General Orientation for members of the Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Vermont.

1. General Orientation
September 2013

2. Orientation Content
• Mission & Vision
• History and Organizational Structure
• National & Vermont Statistics
• Myths vs. Facts – Examples
• Notable Achievements
• Vermont Partners
• Key Initiatives / Upcoming Events
• Resources
• Possible Member Engagement / Questions
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3. Mission
The mission of the Governor's Committee on
Employment of People with Disabilities (GCEPD) is to
promote equal employment for all citizens of Vermont
by advising the Governor on current issues affecting
employment of people with disabilities, and through
partnerships between business, government and
people with disabilities.
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4. Vision
Barrier Free Employment for All Vermonters.
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5. History
The GCEPD is a permanent, standing committee of the
Governor, established by the State legislature in 1963.
(Statute § 497a) There is hereby established a permanent committee to be known
as the Vermont governor's committee on employment of people with disabilities,
to consist of 21 members, including a representative of the Vermont employment
service division, one representative of the vocational rehabilitation division of the
department of disabilities, aging, and independent living, one representative of
the veterans' administration, one representative of the veterans' employment
service and 17 members to be appointed by the governor. The appointive
members shall hold office for the term specified or until their successors are
named by the governor. The members shall receive no salary for their services as
such, but the necessary expenses of the committee shall be paid by the state.
Those persons acting as said committee on June 29, 1963 shall continue as such
until their successors are appointed as herein provided.
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6. Organizational Structure
Full Committee Membership
• 17 volunteer members and 4 mandated members
• 1 part-time Executive Coordinator
• 4 ad-hoc members
• Full committee meets 6 times/year
Executive Committee Membership
• Chair, Vice Chair, Executive Coordinator and 2 other members
• Executive Committee meets 6 times/year
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7. National Statistics
• Payments to Americans with disabilities cost taxpayers
approximately $450 billion/year. Yet as of March 2012,
the poverty rate of working-age people with disabilities
was 29% compared to 13% for their counterparts without
disabilities.
• The percentage of Americans with disabilities who are
outside the workforce is exactly the same as it was
before passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) in 1990 – approximately 70%.
* Source: RespectAbilityUSA statistics obtained from various sources, 2013
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8. National Statistics (Cont’d)
• 67% of working-age people with disabilities would rather have
a job than be unemployed.
• One in three adults with disabilities, ages 18 – 64, were
employed in 2011, compared with three out of four adults
without a disability.
* Source: RespectAbilityUSA statistics obtained from various sources, 2013
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9. Vermont Statistics
- 46,401 Vermonters of working age (ages 18-64) have
a disability representing 11.6% of the State’s working
age population.
- Of those 46,401, only 15,905 are employed, for an
employment rate of 34.27%.
- The employment rate of working age Vermonters
without a disability is 79.79%.
*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012
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10. Vermont Statistics (Cont’d)
In 2011, the prevalence of disability in VT was:
• 13.1% for persons of all ages
• .07% for persons ages 4 and under
• 7.3% for persons ages 5-15
• 9.4% for persons ages 16-20
• 10.3% for persons 21-64
• 25.4% for persons ages 65-74
• 49.4% for persons ages 75+
* Source: 2011 Disability Status Report, Vermont – Cornell University
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11. Vermont Statistics (Cont’d)
In 2011, the prevalence of the six disability types
among persons of all ages in VT was:
• 1.6% reported a Visual Disability
• 4.1% reported a Hearing Disability
• 6.1% reported an Ambulatory Disability
• 5.6% reported a Cognitive Disability
• 2.6% reported a Self-Care Disability
• 5.5% reported an Independent Living Disability
* Source: 2011 Disability Status Report, Vermont – Cornell University
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12. Vermont Statistics (Cont’d)
Relevant data related to employment based on 2011
figures:
• Employment rate of working-age people (ages 18-64) with
disabilities in VT was 34.27% (Source: U.S Census Bureau, 2012)
• 13.4% actively looking for work, but not working
• 20.8% working full time/full year
• $30,500 median annual earnings
• 27.9% poverty rate
• 12.6% VA determined Service-Connected Disability
• 92.5% had health insurance
* Source: 2011 Disability Status Report, Vermont – Cornell University
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13. Myths vs. Fact – Examples
Myth: “It costs too much to accommodate people
with disabilities.”
