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| Kareem Dale is a Special Assistant to the President Barack Obama for Disability Policy. |
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Kareem Dale Speaks to Independence Today
Kareem Dale is a Special Assistant to the President of the United States for Disability Policy. Dale, who is partially blind, coordinates the Administration's efforts to see that people with disabilities are on a level playing field with all Americans. Originally from Chicago, Dale previously served as the National Disability Director for the Obama for America campaign. He also served on the Arts Policy Committee and the Disability Policy Committee for then-Senator Obama. Dale graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in Advertising in May 1995. He received his JD/MBA in May 1999 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating Cum Laude.
In an exclusive interview for Independence Today, he answered questions from John M. Williams.
Independence Today: What are your responsibilities?
Kareem Dale: I work in both the Domestic Policy Council and Office of Public Engagement at the White House. I coordinate the Administration's work on disability policy and outreach.
Independence Today: How often do you meet with leaders of the disability community to hear their concerns?
Kareem Dale: I meet frequently with disability leaders, grassroots advocates, family members of people with disabilities, and ordinary Americans to discuss issues related to people with disabilities.
Independence Today :The unemployment rate among people in the disability community is above 13%. What is the administration doing to bring this number down?
Kareem Dale: One of the president's top priorities is continuing to improve the economy and get people back to work and that includes people with disabilities. From the Recovery Act and many other initiatives, the president has made strong investments in areas that are helping people with disabilities get back to work. As one example, the recovery plan included over $500 million for vocational rehabilitation services. Additionally, the president signed an Executive Order to make the federal government a model employer for people with disabilities. These initiatives will help college students with disabilities as well as well-established professionals.
Independence Today: What is the administration doing to encourage students with disabilities to graduate from high school and go on to college?
Kareem Dale: The president is committed to ensuring that more Americans go on to an institution of higher education. As he has said, his goal is to, by the end of the decade, have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.
Independence Today: How often do you meet with the president to discuss disability issues? Do you find he is receptive to these issues?
Kareem Dale: The president is very committed to disability issues.
Independence Today: What would you consider the administration's major accomplishment in dealing with disability issues?
Kareem Dale: There are many major accomplishments. Three of the biggest thus far include signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, issuing the disability employment Executive Order, and signing the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.
Independence Today: What are its short comings in dealing with disability issues?
Kareem Dale: People with disabilities still are underrepresented in the workforce and still too many are not graduating at the same rate as those without disabilities. As an administration, we continue to strive for improvement in these areas every day.
Independence Today: Many poor people with disabilities receiving Medicaid are scared to death that they will either be denied medical care or see a reduction in medical services, what can the administration do to alleviate these fears?
Kareem Dale: As the president discussed during recent remarks, he remains committed to Medicaid services. Moreover, the Affordable Care Act will permit many Americans, including those with disabilities, to obtain health coverage.
Independence Today: Assistive technology access is important to improving the lives of people with disabilities. Is the administration doing anything to guarantee that people with disabilities have access to assistive technology? What?
Kareem Dale: The Administration is committed to accessible technology. The President signed the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act in 2010. The CIO and CAO also issued a memorandum on Section 508 in July 2010 to bolster work on ensuring the federal government is compliant under Section 508. And, we continue to address these important issues.
Independence Today: Who is the highest ranking person in this administration with a disability and is this person given the opportunity to be visible?
Kareem Dale: We have many high ranking persons with disabilities in the White House and throughout the Administration, including myself, Chris Griffin (Deputy Director of the Office of Personnel Management), Secretary Eric Shinseki, and many others.
Independence Today: Do you consider yourself to be a role model for disabled people to emulate?
Kareem Dale: I believe in reaching back and helping others. If I can be helpful to a young person with or without a disability, I certainly strive to do that.
Independence Today: What assistive technologies do you use to do your job?
Kareem Dale: I have a Braille Note PK, talking caller ID on my work phone, Window Eyes on my computer, and Mobile Speak for my work smart phone.
Independence Today: Is there a personal goal that you want to achieve on behalf of people with disabilities before January 20, 2013? What is it?
Kareem Dale: We have many goals as an administration. We will continue to focus on education and employment for people with disabilities. We also are continuing to work on ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. And we continue to strive to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to emergency services during disasters.
Independence Today: What are some White House initiatives being done to assist disabled veterans get employed?
Kareem Dale: I would point you to Office of Personnel Management and Veterans Administration. Both have excellent programs in place.
Reprinted with permission from Independence Today.
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