THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1976. PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OF THE HANDICAPPED WITNESSES BERNARD POSNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OF THE HANDICAPPED ALFRED M. ZUCK, COMPTROLLER FOR THE DEPARTMENT ROBERT O. DESLONGCHAMPS, ASSOCIATE COMPTROLLER FOR BUDGET AND PROGRAM REVIEW CHARLES E. PUGH, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF BUDGET Mr. NATCHER. At this time we take up the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. We have before the committee Mr. Bernard Posner, the Executive Director of the President's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. Mr. Posner, we will be glad to hear from you. Mr. POSNER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Harold Russell, chairman of the President's committee, sends his regrets that he can't be here today. He is on the west coast, speaking before 200 of the Nation's leading employers on the new affirmative action programs for the handicapped. I know he would prefer to speak to you. Mr. NATCHER. It is always a pleasure to have Mr. Russell before the committee, and we are sorry he is unable to be here today, but we will be glad to hear from you. [Biographical sketch follows:] BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH-BERNARD POSNER, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OF THE HANDICAPPED, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Bernard Posner was appointed Executive Secretary of the President's Committee in October 1973. His primary responsibilities have been to develop national programs promoting job opportunities for the mentally retarded and mentally restored. He also has worked actively with other groups such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and epilepsy. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he attended the University of Cincinnati where he received his A.B. degree in English in 1938. After college, he joined the staff of the Advertiser, an advertising trade magazine, rising to managing editor. After 3 years he joined Schenley Distilleries, Inc., as editor of its house magazine. In 1942, he entered the Army, serving with the Office of Flying Safety (part of Headquarters, Army Air Force) as magazine editor. He was discharged early in 1946 as captain. At that time he joined the Veterans' Administration in Washington, D.C., in its Information Services. In 1950, be became assistant director of the Information Service, charged with VA's extensive radio and TV activities. He has published a number of articles. He has written chapters for International Psychiatry Clinics, published by Little, Brown & Co.; The Voice of Government, John Wiley & Sons; Social Work and Mental Retardation, edited by Dr. Meyer Schrieber. He is married. The Posners have two children, Paul and Deborah. They live in Silver Spring, Md. OPENING STATEMENT Mr. POSNER. I have a brief statement for the record. Mr. NATCHER. Suppose we just insert it in the record in its entirety. [The statement follows:] STATEMENT BY HAROLD RUSSELL, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OF THE HANDICAPPED DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT, SALARIES AND EXPENSES I am grateful for the chance to come here today to discuss our budget request for fiscal year 1977. We seek $1,393,000 for the year. This is only $34,000 higher than our 1976 budget. The additional money is for mandatory increases and not for personnel increases. These increases are for within grade promotions, administrative cost, printing, and the like. We are not asking for any increase in programing money for a couple of reasons: First we perceive fiscal year 1977 as a year of reevaluating our priorities, a year of consolidating our gains, and a year of ironing out our new efforts at regionalization. We intend to make do with what we have. Second, we support the administration's efforts to keep Federal spending under some kind of control. We realize that any budget increases we might ask for would certainly not break the treasury, but we do want to do our share small as it might be to keep America's belt comfortably tight. Now I would like to present some of our recent activities, to give you an indication of how we have been reordering our priorities and how we have been remaining sensitively alert to current trends and directions. First, affirmative action programs.-Obviously we do not administer the programs under sections 503 and 504, or the disabled veterans programs. But because of our quarter-century of working closely with employers, labor and the handicapped, we do have a definite role in affirmative action-of gaining employer acceptance for the concept, of encouraging more relevant job preparation of the handicapped, and of motivating handicapped persons to enter the labor market. We have held a number of significant national meetings on affirmative action— for handicapped consumers, giving them a chance to comment on proposed regulations; for mental health leaders, on the implications of affirmative action for the mentally restored; for veterans groups, on the new regulations for disabled veterans; for employers, introducing revised regulations and the like. We have assisted Governors and local committees on the handicapped in arranging their own affirmative action seminars for employers, the handicapped and other groups. We have prepared the only simplified description of affirmative action regulations and the demand for it is overwhelming. Second, the handicapped consumer movement.-We are making a special effort to remain aware of the needs and thinking of handicapped people. We do this. for we believe that America cannot engage in proper programs for the handicapped, without listening to their voices. To this end we have begun publication of a newsletter, Feedback, summarizing the viewpoint of the handicapped on a variety of subjects. We have provided the handicapped with forums to make their views known-at our annual meetings and at other places. And we have been bringing together articulate handicapped consumers and other key segments of society for frank interchangesemployers, recreation leaders, government officials, and others. Third, regionalization.-We recognize that throughout the country, change comes fast and to keep ourselves flexible enough to cope with change wherever it occurs we have engaged in the beginnings of regionalization. So far, we have established two positions of regional representatives. One, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., serves Governors' committees in Southeastern United States. The other, headquartered in Washington, D.C. serving the Middle Atlantic States. Why is one headquartered in Washington? So that, for the first year, at least, we can observe the activities and problems of regionalization; and so that we can establish uniform standards of operation. There is a basic reason behind our regionalization. State and local action must be heightened and sharpened, because of affirmative action and because of the rising consumer movement. Strong State programs are more essential than ever. A regional approach can strengthen them. Fourth, consolidations.