The point is, however, that after a quarter of a century of responsible operations, we feel the President's Committee has earned the right to be free-standing, like virtually all other agencies of Government; it has earned the right to be considered as a mature and responsible agency; it has earned the right to be trusted to spend its money wisely; it has earned the right NOT to be treated as though it needs special watching. It has earned the right, in brief, to operate without a ceiling. every In the past, every time a pay increase occurred, time we were called upon to expand our activities to be responsive to national needs, we found that we had to go through a time-consuming legislative process of coming to Congress to ask for an increase in a ceiling which had proved inadequate. We never were denied. Congress always has been most courteous, most responsive to our needs. But this seems to have been an exercise in a waste of valuable time of the Congress even more than the time of the Committee. - the time If the ceiling were removed, I as sure you that we would exercise the same fiscal prudence, the same careful management of funds, the same squeezing the full value out of every dollar, as we have shown time and time again during the first twenty-five years of our history. 5 One word about the mechanics of the matter. Removal of the ceiling would require an additional section in the bill. We would leave the placement to your judgment. Third, we should like to see a provision in the Act for a National Center for the Homebound. reasons. Over the years, as I have seen the gains made in building opportunities for the handicapped, I have thought: "yes, but these do not pertain to the homebound." And I have seen gains in rehabilitation, and thought: "yes, but these do not pertain to the homebound." I think it's time the homebound stopped being the "shadow people" of our society. For too many generations, they really have been "out of sight, out of mind." There are more than 2,000,000 of them. They are in dire financial need, most of them. Yet there is every indication that they can become self-sufficient; they can leave the welfare rolls; they can become contributors to, rather than consumers of, American tax revenues. This already has been demonstrated by the Federally-funded demonstration projects that have attempted to bring them into the nation's mainstream - yes, even though confined at home. A National Center for the Homebound could demonstrate on a large scale, to every State and every city, that improved techniques of rehabilitation can bring independence to the homebound. The National Center, by working closely with public and private agencies, could give impetus to the rehabilitation of these people so long neglected. The President's Committee strongly endorses the propsed National Center for the Homebound. It is long overdue. Fourth and finally, we should like to see a provision in the act for a system of Federal payments supplementing the incomes that certain handicapped people in sheltered workshops are able to earn by their own efforts. These, of course, are people whose productivity is so low, because of their disabilities, that they cannot hope to earn anything near the minimum wage. Yet we know we cannot stop there and claim we have done all we can for them. Their expenses of living go on, the same as ours. for the minimums of life go on, the same as ours. their needs are greater than ours, because of their disabilities. Their needs Perhaps It is time that America recognized their needs, and supplemented their incomes to bring their wages up to existing minimums. These levels, I might point out, are not far from the poverty levels for our country. 7 Of course, there would have to be safeguards. These handicapped people would have to be in an "employee" status in the workshop, rather than a "trainee" status. They would have to be employed full-time. Certification would have to be made that they are producing at their highest level of skill and earning power. They would have to be reviewed periodically regarding their potential for outside employment. Along with such a program would come national recognition of a right to live a halfway decent life right to have a roof over your head and bread to eat. These, then, are my four suggestions for the Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments - - funding of Governors' Committees on Employment of the Handicapped; removal of the ceiling on expenditures of the President's Committee; a National Center for the Homebound; a system of wage supplements for severely handicapped persons in workshops. Thank you for your attention. 6/1972 Senator CRANSTON. We now have a panel of witnesses composed of Ed Carney, board of directors, Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf, accompanied by John T. Crandall, special assistant for legislation; Joy York, administrative secretary-interpreter; George Fellendorf, executive director, Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf; and Willis Man, assistant to the executive secretary, National Association of the Deaf. I appreciate very much your appearing as a panel, which makes it easy for us to direct questions to you. If it can be possible to summarize your prepared statement, the prepared statements will go into the record fully. Mr. Carney, do you want to proceed? STATEMENT OF EDWARD C. CARNEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL OF ORGANIZATIONS SERVING THE DEAF, ACCOMPANIED BY JOHN T. CRANDALL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR LEGISLATION; JOY YORK, ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY-INTERPRETER; GEORGE FELLENDORF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF; AND WILLIS MANN, ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEAF Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I am appreciative of the opportunity afforded me to appear before you today to discuss the vocational rehabilitation amendments of 1972 and legislation affecting the lives of handicapped people. The Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf is strongly consumer-oriented and is composed of 28 organizations whose activities are directly related to the vocational, social, educational, economic, and cultural advancement of deaf persons. Included in the active members are every national organization of or for the deaf except one, and specifically includes the Professional Rehabilitation Workers With the Adult Deaf. Associate membership is open to groups not nationally organized but which in some manner are concerned with problems of deafness. Included among the latter are the Deafness Research Foundation, The National Grange, The National Rehabilitation Association, and New York University Deafness Research and Training Center. Aggregate individual memberships represented by this Council exceed 800,000 professionals and laymen. Established in 1967, the Council has, as one of its prime functions, the responsibility of presenting a concensus of opinion from the deaf community to honorable bodies such as this whose activities can have profound and lasting effects on the lives of handicapped people. Other witnesses undoubtedly already have, or later will, provide the members of this subcommittee with analysis in depth of those portions of the legislation under consideration with which they are most familiar. The Council will confine its testimony to matters related to the concerns of its members, but would first like to express its support generally, with the provisions of H.R. 8395. We are pleased that the legislation provides for the establishment of centers to assist low achieving deaf persons. However, we trust that the wording will be |