Dear Ohio advocates,

As part of our efforts to break down barriers and advance the principles that are important to protecting the human rights of individuals with Down syndrome, NDSS is working to advance legislation known as the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act (S. 260). The goal of the bill is to increase disability employment through expanding the infrastructure for providing services for competitive integrated employment and integrated services, while simultaneously phasing out Special Wage Certificates (SWCs) under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act that allows individuals with disabilities to be paid well below minimum wage.

We need advocates to reach out to Senator Portman’s office and express their support for the Transformation to Competitive Employment Act and ask Senator Portman to cosponsor this important legislation. To make this as easy as possible, attached is an email template that you can cut and paste into an email with your contact information. I’ve highlighted sections of the letter that you would need to edit. Additionally, please feel free to edit the letter with any personal touches you may wish to add.

Please send your email to Sara Bell in Senator Portman’s office at sara_bell@portman.senate.gov I would appreciate hearing about any response you receive back from those offices.

Thank you in advance for your help to promote the human rights of all individuals with Down syndrome. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.

All my best,

Nicole