Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act Case Study

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Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act The new Work Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) signed by President Obama on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014, is a landmark legislation that has created opportunities for individuals that would possibly not have otherwise received training, education and job placement for the new demand in our nation’s workforce (Uvin, 2014, p. 1). WIOA has impacted individual’s with disabilities in both positive, and negative aspects. According to my studies, WIOA is legislation specifically, designed to strengthen and improve our nations’s public workforce system and help get American’s, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers, and help employers hire, and retain skilled …show more content…

The movement continues to make great strides towards the empowerment and self determination ("Disability rights movement," 2005, p. 3). On the other hand, it has not completely broken down barriers that continue to create the dynamics of oppression among such individuals. For instance, WIOA can be harmful to individuals with disabilities because there are still societal prejudices and biases associated with the stereotypical portrayal of people with disabilities and WIOA has played a role in it. For example, WIOA networks with employers to hire individual’s with disabilities and place them in conventional settings, where they work with others who have disabilities, for example, Walgreen’s and in fact, these participating organizations have also increased their pay. In my opinion, individual’s with disabilities should be able to work with individuals who are not disabled, as well. Furthermore, pay for those individuals who are still considered to be in “sheltered” work programs have not received an increase in pay. Additionally, according to my studies, in 2012, less than 30 percent of Florida’s civilians with disabilities between age 18-64 living in the community were employed. There is a greater priority focused on young people who are disabled. This is an additional issue in my opinion which can be considered discrimination, because, the focus leaves out middle aged individuals as well as, …show more content…

In addition, it offers individuals with disabilities guidance with integrated employment. At the same time, WIOA has been harmful to person’s with disabilities because it has played a role in dynamics of oppression and has not done enough to make certain individuals who are considered “sheltered” are offered equal employment and equal compensation. I have learned if you are not a part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem and WIOA can do more to make certain justice is served and more equality is exercised. Moreover, we can all combine our efforts to advocate and get involved with organizations that are committed to assisting WIOA in improving its organization for all job seekers, workers, and

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