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
29 February 2008
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 Gleneck
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 ]
This week’s Navigator highlight focuses on connecting asset building strategies to the workforce investment system and refers you to a webinar archive, a resource and a website.
[The full announcements (Webinar, Money Smart, Real Economic Impact Tour) are located under the section headings "Upcoming Events of Interest.", "Resources of Interest, and "Website of the Week."."]
First of all, if you missed the February 21st Workforce3 One webinar, One-Stop Career Centers Assisting the Asset Building Process for Low-Income Individuals, then I highly recommend that you access the archive. Through this webinar you can learn how the public workforce investment system is assisting to create economic transformation in regional economies across the nation through innovative asset building strategies. Through the Real Economic Impact Tour, the National Disability Institute along with its lead partner, the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), is identifying and documenting the unique role of the public workforce investment system in building economic self-sufficiency for its customers with low incomes. This Webinar will provide you with a brief review and update of the Real Economic Impact Tour (also highlighted separately as a “website of the week” and show how its partnership with the Disability Program Navigators and local One-Stop Career Centers is benefiting a variety of "targeted" populations (youth, older workers, ex-offenders, TANF, ESL, Indian and Native Americas, migrant and seasonal farm workers, and persons with disabilities).
The Real Economic Impact Tour is a public-private partnership of business, federal, state, and local organizations that promotes financial self-sufficiency and economic independence for people of modest means through the expanded use of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), free tax preparation services, financial literacy education, and matched savings programs (i.e., individual development accounts). For additional background information on this Tour, refer to Training and Employment Notice, July 10, 2007, No. 5-07, Real Economic Impact Tour: TAXFacts + Campaign, "Building Healthy Economic Futures for Americans with Disabilities." This Webinar demonstrates how your One-Stop Career Center can become involved with the Real Economic Impact Tour and how to assist your customers to become more economically self-sufficient through a variety of asset-building strategies.
You will learn how One-Stop Career Centers are building partnerships that are contributing to their region's economic development vision through free tax preparation (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and use of the Earned Income Tax Credit), other asset building strategies, referral, and resource information dissemination. Three One-Stop Career Centers in Milwaukee, WI, Jacksonville Fl, and Detroit, MI will be profiled to highlight their effective strategies and innovative models for promoting asset building, financial literacy, and economic self-sufficiency for working individuals with low-incomes.
One of the presenters, for the Milwaukee site is the Navigator Danna Rhinehart. During her presentation, she touches on the different ways that her Center has incorporated financial education and literacy and other asset building strategies through workshops. In particular, she talks about how the Center has added the FDIC Money Smart training program (highlighted in “resources of the week”).
So what is asset building and what does it mean to customers with disabilities, access the August 21, 2006 DPN Bi-weekly FAQ to learn “ What information can I pass on to people with disabilities to increase financial literacy and knowledge on tax credits and asset-development strategies? ” available at: http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/dpn/faqs/2006_08_21_basic_adv.html.
This article, from the NY Times, February 21, 2008 is an interesting discussion of self-identification and disclosure. It highlights individuals with different disabilities and their experience and/or decision to disclose their disability in an employment situation.
Comprehensive employment transportation strategies are essential to the economic vitality of our cities and towns. On June 2 and 3, the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) s hosting a two-day national summit of the four key partners who play an integral role in solving job-related mobility challenges:
Use time at the conference to build a relationship with a local partner. Talk together at the conference about local transportation issues as well as network with other communities. Go home energized and focused on the mutual goal of growing mobility options that sustain the economy.
To facilitate local partnership-building at the conference, the Association is offering a $50 rebate (maximum 3 rebates per community) to each additional registration from the same community once one partner from that community has registered. Note that to qualify for the rebate; each participant from the same community must represent a different key partner (e.g., a transportation provider and business leader; a transportation provider, workforce development professional, and community leader).
To submit a rebate request, fax copies of all registrations from the same community together with a note requesting the rebate to 202-737-9197, attn: Amy Conrick.
If you're not also registering for EXPO, choose option seven: "Employment Transportation Conference ONLY."
For more information on the Employment Transportation Conference, please contact Amy Conrick at E–mail conrick@ctaa.org or 800.891.0590 x734 or 202-415-9692.
Workforce Innovations 2008: Success Decoded will bring together local, state and national-level strategic workforce investment partners to learn from successes and cultivate the talent development solutions needed in today's global economy. Workforce Innovations is the premier annual conference promoting collaboration among leaders from workforce development, business, economic development, education, community-based organizations, and philanthropy.
You will gain an unparalleled opportunity to engage with practitioners and thought leaders who are forging effective strategies for regionally-driven innovation and talent development. Experience a collage of color, creativity, and excitement that can only be Workforce Innovations!
Registration. Early bird registration is
now open, access:
http://www.workforceinnovations.org/Register.cfm.
Hotel Accommodations. You can choose from a variety of hotels and make your reservations online, access: http://www.workforceinnovations.org/Travel.cfm.
