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PRESIDENT CLINTON APPOINTS TONY COELHO VICE-CHAIR OFNATIONAL TASK FORCE ON EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

(Washington, DC -- March 13, 1998) President Bill Clinton today signed an Executive Order appointing Tony Coelho, Chairman of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Vice-Chair of a newly established National Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities.

"In order to fully integrate our citizens with disabilities into the American workforce, it will be critical to examine the many barriers that stand in our way -- from insufficient health coverage to unaffordable housing to inaccessible transportation. I am privileged to serve with Secretary Herman in leading this Task Force," said Coelho, who was on travel outside of the country.

The President urged federal agencies to move swiftly in beginning the work outlined in the Order. Present with him in the Oval Office to witness the signing were Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman, who will chair the Task Force; Senator Max Cleland (Georgia); Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa); Senator James M. Jeffords (Vermont); Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (Maryland); Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater; Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D. West, Jr.; Assistant Secretary for the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Judith E. Heumann; Office of Personnel Management Director Janice R. Lachance; Small Business Administration Administrator Aida Alvarez; Social Security Administration Commissioner Kenneth S. Apfel; Administration for Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Robert Williams; National Council on Disability Chair Marca Bristo; President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities Executive Director John A. Lancaster, representing Tony Coelho; the Department of Labor's Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy Seth Harris; and Justin Dart, representing the disability community.

The purpose of the Task Force is to create a coordinated and aggressive national policy to bring working-age individuals with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate approximating that of the general adult population. At the signing ceremony, Secretary Herman indicated that carrying out this work will be a top priority of the Department of Labor. Interim reports will be submitted to the President, with a final report due July 26, 2002, the 10th anniversary of the initial implementation of the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Executive Order directs the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities to work in collaboration with specified federal agencies toward two objectives. The first is to develop small business and entrepreneurial opportunities for adults with disabilities. The second is to design and implement a statistically reliable and accurate method by which to measure the employment rate of adults with disabilities.

Task Force members also will include the Secretary of Education; the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration; the Secretary of the Treasury; the Secretary of Commerce; the Secretary of Transportation; the Administrator of the Small Business Administration; the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and the Chair of the National Council on Disability.

The Task Force as a whole is expected to submit policy recommendations that address such areas of widespread concern as discrimination; accommodations; access to health care; consumer-driven, long-term supports and services; transportation; accessible and integrated housing; telecommunications; assistive technology; community services; child care; education; vocational rehabilitation; training services; job retention; on-the-job supports; and economic incentives to work.

Key components of the Task Force's mission include analyzing existing programs and policies to determine what changes, modifications and innovations may be necessary to remove barriers to work; developing and recommending options to address health insurance coverage; analyzing youth programs related to employment and the outcomes of those programs for young people with disabilities; and evaluating whether federal studies related to employment and training can and should include a statistically significant sample of adults with disabilities.