[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1485-E1486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE SUCCESSES OF THE JAVITS-WAGNER-O'DAY (JWOD) PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHARLIE NORWOOD

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Javits-Wagner-
O'Day (JWOD) Program because it epitomizes what our country has long 
stood for--giving everyone an equal chance.
  Employment fuels the United States economy and builds our 
communities. Sadly, people with disabilities are often overlooked when 
it comes to finding jobs. Those with disabilities face a 50 percent 
unemployment rate, which

[[Page E1486]]

is more than 10 times the national average. These are people who can 
work, and want to work, but who face transportation, environmental, and 
attitudinal barriers when it comes to finding the employment that will 
allow them to become self-sufficient, independent members of society.
  Hiring a deserving, qualified individual with a disability creates a 
positive synergy that ripples out to the greater community in the form 
of reduced dependency on welfare. There are 45 million Americans with a 
disability, many of whom are forced to rely on public welfare because 
they have not been able to find employment. Of people with 
disabilities, some 5.2 million receive Social Security Disability 
Insurance, 3.5 million receive Supplemental Security Insurance, and 1.3 
million who receive both. By tapping into the potential of a person 
with a disability by offering them an employment opportunity, we can 
help them to become tax-paying citizens that can help power America's 
economy and strengthen our communities.
  That is why I am proud to commend the Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) 
Program, which provides employment opportunities where they are needed 
most--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, which allows them to acquire job skills and training, 
receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence.
  The program serves 40,000 people with disabilities nationwide and 
last year 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 JWOD. I am pleased that these JWOD contracts have had such a 
positive impact, and hope that his is only the beginning.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the JWOD Program and encourage my 
congressional colleagues to do the same.

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