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Alexis Herman is the first African American to hold the position of U.S. Labor Secretary. Since she took the post three years ago this May, she has focused the Labor Dept. on two major goals: better preparing the workforce for the New Economy and improving the quality of workplaces across the country -- which also means addressing the concerns of the disabled. She believes people with disabilities will provide a larger share of the future workforce. Recently, I sat down with Herman to discuss her initiatives. Here are edited excerpts from our conversation:
Q: What are your major initiatives for benefiting people with disabilities?
A: We've looked systemically at what keeps people with disabilities out of the workforce and asked what can we do to eliminate those barriers. We know that, in spite of today's strong economy, about three out of four people with disabilities who want to work are not working. How do we make it happen for them? The result, largely from recommendations by the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, is the most comprehensive national-employment agenda ever.
Q: For example?
A: We passed the Work Incentives Improvement Act, which allows states to provide Medicaid benefits for people with disabilities who go to work and allows those with Social Security Disability Insurance new options to work without losing benefits. Workers with disabilities shouldn't have to choose between their health and their job.
The President also directed the federal government to become a model employer of people with disabilities. We will set the example for the private sector. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1998, the federal government has to ensure that its Web sites, software, and hardware are fully accessible. The government buys huge quantities of software and hardware -- more than any other purchaser -- so this will help to change the whole industry, and as a result, accessibility will improve dramatically in the private sector.
Q: What's next?
A: In the budget for fiscal 2001, we have asked for funding of a new Office of Disability Policy, Evaluation & Technical Assistance. This office -- at this high level -- will ensure that every opportunity is made available to people with disabilities throughout the employment and training system.
I think from these key examples you can begin to get the picture of just how comprehensive our efforts have been. We want to ensure a workplace where people with disabilities are the familiar faces we work with everyday.
Q: How effective have these initiatives been?
A: They're brand-new, so it's too early to say. But we will evaluate them. That will be one of the functions of the new Office of Disability Policy, Evaluation &Technical Assistance, along with monitoring the employment rate of people with disabilities. We're even developing new statistical tools to do so. We know that the issues and barriers to employment are complex and require a comprehensive and collaborative approach from all federal agencies.
Q: How key is access to this collaborative approach?
A: People with disabilities know that inclusive mainstream employment leads to greater economic and social inclusion. So that's our focus -- access, making sure that people with disabilities have the same access to training, to employment services, the same access to the state-run one-stop career centers that are becoming the essential bridge to jobs for everyone.
Q: What are the weaknesses of these initiatives?
A: As is often the case when you're trying to solve a long-standing problem, there is no single, surefire solution. But we've been fortunate to have the support of President Clinton and Vice-President Gore and widespread support in Congress. We expect the new disability office to be funded, and that will give us the means to evaluate what we've been doing and where we're going.
Q: But what happens after you leave office?
A: I think these initiatives will continue, because the need to include people with
disabilities in our workforce is great and the reward for doing so is too large to be ignored. We've made it clear that people with disabilities must be a part of the workforce of the future.
Q: Why are you so concerned about this? Often, people become involved in the field of disabilities if they have someone in their family with a disability. Is that the case with you?
A: No, none of my family members has a disability. But I understand that people with disabilities have experienced a history of prejudice and discrimination that has nothing to do with their ability. As a black woman who grew up in the South, that's something I know about. It's only natural that I would care as much about ending discrimination against people with disabilities as I do ending discrimination against women and minorities.
Q: I understand that the 11 million unemployed people with disabilities are not included in the monthly unemployment numbers released by the government. Is this true?
A: It isn't that they're not included, but they're not identified as a separate category. The monthly unemployment figure represents all people aged 16 and over who are not employed but are looking for work or are on layoff.
We think an employment measure for people with disabilities would be helpful for policymakers, analysts, advocates, and others concerned with their labor-market status. We don't know how many people with disabilities are represented in the monthly employment number. And we need that information. Several federal agencies, including our Bureau of Labor Statistics, are working to develop a reliable way to measure the employment rate of people with disabilities.
Q: With everything that is known about the abilities of people with disabilities, why is it so difficult for them to be hired?
A: In many ways, it reminds me of my experience and the experience of other African Americans -- doors were closed simply because of your race. Too often, doors are closed to Americans with disabilities simply because of their disability. And because they have not had the opportunity to be in the mainstream, other people have not had the opportunity to learn from them. We must continue to work to change that pattern.
What do you think about these issues? Visit BW Online's Assistive Tech Forum and join in a discussion. Or drop John a line at JMMAW@aol.com EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT
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