Access the main URL for more information including the program and sessions, and sponsors and exhibitors.
Note, in order to access the archive, you will have to be a registered user of the Workforce3 One website. Alternatively, you can send an e-mail to E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu requesting an electronic copy of the Power Point presentation.
On February 21st, Workforce3 One hosted a webinar on One-Stop Career centers Assisting the Asset-Building Process for Low-Income Individuals. The director of the National Disability Institute and a Senior Tax Analyst with the Internal Revenue Service discussed the Real Economic Impact Tour and how it is helping to build healthy financial futures for Americans with disabilities through innovative asset building strategies, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Representatives from three communities (Milwaukee, WI, Jacksonville Fl, and Detroit, MI) highlighted the partnerships between the asset building side and the workforce investment side through Disability Program Navigators housed in One-Stop Career Centers is creating effective strategies and innovative models for promoting asset building, financial literacy, and economic self-sufficiency for working individuals with low-incomes
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recognizes the importance of financial education, particularly for people with little or no banking experience. The Money Smart training program was created to help adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. The Money Smart curriculum helps individuals build financial knowledge, develop financial confidence, and use banking services effectively.
The Money Smart program may be used by financial institutions and other organizations (including One-Stop Career Centers and other community partners) interested in sponsoring financial education workshops. Money Smart is available in two versions: an instructor-led version and a computer-based instruction (CBI) version. Both versions consist of the same 10 modules.
The instructor-led version of Money Smart is for those who plan to teach financial education to others in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Russian. A version for the visually impaired is also available.
Each module takes between 1-2 hours of classroom time to teach. The modules may be taught in any order or combination.
The CBI version enables individuals to complete Money Smart at their own pace on a computer in English or Spanish. The CBI is available online or can be ordered on CD-ROM.
The FDIC provides the Money Smart curriculum to interested parties free of charge. A limited number of copies are available to each party; however, the materials are easily reproduced and have no copyright restrictions.
Publications and other resources of interest concerning the Money Smart program.
To order a free copy of the Money Smart Program, select the Money Smart Curriculum Online Order Form available at: http://www2.fdic.gov/moneysmartregister/
The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 established a nationwide system of public employment services, known as the Employment Service. Via the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the Employment Service was made part of the One-Stop service delivery system. Wagner-Peyser data provide a significant source of data regarding the performance of the One-Stop Career Center system; since One-Stop partners are encouraged to register everyone (including people with disabilities) they serve in the Labor Exchange Services funded by Wagner-Peyser. These data should be interpreted as a reflection but not an absolute measure of One-Stop performance, as there are variations from state-to-state in the One-Stop integration and registration procedures.
This data note explores how states vary in the number and percentage of job seekers who register for services and identify as having a disability.
The Real Economic Impact Tour (REI TOUR) is a national initiative delivering free tax preparation and filing assistance, along with other asset building strategies to low-income persons with disabilities. The REI Tour is a public-private collaboration designed to provide Americans with disabilities insight, tools and resources to improve their lives through financial education, training and counseling. The REI Tour is designed to promote:
This ground-breaking effort has been the gateway for many to explore opportunities connecting them to financial independence. This is accomplished through community partnerships in more than 65 cities throughout the country linking consumers to non-profit organizations, federal agencies and private-sector companies.
In the 2007 filing season REI Tour partners prepared over 36,000 tax returns in 54 cities. $30 million in refunds were received by persons with disabilities-over $10 million from the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Access the URL to see if your city is part of the REI Tour and, if it is, find out how you connect asset building strategies to the workforce investment system and other community programs.
This section includes a Disability Toolkit, Frequently Asked Questions and Asset Building Resources and more.
High School/High Tech (HS/HT) is recognized as one of the most successful strategies for assisting youth with disabilities as they transition from high school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education and employment. Over the years, HS/HT has evolved from a small program in a few localities that focused on exposing youth with disabilities to technology-related careers to a comprehensive program of transition services. Through an array of activities identified in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth’s (NCWD/Youth) Guideposts for Success, HS/HT exposes youth with disabilities to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (the STEM careers) and encourages them to pursue post-secondary education to prepare for such careers.
The HS/HT Program Guide is an updated and much expanded version of the HS/HT Program Manual that was produced in 2003. As HS/HT has spread to numerous states, the experiences of these programs and the resultant evolution of the HS/HT program from a locally-administered and implemented program to a state-administered and locally-implemented program have produced a wealth of additional information about the HS/HT program model. As a result, the newly released HS/HT Program Guide is full of information and materials used by the HS/HT programs throughout the country. In this Guide, programs share their experiences, program materials, tips for partnership development, service strategies, activities, curriculum, and success stories, as well as their many examples of systemic change impacting how states and localities approach the provision of transition services. This information can be used by existing HS/HT programs for program improvement and expansion, and by new and developing programs to guide their implementation efforts.
The HS/HT Program Guide can be downloaded from the NCWD/Youth website or single copies can be requested and multiple copies purchased from NCWD/Youth by calling (202) 822-8405.