[acb-hsp] Governors Focusing on Hiring PWDS

[peter altschul]

Jack Markell, NGA Chairman, Will Focus On Jobs For The Disabled

Posted: 07/15/2012

WILLIAMSBURG, Va.  -- The new chairman of the National Governors 
Association plans to focus his year at the helm on developing 
ways that states can help those with disabilities find jobs.

Delaware Gov.  Jack Markell (D), who assumed the top spot at the 
close of the NGA's annual conference Sunday morning, wants the 
association to research and put together a toolkit for states 
seeking to develop programs for hiring people with disabilities, 
including in partnerships with business.  He succeeds Nebraska 
Gov.  Dave Heineman (R), who focused his chairmanship year on 
state economic development.

Markell told The Huffington Post that he first became interested 
in the issue of jobs for the disabled -- primarily individuals 
with developmental disabilities -- about nine years ago when as 
Delaware's treasurer he was touring a company and met a 
25-year-old disabled man who was making T-shirts.  Markell said 
he asked the man what he was doing before he got the job.

"He told me that he sat at home for six years watching television 
with his parents," Markell recalled.  "[The job] was a huge 
impact for his quality of life."

According to Labor Department statistics for 2011, 17.8 percent 
of Americans with a disability are employed, compared to 63.6 
percent of those with no disability.  The statistics also show 
that 15.0 percent of individuals with disabilities are 
unemployed, compared to 8.7 percent of those without 
disabilities.

Markell plans to convene a series of regional meetings around the 
country to meet with business leaders and advocates for the 
disabled in order to review what is working and what isn't.  He 
said he intends to use the forums to develop blueprints for 
governors on how to implement the good ideas in their states.  
The regional meeting approach is similar to how Heineman pursued 
his economic development initiative.

Markell also said that he will reach out directly to business 
leaders, noting that several companies have had success in their 
efforts to increase hiring of people with disabilities.  He cited 
an initiative by Walgreens and added that other companies, 
including Best Buy, IBM, Merck and Procter and Gamble, are 
working on similar programs.

According to Markell, Walgreens has created distribution centers 
where a large percentage of workers have developmental 
disabilities and the company provides coaches to help them.  He 
said he would like to explore how the latter strategy could be 
made feasible for small businesses, possibly through the sharing 
of coaches.

Within his own state of Delaware, Markell said he has not really 
pushed this issue since becoming governor in 2009 but he intends 
to do so as part of the learning process during his year running 
the NGA.

The NGA chairmanship rotates annually between the two parties, 
with the vice chairman ascending to the chairman's slot the next 
year.  Oklahoma Gov.  Mary Fallin (R) was elected to the vice 
chairmanship on Sunday.

Markell's initiative is a departure from prior NGA projects in 
its scope.  Previous chairmen have tended to focus on broader 
topics, including Heineman's economic development plan, former 
Pennsylvania Gov.  Ed Rendell's focus on infrastructure in 
2008-2009, and former Maryland Gov.  Parris Glendening's smart 
growth initiative in 2000-2001.  Markell said that he wanted to 
go a different route.

"I was looking for something to have a big impact on," Markell 
said.