JAN celebrates 25 years of service to the disabled

A member of the U.S. Department of Labor commended members of the Job Accommodation Network, based at West Virginia University, for 25 years of service for disabled people.

Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy, met with JAN staff and WVU administrators Friday to discuss steps needed to fully integrate disabled people into the workforce, among other things.

JAN is a nationwide nonprofit organization and a service of the U.S. Department of Labor that provides technical assistance with the accommodation and admittance of disabled people in the workplace. The national headquarters, housed at WVU, staffs 26 counselors and receives over 38,000 inquiries a year.

"I am happy to help out and letting the world know that you exist," Martinez said to JAN employees.

Martinez offered celebratory remarks on collaborative efforts with JAN while commenting on social integration of disabled people.

"I have to say, JAN has played a big role. Over the 25 years, it (has) existed in helping employers understand accommodations or productivity enhancers," Martinez said. "Disability needs to get off the special shelf and out of the special closet, so to speak, and to be apart of the overall fabric in both the Federal Government and the Department of Labor and ultimately in the private sector."

Prior to working with the ODEP, Martinez was appointed as the executive director of the World Institute of Disability in 2005. She became an assistant secretary to the Department of Labor following a nomination from President Barack Obama last March. She has been blind since birth.

"During this administration, we have a chance to really make significant change, and that type of change has to start here at universities where we really expect folks with disabilities to do well," Martinez said in her speech.

Ultimately, JAN and the ODEP have similar and complementary goals.

JAN takes advantage of major social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and the online game Second Life, in order to become a relevant name to disabled people around the country.

The ODEP is attempting to reach full inclusion in employment rates between the general populations and disabled people to the point of singularity.

"My goal is to really just take the mission of labor, and you guys have been a tool and a strategy for us to meet the mission of increasing and increased employment for people with disabilities all over this country," Martinez said.

Skill is something Dee Hopkins, Dean of WVU's College of Human Resources & Education, thinks should be taken more into consideration when hiring.

"Too often employers think that they are, out of charity, hiring someone who has a disability and instead they should be a smart employer by hiring people who are truly qualified to do the job," Hopkins said.