Haslam Receives Employment First Task Force Report

  • Thursday, September 18, 2014

Governor Bill Haslam announced the completion of the Employment First Task Force report that outlines the steps the task force will take to expand integrated, competitive employment for people with disabilities as well as progress the group has already made.

Formed last year when the governor signed Executive Order No. 28, the task force is comprised of state agencies, families, consumer advocates and service providers, and it seeks to eliminate obstacles to employment for persons with disabilities and better leverage funds to increase opportunities.

“By bringing everyone together we can work to remove any barriers to employment and use tax dollars more effectively to improve services,” Governor Haslam said. “We’re pleased to see what progress Tennessee has made in just one year when all stakeholders collaborate and bring ideas to the table.”

In the past year, state agencies have already shown improvement. DIDD has successfully reduced the number of people in facility-based employment services – commonly referred to as “sheltered workshops” – and has laid out a plan to align its resources to emphasize and support employment as the first and preferred option for people receiving and seeking services.  The Department of Human Services Vocational Rehabilitation program plans to achieve a more than 10 percent increase in the number of successful employment cases.  The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuses Services implemented a program to support people with behavioral disorders gaining and retaining jobs.

The task force has presented the governor with its first annual progress report detailing additional steps to eliminate barriers and improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities, including:

·        Developing a memorandum of understanding to improve coordination among state agencies;

·        Engaging and supporting businesses who employ people with disabilities;

·        Increasing internship opportunities;

·        And ensuring youth transitioning out of the school system have post-secondary or job training opportunities.

“Just like everyone else, people with disabilities take a lot of pride in their jobs,” Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Debra Payne said. “We have some extremely dedicated and accomplished partners within our provider community and collectively we are committed to building on our success and further increasing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.”

While 75 percent of people in Tennessee without disabilities are employed, only 28 percent of people with any type of disability find work.  In addition, people with mental illness or substance use disorders have difficulty finding and maintaining employment.

“People with disabilities are poised to make significant contributions to Tennessee’s workforce,” DHS Commissioner Raquel Hatter said. “Through the workforce development provided by the VR program and hard work of partners and employers the state is on a course for continued improvements.”

“Our focus is to ensure every individual we encounter is treated with dignity and has access to the services and treatment they need,” TDMHSAS Commissioner E. Douglas Varney said. “We’re seeing some of our most vulnerable citizens improve their quality of life through meaningful work in their communities.”

The task force, co-chaired by DIDD and DHS, meets quarterly. Representatives from TDMHSAS, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Department of Education, TennCare, the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities and several disabilities advocacy groups are also members of the task force.


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