Bill Text: NJ A2396 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs Secretary of Higher Education to develop career and education guide for post secondary students with disabilities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [A2396 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A2396-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ERIK K. SIMONSEN
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman ANTWAN L. MCCLELLAN
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Sampson
SYNOPSIS
Directs Secretary of Higher Education to develop career and education guide for post secondary students with disabilities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning postsecondary students with disabilities and supplementing Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development and the New Jersey Presidents' Council, shall develop a career and education guide for postsecondary students with disabilities. The guide shall include information for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities on available resources at institutions of higher education that support both the academic goals and future career paths of students.
The career and education guide shall:
(1) identify the availability of, at each institution of higher education in the State:
(a) disability career centers, career counseling, and placement services;
(b) work-based learning options for students with disabilities, including internships, cooperative learning experiences, and independent study opportunities; and
(c) accommodations and supports such as note-taker services, exam accommodations, accessible seating, communication accommodations, specialty textbooks and equipment, accessible parking, housing and dining areas, and student groups;
(2) provide broad-based career planning information and guidance for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities on:
(a) when, if, and how a student with a disability may disclose their disability with a prospective employer;
(b) how to negotiate and request reasonable accommodations on the job;
(c) workers' rights for employees with disabilities; and
(d) assistive technologies and other supports available to accommodate persons in the workplace; and
(3) detail a list of national and regional organizations, including contact information and websites, specifically tailored to meet the unique challenges of job seekers with disabilities.
b. The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education shall make the guide developed pursuant to this section publicly available on its website.
2. This act shall take effect
on the 90th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development and the New Jersey Presidents' Council, to develop a career and education guide for postsecondary students with disabilities.
The guide will include information for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities on available resources at institutions of higher education that support both the academic goals and future career paths of students. For each institution of higher education in the State, the guide will identify the availability of:
(1) disability career centers, career counseling, and placement services;
(2) work-based learning options for students with disabilities, including internships, cooperative learning experiences, and independent study opportunities; and
(3) accommodations and supports such as note-taker services, exam accommodations, accessible seating, communication accommodations, specialty textbooks and equipment, accessible parking, housing and dining areas, and student groups.
The guide will also provide broad-based career planning information and guidance for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities on:
(1) when, if, and how a student with a disability may disclose their disability with a prospective employer;
(2) how to negotiate and request reasonable accommodations on the job;
(3) workers' rights for employees with disabilities; and
(4) assistive technologies and other supports available to accommodate persons in the workplace.
Finally, the guide will detail a list of national and regional organizations, including contact information and websites, specifically tailored to meet the unique challenges of job seekers with disabilities.
The bill directs the secretary to make the guide publicly available on its website.
