	Background

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 requires states and localities to  bring together about 17 federally funded employment and training services  into a single system—the one-stop system. Labor, Local Areas, and One-Stops Have Made Various Efforts and Degrees of Progress in Facilitating Access

Labor has awarded grants to facilitate comprehensive access to  employment and training programs for persons with disabilities, and local  areas and one-stop centers have also made numerous efforts, as well as  various degrees of progress, in facilitating comprehensive access to their  programs and services. States and local areas have used  these grants for a range of efforts, including assessing one-stop  architectural accessibility, acquiring assistive technology devices, and  increasing staff capacity to provide services to persons with disabilities. Local Areas and One-Stops Have Made Efforts to Facilitate Access to the One-Stops’ Services, but Progress Has Varied

During our site visits, we found that local areas and one-stop centers had  made various efforts and degrees of progress in facilitating comprehensive  access to the one-stops’ programs and services. However, other sites had assistive technology, and some or all  of the staff had already received training in how to use it. One-Stops and Disability Agencies Have Established Various Relationships to Serve Persons with Disabilities

One-stops, VR, and other disability-related agencies in the community have  formed various relationships to provide services to persons with  disabilities. The one-stops we visited also varied in terms of the extent to which they  formed relationships with disability-related service providers other than  VR. Labor Has Taken Actions to Ensure That One-Stops Comply with Access Requirements, but These Efforts May Not Be Sufficient

Labor has taken several actions to ensure that persons with disabilities  have comprehensive access to one-stops, including training, monitoring,  and enforcement activities, but these efforts may not be sufficient. CRC  found that the use of the intake form, combined with the requirement that  customers provide documentation of their disability, unnecessarily  screened out people with disabilities from receiving intensive and training  services, even though Labor’s WIA Section 188 regulations require that the  one-stops must not deny any qualified person with a disability the  opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, a WIA-funded program or  activity because of that person’s disability. In addition to the two on-site reviews CRC conducted in 2003, CRC is in  the process of conducting two additional reviews in two large  metropolitan areas in two other states, which it plans to complete during  fiscal year 2005. To date the monitoring and enforcement efforts that have  been or are being conducted account for less than 2 percent of the total  number of local areas and one-stops nationwide. Moreover, the CRC  Director said that she had not yet determined whether CRC would conduct  additional on-site reviews. Information on Employment Outcomes Is Limited

Information about the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities  is limited by the extent to which disability data are collected and the  overall methods used for collecting data for WIA’s performance measures. The information Labor publishes on the employment outcomes of persons  with disabilities, however, is limited for several reasons. Labor has issued guidance stating that  one-stops must inquire about disability status from job seekers upon  registration for services. Further, the collection of information on employment outcomes, including  the information on persons with disabilities, is limited to those persons  who are registered for WIA services. As  such, local areas may be reluctant to provide WIA-funded services to job  seekers, including persons with disabilities, who may be less likely than  others to find employment or experience an increase in earnings when  they are placed in jobs. Although Labor  has developed specific regulations requiring that people with disabilities  have equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from the programs and  services offered in the WIA one-stop system, its efforts to date may not be  sufficient to ensure that result.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 includes provisions intended to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from the programs and activities offered through one-stop career centers (one-stops). But little is known, and questions have been raised, about how well this system is working for persons with disabilities. This report examines (1) what the Department of Labor (Labor), states, and the one-stops have done to facilitate comprehensive access to the WIA one-stop system; (2) the various relationships that the one-stops have established with disability-related agencies to provide services to persons with disabilities; (3) what Labor has done to ensure that the one-stops are meeting the comprehensive access requirements, and the factors that have affected efforts to ensure compliance; and (4) what is known about the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities who use the one-stop system.

What GAO Found

Labor has awarded grants to facilitate comprehensive access, which is defined in this report as providing people with disabilities the equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from the programs, activities, and/or employment offered by the WIA one-stop system. States and local areas have used these grants for a range of efforts, including increasing staff capacity to provide services to persons with disabilities. During our site visits to 18 local areas and one-stops, we found that officials at most sites were working to implement architectural access requirements. Moreover, local areas and one-stops varied in the degree to which they had addressed other areas of comprehensive access. For example, a few sites had only begun to acquire assistive technology devices; other sites had assistive technology and had trained some or all of their staff in how to use it. One-stops have established various relationships to provide services to persons with disabilities. The structure of the one-stops' relationships with state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs varied, as did the extent to which they have formed relationships with disability-related service providers other than VR. A few local areas and one-stops primarily formed relationships with VR, while others had also formed relationships with community-based disability organizations. Although Labor has taken several actions to ensure comprehensive access to one-stops, these efforts may not be sufficient. Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Civil Rights Center (CRC), and Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) have issued guidance and assistance on the regulatory requirements. CRC also has conducted on-site reviews at local areas and one-stops in two large metropolitan areas in two states. In both areas, CRC identified instances of noncompliance with these requirements. Reviews in two other states will be completed during fiscal year 2005, but Labor has not developed a long-range plan for how it will carry out its oversight and enforcement responsibilities beyond 2005. To date, CRC's monitoring and enforcement efforts account for less than 2 percent of the total number of local areas and one-stops nationwide. The CRC Director stated that she had not yet determined whether CRC would conduct additional on-site reviews. The information that Labor publishes on employment outcomes for people with disabilities is limited for a variety of reasons. Disclosure about disability status is voluntary, thus the information about employment outcomes may be misleading. The collection of information on the employment outcomes of WIA participants is limited to those who are registered for services, and one-stops are not required to register customers who participate in self-service or informational activities. The performance measurement system may result in customers being denied services because local areas may be reluctant to provide WIA-funded services to job seekers who may be less likely to find employment.