People with Disabilities

In a recent blog post by AARP, the importance of updating state emergency plans to better protect vulnerable populations during disasters is emphasized. The post highlights FEMA's updated State Mitigation Planning Policy Guide, which places greater expectations on states to account for the increased risk hazards pose to socially vulnerable populations like older adults and people with disabilities. Additionally, the AARP LTSS State Scorecard introduces a State Emergency Management Plan indicator, recognizing nine states for their proactive measures in mitigating harm to older adults and people with disabilities from disasters...

This practice brief explores how Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrate Employment (SWTCIE) projects engage people with disabilities and lived experience through communities of practice, stakeholder groups, and mentoring programs. The brief summarizes interviews with three SWTCIE projects and shares promising practices including (1) leveraging relationships, (2) providing accommodations, (3) recognizing participation, and (4) including diverse perspectives. The lessons learned could help vocational rehabilitation agencies and other organizations interested in engaging people with disabilities and lived experience to do so meaningfully through creating partnerships for design, implementation, and evaluation of organizational activities.

On March 21, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) introduced a new resource aimed at boosting the participation of people with disabilities in competitive integrated employment. The Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) Transformation Hub brings together resources from across the federal government to provide practical guidance, policy information, and evidence-based best practices for people with disabilities, their families, employers, employment service providers, and state agencies. Competitive integrated employment ensures that people with disabilities are paid competitive wages and work in environments where the majority of employees do not have disabilities.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in collaboration with the Kessler Foundation published this month's National Trends on Disability Employment report (nTIDE). Each month this report is published to mark the changes of employment for people with disabilities. The last 11 months have been a period of job growth for Americans living with disabilities. This month showed a decline in employment statistics. Please note that these statistics are not seasonally adjusted.

The white paper examines the impact that managed care organizations can have on cost and quality of care for older adults and people with disabilities. The National Council on Disability found that MCOs can lower the costs of services for these populations. However, MCOs must face the challenge of training staff on person-centered planning and competency for the quality of care to genuinely increase. This provides an analysis of the positives and negatives of MCOs and where to move from here.