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From
The Huffington Post:
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 July 15, 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 (pictured) 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 & 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.
