US Labor Departments Office of Disability Employment Policy announces continued funding for the Adult National Technical Assistance and Research Center

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy today announced that it will exercise the second option year of its cooperative agreement with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University and award an additional $1,150,000 to continue funding the National Technical Assistance and Research Center for Increasing the Employment and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities.

"We must continue to find innovative ways to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities," said Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for the Office of Disability Employment Policy. "This center focuses on strategies such as customized employment and universal design that can dramatically improve the prospects of employment success for adults with disabilities. This work is vital to ODEP's mission."

The National Technical Assistance and Research Center's goal is to build capacity and leadership at the federal, state and local levels to enable change across workforce development and disability specific systems that will increase employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities.

The Current Population Survey conducted by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the July 2010 employment rate for adults with disabilities at 21.5 percent compared to 70.6 percent for adults without disabilities.

In September 2007, the Labor Department competitively awarded the National Technical Assistance and Research Center a 24-month cooperative agreement for $2,350,000 with three option years to manage a consortium to develop effective practices and policies to enhance employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.

The other members of the consortium include the American Public Human Services Administration, Washington, D.C.; the National Leadership Consortium for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del.; the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Brunswick, N.J.; and the Community Solutions Group LLC in Arlington, Va.

To find out more about the National Technical Assistance and Research Center visit its website at http://www.ntarcenter.org.