ACTION ALERT:

Comment Today to Support Equal Pay for People with Disabilities!

This week the Department of Labor announced its new website, “the Section 14(c) National Online Dialogue.” The purpose of the website is to collect comments from the public about the impact of paying subminimum wages to people with disabilities under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers with 14(c) certificates can legally pay people with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage, often times pennies on the dollar. Section 14(c) certificates are typically used in “sheltered workshops,” where people with disabilities are segregated from the broader community. Disability advocates view Section 14(c), which was created in 1938, as outdated, discriminatory, and reinforcing a life of poverty, segregation, and dependency on public support for people with disabilities. It is critical that you make your voice heard!

Input from people with disabilities, families, employment providers and employers is important. Share your perspective online here before Friday, June 14th.

Ideas to include in your comments are:

• If you are a person with a disability or a family member, talk about why a community job at fair pay is important to you/your family. Think about relationships with co-workers, how you/your family member have grown in your job, and opportunities to go into the broader community. If you/your family member have ever been paid subminimum wages, talk about how that made you feel and about your transition from sheltered work to CIE.
• If you are an employment provider, talk about how you support people with disabilities in competitive integrated employment. If you are a provider who has transitioned away from using 14(c) certificates, talk about that experience.
• If you are an employer, talk about your experience with employees with disabilities. Think about their contributions to your workplace and how you have been able to ensure their success.
• If you are an advocate familiar with disability employment trends in your state, share information about that progress. Think about what policies have advanced CIE and how your state may be moving away from using sheltered workshops.

Disability advocates have made significant progress towards eliminating Section 14(c) and establishing the legal right of people with disabilities to be paid the same as everyone else. In 2014, Congress passed the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which made competitive integrated employment (CIE) a priority, limited the use of subminimum wages for youth with disabilities, and required people currently being paid subminimum wages to be given other employment options. In 2016, the Federal Advisory Committee for Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities recommended to Congress and the Labor Secretary that Section 14(c) be phased-out, together with capacity building for competitive integrated employment. In 2019, Congress introduced bipartisan legislation, the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act, to phase-out 14(c) and help providers transform their models to CIE. Numerous states have already prohibited the use of subminimum wages, and other states are currently considering legislation. It is very important that we urge the Department of Labor to continue the progress towards ending this outdated and discriminatory practice.

Remember, you only have until June 14th to make your voice heard here!

PARSONS, Kan.—Despite recent heavy rains and flooding, anglers with disabilities will again head to Big Hill Lake for a day of fishing, food and fun at a popular event that has become an annual tradition.

Hosted by SKIL Resource Center, the Southeast Kansas Fishing Without Boundaries event is slated for June 1 at the Cherryvale side of Big Hill Lake. Signs will be posted. The lake is located west of Parsons in Labette County. Long-time SKIL President/CEO Shari Coatney will chair the event.

Each year, SKIL personnel transport anglers with disabilities and their assistive equipment to the lake and provide assistance throughout the day. The fishing event includes breakfast, lunch, a dinner cookout, catch-and-release fishing, prizes, boating on the lake with Coatney and SKIL staff and unsupervised overnight camping if desired.

“This wonderful event brings together disabled anglers and the community,” said Coatney. “Though fishing is an important part of many people’s lives, it can be difficult for anglers with disabilities to participate in the sport. SKIL’s employees and volunteers help facilitate anglers being able to enjoy a day at the lake.”

Pre-registration and volunteer applications for the event are available by contacting Donna Martin at Parsons SKIL. Participants can also register on June 1 at the lake starting at 8 a.m. Total cost for the day, including all meals and snacks, is $25.00. Full scholarships are available if this fee is unaffordable, Coatney said.

SKIL personnel weigh and measure the fish, serve the meals and snacks and otherwise assist anglers throughout the day. Boating and other volunteers are being sought to help with event activities.
“If people have a boat and are willing to donate their time, please contact Donna or Julie at the Parsons SKIL office,” said Coatney. “They will certainly have a wonderful, rewarding time helping the anglers. We strongly encourage and appreciate community involvement in this activity.”

Fishing baskets containing a variety of items have been made up by SKIL employees. Some are available for viewing in SKIL’s front window. Raffle tickets are available for public and participant purchase at SKIL’s front desk. Each participant will be given 10 tickets when they register for the fishing event.

Founded in 1992, SKIL serves over 4,500 customers with disability needs. More than 2,000 staff work through the agency, a major southeast Kansas employer.
Headquartered in Parsons, SKIL has branch offices in Chanute, Columbus, Fredonia, Independence, Pittsburg and Sedan.

In addition to operating the independent living center, SKIL also operates an alternative lending program called K-LOAN that enables people with disabilities to purchase assistive equipment; and Assistive Technology for Kansans sites in Parsons and Wichita that provide assistive technology assessments and training, as well as other programs related to technology.

