The Fontbonne University community is urged to be “agents for change” in helping the world to become more welcoming toward people with disabilities through taking a more positive approach.

Colleen Kelly Starkloff, co-director of The Starkloff Disability Institute, gave the commencement address Dec. 17 at Fontbonne and pushed for change in societal attitudes toward disabilities. “Your attitude toward an issue drives how you will approach it,” she said in her text, adding, “I don’t say that lightly — become an agent for change in the world.”

Fontbonne University’s fall dedicated semester topic was “The Disability Experience: Quest for Empowerment.” The topic, in part, was selected to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The World Bank and World Health Organization issued a report in June that estimated 15 percent of the world’s population has a disability — a billion people, Starkloff said. “We all have to care about the issue of disability and take a positive approach to creating a world that welcomes all people.”

Read more of this article in the St. Louis review:

http://stlouisreview.com/article/2011-12-26/change-attitudes

Colleen Kelly Starkloff served as guest speaker at Fontbonne University’s December commencement ceremony, which was held Saturday, Dec 17, at 10 a.m. in the Dunham Student Activity Center. The ceremony was broadcast LIVE via the University’s uStream portal.  View a captioned version of Colleen’s address below (Click the CC button on the player to view the closed captions in English or a variety of languages).

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 Click here to view a transcript of Colleen’s commencement address.

Don’t forget to like our Facebook page.  For every like, up to 3,000 likes, we will receive a dollar from one of our generous donors.

Click here to view a transcript of Colleen’s commencement address.

Fontbonne University released the following statement:

Distinguished Advocate for People with Disabilities

to Speak at Fontbonne December Commencement

ST. LOUIS – Colleen Kelly Starkloff, co-founder of Paraquad and the Starkloff Disability Institute, will serve as guest speaker at Fontbonne University’s December commencement ceremony. Starkloff will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the ceremony, which will be held Saturday, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m. in the Dunham Student Activity Center. Fontbonne will also honor Max Starkloff with a posthumous honorary doctorate of humane letters. 215 students are expected to receive their degrees.

Starkloff and her late husband, Max, quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury, developed Paraquad, a community-based center for independent living that empowers people with disabilities to live independently in the world. They dedicated their lives to securing legislation and advocating for all people with disabilities. In 2003, they founded the Starkloff Disability Institute to create a world that welcomes all people with disabilities. Since Max’s death in 2010, Starkloff has continued to work as an impassioned advocate.

“We are honored to have Colleen Starkloff share her message with the December 2011 graduating class,” said Dennis C. Golden, president of Fontbonne. “This is a landmark occasion in our students’ lives, and Mrs. Starkloff’s powerful message will encourage them to continue living the Fontbonne mission to ‘think critically, act ethically and to assume responsibility as citizens and leaders long after graduation.”

Michael Horn, of south St. Louis County, will serve as the commencement student speaker. He will graduate summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Additionally, the Fontbonne Alumni Association will recognize Amy Caby, of St. Louis, with the Alumni Hood Award, given at each commencement ceremony to an outstanding graduating student who has the potential to be an outstanding member of the alumni association. Caby will graduate cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications from Fontbonne’s OPTIONS Program.

Fontbonne University is a Catholic coeducational institution of higher education offering liberal arts and professional programs, as well as accelerated formats for busy adults. Fontbonne was founded in 1923 and is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Disabled Americans, facing even higher hurdles than others finding jobs, would get a boost under an Obama administration plan to set new hiring procedures for government contractors.

The Labor Department proposed a rule Thursday that would require most companies with federal contracts to set goals of having disabled workers make up 7 percent of their workforce.

Labor officials hailed the plan as an economic game-changer at a time when a staggering eight of 10 working-age Americans with disabilities are out of the workforce entirely.

The government long has used the leverage of federal spending to promote affirmative action in the hiring of women and minorities. The new rule would, for the first time, give similar treatment to people with disabilities.

Some businesses have indicated concern about increased costs, including for record-keeping and other paperwork. And Republican lawmakers have complained frequently about the costs that new regulations impose on businesses. On Wednesday, the House passed a measure that would require congressional review of rules that have an effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adverse effects on employment and productivity.

The Labor Department will take comments on the rule for 60 days before it considers final approval next year.

“This is probably the greatest proposal for real substantive change since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act” in 1990, said Patricia Shiu, director of the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. “For nearly 40 years, the rules have said that contractors simply need to make a ‘good faith’ effort to recruit and hire people with disabilities. Clearly, that’s not working.”

The proposed rule is not a quota. It would require companies to devote more resources to recruiting efforts to hire disabled workers, improve training programs and update data collection.

Contractors would have to keep detailed records showing they were complying. The rule would require them to list job openings to increase their pool of qualified applicants.

