Maine State Library Maine State Documents State Workforce Investment Board Documents Labor 1-2007 Maine Jobs Council Commission on Disability and Employment 2006 Annual Report Maine State Workforce Investment Board Maine Jobs Council Maine Commission on Disability and Employment Follow this and additional works at:http://statedocs.maine.gov/swib_docs Recommended Citation Maine State Workforce Investment Board, Maine Jobs Council, and Maine Commission on Disability and Employment, "Maine Jobs Council Commission on Disability and Employment 2006 Annual Report" (2007).State Workforce Investment Board Documents.Paper 12. http://statedocs.maine.gov/swib_docs/12 This Document is brought to you for free and open access by the Labor at Maine State Documents. It has been accepted for inclusion in State Workforce Investment Board Documents by an authorized administrator of Maine State Documents. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAINE JOBS COUNCIL COMMISSION ON DISABILITY AND EMPLOYMENT 2006 ANNUAL REPORT Submitted to Legislature: January 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from the Chair EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. PRIORITIES 1. Employer Outreach and Education 2. Maine State Government as Model Employer 3. Youth in Transition from School to Work 4. Vocational Rehabilitation Services 5. Benefits Counseling 6. Data Collection B. SPECIAL EVENTS IN 2006 C. RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION AREAS FOR 2007 Attachments a. Commission Membership b. Commission Historical Timeline c. Executive Order #13 d. Public Law 570 e. CHOICES CEO Project Information f. MJC Organizational Chart g. “Special Appointment Process” for state positions Page 2 of 26 MAINE JOBS COUNCIL 19 UNION STREET John Elias Baldacci AUGUSTA, MAINE 04330 Philip A. Dionne Governor Chair December 2006 To Whom It May Concern: The Commission on Disability and Employment, a committee of the Maine Jobs Council, is pleased to present its 2006 annual report. This has been a very productive year for the Commission, with achievements in a better understanding of the needs and untapped resources of workers with disabilities, strategic planning, program development, and educational outreach. These exciting developments are detailed in the attached report. The Commission is working toward a future in which people with disabilities are employed in jobs that meet their personal and economic needs. A recent survey shows that only 38 percent of Mainers with disabilities are employed and over half are living at poverty level or below. Yet, Maine is facing a severe workforce shortage in the next decade. Giving more people with disabilities an opportunity to enter the workforce is a win-win proposition for the state. We are committed to working with all interested parties and all branches of the state government to increase employment of persons with disabilities in Maine. Over the next year, we foresee many opportunities to further our vision while helping Maine contend with its workforce shortage and expand its economy. We look forward to talking with you about the work of the Commission in the coming months. Sincerely, Mel R. Clarrage, Chair Maine Jobs Council Commission on Disability and Employment Page 3 of 26 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Maine Jobs Council’s Commission on Disability and Employment (Commission) is pleased to report that 2006 was a very productive year. The Commission was established by the legislature in 1997. It promotes collaboration with the public and private sectors to increase awareness and to influence policy related to employment for people with disabilities. Its members envision a Maine workforce that includes all people with disabilities employed in jobs, which meet both their economic and personal needs. This year, the Commission intensified its leadership activities on issues pertaining to persons with disabilities and successfully moved recommendations through the Maine Jobs Council process. In January 2006, Working Together: Maine’s Strategic Plan to Maximize the Employment of People with Disabilities was released. Throughout the rest of the year, the Commission worked closely with its many partners to implement the plan. Six priorities were identified: 1. Create an employer outreach and education plan. 2. Ensure that Maine state government is a model employer for people with disabilities. 3. Better support young people with disabilities who are transitioning from school to work. 4. Improve and expand vocational rehabilitation services. 5. Expand benefits counseling to people with disabilities who work, or who want to work. 6. Enhance data collection about workers with disabilities and ensure that data can be shared by relevant service agencies. Progress has been made on all six priorities as is detailed later in this Annual Report. Page 4 of 26 The Commission was active in the ABOUT THE COMMISSION planning and execution of two The Commission on Disability and Employment was established by law in 1997 with the following responsibilities: major actions by the state in 2006, (1) Advise, consult and assist Maine state government on activities that affect the employment of people with disabilities; which significantly advanced (2) Serve as an advocate on behalf of Maine residents with disabilities by promoting and assisting efforts to further equal opportunity for people with several of the six priority areas. disabilities; (3) Conduct educational programs that promote public understanding of the These actions were: needs and abilities of Maine residents with disabilities; 1) Executive Order #13 signed (4) Provide information, training and technical assistance to promote greater employer acceptance of workers with disabilities; by Governor John E. Baldacci, (5) Advise and assist employers and other organizations interested in developing employment opportunities for people with disabilities; and which calls for the state (6) Inform the public of the benefits of making buildings accessible to and usable by people with disabilities; monitor the enforcement of state and government to be a model federal laws regarding architectural accessibility; and advise and assist building owners by disseminating information about accessibility and by employer for people with making technical assistance available when appropriate. The Commission is a standing subcommittee of the Maine Jobs Council. Its disabilities (see Attachment C); members meet monthly, and coordinate all activities and action with the Jobs Council and its Policy Committee. The Commission’s vision and and mission statements are as follows: 2) Public Law 570, which was Vision: A workforce that includes all people with disabilities employed in jobs, which meet their economic and personal needs. Mission: The Commission on Disability and Employment promotes passed by the Legislature in collaboration with the public and private sectors to increase awareness and to influence policy related to employment for people with April 2006 (See Attachment D). disabilities. One section