Social Security Launches
Site To Help Disabled Beneficiaries Return to Work
President Clinton
recently announced the launching of The
Work Site. It contains important information and support for
disability beneficiaries, employers, service providers, advocates
and others whose goal is to help those persons with disabilities
work.
Persons with
disabilities face serious challenges when attempting to enter the
workforce. Assistance programs are often complex and poorly coordinated,
forcing individuals to piece together information and to develop
work strategies on their own. They often find that employers are
reluctant to hire persons with disabilities, which can discourage
them from looking for work. Young people with disabilities, especially
those who are leaving school and preparing to work, lack role models
and mentors to guide them. The Work Site, developed by the Social
Security Administration's (SSA's) Office of Employment Support Programs
is designed to be an important information source.
"Across America,
employers are looking for new workers, and Americans with disabilities
are looking for jobs," commented President Clinton. "To help bring
the two together, the Social Security Administration is launching
a new web site. Go to www.ssa.gov/work
and you'll find information on everything from training programs
for people with disabilities to tax incentives for employers who
hire them. We all win when all Americans have a chance to work."
The web site
is fully accessible to people with disabilities. This is significant
since fewer than 5 percent of all Internet sites are accessible
to people who are visually impaired or hearing impaired or have
limited dexterity. The Work Site is built to serve the information
needs of its five principal customers and provides the information
in easy to understand terms.
"The Work
Site puts important, but often hard-to-find information in one easy-to-access
location," noted Kenneth S. Apfel, Commissioner of Social Security.
"Social Security beneficiaries who want to work and those who want
to help them will benefit from this new service."
The five principal
customers are:
Social Security
Disability Beneficiaries who will find basic information about
the agency's return-to-work programs, including an explanation
about Social Security work incentives such as the PASS program
(Plan to Achieve Self Support) and information on State vocational
rehabilitation agencies and programs and the availability of employment
services from private organizations. In addition, the site provides
links to other Federal web sites that contain useful information
that could influence an individual's decision to work. Beneficiaries
can link directly to Internet job search sites such as "America's
Job Bank" (Department of Labor) and "USA Jobs" (Office of Personnel
Management);
Employers
who will be able to read about tax incentives for hiring people
with disabilities, learn about employment provisions of the Americans
with Disabilities Act, and get useful information about work-site
accommodations. Employers will also have access to Project Able,
the SSA resume bank for people with disabilities who are looking
for jobs;
Advocates
who will be able to take advantage of the site's information services
that list state partnerships, research activities, obtain current
information about SSA contracts and grants, and post information
about events that would be of interest to the disability community;
Service Providers
who will have access to information about participating in SSA's
vocational rehabilitation programs and becoming business partners
through the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program; and
Youth with
Disabilities who will find information tailored to them and their
parents. A "Celebrity Gallery" section will feature profiles of
youth and adult Social Security beneficiaries who want to share
their accomplishments and messages of success.
"The Social
Security Administration is committed to bridging the Digital Divide
for our beneficiaries with disabilities," commented William Halter,
Deputy Commissioner of Social Security. "We must all pool our information
and resources to empower individuals with disabilities who want
to contribute their talents to the workforce."
For More Information
Contact Catherine Noe at (410) 965-8904.
May 31, 2000
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