Law, Health Policy & Disability Center
University of Iowa College of Law
http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/dpn/
and
The Burton Blatt Institute
Syracuse University
http://bbi.syr.edu
One–Stop Toolkit
Resources of the Week Technical Assistance Project E–Mail listserv
26 January 2007
Good morning everyone,
Below please find the web site and publication of the week, as well as other resources that we hope will be useful as you work on systems change activities to help improve employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
To subscribe and / or view past resources of the week archives, access: www.onestoptoolkit.org and click on the link to "Resources of the Week" on the right hand side of the home page.
To view an indexed list of the resources of the week by subject matter, visit the L.P.H.D.C. web site at http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/resources/wig/default.asp. It currently includes 20 categories, covering over 300 annotated references. Each category opens to a new window with each Resource of the Week which covered material in that area.
Have a good day and weekend!
Laura Farah
Program Associate
Law, Health Policy & Disability Center
University of Iowa College of Law
P: 617–489–0086
F: 617–489–1374
[ E–mail Lgleneck@mail.law.uiowa.edu ]
[ E–mail LFarah8@aol.com ]
[ http://www.onestoptoolkit.org ]
[The full announcement is located under the section heading "Publication of the Week."]
Navigators are often instrumental in strengthening partnerships between the workforce system and disability and community agencies. This article points out that "collaborations must be able to work together, share resources, and find creative and flexible ways to fund programs and share the financial burden". Encouraging this kind of collaboration among various systems to help meet the individualized needs of people with disabilities is something that Navigators do everyday. However, Navigators also know that it can be extremely difficult to bring different systems and funding streams together to help reach individuals’ goals. This article provides suggested activities when forming collaborative partnerships, specifically for youth, including identifying current services, programs, and funding sources provided within the community for secondary– and postsecondary–aged youth with disabilities and their families. It also lists recommended activities when considering pooling financial resources, including gaining a clear vision of the programs stakeholders are trying to finance and understanding the timeline, recipient’s needs, and reporting requirements for the use of federal funds. In addition, learn more about blending and braiding of funds, and share this information with your local youth councils and disability groups.
[The following is excerpted from the News Release.]
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the Department of Labor’s intent to provide up to $65 million to 13 regions across the country that comprise the second generation of the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative. "This regional economic development strategy transcends political boundaries to better leverage a region’s assets to help workers succeed in the 21st century worldwide economy," said Secretary Chao. "Investing in area workforces through this collaborative approach will boost entire regions’ economic vitality."
Each 2nd Generation WIRED region will receive an initial award of $500,000, with the ability to access a $4.5 million balance contingent upon completion of a regional implementation blueprint. The department launched WIRED in 2005 with a competition for grants involving the nation’s governors. In February 2006, 13 competitively selected regions were awarded $195 million to transform their economies. Later, an additional 13 regions, also among the best nationally, were awarded $100,000 grants to begin fostering the implementation of their talent development strategies. Today’s announcement lays the groundwork for this second generation of selected regions to take the next steps in carrying out their initiatives.
The 2nd Generation WIRED regions are: Eastern & Central Puerto Rico; Southwestern Connecticut; Northern New Jersey; Delaware Valley Tri–State Area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware); Appalachian Ohio; Southeast Michigan; Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee; Southwestern Indiana; Southeast Wisconsin; Arkansas Delta; Rio Grande Valley, Texas; Wasatch Range, Utah; and Northern California. "Strong regional economies that are built on maximizing talent and innovation will be crucial to the nation’s success in the global economy," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "The strategies the 2nd Generation WIRED regions are using will help them deploy their education, workforce development, and economic development assets to build their competitive advantage."
The Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development initiative is an effort by the department’s Employment and Training Administration to integrate economic and workforce development activities and demonstrate that talent development can drive economic transformation in regional economies across the United States.
[The following is excerpted from the News Release.]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $8,796,564 in grants to 32 public housing agencies (P.H.As.) and non–profit organizations across the country for supportive services that help elderly and disabled public housing residents. "Thousands of elderly and disabled public housing residents rely on these grants to assist them in maintaining an independent lifestyle," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "In some cases, these grants are the bridge to help our seniors and those with disabilities to live a life that allows them to fully participate in their communities and enjoy a wide range of opportunities."
The funding is from HUD’s Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Elderly / Persons with Disabilities Program, which public housing authorities, resident associations and non–profit organizations compete for annually. The grants enable these entities to hire project coordinators to work with elderly residents and those with disabilities to link them with supportive services available in their communities, such as transportation, health and wellness programs, and nutritious meal services, allowing these individuals or families to live independently longer.
