[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act

Wed Mar 8 23:30:34 UTC 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Introduction of 
Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment Act

Urges Swift Passage of Legislation to Create Opportunity for Workers 
with Disabilities

Baltimore, Maryland (March 8, 2017): The National Federation of the 
Blind, the oldest and largest organization of blind Americans, today 
applauded the introduction of the Transitioning to Integrated and 
Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act of 2017 (H.R. 1377) by 
Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS). Congressman Harper introduced 
this legislation to remove barriers to employment opportunities for 
people with disabilities by phasing out Section 14(c) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and facilitating the transitioning of 
people with disabilities now working in segregated employment 
settings into competitive employment opportunities in their communities.

Congressman Gregg Harper said: "Section 14(c) of the FLSA, enacted 
out of a false understanding regarding the true capacity of people 
with disabilities, currently prevents nearly two-hundred thousand 
people with disabilities from gaining access to the work and training 
environments that build their capacity and allow them to acquire 
meaningful skills and better employment opportunities. Segregated 
work, which too often focuses on mundane tasks that are not 
transferrable to today's workplaces, is just an expression of low 
expectations that instills a false sense of incapacity in individuals 
who could become competitively employed with the proper training and 
support. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance the 
bipartisan goal of increasing and improving employment opportunities 
for all Americans with disabilities."

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, 
said: "The National Federation of the Blind and our partners 
representing the 55 million Americans with disabilities seek only the 
kind of meaningful, remunerative work that other Americans take for 
granted. We applaud Congressman Harper for rejecting over seventy 
years of entrenched but false thinking about the capacity of people 
with disabilities. We strongly urge his colleagues in both houses of 
the United States Congress to transition from an ineffective 
employment model to a policy that recognizes the individuality, 
interests, and skills of workers with disabilities and allows them to 
live the lives they want. I, like Congressmen Harper, want my own 
children to be free of the shackles of low expectations and to lead 
an employment revolution that empowers people with disabilities in 
the twenty-first century."

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the 
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise 
the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create 
obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life 
you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

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