Resource of the Week

It is a momentous time for health care reform. The new Affordable Care Act -- whose reforms went into effect yesterday, September 23, 2010 -- has some important new provisions that positively affect people with disabilities. This is great news for job seekers with disabilities who have the added pressure of finding a job in order to secure health insurance through an employer's group plan. Too often, people with disabilities seeking individual health care plans face discrimination based on pre-existing medical conditions. By 2014, this type of discrimination will be against the law.

To learn about other provisions that can positively impact individuals with disabilities, watch this week's Resource of the Week: a video from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services about the Affordable Care Act. The information you learn may be crucial to helping ease the concerns of job seekers that you are interacting with at your One Stop Centers. Who knows? You may learn some information that helps you or someone you care about as well.



For more information about the new the Affordable Care Act, visit Healthcare.gov. The new law helps seniors, young adults and the general population as well.

Resource of the Week

We recently learned about a new tool available from the U.S. Department of Labor website: Disability Nondiscrimination Law Advisor (DNLA) from the Human Solution blog, Disability Facts. The DNLA is designed to help employers determine which federal disability nondiscrimination laws apply to their business or organization.  

It also helps recipients of federal funding understand their responsibilities under these laws, which probably includes anyone reading this. Employees, job applicants and participants in programs that receive federal funding can also use it to learn more about their rights under these federal nondiscrimination laws. 

Resource of the Week

Fact sheet: Disability Inquiries In The Workforce Development System
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/information-brief-09

Ever wonder what you can and cannot ask about an individual's disability? What can you then do with that information?

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability has created a short, 2-page fact sheet that answers these very questions. Download the fact sheet in PDF or MS Word formats in English or Spanish.

This publication is for those working in One-Stop centers as well as youth and adult service providers who interact with individuals with disabilities. It is designed to help clarify what you can and cannot ask about someone's disability.

Questions? Contact the DPN at disabilityprogramnavigator@gmail.com.

Impact of the New ADA for People with Major Illness

Check out this interesting article from the Workplace Fairness blog:

The Potential Impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Individuals with Disease
http://www.todaysworkplace.org/2009/07/20/the-potential-impact-of-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-on-individuals-with-disease/

Resource of the Week

Following up on last week's legal requirements training for One Stops, this week's RESOURCE provides more detailed information on the ADA Amendments Act (effective Jan. 1, 2009).

Accommodation and Compliance Series:
The ADA Amendments Act of 2008
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/bulletins/adaaa1.htm

On January 1, 2009, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 2008 went into effect, making some major changes to the way the definition of disability has been interpreted in the past. This publication from the Job Accommodation Network covers what you need to know about the amended ADA, accessibility in your One Stop, compliance among local employers, and participants' right to reasonable accommodations.

Download a PDF version here.


Related resource:
Notice Concerning The ADA Amendments Act of 2008

See also, the free seminar hosted by Goodwill on ADA Title 24 compliance. July 17 at 10am or 1pm. RSVP to business-services@sfgoodwill.org.