The following lists the recipients by state. To see a list of recipients by state and housing authority, access the website.
| State | Public Housing Grant Amount |
|---|---|
| ALABAMA | $350,000 |
| ARIZONA | $375,000 |
| CALIFORNIA | $350,000 |
| GEORGIA | $375,000 |
| HAWAII | $388,522 |
| ILLINOIS | $300,000 |
| INDIANA | $350,000 |
| KANSAS | $240,000 |
| KENTUCKY | $318,032 |
| MICHIGAN | $164,734 |
| MISSISSIPPI | $250,000 |
| MONTANA | $98,500 |
| NORTH CAROLINA | $250,000 |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | $269,362 |
| NEW JERSEY | $776,066 |
| NEW YORK | $933,640 |
| OHIO | $622,487 |
| PENNSYLVANIA | $240,000 |
| TEXAS | $657,311 |
| VERMONT | $498,750 |
| WASHINGTON | $375,000 |
| WISCONSIN | $375,000 |
| WEST VIRGINIA | $239,160 |
The Pacific Rim Conference is one of the top–rated international educational offerings for persons with disabilities, family members, researchers, service providers, policymakers, and professionals in the various disciplines in the diverse field of disabilities. Pac Rim provides opportunities to learn from one another; share resources and ideas that support quality of life, community inclusion, and self–determination for all persons with disabilities and their families; and help shape our world community.
Access the U.R.L. for more information including the conference agenda and registration.
In this webcast, the presenters discussed the basics of telework. Telework can be used as a strategy for return–to–work for people with disabilities and for increasing competitive employment for Veterans who have a disability. The webcast included an overview of Federal interest in telework, given by Richard Horne, an in depth review of exactly what telework consists of, given by Jane Anderson, and an exploration of the success of Expediter, given by Richard Salnick. In addition, the presenters gave an overview of the resources and services that are available for employers and job–seekers on the new D.O.L. – ODEP TeleworkUSA.net website. We take employers through the steps needed to build a successful telework environment, enjoy the many perks of holding telework positions in their companies, and the rewards of engaging job–seekers that need to work remotely.
Access the U.R.L. to view the video and audio archive as well as to download the supporting materials.
Many capable individuals with disabilities face challenges as they pursue academics and careers. They are under–represented in many rewarding career fields, including science, engineering, business, and technology. DO–IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internet–working, and Technology) serves to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers. It promotes the use of computer and networking technologies to increase independence, productivity, and participation in education and employment. DO–IT has an extensive collection of publications and videos concerning access to information technology, including:
DO–IT is a collaboration of Computing & Communications and the Colleges of Engineering and Education at the University of Washington. Primary funding for DO–IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education. Consult DO–IT Support for more information.
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) consultants offer this site to share information regarding accommodations and legislation. The latest issue discusses the important role statistics play in our society; however, especially in terms of disability related information, they can sometimes be inconsistent. This issue identifies some sources of data related to people with disabilities and provides a five–step process to select a disability statistic that meets your need.
"You Can Ride" is a handy little booklet that helps people who cannot read or who do not use English understand how to use public transportation. It is illustrated with step–by–step graphic instructions on how to ride the bus or para–transit. The booklet depicts everything from planning a trip to exiting a bus on fixed routes and paratransit systems and includes an audio C.D. This is an excellent resource for travel trainers and Easter Seals can provide as many booklets as needed, free of charge.
Accessible Search is an early Google Labs product designed to identify and prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually impaired users. Regular Google search helps you find a set of documents that is most relevant to your tasks. Accessible Search goes one step further by helping you find the most accessible pages in that result set. Accessible Search is a natural and important extension of Google’s overall mission to better organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible.
In its current version, Google Accessible Search looks at a number of signals by examining the H.T.M.L. markup found on a web page. It tends to favor pages that degrade gracefully — pages with few visual distractions and pages that are likely to render well with images turned off. Google Accessible Search is built on Google Co–op’s technology, which improves search results based on specialized interests.
[Excerpted from the Introduction.]
Most funding for state and local transition programs that serve youth with disabilities depends on the authority of three federal laws—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (W.I.A.), and the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, found under Title IV of W.I.A. Because these three laws provide funding from separate federal agencies, states have various structures for providing related services (Timmons, 2004). This separation of funds and programs has often led to schools and human service agencies that serve individuals with disabilities functioning in isolation or from uncoordinated agendas (Crane, Gramlich, & Peterson, 2004).
Fortunately, many state and local educational and human service organizations, with encouragement from federal funding agencies, are forming partnerships that seek to coordinate agendas and collaborate with as many stakeholder groups as possible. To be successful and sustaining, these collaborations must be able to work together, share resources, and find creative and flexible ways to fund programs and share the financial burden.
This brief describes two funding tools that are increasingly used in collaborative relationships. Both blended funding and braided funding pool financial resources to maximize outcomes. These tools can be instrumental in maintaining and sustaining effective relationships in transition programming.