Federal contractors and subcontractors account for nearly a quarter of the nation’s workforce. The proposal could have a ripple effect across the country and help bring down the 13 percent unemployment rate for disabled workers. The rate is 8.6 percent for all workers.

There are about 200,000 federal contractors taking in about $700 billion annually in contracts.

Disability advocates praised the proposed rule, saying employers would also benefit.

“Job seekers with disabilities will have access to more opportunities,” said Mark Perriello, president of the American Association of People with Disabilities. “Federal contractors will experience greater diversity in their workforces and benefit from the contributions that people with disabilities are qualified and eager to make.”

Businesses have had mixed reactions to the plan, which could prove easier for larger companies to put in place than smaller ones that face increased costs and paperwork.

“The agency issued a number of regulations that have dramatically expanded paperwork and record-keeping requirements with real costs to contractors,” said Michael Eastman, executive director for labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

That organization has not taken a formal position on the proposed rule. Eastman said his group supports the goals of trying to bring more people with disabilities into the workforce, “but we have concerns whether the agency has proposed the right approach or not.”

Some businesses also are nervous about asking job applicants to identify themselves as disabled, fearing they may run afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act’s ban on discrimination, Eastman said.

The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The definition also includes a history of impairment or being regarded as having a disability. The ADA was amended in 2009 to be construed more broadly, including impairments such as cancer, diabetes and epilepsy.

Seth Harris, deputy secretary of labor, said President Barack Obama has made a commitment to put the government in the lead when it comes to improving the lives of the disabled. Last year, Obama signed an executive order setting a goal for the federal government to increase its employment of people with disabilities by 100,000 over five years.

“The president recognizes that people with disabilities are eager to work; all they need is the opportunity,” Harris said.

The government has struggled over the years to increase job opportunities for disabled workers. Among working-age people with disabilities, 79 percent are outside the labor force altogether, compared with 30.5 percent for those without disabilities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The rule would apply to those contractors with at least 50 employees that have a minimum $50,000 in government contracts. That currently includes about 170,000 contractors.

By contrast, the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more workers. That law prohibits discrimination against the disabled, but does not require businesses to set a specific goal for hiring.

Labor officials would monitor compliance with the new rules through annual audits, which are currently performed on about 4,000 contractors each year.

Companies failing to comply could be ordered to make back payments to those denied employment or to change training policies and procedures. In rare cases, the agency could seek court orders to bar companies from bidding for federal contracts.

Source: AP

The JAN study has been on-going since 2004. JAN, in partnership with the University of Iowa’s Law, Health Policy, and Disability Center (LHPDC), interviewed 1,182 employers between January 2004 and December 2006.  In addition, JAN, in partnership with the West Virginia University School of Applied Social Sciences (SASS), interviewed 603 employers between June 28, 2008, and July 31, 2011.  Employers in the JAN study represented a range of industry sectors and sizes and contacted JAN for information about workplace accommodations, the ADA, or both. Approximately eight weeks after their initial contact, the employers were asked a series of questions about the situation they discussed with JAN and the quality of the services JAN provided.

Read more here

On November 17^th we received a call from ITVS’ Dennis Palmieri.  He said that earlier that day both the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations had contacted him about screening our film, Lives Worth Living.  Wow – what a surprise that was!

The idea was to present the film on consecutive days — December 1^st and 2^nd — to help celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  My partner at Storyline Motion Pictures, Alison Gilkey and I were amazed.  After we had stopped jumping around, we started planning.

We flew to D.C. 13 days later on Wednesday, November 30^th.  Arriving a day early turned out to be a good idea. Instead of arriving at the midday screening straight from the airport as disheveled messes, we actually were able to catch our breath and look presentable at the State Department, as we were representing ITVS!

On the morning of the State Department screening, Judy Heumann (disability rights pioneer and arguably a legend in her own time) and currently the State Department’s Special Advisor For International Disability Rights, met us in a conference room just off the main amphitheater at the Department of State.  She brought with her several other prominent rights activists (including Marca Bristo, one of our on-screen characters) who would be participating in the panel discussion after the screening.  We also had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to ITVS’ Tamara Gould, whose task was to help introduce the film and comment on ITVS’ role with independent filmmakers.

Read more here

The conditions with the next highest rates of employment after skin conditions were diabetes (62%) and heart, blood pressure or circulatory problems (58%). The conditions with the next lowest employment rates after severe learning difficulties were mental illnesses or nervous disorders (14%) and depression or anxiety (27%).

Read more here

The jobless rate for those with disabilities fell to 13 percent in November, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday. That’s down from 13.2 percent the month prior and represents the lowest unemployment rate on record for this group since April 2009.

One reason for the decline, however, is that fewer Americans with disabilities were in the labor force, which includes those who are employed or looking for work. So, despite the lower unemployment rate, less people with disabilities were actually working.

Why is this?  Read more here.