[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 42 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Pages 2067-2068]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on Hiring People With Disabilities in the Federal Government

October 16, 1999

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: Hiring People with Disabilities in the Federal Government

    Since I became President, we have created over 19 million new jobs 
and unemployment is as low as it has been in 29 years. Still, almost 75 
percent of working-age Americans with severe disabilities remain 
unemployed. If this Nation is to live up to its promise of equal 
opportunity, and our economy is to continue to strengthen and expand, we 
must draw on the untapped energy and creativity of these millions of 
capable Americans.
    One of the most glaring barriers to work for people with 
disabilities is that they frequently become ineligible for Medicaid or 
Medicare if they go back to work, putting them in the untenable position 
of choosing between health care coverage and employment. That is why my 
budget fully funds the Work Incentives Improvement Act, investing $1.2 
billion over 5 years in health care and employment services so that 
people with disabilities can work. This legislation was unanimously 
endorsed by the House Commerce Committee on May 19 and has been 
cosponsored by a majority of the House of Representatives; it passed the 
Senate 99-0 on June 16. It is time for the Congress to finish the job 
and pass the Work Incentives Improvement Act immediately. People with 
disabilities who want to work should not have to wait one more day.
    Vice President Gore and I have already taken a number of steps to 
increase the employment of people with disabilities. On March 13, 1998, 
I signed Executive Order 13078 establishing the National Task Force on 
Employment of Adults with Disabilities to create a coordinated national 
policy to bring working-age individuals with disabilities into gainful 
employment. In December, the Task Force presented the Vice President 
with its first report, and I am proud to say we have taken action on all 
the Task Force's formal recommendations.
    As we fight to ensure that all people with disabilities have the 
health care and other assistance they need to go to work, we must also 
lead by example and make the Federal Government a model employer of 
people with disabilities. On June 4, 1999, I signed an Executive order 
eliminating the Federal Government's stricter hiring standards for 
people with psychiatric disabilities, an issue highlighted by Mrs. Gore 
earlier in the year. And last December, the Vice President asked the 
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop a plan to increase the 
representation of adults with disabilities in the Federal workforce.
    Today I am pleased to release that plan, Accessing Opportunity: The 
Plan for Employment of People with Disabilities in the Federal 
Government, and the companion employment guide prepared by OPM. These 
documents give agencies detailed and practical information on ways to 
recruit people with disabilities for positions at all levels of 
government; provide opportunities for students with disabilities; ensure 
career opportunities for people with disabilities; collect and maintain 
data to monitor their success; and provide reasonable accommodations for 
applicants and employees with disabilities.
    I therefore direct you to implement this plan immediately within 
your departments and agencies and to bring qualified people with 
disabilities into the Federal workforce. This plan is proof of the 
Federal Government's commitment to empowering people with disabilities; 
now is the time for us to fulfill that commitment.
                                            William J. Clinton

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