 A Workplace Interview: Fred Weber, President SUPRA The following is an exclusive Workplace interview with Fred Weber, who took over as President of SUPRA (State Use Program Association) in January, 2000. Like the Federal Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Program which provides job opportunities for people with disabilities through the purchase of products and services by the Federal government, State Use Programs create jobs for people with disabilities through sales to state governments. In addition to his position as President of SUPRA, Weber also serves at Executive Vice President of TIBH (formerly Texas Industries for the Blind and Handicapped), located in San Antonio, Texas. What is the mission of SUPRA? The mission of SUPRA is to promote legislatively mandated State Use preferential programs that provide vocational training and employment for people with disabilities. How many members does SUPRA have? We have 22 members that represent the interests of CRPs from 20 states that have active State Use programs. There are some states that have State Use laws on the books, but they are not active and are not part of the membership of SUPRA. How does SUPRA differ from ACCSES (American Congress on Community Supports and Services)? ACCSES provides a legislative voice and advocacy effort for people with disabilities and CRPs. SUPRA focuses solely on the issue of State Use contracts and provides a collective national representation for all State Use programs. When were State Use programs first introduced in this country? The first State Use law was passed in 1946 in New York and applied only to individuals who were blind. This, I know is similar to the history of the JWOD Program which was first passed in 1938 and applied only to people who were blind. In 1953, Pennsylvania incorporated a State Use law to apply to all people with disabilities. However, beyond the initiatives in New York and Pennsylvania, State Use programs really didn’t get off the ground until the late 1980s and early 1990s when more and more states started realizing the value of State Use programs. How many people with disabilities are working on State Use projects? There are currently about 40,000 people with disabilities working on State Use projects nationwide. I’d say about 70% of the jobs in the State Use programs are in the service industry, while the remaining 30% are in the product-manufacturing sector. How many Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) participate in State Use programs nationwide and do you find a great deal of cross-over with the JWOD Program? There are about 900 CRPs that have active State Use contracts. Many of the CRPs that have State Use contracts also have JWOD contracts. Why do you think there is so much cross-over between CRPs in State Use Programs and those in the JWOD Program? Most of the State Use programs were modeled after the practices of the Federal JWOD Program. We have many of the same rules and regulations that the JWOD Program has. Our agencies operate with at least 75% of their workforce being comprised of people with disabilities, we operate under the concept of providing fair market pricing and the infrastructure of the programs are very similar. However, I think the biggest reason we see such a large crossover is that the contracts and contract requirements are very similar. States agencies, like federal agencies, contract out for custodial operations, grounds maintenance, mailroom operations as well as product manufacturing. So it would make sense that CRPs that develop expertise in these fields are able to perform these functions on both the State and Federal levels. How can the JWOD Program and SUPRA work together to benefit people with disabilities? With an estimated 54 million people with disabilities in this country and a 70% unemployment rate for people with disabilities, the need to find employment opportunities is greater than anything that one agency or program can meet. It’s important that all of us work together to maximize jobs for people with disabilities. Both SUPRA and NISH must continue to provide legislative support and training for our member agencies and we must continue to identify projects for CRPs and assist CRPs in maintaining the contracts they have. What types of jobs are people with disabilities working on in State Use Programs? We get a lot of work from the State Departments of Transportation for the maintenance of rest areas along State highways. We do a lot of mailroom operations and custodial work at State buildings. We also have numerous grounds maintenance and litter patrol projects. One of the newest markets that State Use programs are tapping into and in which we are seeing a lot of growth in, is in the field of temporary services. We have a number of people with disabilities who are filling temporary positions for clerical support, data entry and administrative support. These temporary jobs have been a great boost for State Use programs and specifically for people with disabilities who get an opportunity to really show how capable they are. Once on the job, people with disabilities are gaining valuable job skills and the result is often one in which the individual gets hired by the State on a permanent basis or they are able to transfer their skills to other private sector employment positions. What incentive do States have in utilizing State Use programs for their service and product needs? Employing people with disabilities is really a win-win for everyone. Yes, it’s a socio-economic program that is good practice for people with disabilities, but it is also a program that makes economic sense for the state and federal governments. The states see a 10 to 35 percent return on their investment in terms of dollars spent when people with disabilities become employed, taxpaying citizens. What are some of the greatest challenges that State Use programs face in today’s market? On a purely functional level, one of our greatest challenges has been the issue of distributing products that our agencies are manufacturing. Our distribution systems are becoming more decentralized as our society continues to move into the technology field. Our challenge is to find innovative ways to stay in the forefront of this movement and make sure our products are easily accessible to our customers. On a more global level, one of the greatest challenges for any preferential program is the sheer increase in numbers of preferential programs that are in existence today. It goes back to supply and demand. With this increase in programs, there is a greater demand on the dollars that are spent. So while the need is getting larger, the number of opportunities stay the same. In response to this, we have a responsibility to ensure that we market our programs effectively and that we follow best-practices by delivering quality products and services to our customers so that they keep coming back. We must also continue to come up with innovative strategies to open doors for people with disabilities and increase the number of job opportunities available. With the national unemployment rate at its lowest point in more than three decades, this becomes a great time for people with disabilities to get into the job market and really show what they are capable of doing. Utilizing temporary workers is one example of how we have started to think outside of the box in order to expand and take advantage of the market. As the incoming President of SUPRA, what is your vision for the future of the State-Use programs? The main goal I would like to see accomplished is an increase in the number of States that have active State Use programs. There are so many people with disabilities across the country who want to work but don’t have the opportunities. I want to see more States embrace the value of State Use programs, not only for people with disabilities, but for the American taxpayer as a hole. In order to accomplish this goal, I think it is important that we work with National programs, like the JWOD Program, to actively market the benefits of our programs and to share our strengths. HOME |