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Town Hall Meeting on Employment of Adults with Disabilities

Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults With
Disabilities; Notice of Town Hall Meeting

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Executive Order No. 13078, authorizing the
Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities
(PTFEAD), notice is given of the first Town Hall Meeting. The
purpose
of the Task Force is to create a ``coordinated and aggressive
national
policy to bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment at
a
rate that is as close as possible to that of the general adult
population.'' The purpose of this Town Hall Meeting is to invite the

public to participate and discuss their thoughts, concerns, and
experiences with Task Force members. The topics to be addressed at
this
Town Hall Meeting are Expanding Employment Opportunities for Youth
with
Disabilities, and Expanding Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Self
Employment of Adults with Disabilities.

DATES: The PTFEAD Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, June
3,
1999, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. Registration is from

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The date, location, and time for subsequent
Town Hall Meetings will be announced in advance in the Federal
Register.

ADDRESSES: The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, 404 South
Figueroa
Street, Los Angeles, California. All interested parties are invited
to
attend this Town Hall Meeting. Seating may be limited and will be
available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Heather Hammer, Senior
Associate,
Technical Assistance and Training Corporation, 2409 18th Street NW,
Washington, DC 20009 (telephone (202) 408-8282 ext. 227; TTY (202)
408-
8033; fax (202) 408-8308; E-mail: hammerh@tatc.com). These are not
toll-free numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Executive Order No. 13078,
the
Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities
(PTFEAD), notice is given of the first Town Hall Meeting.

The purpose of the PTFEAD is to develop a ``coordinated and
aggressive national policy to bring adults with disabilities into
gainful employment at a rate that is as close as possible to that of

the general adult population.'' Although more students with
disabilities are graduating from high schools and colleges, compared
to
students without disabilities, those with disabilities drop out of
school at higher rates and they enroll in post-secondary education
at
lower rates. Moreover, youth with severe disabilities from diverse
linguistic and cultural backgrounds are at an even greater risk of
dropping out of school and facing unemployment. Some of the key
issues
to be addressed at the Town Hall Meeting include the accessibility
of
youths with disabilities to employment services and support, higher
education and vocational training, and career planning, as well as
the
impact of employer attitudes, and discrimination. The PTFEAD will
pay
special attention to the added barriers that make full participation
in
school and the workforce problematic for minority youth with
disabilities.

With respect to the expansion of entrepreneurial opportunities
for
the self employment of adults with disabilities, the Town Hall
Meeting
will address: (1) The need to expand the opportunities available for

those who already have businesses and need contracts, counseling,
and
technical assistance regarding procurement and opportunities, and
(2)
the need to expand opportunities for those who want to become self
employed or small business owners.

The membership of the PTFEAD was appointed by President Clinton,

and includes the: Secretary of Labor, Chair of the PTFEAD; Chair of
the
President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities,
Vice
Chair of the PTFEAD; Secretary of Education; Secretary of Veterans
Affairs; Secretary of Health and Human Services; Commissioner of
Social
Security; Secretary of the Treasury; Secretary of Commerce;
Secretary
of Transportation; Director of the Office of Personnel Management;
Administrator of the Small Business Administration; Chair of the
Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission; Chairperson of the National
Council
on Disability; Commissioner of the Federal Communications
Commission;
and such other senior executive branch officials as may be
determined
by the Chair of the PTFEAD.

Agenda

The Town Hall Meeting will focus on two topics: (1) expanding
employment opportunities for youth with disabilities, and (2)
expanding
entrepreneurial opportunities for the self employment of adults with

disabilities.

Public Participation

Members of the pubic wishing to present oral statements to the
PTFEAD should forward their requests to Ms. Heather Hammer, Senior
Associate, Technical Training and Assistance Corporation as soon as
possible and at least four days before the meeting. Requests should
be
made by telephone, fax machine, or mail, as shown above. Time
permitting, the members of the PTFEAD will attempt to accommodate
all
such requests by reserving time for presentations. The order of
persons
making such presentations will be assigned in the order in which the

requests are received. Members of the public must limit oral
statements
to five minutes, but extended written statements may be submitted
for
the record. Members of the public may also submit written statements

for distribution to the PTFEAD membership and inclusion in the
public
record without presenting oral statements. Such written statements
should be sent to Ms. Heather Hammer, as shown above, by mail or fax
at
least five business days before the meeting.

Minutes of all Town Hall Meetings and summaries of other
documents
will be available to the public on the PTFEAD web site www.dol.gov.
Any
written comments on the minutes should be directed to Ms. Heather
Hammer, as shown above.

Reasonable accommodations will be available. Persons needing any

special assistance such as sign language interpretation or other
special accommodation, are invited to contact Ms. Heather Hammer, as

shown above.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th day of May, 1999.
Rebecca L. Ogle, Executive Director,
Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities.

[Federal Register: May 14, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 93)]
[Notices]
[Page 26439-26440]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14my99-95

Becky Ogle
Ogle-Becky@dol.gov

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