Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reforms the federal job training programs and creates a new comprehensive approach providing workforce investment activities through statewide and local systems. Authorized workforce investment activities provided at the local level benefit job seekers, dislocated workers, youth, incumbent workers, new entrants to the workforce, veterans, persons with disabilities, and employers. These activities promote an increase in the employment, job retention, earnings, and occupational skill attainment by participants. This improves the quality of the workforce, reduces welfare dependency, and enhances the productivity and competitiveness of the nation. Section 188 prohibits discrimination on the basis of the disability in connection with these activities.

Section 188(a) provides:

(2) Prohibition of discrimination regarding participation, benefits, and employment
No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, subjected to discrimination under, or denied employment in the administration of or in connection with, any such program or activity because of race, color, religion, sex (except as otherwise permitted under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.)), national origin, age, disability, or political affiliation or belief.

29 CFR Part 37 - Implementation of the Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions of the Workforce Protection Act of 1998 (Department of Labor Regulations).

For information on WIA's nondiscrimination provisions and the legal rights of people with disabilities under that law, please contact:

U.S. Department of Labor
Civil Rights Center (CRC)
202-219-8927 (V)
202-219-6118 or 800-326-2577 (TTY)

For general information on WIA and people with disabilities, contact:

Disability Employment and Initiatives Unit
Room N-4641
Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration
200 Constitution Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210
202-693-3840 (V)
202-693-2871 (TTY)
http://wdsc.doleta.gov/disability/

Resources

Workforce Investment Act of 1998: Its Application to People with Disabilities - Department of Labor

People with Disabilities: Having a Voice in the Creation of the New Workforce Investment System - A Q&A developed by the Institute for Community Inclusion/UAP.

At Your Service: Welcoming Customers with Disabilities at Your One-Stop Center - A free course designed to help those employees responsible for initial customer contact to develop a better understanding of accessibility and accommodation issues for people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. This self-paced online course should take approximately a half-day to complete. It is not intended as an exhaustive treatment of the topics, but rather will serve as an introduction to concepts, with links to additional resources available to the One Stop employee. The course is free, but you must register in order to access the course. The course can be found on the Southeast DBTAC website.

National Center on Workforce and Disability
The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD) provides training, technical assistance, policy analysis, and information to improve access for all in the workforce development system.

Workforce ATM
The National Association of State Workforce Agencies is the national organization of state administrators of unemployment insurance, employment and training services, and labor market information programs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The mission of NASWA is to strengthen the National Workforce Development Network through information exchange, liaison and advocacy.

Center on Workforce Investment and Employment Policy (RRTC)
"The mission of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Workforce Investment and Employment Policy for Persons with Disabilities is to expand knowledge that improves and modifies disability and generic policy that impacts positively the employment status and economic independence of Americans with disabilities."

Workforce Development Online
Workforce Development Online is a biannual publication from Geographic Solutions, Inc., the nation's premier provider of workforce software and online labor market information.

Workforce Excellence Network
"The Workforce Excellence Network represents the next generation of quality efforts for the workforce development system to foster unparalleled levels of quality services to its customers, workers, and employers. The purpose of the Network is to engage state and local workforce development organizations in a voluntary process of pursuing performance excellence. "