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Employment Development Department

 

Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities

About the Committee | History |
Services for People with Disabilities | What the Governor's Committee Does | What's New

NEW!

EMPLOYMENT OF VETERANS WITH DISABILITIES REPORT OF FINDINGS was approved by the Governor's Committee at their summer quarterly meeting on September 26, 2007. The Governor's Committee and the Education and Employment Subcommittee want to thank all stakeholders, partners and veterans for providing input at the Public Hearings and Focus Groups. The Governor's Committee would also like to thank member Ernest T. Hamilton, Jr. for his endless contributions to the Committee's work, veterans with disabilities, and his community. He will be sorely missed as he passed on July 17, 2007.

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2006 ANNUAL REPORT The following link provides the 2006 Annual Report on The Employment Status of Californians with Disabilities. The 2004 and 2005 Annual Reports can be found on the Forms and Publications page.

About the Governor's Committee

The California Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (Governor's Committee) is responsible for providing leadership to increase the number of people with disabilities in the California workforce. The Governor's Committee is also responsible for implementing California's Workforce Inclusion Act, Assembly Bill 925, which names and empowers the Governor's Committee to undertake activities to ensure improved employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The Governor's Committee provides a forum through which key State departments, boards and councils, local service providers, business leaders and the disability community can collaborate to develop a comprehensive strategy (DOC) that will result in an increased rate of employment for people with disabilities.

The Governor's Committee consists of appointed and mandated public and private members and receives staff support from the Employment Development Department (in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency). It is mandated to meet quarterly, in conjunction with the California Health Incentives Improvement Project (CHIIP). The work of the Governor's Committee is conducted through its four subcommittees listed below.

History

The Governor's Committee was originally established in 1947 to assist disabled veterans to become employed. It was created as part of the national network of volunteers affiliated with the former President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and Local/Mayors' Committees. Over time its purpose changed. Throughout the years, the Governor's Committee has been promoting information to affect public attitudes regarding people with disabilities through its Media Access Office and Annual Employer Awards and its nationally recognized Youth Leadership Forum. In 2002, Assembly Bill 925, put the Governor's Committee in statute and changed its membership of volunteers appointed by the Governor to one of mandated, public, and private partners.

What the Governor's Committee Does

With the passage of Assembly Bill 925 in September 2002, the Governor's Committee is now charged with advising the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the Health and Human Services Agency on issues concerning people with disabilities. Central to Assembly Bill 925 are the requirements to identify the employment barriers experienced by people with disabilities, to develop a Statewide strategy for improved services, and to uphold State and federal accessibility provisions.

As part of its comprehensive strategy (DOC), the Governor's Committee endeavors to:

  • Bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment at a rate that is as close as possible to that of the general adult population.
  • Support the goals of equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for these people.
  • Ensure that State government is a model employer of people with disabilities.
  • Support State coordination with, and participation in, benefits planning training and information dissemination projects supported by private foundations and federal grants.
  • Work with public agencies and private organizations, when funding is available, to make grants available to counties and local workforce investment boards.
  • Provide support to the State Workforce Investment Board and the local One-Stop Career Centers to achieve full compliance with State and federal laws.
  • Promote information on employment supports and benefits, including the Ticket to Work program and health benefits to people with disabilities, consumers of public services, employers, service providers, and State and local agency staff.
Services for People With Disabilities

Through the support of the local committees and the One-Stop Career Centers, the Governor's Committee offers a variety of resources to people with disabilities:

What's New

  • 2006 Annual Report on The Employment Status of Californians with Disabilities. The 2004 and 2005 Annual Reports can be found on the Forms and Publications page.

  • The Media Access Awards recognizes those in the entertainment industry who hire and/or accurately portray people with disabilities, utilizing the power of their medium to accelerate public awareness and understanding, thereby enhancing employment opportunities for all people with disabilities.
  • The Governor's Committee and the California Health Incentives Improvement Project want to thank all stakeholders for providing input to the California Comprehensive Strategy for the Employment of People with Disabilities. Please select below for the final version of the Strategy as approved by the Governor's Committee at their January 26, 2006 meeting.
  • October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Californians with disabilities represent two and a half million qualified and skilled personnel in the employment arena. Discover information and resources regarding the employment of people with disabilities.

For comments and questions or to become more involved, contact:

California Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
P.O. Box 826880, MIC 21
Sacramento, CA 94820-0001

Voice: (916) 654-8055
Toll Free: (800) 695-0350
TTY: (916) 654-9820
Fax: (916) 654-9821