2 Nuts and Bolts to (a) improve the ability of state VR agencies to work with employers and providers of training to ensure equal access to, and greater opportunities for, individuals with disabilities to engage in competitive employment or training; (b) increase the number and quality of employment outcomes in competitive, integrated settings for VR-eligible individuals with disabilities; and (c) increase the number of VR-eligible individuals with disabilities in employer-driven job training programs. Guidance on Integrated Employment. In FY 2015, ED/RSA will issue guidance on integrated employment, focusing on VR program integrated employment requirements to better enable grantees to identify job opportunities in the community that afford individuals with disabilities full interaction with non-disabled employees. The guidance also strongly encourages the use of community-based training and work experiences to prepare individuals for integrated employment, rather than sheltered settings in which individuals with disabilities are segregated and have little exposure to work settings in the community. For example, the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) administers the Team Approach to Reaching Goals through Education and Training (TARGET) program in partnership with the Delaware Department of Labor. This program provides at-risk students with disabilities, including recipients of social security benefits (SSI/SSDI) and those exiting correctional institutions, employment services, such as job seeking skills, placement services and internship opportunities in collaboration with local employers. This guidance will explain the benefits of job skills training and work experience in community-based settings rather than sheltered settings. Walgreens Employing People with Disabilities Walgreens has demonstrated a commitment to offering employment opportunities for people with disabilities while making their operations more efficient. Walgreens Distribution Centers are the foundation of the retail chain. Walgreens senior vice president of supply chain and logistics Randy Lewis wanted to make these centers operate more smoothly while employing people with disabilities. Walgreens worked with specialists in the vocational rehabilitation field and opened a state-of-the-art distribution center in Anderson, SC in 2007. The center features a work environment designed to be inclusive for people with cognitive or physical disabilities, with the following accommodations: flexible workstations, elevators for those who can't walk up the steps, touch-screen computers with large icons and easy-to-read type for the visually impaired, and new systems designed to help all team members work efficiently. As of October 2011 (the latest date for which they published data), 9.5 percent of distribution center jobs were held by people who have disabilities. The goal is to fill 20 percent of distribution center jobs with people who have disabilities. “Our employees with disabilities earn the same pay, work under the same standards and work side-by-side with all other employees,” said Lewis. “This is a business, not a charity. And it has turned out better than we could've ever imagined.” Employer Engagement Roundtable. In 2015, ED, together with other federal agencies, will convene an Employer Engagement Roundtable that brings business leaders and VR professionals and others together to develop strategies to ensure that individuals with disabilities, including those with the most significant disabilities, have the necessary skills to obtain meaningful jobs in today’s economy. 41