In 2005 most of the major disability organizations came together to create the Alliance for Full Participation. In September of that year nearly 2,000 people gathered in Washington to commit to community inclusion and participation for people with disabilities. The second gathering was held this past week, and the focus was on employment with a goal of doubling the number of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have real jobs by 2015. It was good, as always to see friends and colleagues, though I was most encouraged when I realized that most of the people there were new to me. The stories of people who escaped from sheltered workshops were heartening. Perhaps the most disturbing thing happened during a session masterfully moderated by Frank Sesno, a former CNN correspondent who has a sister with Down syndrome. Her also moderated the Town Hall in 2005.
One panel was a group of major employers...Bank of America, Lowes and Walgreen's. They all said the same thing-they hire talent and want to work with the disability community to find that talent. The audience questions were all social services questions! Silly questions out of some vocational rehabilitation manual that totally missed the point. I had hopped for better.
The effort to help people secure meaningful employment need support for the long term. Hopefully, the Department of Labor will wake up from its decades long stupor and finally help. We can hope.
Off to Katmandu after thanksgiving for Inclusion International's Regional meeting. We will continue the focus on Article XIX and see if a country in that region is interested in our efforts.
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