Abstract

On July 25, 2003, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a compliance assistance "Section 188 Disability Policy Checklist" designed to ensure equal opportunity/nondiscrimination for persons with disabilities under Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). According to Secretary of DOL Elaine L. Chao "The Checklist is designed to ensure meaningful participation of people with disabilities in programs and activities operated" by One-Stop Career Centers receiving federal financial assistance under WIA.

The Checklist identifies the basic disability-related requirements imposed by Section 188, including references to key section in the regulations. The electronic version of the Checklist includes hotlinks that connect directly with the text of the regulations. The Checklist also includes examples of policies, procedures and other steps that WIA recipients may follow to ensure equal access (including programmatic as well as physical access).

The goal of the Web cast is to enhance programmatic and physical access to One-Stop Career Centers for persons with disabilities by providing participants in the audio conference with an understanding of a new compliance tool issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. The objectives of the Web cast are to: (1) enable participants to use the goals of disability policy set out in the ADA to ensure that One-Stop career centers are universally accessible, (2) increase participants' understanding of the relationship between One-Stops and vocational rehabilitation, and (3) enable participants to use the Section 188 Disability Checklist to increase access to programs, projects, and activities provided by One-Stops.