The "ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act" aims to boost employment and entrepreneurship for individuals with disabilities by fostering collaboration between the Small Business Administration and the National Council on Disability, without increasing the budget.
Pete Stauber
Representative
MN-8
The "ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act" aims to boost employment and entrepreneurship for individuals with disabilities by directing the Small Business Administration to collaborate with the National Council on Disability. They will work together to assist disabled individuals in starting businesses and finding jobs with small businesses, while also supporting small businesses in hiring people with disabilities. The Act requires a report to Congress detailing the activities, achievements, and future plans to expand these employment opportunities, but does not allocate additional funds for implementation.
New Bill Aims to Boost Job Opportunities for People with Disabilities Through Small Business
The "ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act" is all about creating more jobs for people with disabilities, specifically by tapping into the power of small businesses. The bill basically tells the Small Business Administration (SBA) to team up with the National Council on Disability (NCD) to make this happen.
Connecting the Dots
The main idea is threefold:
- Help people with disabilities start their own businesses. Think resources, training, and maybe even mentorship to get those entrepreneurial dreams off the ground.
- Connect people with disabilities to jobs at existing small businesses. This could mean anything from job boards to networking events, focused on matching skills with open positions.
- Help small businesses become more disability-friendly. This is about making workplaces accessible and giving employers the tools they need to hire and support employees with disabilities.
Making it Official
To make sure this isn't just talk, the bill requires the SBA and NCD to create formal agreements (Memoranda of Understanding, or MOUs) (Section 2). They'll also be doing outreach and education to spread the word. And, within two years, they have to report back to Congress on how it's all going, what they've achieved, and what they plan to do next (Section 2).
The Catch?
The bill explicitly states that no extra money is being thrown at this (Section 3). It's all supposed to happen within existing budgets. This might mean a bit of juggling for the SBA and NCD to make it all work.
For example, imagine a small bakery owner who wants to hire someone who uses a wheelchair. This bill could mean the SBA provides resources to help that owner understand how to make their shop more accessible, maybe through ramps or adjusted counter heights. Or, picture someone with a visual impairment who wants to start a freelance web design business. This bill might mean the SBA offers training on how to use assistive technology to run their business effectively.
The Big Picture
This bill fits into a larger trend of trying to make workplaces more inclusive. It builds on existing laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination based on disability. The "ThinkDIFFERENTLY" Act focuses specifically on the role small businesses can play in boosting employment for people with disabilities, recognizing that small businesses are a huge part of the economy.