{"id":2448903,"date":"2025-06-18T12:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/students-with-disabilities-get-to-work-in-state-summer-initiative-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T12:45:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:45:39","slug":"students-with-disabilities-get-to-work-in-state-summer-initiative-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/students-with-disabilities-get-to-work-in-state-summer-initiative-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Students with disabilities get to work in state summer initiative &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstudents-with-disabilities-get-to-work-in-state-summer-initiative-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2448903&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the Department of Labor and Industry&#8217;s &#8220;MY Work&#8221; program, a summer initiative in Pennsylvania designed for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-education-sec-on-womens-school-sports-we-have-a-legal-responsibility-to-include-transgender-athletes\/\" title=\"Biden Education Sec On Women\u2019s School Sports: We Have a \u2018Legal Responsibility\u2019 to Include Transgender Athletes\">high school students<\/a> with disabilities. This program, organized by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, allows students to gain paid work experience while engaging in various projects that benefit the community. Labor and Industry Secretary Nancy Walker emphasized the importance of such initiatives, which not only empower students but also help municipalities as their labor costs are covered by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. This year, 500 students from 57 counties are participating, undertaking tasks such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-mayor-police-exodus-great-opportunity-to-diversity-the-department\/\" title=\"NYC Mayor: Police Exodus \u2018Great Opportunity To Diversity the ...\u2019\">park maintenance<\/a> and environmental education. The program is part of a broader request for increased funding in the state&#8217;s budget to support individuals with disabilities in the workforce. The article highlights the ongoing challenges of unemployment for people with disabilities, which remains substantially above the national average.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Students with disabilities get to work in state summer initiative<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2151922\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; Summer work has begun for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"students\">students<\/a> throughout the commonwealth who are participating in the Department of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Labor<\/a> and Industry&rsquo;s MY Work program.<\/p>\n<p>The program is an initiative of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation offered to high school students with disabilities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3445727\/trump-lays-into-jerome-powell-fed-interest-rates\/\">Trump lays into Powell as Fed expected to hold interest rates steady<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3445772\/durbin-counters-gop-biden-hearing-fitness-trump-gaffe-montage\/\">Durbin counters GOP hearing on Biden fitness with Trump gaffe montage<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3445662\/red-jumpsuit-apparatus-ronnie-wilson-trump-voters-not-allowed-at-shows\/\">Red Jumpsuit Apparatus singer says Christian Trump voters are &#8216;not allowed&#8217; at shows<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Labor and Industry Secretary Nancy Walker joined students in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Lycoming County<\/a> Monday for their first day on the job at Rider Park, an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >867 acre nature preserve offering activities<\/a> and environmental education to the community.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It brings me such joy to visit MY Work locations each summer &ndash; from meeting the students to seeing all the fascinating projects they are working on over the course of the program &ndash; these visits are a great reminder of the incredible work our Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is doing across our Commonwealth,&rdquo; said Walker.<\/p>\n<p>The students from Williamsport and Montgomery area high schools will earn paid work experience they can use to inform and support future career choices. They are among 500 students across the commonwealth who have been matched to 100 worksites in 57 of the state&rsquo;s 67 counties.<\/p>\n<p>The student workers at Rider Park will work on projects including park trail repairs, drainage improvements, trail marker maintenance, invasive plant management, and wet tread improvement over the course of four weeks, according to the department.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These students are gaining invaluable skills they&rsquo;ll be able to use throughout their careers, bettering their communities, and making memories that will surely last a lifetime,&rdquo; said Walker. &ldquo;Along with the Governor and First Lady, I will always support programs that lift up Pennsylvanians living with a disability to ensure their rightful place both in society and in the halls of power.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The students are paid for their work through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, meaning the municipalities in which they work receive the help at no cost.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative highlights an ask in the Shapiro administration&rsquo;s proposed budget, which would increase funding for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation by $5 million dollars in the 2025-2026 year. In addition to the MY Work program, the office assists individuals with disabilities at any age with employment counseling, skill development, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-is-for-stoners-commonwealth-becomes-16th-state-to-legalize-marijuana\/\" title=\"Virginia Is For Stoners: Commonwealth Becomes 16th State To Legalize Marijuana\">job <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/department-of-education-rule-threatens-viability-of-for-profit-colleges\/\" title=\"For-profit colleges face viability threat due to Education ... rule.\">placement services<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An additional $18.5 million has been proposed in the budget for other labor initiatives, including apprenticeship programs, the Schools-to-Work program, and the Nurse Shortage Assistance program.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3444769\/pennsylvania-man-pipe-bombs-home-no-kings-protest\/\" title=\"\">POLICE FIND SEVEN PIPE BOMBS IN HOME OF MAN ARRESTED NEAR &lsquo;NO KINGS&rsquo; PROTEST<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The office says it has served nearly half a million Pennsylvanians since 2016, offering &ldquo;vocational counseling, evaluations, medical diagnostic services, medical restoration services, employment training, placement services, and career support services.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for those age 16 and over with disabilities is 7.6%, well above the national average.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2151922\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2151922\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students with disabilities start summer jobs in MY Work program<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2448904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP231999020531-1024x558.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49572,5731,4072,57405,32076],"class_list":["post-2448903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-disabilities","tag-employment","tag-students","tag-summer-initiative","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP231999020531-1024x558.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448903"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448907,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448903\/revisions\/2448907"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}