Q&A
Comparison of current programs to past work requirements (WEP)
0:21:27
·
85 sec
Council Member Ayala expresses concerns about past work requirement programs like WEP (Work Experience Program) and asks how current programs differ. She shares an example of a person with a disability who was inappropriately placed in a work setting under the old system.
- Ayala recalls WEP required 4 days of work and 1 day of training
- She highlights a case where a person with muscular dystrophy was inappropriately placed in a kitchen work setting
- Ayala emphasizes the importance of proper screening and assessment to avoid such situations
- She asks how the current system ensures appropriate placements and support for individuals with disabilities or other barriers to employment
Diana I. Ayala
0:21:27
Okay.
0:21:29
Yeah.
0:21:29
We when I when I mean, when when the web program was available, I know that, you know, folks ended up everywhere.
0:21:40
And so there wasn't any skill building Mhmm.
0:21:44
Ability, really, it So I I would love to because, again, this is new to ring for me.
0:21:50
How how is it different than than it was back then?
0:21:53
So back then, if I remember correctly through the web program, you had to work 4 days, and then on 5th day, you did some sort of, like, training.
0:22:00
Yes.
0:22:01
One of my concerns were, like, for instance, as an example, we had a gentleman that worked at one of our senior centers that had muscular dystrophy, was it?
0:22:13
I think it was he had a he had a disability, and It it was really hard for him.
0:22:18
He was actually, he was a user of the kitchen.
0:22:20
Right?
0:22:21
And so he had to work with knives.
0:22:23
He had to work, you know, with equipment that he really couldn't work with.
0:22:27
He should never have been sent there in the, you know, in the first place.
0:22:30
He should have been at some point, throughout the screening process, somebody should have picked up.
0:22:34
Right?
0:22:34
Does his disability probably afford him the the possibility of being approved for SSI or for other benefits fits that would have been better suited for him.
0:22:45
How do you ensure that that doesn't happen now?
0:22:49
And is the process similar to what it used to be?
