The keynote message Dr. Robert Pasternack left behind with conference participants was clear and emphatic: Latinos with disabilities deserve more opportunities for employment.

His message was so simple it bordered on common sense--what else would someone say at a conference about employing Latinos with disabilities? But this was no mere parroting of the conference theme. Pasternack's passion was unmistakable.

"I want you to understand that my flying across the country to be with you today shows the importance of this conference on employment of Latinos with disabilities," Pasternack said. Pasternack, the assistant secretary of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services in the U.S. Department of Education, had to leave the conference immediately after his presentation to catch his return flight home.

New Freedom Initiative

Pasternack highlighted the importance of the New Freedom Initiative that U.S. President Bush launched his first month in office. The New Freedom Initiative outlines recommendations and plans for increasing employment rates among Americans with disabilities. Plans include improving access to employment opportunities, education, transportation, and home ownership opportunities. "Many people are not aware of it," said Pasternack. He encouraged conference participants to learn more about the New Freedom Initiative through the web at http://whitehouse.gov.

Pasternack cited statistics indicating that there are 54 million Americans with disabilities, 70 percent of whom are unemployed. Pasternack noted that statistics often come from different sources, which means that exact numbers for Americans with disabilities and unemployment rates often conflict with each other. "There are different numbers," Pasternack acknowledged, "But there are many [unemployed Americans with disabilities]. We need to do more to place disabled adults in work."

Untapped Potential

"When I work with the U.S. Congress, I explain that disability doesn't mean incapability," Pasternack said. He added that he also explains to congressional representatives that people with disabilities can work with appropriate accommodations.

Pasternack expressed frustration, however, with statistics that indicate that two times as many children with disabilities drop out of school as other students. "The drop out rate for children of color is worse," he said. "I'm tired of hearing that the reason more Latinos, Indians, or African Americans drop out is because of culture. For the people in this room [at this conference], please help me help others understand... What does cultural sensitivity mean in terms of skills? What is cultural competence? What do these terms actually mean? What are the skills people need to turn this situation around?"

"What's so special about special education when disabled kids drop out at these rates?" Pasternack asked rhetorically. He pointed out that half of the students with emotional disturbance drop out of school, and two thirds of that number wind up in juvenile detention. "I've seen too often that budget is spent on planning but not enough on doing," said Pasternack.

Home Ownership

Pasternack deplored the fact that less than 10 percent of adults with disabilities own their own homes. He traces the problem to lack of employment. "Is the best thing we can do for disabled kids who graduate from high school is give them a TV set? How sad is that? If you don't have a job or credit history, you can't buy a house. It's that simple."

Pasternack summarized U.S. President Bush's concern about Americans with disabilities: there are "no jobs, no housing, no technology, and no mental health services," Pasternack said. He reminded the audience, "Don't forget, we're also talking about people with psychiatric disabilities." He pointed out that this disability group is frequently overlooked.

Kathy Martinez, the director of Proyecto Visión and World Institute on Disability, praised Pasternack for his long commitment to Latinos with disabilities. She reiterated his message. "Everything Bob says is true," Martinez said. "Without a credit card, you can't get a house. Transportation, education-all these issues come up for Latinos looking for a job."

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