4/2/13 National Federation of the Blind Applauds DOJ Motion to Intervene in Sheltered Workshop Case
From Chris Danielson, NFB – National Federation of the Blind Applauds DOJ Motion to Intervene in Sheltered Workshop Case
Baltimore, Maryland (April 2, 2013): The National Federation of the Blind today applauded the United States Department of Justice’s motion to intervene in the pending class action lawsuit Lane v. Kitzhaber, No. 12-cv-138 (D. Or.). The United States’ complaint in intervention alleges that the state of Oregon has violated Title II of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act by unnecessarily segregating thousands of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in sheltered workshops, and by placing them at risk of such segregation, when they could be working in integrated employment settings with appropriate supports and services, such as supported employment.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “The National Federation of the Blind supports efforts to integrate more Americans with disabilities into competitive, integrated employment settings and to ensure that youth who are blind or who have other disabilities are not unnecessarily tracked into sheltered workshops, many of which pay their workers significantly less than federal or state minimum wages. We therefore applaud the United States Department of Justice for moving to intervene in this potentially groundbreaking litigation.”
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