August 9, 2006
The meeting was called to order at approximately 10:00 a.m. by Ms. Carolyn Vidt, Committee Chairperson.
There were no additions to the agenda.
We did not have quorum today on the call, so approval of the minutes and the agenda was tabled until our next meeting.
Mr. Autro Heath spoke of the concerns and suggestions for improving the Equal Opportunity Poster. He stated that there were many things they could do regarding the poster. Mr. Heath said the U.S. Department of Labor has a standard size for the poster. He noted that there is nothing that states that the poster size can't be enlarged. The size, coloring, and font size were all things to be taken into consideration. They have ordered a lot of posters, but these types of things can be fixed on the next order. Mr. Heath will check with Mr. John Vogel of Workforce Development to see, if they can enlarge the poster on site. Ms. Shaw said the most important thing to remember is to contrast the colors, something dark against white for the best result. Ms. Shaw stated she would send a copy of the print standards to Mr. Heath.
Ms. Carolyn Vidt suggested looking at the language in the narrative. She stated that it needed to be simplified. It was noted that the Civil Rights Center puts the language together. Ms. Crystal Adams and Mr. Heath stated that they were asked at their last national level meeting in April for input to make changes in the language. Mr. Gregory Shaw, Chief of Compliance at the Civil Rights Center has been putting together ideas for the reauthorization of WIA and ways to simplify the wording.
Mr. Heath also noted that they were having difficulty translating the current poster into other languages. Mr. Heath suggested members check out the onestop website at www.onestop.info to keep up to date with onestop issues. Ms. Vidt asked if audio tapes and CD's of the information on the posters are available. Mr. Heath responded that they are available in alternate formats. Mr. Heath noted that space is an issue in CareerLinks. He noted that the EOC posters are not the only ones that are mandated to be posted. He suggested asking Mr. Vogel to address that issue. Ms. Shaw stated they would discuss this issue and get back with the group. There were several suggestions on the style of the font. Members recommended that the posters be printed in either Verdana or Helvetica style font at 14 point. Mr. Heath stated he would see that the committee's suggestions were considered prior to the next printing of the poster.
Ms. Vidt asked if everyone had reviewed the guidelines. Many indicated they had not had an opportunity to review them. The group asked for the differences between chartered sites, affiliates and access points to be explained to them. Ms. Shaw and Mr. Vogel explained that a chartered (comprehensive) site has 3 partners or more, and an affiliate has one partner. Mr. Vogel noted that Workforce is not responsible for access points. Access points are decided by the local area. Examples of access points could be a kiosk, a computer at a community center or a computer in a library. Workforce needs one comprehensive site in each area. There are 23 local workforce areas, so they need 23 comprehensive sites. Comprehensive sites have more partners and staff than an affiliate. Ms. Chava Kintisch asked, if chartering is only done for comprehensive sites and affiliates? Mr. Vogel responded that it is done for all but access points. Ms. Adams asked for clarification in regards to access points in Pittsburgh. She noted that a community college had an area that was a mini center, but now it is an access point. This has caused some confusion when she does ADA accessibility reviews. Mr. Vogel noted that the college site should be ADA already. Ms. Kintisch noted that all sites must reapply for chartering by September 15, 2006 and acknowledge if they are a comprehensive site or an affiliate. Ms. Vidt referred to the chartering guidelines on page 7, the first paragraph regarding programmatic accessibility and accessibility compliance. Ms. Vidt asked if members could give input to the guidelines in order to clarify for CareerLInk staff their responsibilities as far as accommodations. Mr. Vogel noted they were not changing the guidelines as of now, but may discuss changes in the future. Ms. Sandi Vito, Deputy Secretary has already approved these guidelines. Ms. Shaw stated the guidelines were a final document, not a draft. Ms. Shaw further noted that the guidelines have to be consistent with current legislation and that it is for CareerLink staff not the general public. Ms. Adams noted that the guidelines have federal language found in the ADA and WIA. Mr. Vogel noted that Mr. Heath and Ms. Adams had written the section on accessibility compliance.
A question was asked if a staff person would understand what auxiliary aids and services and effective communication means. Ms. Shaw responded that the staff has documents to explain terms such as these and that they are defined in other places.
Ms. Adams noted that the statement auxiliary aides and services must be on their papers, posters, etc, or it is a non compliance. Ms. Shaw noted that staff has support documents, that define chartering guidelines, monitoring, and access to technical assistance, if they have a question. Ms. Adams noted that she provides training in this area as well. Ms. Vidt stated that she had not seen a reference to a 29CFR in the guidelines which Ms. Adams had referenced.
Ms. Shaw said if the committee would like to send some comments to her, they will take them under advisement. Ms. Shaw stated that a request for contact information on regional personnel could be found in Appendix F on page 28 in the guidelines. Ms. Vidt noted that members needed more time to review the guidelines. She asked members to send their comments on the guidelines to the PaRC office. The office will then compile the comments and forward them to Ms. Shaw.
The next call will be on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 at 10:00 a.m.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:30 a.m.
Members (P = Present):
Labor and Industry:
National Rehabilitation Association:
Stakeholders:
Equal Opportunity Commission:
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) Present:
Staff Present: