July 2011

#9 July 2011

 Brought to you by:The Florida Office on Disability & Health http://fodh.phhp.ufl.edu

 “Accessibility for All”

Florida Office on Disability & Health

The Florida Office on Disability and Health (FODH) was created in 2007 through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The mission of FODH is to maximize the health, well-being, participation, & quality of life, throughout the lifespan of all Floridians & their families living with disability.

 **Please visit our newly remodeled website http://fodh.phhp.ufl.edu, full of great accessibility features and newly re-designed inclusive image library inclusive image library!

 News

President Obama issued an executive order increasing the federal employment of people with disabilities. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individuals-with-disabilities

Full Committee Hearing – Improving Employment Opportunities for People with Intellectual Disabilities-ARCHIVED VIDEO

http://help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=536891af-5056-9502-5d9c-9a3e588e3214

Watch or download the statements given in March by: Lynnae Ruttledge , Commissioner, Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), U.S. Department of Education, Washington; Sharon Lewis , Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington; Joan Evans , Director, Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Cheyenne, WY; Randy Lewis , Senior Vice President, Walgreens, Co., Deerfield, IL; David Egan , Distribution Clerk, Booz Allen Hamilton, Vienna, VA ; William Kiernan, Ph.D. , Director, Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA.

 February 2011 Disability Employment Statistics Released http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm

In February 2011 the percentage of people with disabilities in the labor force was 20.6. By contrast, the percentage of persons with no disability in the labor force was 69.5. The unemployment rate for those with disabilities was 15.4 percent, and 9.3 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted.

 Partner Highlight: The ServiceSource Network formerly known as Abilities of Florida

The ServiceSource Network has experienced considerable growth in recent years, both regionally and nationally. It has grown from one localized organization serving a few hundred individuals with disabilities to an affiliation of five independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations operating in nine states and the District of Columbia, that collectively serve more than 13,000 individuals with disabilities annually.

ServiceSource’s regional offices share a mission to provide exceptional services to individuals with disabilities through innovative and valued employment, training, habilitation, housing and support services. As a leader in the disability field, ServiceSource develops strategic partnerships with community businesses, government entities and non-profit leaders to help bridge the gaps for individuals with disabilities and create sustainable opportunities that benefit the entire community and result in greater independence for the individual.

The Florida DVR (Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation) contracted with ServiceSource to provide Vocational Rehabilitation Services in various parts of Florida. These include Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Union, Alachua & Bradford counties in North Central Florida and Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties on Florida’s Treasure Coast.  They provide vocational rehab services to people with disability when the disability interferes with their ability to be employed. Employment is ServiceSource’s goal and they provide services needed for people to obtain or keep employment.

Some examples of services are medical and psychological assessment, mental health treatment, physical restoration, vocational evaluation and planning, career counseling and guidance, training and education after high school, job site assessment and accommodation,  and job placement. For more information visit ServiceSource’s website at: http://www.servicesource.org/

 Please visit our website at http://fodh.phhp.ufl.edu

for Florida data, links to national resources about disability and health, and more!

For questions on this Bulletin contact ctamayo@phhp.ufl.edu

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