In February of 2009, Kareem Dale was appointed as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. Dale, who is legally blind, first met then-State Senator Obama as a young law student, and years later worked on the Obama presidential campaign. Dale is both a member of the White House Domestic Policy Council and the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Disaboom: Over the past 2-years in your position as special assistant to President Obama what have been your biggest challenges?
Kareem Dale:
One of our biggest challenges is making sure that everyone out there knows what the President and his Administration is doing for people with disabilities. One difficult part of my job is the many calls I get every day from people with disabilities who are struggling. It can be very difficult to hear their stories and to talk to them and to let them know that the President is really working hard on their behalf. While it may be very hard to hear those tough stories, we are working very hard and the President is committed to improving the lives of those with disabilities.
Disaboom: Looking over the last two years, what would you consider your biggest success story?
Kareem Dale:
We have a number of them that I am very proud of, but I think that our biggest one is the President’s signing of the Executive Order to make the federal government a model employer for people with disabilities. Obviously the unemployment rate is high and we need to get all people back to work, and that Executive Order really put a stake in the ground for the employment of people with disabilities. It was a huge success for the community and the President. There have been other successes, such as the recent releasing of the EEOC Rules and Regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act.
Disaboom: In speaking with people in the disability community they see positive changes coming from the White House, but also see a disconnect occurring between Federal, state and local governments. They are hoping to see more communication and also teeth in the rulings and regulations that affect the disabled community.
Kareem Dale:
Without knowing what specifically you’re referring to I can’t really address whether something’s going to have more teeth. The things we have done certainly have teeth and we are working hard to implement change on the local levels. For example, take the Employment Executive Order. Various agencies, including OPM, the Department of Labor, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, have traveled to cities and states across the country to talk to federal agencies about hiring people with disabilities. They’ve been to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Antonio and there are additional trips planned as well. We’re looking to make sure that people are benefitting from everything we’re doing.
Another example is the work of the Department of Justice – it has had a huge local impact. The Project Civic Access Initiative is ensuring that cities and states are accessible under the ADA. They have settled a number of claims against cities and states to make sure they are accessible. There are also the recent ADA regulations that just went into effect March 15th, making sure that businesses and governments are accessible across the country.
Overall, we’re trying to make sure that things we do here in Washington impact people on the ground.
Disaboom: Do you have a sense that society is ready for a profound change in its attitude toward persons with disabilities?
Kareem Dale:
We’ve certainly made a lot of progress in the last 21 years since the ADA was passed in 1990. I also think when you look at the legislation that’s been passed recently, such as the 21st Century Communications Act and the ADA Amendments Act – they enjoyed bipartisan support. Overall, I think society is looking at people with disabilities differently and better.
Disaboom: In talking to our disability community about employment, we have found one issue invariably comes to surface: Many feel even though they would prefer to work, they can’t because they would lose Government assistance. And the jobs they are offered don’t pay enough to cover their needs. We know it is a hard balancing act, but do you see Government trending toward increasing personal subsidies rather than business incentives or vice versa? What would you like to see happen?
Kareem Dale:.
We believe in people with disabilities being productive, tax-paying members of society, where folks can get off disability rolls, whether its SSI and SSDI, and work. That’s what we believe in. We know that people with disabilities want to work; we know that folks with disabilities want to get off of those rolls. So that’s what we support and that’s what we believe in and that’s what we’re working toward.
Disaboom: As a blind person, what were the hurdles your disability presented and how did you overcome them to be successful?
Kareem Dale:
It’s hard to pinpoint my biggest hurdle. Like so many people with disabilities, I faced attitudinal barriers at all levels. Whether it’s in high school and the attitudinal barrier of people thinking that you’re not going to be able to go to a four year college and get a degree or you’re not going to be able to go to law school and work in a large law firm. Those attitudinal barriers are things that people with disabilities all over the country face and it’s something that binds people with disabilities everywhere. This is not only in the US but all over the world and that’s something that we’ve all faced. But President Obama has committed to working to tear down those types of attitudinal barriers and other barriers.
Disaboom: Another issue is accessibility and online -- that seems to be a major hurdle for some people with disabilities, who could be staying at home and working on a computer but they don’t have the accessibility to it. How do you see advancements in that area?
Kareem Dale:
Our Department of Justice, and the Assistant Secretary in charge of Civil Rights Division, Tom Perez, has given a number of speeches, where he has specifically talked about having the ADA applied to websites. The Department of Justice issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking last year, around the time of the 20th Anniversary of the ADA, and we’re looking to move forward and work towards the day when all websites are accessible for people with disabilities.
Disaboom: Do you know how many people with disabilities are employed in the White House?
Kareem Dale: There are quite a few, I really don’t know how many, but throughout the government of course we have many people with disabilities employed.
I don’t know how many people with disabilities there are in the White House. I know we have a few – myself and a woman who is the Director of Priority Placement in the Presidential Personnel Office. I know there are others here at the White House. Obviously we have people with disabilities working all over the administration in senior positions. Secretary Shinseki is the Secretary of VA and Chris Griffin is the the Deputy Director of OPM. So there are people with disabilities in senior positions throughout the administration.
Disaboom: Do you have any thoughts or ideas for creating ability-set jobs for the disabled?
Kareem Dale:
I don’t know what you mean by “ability-set jobs,” but I don’t believe that creating new careers or creating different careers is the right angle to take at this. We are committed to improved hiring for people with disabilities – we know that people with disabilities can work at the senior levels of President Obama’s administration. We believe that people with disabilities are capable of all jobs with the right background and education and things of that nature. We believe that people with disabilities can achieve. We know that careers are available and people with disabilities are out there -- they’re qualified and we need to improve our focus on hiring them and making sure that they are integrated into society. The federal government is seeking to lead the way and be a model employer in that vein.
Disaboom: As you know, our efforts at this point are working within the private sector, and we will continue down this path. But do you have ideas as to how we could work together with the administration to drive new ideas to create new jobs and economic growth for the 54 million plus in the disability community?
Kareem Dale:
There are a number of areas that we’re working in, whether it’s through our Office of Disability Employment Policy at the Department of Labor or the Office of Personnel Management where we can explore those topics. I’m always open to ideas about how we might partner or work together, but what really works is when people on the ground are doing great things. We’re always open to good ideas and listening and talking to people.
