general ideas for how state policymakers and other government officials can commemorate these landmark dates.

August 19, 2020August 29, 2022

Building Inclusive Apprenticeships: Upcoming Webinars Discuss Design and Funding Strategies

By Elise Gurney, Senior Policy Analyst

As states work to involve more youth with disabilities in the workforce, they are increasingly turning to work-based learning initiatives. Exposure to work-based learning – including internships, apprenticeships, and job shadowing – is one of the strongest predictors of eventual employment success for youth with disabilities, as it allows youth to develop hard and soft work skills in a hands-on setting.

Continue reading “Building Inclusive Apprenticeships: Upcoming Webinars Discuss Design and Funding Strategies”

July 24, 2020August 29, 2022

30 Years of ADA: Webinar Series Reflects on Our Progress and Charts Out a Future for Disability Inclusion

By Elise Gurney, Senior Policy Analyst

July 26 marks the 30^th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which has transformed protections, access and opportunities for people with disabilities. The anniversary provides an occasion to both commemorate the ADA — to reflect on its significance and the progress we’ve made over the last three decades — and to map out an even more inclusive future.

Continue reading “30 Years of ADA: Webinar Series Reflects on Our Progress and Charts Out a Future for Disability Inclusion”

July 16, 2020March 24, 2023

COVID-19 and the Workforce: Impacts on Workers with Disabilities

By Rachel Wright, Policy Fellow

Unemployment and Absence from Work

As the coronavirus pandemic temporarily curtailed many businesses’ in-person operations, layoffs and furloughs were quick to follow. Although the permanency of these layoffs is still unclear, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that job losses throughout the pandemic culminated in an unemployment rate of nearly 14.7% by the end of April. Of the positions lost, approximately 950,000 were previously held by workers with disabilities, putting the unemployment rate among these workers at 20%[1].