—Because we remain alert to change, we have made recent changes of our own in our standing committees, made up of volunteer members. For example, we have consolidated our employers committee and our labor committee into a combined labor management committee. We have consolidated our education and youth committee into a youth development committee, concentrating on the educational needs of young handicapped people. We have made other such changes. These are bare highlights. There is much more, our activities with the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals; our recent activities in developing programs on the handicapped for local affiliates of national voluntary service organizations; our activities in developing joint promotional campaigns on employment in cooperation with voluntary health organizations. In the years ahead I promise you that we shall retain our flexibility, our relevance to the times, our capacity to cope with human needs. Thank you for your support this year and all previous years. Mr. POSNER. I should like to make just one or two points about our statement. We are not asking for an increase this year; rather, I am pleased to announce that we have reorganized our own priorities and reorganized our own staff in order to try to do much more with the same amount of money. One new emphasis of ours is to become more active in the new affirmative action programs for handicapped people under section 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. We find that the President's committee is in a unique position of having the support and the confidence of the world of business, the world of labor, the world of the handicapped, and the world of rehabilitation—the four components necessary to make affirmative action work. So we have established as a priority the presentation of affirmative action in a very positive way, not as a program that must be adhered to but as a program that has desirable reasons to be adhered to. We have been holding a number of seminars and meetings with leading businessmen, with leaders of the world of the handicapped, and with others to gain positive acceptance for this concept of affirmative action. Second, as part of our reorganization, we are placing a much greater emphasis on working with the States, with improving effectiveness of State and local committees on employment of the handicapped, and we have done this by experimentation with regionalization. We have established a regional representative in Atlanta, Ga., and we also have established a regional representative working out of Washington. This is an experiment in intensive service to the States to enable them to become much more forceful in serving the needs of handicapped people. That is the end of my brief statement. PCEH AUTHORIZATION Mr. NATCHER. Now, does your request exceed the current authorization level for your committee? I remember last year you were trying to get the levels changed to such "sums as may be necessary" but as far as I know this never took place. Am I correct in assuming that we have a problem here? No problem? Mr. POSNER. We still are operating under an authorization of $1 million, and this year we are asking for $1,393,000. I don't know whether there is a problem. I have been told that an Appropriations Act takes precedent over an Authorization Act. Is this right, Mr. Zuck? Mr. Zuck. Technically the authorization should be changed, and we have requested, as a matter of fact, as a part of the Department's legislative proposal program, an increase in the limitations so that there can be no question about it. For the past several years the amount in the appropriation has been in excess of the limitation, however. NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF BUSINESSMEN Mr. NATCHER. Would you explain how you interact with other programs for the handicapped, both public and private? I am particularly interested in your relationship with the National Alliance for Businessmen program. How are these programs handled? Mr. POSNER. We enter into all kinds of cooperative arrangements with organizations, with agencies, and with other groups. Take the National Alliance of Businessmen. We have arranged a joint promotional effort with the National Alliance of Businessmen to promote jobs for disabled veterans. It is a beautiful kind of relationship. They provide much of the employer support needed for a promotional effort, and we provide a focal point for bringing together all the forces necessary to make this kind of promotion work-officials from the Veterans' Administration, from the Veterans' Administration, from the Veterans' employment service, veterans organizations, the world of Veterans' rehabilitation, and so on. It is a blending of forces. NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY We do this with many other kinds of organizations, too, sir. For example, with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society we are engaging in a joint promotional effort to promote more employment of people with MS. This is a three-pronged program to encourage people with MS to compete for jobs, since many of them drop out of the labor force; to encourage rehabilitation to recognize that many people with MS do reach remissions and can work, and to encourage employers to hire them. This, again, has been a total blending of our two forces. I would say this kind of blend with organizations has been one of our strengths. CURRENT EMPLOYMENT Mr. NATCHER. Of your 48 positions, how many do you have filled at the present time? Mr. POSNER. At the present time we have 38 positions filled. Mr. POSNER. One. Mr. NATCHER. How many are filled by handicapped persons? Mr. POSNER. At the present time we have 12 persons fairly seriously handicapped. Among them are two blind, two deaf, one in a wheelchair, an amputee, plus our chairman, Harold Russell, with no hands, plus others. REGIONALIZATION OF HANDICAPPED PROGRAMS Mr. NATCHER. What progress have you made in implementing your regional program? I noticed you have changed your mind concerning the location of your second regional office from Philadelphia to Washington. Do you have plans for other offices? Mr. POSNER. I really can't answer that. This regionalization is an experiment with us. We have placed a person in Atlanta, and we have placed a person in Washington. We want to observe them for at least the fiscal year to see what happens. I have a feeling it is an answer to greater service to the States. If it really is an answer, yes, we would like to come back and increase regionalization to three more positions. SECTION 503 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT Mr. NATCHER. I wonder if you can tell me how section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act works, and tell me if after 2 years of experience you consider this a pretty good law? How do you feel about it? Mr. POSNER. Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, as you know, applies to all Government contractors with contracts of $2,500 a year or more. This means that at least half of American business is covered, the important half, the pacesetting half. We have found what the pacesetting half does the rest of the country does. Now, here we find the Nation's leading businesses being required to establish affirmative action programs, to engage in outreach, to seek out qualified handicapped people, to make certain that they can be promoted as well as other people, to take steps to create a climate of acceptance within business for them, to do all the things we have been hoping all the years that all employers would do. Now they are required to do it. We are finding several problems. One problem is that many handicapped people are not being prepared for the kinds of jobs that affirmative action employers are looking for.. There are jobs going begging in one area, and a surplus of handicapped people in another area. There is a need for perhaps a greater blend of supply and demand. Totally, to answer your question, I think this has been a remarkable law with implications beyond our own generation. Mr. NATCHER. I know section 503 applies specifically to Government contractors, but could you give me some idea as to how the Government itself is doing in this area? Mr. POSNER. The Government itself is covered by another provision of the Rehabilitation Act, section 501, I believe, which requires every Federal agency to establish its own affirmative action program. These programs are submitted to the Civil Service Commission for review, and I have checked with the Commission recently and I have found that agencies are having somewhat the same experience that private industry is having, of finding the right handicapped people for jobs. |