RSA Chief Quits in Protest
Joanne Wilson, who resigned from her position as commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration on March 1, recently told The Washington Post that she resigned out of protest to the Bush Administration's attempt to dismantle disability vocational programs. "Programs for people with disabilities are being dismantled and nobody is crying out and saying, 'Look what's happening,'" said Wilson in the April 25 article.

According to Wilson, the Bush Administration wants governors to be allowed to merge RSA programs with other job placement programs, which would mean less money and staff dedicated to working specifically with disabled people. Also, Wilson says RSA staffing is being cut in half and the authority of the commissioner is being watered down.

Proponents of RSA services being combined with general vocational programs say these proposals will make the program more flexible and won't affect vocational services for disabled jobseekers. But opponents say that's not possible. "The way you rehabilitate a person with a severe disability is very different than the way you help a dislocated worker return to the workforce," said Fredric K. Schroeder, RSA commissioner during the Clinton Administration.