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May 30, 2024
What Inequities Do Disabled People Face? Share Your Thoughts
We encourage everyone in the disability community to respond to a request for information, or RFI, from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). OSTP is asking the public for feedback to understand the full scope of inequities faced by disabled people and to identify gaps in our current knowledge. This information will steer the development of the Federal Evidence Agenda on Disability Equity, which will ultimately support the government in making data-informed policy decisions to advance equity in all areas—including health, employment, education and others—for people with disabilities. You may submit comments until July 15, 2024.
Supported Employment: A Critical Mental Health Intervention
In a new issue brief, ODEP’s Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) initiative discusses the importance of expanding access to evidence-based employment services for people with mental health conditions in underserved communities. The brief looks specifically at Individual Placement and Support, or IPS, an evidence-based supported employment model that helps people living with serious mental health conditions, including substance use disorders, work at regular jobs of their choosing.
Ensuring Equal Access to Financial Education and Benefits Counseling
Join the Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, for a webinar focused on ensuring equal access to financial education resources and benefits counseling for disabled people seeking employment. During this National Community of Practice webinar, a panel will educate participants on accessing financial education tools through local Centers for Independent Living. It will also highlight success stories of state agencies, Hispanic and Latino community organizations, and the local Association of People Supporting Employment First chapter in Colorado partnering to improve outreach on benefits counseling and to help maximize community inclusion and independent living for people with disabilities.
Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps from State and Local Governments
State and local governments provide many of their services, programs and activities (e.g., health care, voting, education) through websites and mobile apps. To help ensure that the content on these sites and apps is accessible to people with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Justice this month published a “Small Entity Compliance Guide” geared toward people who work for or with small state or local governments. The guide follows the publication of the Department’s final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including requirements for web content and mobile app accessibility.