(10/31/06 – New York, NY) On October 24, the National Disability Institute (NDI) held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to announce the kick-off of the 2007 Real Economic Impact Tour, a public/private collaboration designed to advance financial independence for Americans with disabilities. 

As an institutional partner with NDI, the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (the Federation) was represented at the press conference by Pamela Owens, the Federation’s Director of Education & Training.

“The Federation has partnered with NDI and the World Institute on Disabilities for a number of years now,” explained Pamela Owens. “We have worked extensively to expand our financial education training to reflect the needs of people with disabilities.  Our CDCU Institute™ for credit unions serving low- and moderate-income populations has also expanded its curriculum to address this issue.”

Owens added, “The Federation has coordinated a pilot program that links CDCUs with Centers for Assisted Living in Michigan and Illinois.  The program has been successful in connecting people living with disabilities with access to affordable credit and financial services from credit unions in their communities.”

Credit unions interested in learning more about reaching out to people living with disabilities should contact Valerie Harrison, Disability Program Coordinator, at (800) 437-8711 or vharrison@cdcu.coop.

The 2007 Real Economic Impact Tour begins November 13 and 14 at a kickoff event to be hosted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  The goal of the 2007 Real Economic Impact Tour is to reach out to more than two million individuals with disabilities and their families in participating cities.

The Tour will visit 54 cities nationwide.  Activities in those cities will include volunteer tax preparation assistance; financial education classes; training on access and use of public benefits; special events to connect to financial institutions; credit, debt, and homeownership counseling; training about federal work incentives to promote self-sufficiency; and training and technical assistance to leverage existing community resources.