[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 22 (Thursday, February 26, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             JAVITS-WAGNER-O'DAY NATIONAL DISABILITIES DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2004

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my 
colleagues of the many barriers people with disabilities face. They 
confront barriers to employment, transportation and mobility issues, 
environmental obstacles, as well as fears, prejudices and 
misconceptions about their ability to offer valuable service to 
business, to our communities, and to our nation.
  People with disabilities battle a 50 percent nationwide unemployment 
rate, and those with severe disabilities struggle with a debilitating 
70 percent rate of unemployment. I regret that ten years after this 
Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is still 
necessary to affirm that people with disabilities can work and want to 
work. They can enrich the workplace with meaningful skills and talents. 
And they, like any other Americans, want to contribute their talents to 
our society.
  The key to changing these shocking labor statistics is to encourage 
employers to focus on the abilities of an individual, rather than an 
individual's disabilities. Hiring a deserving, qualified individual 
with a disability is a win-win situation for business and the 
community. When a person with a disability is employed, the positive 
benefits reverberate in the community reducing welfare dependency and 
generating self-sufficiency, independence, stable families, and an 
increased tax base. Employing people with disabilities helps businesses 
as well. They have extremely high retention rates, higher than most 
employees, and there can be tax advantages for businesses that hire 
employees with disabilities.
  The Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program is to be commended and should 
be supported for providing employment opportunities to Americans with 
disabilities. The JWOD Program uses the purchasing power of the Federal 
Government to buy products and services from participating, community-
based nonprofit agencies dedicated to training and employing 
individuals with disabilities. JWOD completes the cycle of support by 
enabling persons with disabilities to acquire job skills and training, 
receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence.
  The program serves 40,000 people with disabilities nationwide. Last 
year, it generated approximately $280 million in wages earned and 
nearly $1.5 billion in products sold. In Georgia alone, some 972 people 
with disabilities earned nearly $3 million in wages last year as a 
result of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day program.
  The Bobby Dodd Institute (BDI), a community rehabilitation facility 
in my district, has found particular success with JWOD contracts. Bobby 
Dodd Institute trainees operate the Veterans Administration Hospital 
switchboard, the U.S. Attorney Office mailroom, the Decatur Army 
Reserve Base janitorial service, and even have an expanded regional 
presence at the Veterans Administration Hospital switchboard in 
Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
  As a result of these JWOD contracts, the Bobby Dodd Institute has 
been able to provide employment opportunities to numerous individuals 
with disabilities and has helped them to become independent, self-
sufficient citizens. I am pleased that these JWOD contracts have had 
such a positive impact and hope that this is only the beginning. With 
support from my esteemed colleagues, Javits-Wagner-O'Day contracts can 
increase, and our whole society will benefit.
  This is a program that truly makes a difference in the nation, and in 
Georgia. I am proud to support it.

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