of this law expands The Commission at present has no paid staff and no separate operational budget. It receives staffing support and very limited funding through the on Executive Order #13 related Maine Jobs Council and Department of Labor. to state government as a model In 2005, the Commission entered into a strategic partnership with the CHOICES Comprehensive Employment Opportunity (CEO) project. This employer. partnership creates a close alliance between the Commission, the Jobs Council, and two other key partners: the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. Page 5 of 26 Other sections of the Public Law require studies to be undertaken by the Commission and Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Economic and Community Development. They will address the employment of people with developmental disabilities, and the type of resources needed to implement an effective public awareness and employer outreach campaign. Reports on these studies are to be delivered by January 2007 to the Legislature. Additional Commission accomplishments for 2006 include finalizing Commission by-laws and working on increasing membership representation. The Commission was also a visible participant in the “Future of Maine’s Economy” conference held in September 2006. The conference focused on workforce development. The Commission sponsored one of the keynote speakers, Denise Bissonnette, who is nationally recognized for her work with employees with disabilities. A. PRIORITIES The Commission has six strategic priorities. These were adopted in January 2006 and presented in Working Together: Maine’s Strategic Plan to Maximize Employment for People with Disabilities.1 1. Employer Outreach and Education: An overwhelming majority of Maine businesses do not employ people with disabilities. This is possibly due to a perception by some business people that workers with disabilities cannot do the work. There is a need to provide information to Maine employers about: • The value of hiring people with disabilities; 1 Full and abridged versions of Working Together can be found at: http://www.choicesceo.org/stratplan.htm Page 6 of 26 • Resources employers can use to make accommodations; • Requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and • Concerns regarding liability issues. These concerns have begun to be addressed by Public Law 570, “An Act to Create Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities,” enacted on April 10, 2006. The Act directs the Commission, along with the Departments of Labor and Economic and Community Development, to identify the resources needed for a media campaign that reaches out to employers and increases public awareness of employment issues for people with disabilities. The Commission and the CHOICES CEO project sponsored part of a major survey conducted by Critical Insights in 2006, entitled Minding Maine’s Business, which yielded information about hiring activities of Maine employers, both in general and in relation to workers with disabilities.2 Preliminary findings include: • Fifty-two percent of Maine companies responding to the survey reported hiring new employees in the past year. • However, there has been only a slight increase in the proportion of companies that reported employing people with physical or mental disabilities. o Fifteen percent of companies surveyed indicated that they employ people with disabilities (up from 12 percent the previous year). o Companies with more than 100 employees are more likely to employ people with disabilities. 2 Findings from a similar effort in 2005 are presented in “Employer Practices and Attitudes Regarding Employing People with Disabilities,” which is available at http://www.choicesceo.org/ProductsEvents/emp_practices.doc Page 7 of 26 o Thirty-seven percent, or nearly four-in-ten, employers reported that they would feel either nervous (29 percent) or would be unwilling (8 percent) to hire a qualified person with a disability. The Commission is also working with the CHOICES CEO project in the development and implementation of an employer outreach plan that will include: • Information on experience and attitudes of Maine employers, particularly success stories related to the employment of workers with disabilities. This information will be used to facilitate business-to-business communication. Outreach methods will include: o A web site for employers that provides helpful information and tools for employers presented in a business-friendly manner. o Print materials to be used in targeted mailings, presentations at conferences and business meetings. o Brief video presentations of success stories hosted by Maine businesspeople. These will be used in conjunction with live presentations and be viewable on the Internet. • A marketing plan that promotes the employment of workers with disabilities to both business leaders and the public. This plan will include a strategy for using broadcast media, including television and radio. 2. Maine State Government as Model Employer: State government is one of the largest employers in Maine. It has multiple interests in the successful employment of workers with disabilities, not the least of which is for its own workforce planning, given that Maine has the oldest workforce in the nation. Among various industry sectors in Maine, public administration Page 8 of 26 has the highest percentage of workers aged 55+ (24.9 percent), far higher than the overall Maine industry average of 18.4 percent. Governor John E. Baldacci issued an Executive Order on February 24, 2006 directing the state government to ensure that the State of Maine is a model employer for people with disabilities. This Executive Order was subsequently supported by Public Law 570, titled "An Act to Create Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities," which requires each agency within the state government to: • Review its hiring and promotional practices for workers with disabilities; expand outreach efforts; increase efforts to accommodate workers with disabilities; and • Issue a report and plan by January 1, 2007 (and update annually) to increase the number of workers with disabilities in the state government. In addition, Public Law 570 included a requirement that “The Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Human Resources, based on the availability of financial resources, shall reinstate the activities and functions previously associated with the position of Disability Employment Services Coordinator.” Funds to reinstate this position were not included within the Public Law and the Department stated it does not have the funds to implement this requirement. The Commission through the Maine Jobs Council requested that the Governor include funds in his supplemental budget request for 2006-07, as well as in the proposed budget for 2007-08. At the time of this report, the Commission did not know whether these funds were in fact included in these budgets. Both the Executive Order and Public Law 570 were significant accomplishments under this priority area for the Commission. Page 9 of 26