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Making Better Jobs Available To Disabled Residents

annarborcil.org

Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley says he'll propose changes to help Michigan's disabled residents have access to better jobs.  Calley hasn't offered specifics, but the head of one local organization that advocates for the disabled has some thoughts on the subject.

Carolyn Grawi is interim President and CEO of the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, which works to help ensure the success of disabled residents in school, at home, at work and in the community. 

Grawi says one area that needs to change is attitudes toward the disabled.

"Giving that person that opportunity to have the training that would be there, that attitude adjustment of saying 'yes, each person is capable of doing many things and everybody is part of the whole,'" Grawi says.  "It isn't a whole community with a 'w' if we have holes with an 'h' that we leave people out."

Grawi says a Catch-22 of sorts also exists where people who rely on medication they get through Medicaid to be able to perform a job have those benefits taken away when they start earning more money. 

She says job training could also be better tailored for disabilities to help job seekers better communicate how the training is going.

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