For more information, call Parsons SKIL at 1-800-688-5616 or contact any SKIL office. On the web at: www.skilonline.com

We are so close to having the number of cosponsors needed to ensure Disability Integration Act (H.R. 555 / S. 117) passage in the House of Representatives. Right now we have 158 cosponsors listed on congress.gov and ten more have committed to signing on this week, which means we only need 50 more to secure a majority of the House. Every week, we’re building more momentum and gaining more cosponsors!

Next Monday through Wednesday, ADAPT will be in Washington, DC for three days of historic work to get the DIA closer to passage. They’re coming to DC to call on Democratic members of the House to keep their promise of civil rights for all.

Read their message, “We Put Our Bodies on the Line to Save Obamacare. Now ADAPT Is Asking House Democrats to Support Our Fight for Freedom!”

We need the IL community to be ready to mobilize and support their work!

Take Action!

First, check the list of current cosponsors. If your Representative is not a current cosponsor, start by calling now, and then be prepared to follow next week’s action!

1. Contact your Representative now! Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office, or contact their office directly using the House directory. You can use these fact sheets with talking points for both Democrat and Republican offices.
2. Help with social media! ADAPT has some incredible plans next week but needs help with amplifying their message on social media. If your CIL has folks who are active on Twitter who can help with social media next week, have them contact ADAPT right away to volunteer. Email Marilee Adamski-Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
3. Follow the action! ADAPT will be posting updates using the hashtags #ADAPTandRESIST and #DIAtoday.
4. Be ready to make follow up calls next week if ADAPT ends up in your Representative’s office!

Get ready to be a part of history!

COLUMBUS, Kan.—The SKIL Resource Center in Columbus will hold its free annual customer appreciation picnic May 23 and invites the public to attend.

The free picnic will be held from 5-7 p.m. at Columbus City Park on Country Rd. and Kansas Ave. Hot dogs and sides will be served, and there will be a special speaker and prizes.

SKIL holds the free picnics every summer, to thank its customers and to further introduce the public to SKIL, a local non-profit independent living center that serves people with disabilities. The picnics are held in towns where SKIL has a branch office.

The Columbus picnic is held in honor of Gwain January, a now-deceased SKIL employee, for his long and dedicated service to the agency, said SKIL President/CEO Shari Coatney. January worked at Columbus SKIL as an independent living coordinator. Before that, he worked at Pittsburg SKIL as a targeted case manager.

“I always look forward to seeing our customers from Cherokee County,” said Coatney. “Gwain was excited about what he did for people with disabilities, and his legacy and excitement continue as part of this event.”

“The community is very supportive of SKIL and our work,” Coatney said. “Their loyalty is definitely felt with the success of this event.”

Founded in 1992, SKIL serves over 4,500 customers with disability needs. Over 2,000 staff work through the agency, a major southeast Kansas employer.

Headquartered in Parsons, SKIL has branch offices in Chanute, Columbus, Fredonia, Independence, Pittsburg and Sedan.

In addition to operating the independent living center, SKIL also operates an alternative lending program called K-LOAN that enables people with disabilities to purchase assistive equipment; and Assistive Technology for Kansans sites in Parsons and Wichita that provide assistive technology assessments and training, as well as other programs related to technology.

For more information, call 1-800-688-5616 or contact any SKIL office. On the web at: www.skilonline.com

Why the Disability Vote Matters

Your vote affects everything. Who you vote for impacts your civil rights and direct access to health care, education, transportation, housing and the list goes on and on. We need you to get registered and vote, and get others registered and voting to help show the political power of the disability community and make the disability vote count!

National Disability Voter Registration Week

Voter registration drives are a great way to promote community involvement and civic participation across the country. There are many issues that Americans with disabilities are passionate about. The first step is to help your community get registered to vote!

The REV UP Campaign coordinates National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) each year on the third week of July to increase the political power of people with disabilities while also engaging candidates and the media. We invite you to join the REV UP network in hosting or joining a voter registration event this July! Please submit information about your event through this form: https://aapd.kindful.com/register/rev-up-events.

Learn more about NDVRW

Join AAPD for the 'National Disability Voter Registration' Call

Wednesday, May 15, 2019
2:00pm to 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time

This year, NDVRW is scheduled for July 15-19, 2019. Interested in hosting or joining a voter registration event? On May 15th, AAPD will bring together local, state, and national leaders to discuss the disability vote and how to get folks registered. For anyone interested in community organizing, voting, and political/civic engagement of people with disabilities you don’t want to miss this call.

We invite you to join AAPD for this organizing call about registering people to vote. Please RSVP by May 13, 2019. The NDVRW Organizing Call will take place on May 15, 2019 at 2pm EST. Please reach out to Keri Gray, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., if you have any questions.

Register Now!