• Fact: A 2007 report from the Job Accommodation Network
(JAN) stated that most workers with disabilities (74%) do not
require special accommodations, most of them are
inexpensive and easily obtainable.
• Fact: A 2006 report from JAN reveals that 20% of employer
accommodations cost nothing and 80% cost less than $500.
• Fact: There are tax credits (e.g. Work Opportunity Tax Credit,
WOTC) and other incentives to encourage employers to hire
people with disabilities (Vermont Department of Labor, 2013).
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14. Myths vs. Fact – Examples
Myth: “They can’t be expected to perform their jobs like other
people.”
• Fact: DuPont found that 85% of the people they employ with
disabilities had an average or above average attendance rate
compared to people without disabilities (*source: Auburn
pub.com, November 28, 2006).
• Fact: Turnover rates for employees with disabilities are
substantially lower than for the general workforce – 8% annually
for people with disabilities vs. 45% overall (Washington Mutual
Insurance study, 2010).
• Fact: Industry reports consistently rate workers with disabilities as
average or above average in performance, attendance and safety
(U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2008).
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15. Notable Achievements
• 2006 - Presented at Employer Breakfast Forum in conjunction with Disability Program
Navigators in the Department of Labor
• 2007, 2008 and 2009 - Met with Governor Douglas
• 2009 - Published article in Vermont Business Magazine titled “Case for Telecommuting”
• 2010 and 2011 - Presented to Burlington Chapter of Human Resources and Vermont
Healthcare Healthcare Association
• 2011 – Met with Susan Bartlett from Governor Shumlin’s office.
• 2011 - The Art of Possibility – Living and Working with a Disability – Day long symposium with
Saint Michael’s College, part of Disability Employment Awareness Month
• 2012 – Adopted and adapted the Campaign for Disability Employment’s “What Can You Do?”
• Annually we have a tradeshow booth at Vermont Business & Industry Expo and the Vermont
Human Resources Association. We have also attended Vermont ASPE (Association of Peoples
in Supported Employment) and Franklin County Career Expo.
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16. Vermont Partners
• Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Agency of
Human Services (VocRehab)
• Vermont Association of Business Industry & Rehabilitation
(VABIR)
• Creative Workforce Solutions (CWS)
• Vermont Department of Labor (mandated member)
• Veteran’s Administration (mandated member)
• Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, Special Olympics
Vermont, Vermont Psychiatric Survivors, Vermont Coalition for
Disability Rights, Vermont Center for Independent Living and
many others.
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17. Key Initiatives/Upcoming Events
• Vermont Business Expo – May 2013
• Meeting with U.S. Veterans Administration – May 2013
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference
– September 2013
• Meeting with Governor Shumlin – December 2013
• Panel with Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce,
Leadership Champlain – December 2013 (tentative)
• Governor’s Awards (no date scheduled – TBD) – we created
Employers of Note on website as an alternative form of
recognition
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18. Resources
• Abilities eNewsletter
• Website – Hireus.org
• Facebook and LinkedIn pages
• Events (SHRM, VT Business Expo)
• Panel Discussions (Lake Champlain Regional Chamber
of Commerce)
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19. Possible Member Engagement
• Suggest or write articles for Abilities eNewsletter
• Research best practices
• Present at conferences
• Promote GCEPD through social and community
networks
• Prepare and attend all GCEPD meetings
• Report information of note to post on Facebook and
LinkedIn pages
• Other ideas?
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20. Questions?
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