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
9 March 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 announcements (JAN, N.Y.L.N. / KASA) were included in the March 2, 2007 edition of the One–Stop Toolkit.]
Navigators look for opportunities to connect youth with disabilities with valuable resources, employment and self–sufficiency. Many Navigators are active members of their local Youth Councils and have helped their One–Stop Career Centers to establish partnerships with local schools and special education departments to ensure that youth with disabilities learn about the resources available. The two websites listed above offer valuable resources that you can pass on to schools, Youth Councils, and youth with disabilities. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides basic educational and training instructional strategies that facilitate learning among students with disabilities in classroom or training sessions. The National Youth Leadership Network and Kids as Self Advocates spread the mission that young people with disabilities have control over their own lives and futures, and their website offers valuable information and resources on leadership, education, employment and independence. One of the resources provided by youth with disabilities to youth with disabilities include a checklist of tasks that will help with transition, such as how to be actively involved with your own I.E.P., when to contact V.R. and visit a One–Stop Career Center, and how to be involved with Disability Mentoring Day.
DATES: The deadline for applications is April 30, 2007.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao invites nominations for the 2007 Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Awards. This marks the sixth year that Secretary Chao will be presenting awards to businesses, non–profit organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in enhancing employment opportunities for workers with disabilities.
Access the U.R.L. to learn the eligibility criteria, the nomination process and the administrative procedures for the New Freedom Initiative Award, and to solicit the Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award nominations. You can also access a list of FAQs on the N.F.I. for 2007 at: http://www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/NFI07.htm.
APPLICATION: There is no special application packet, but you must follow the guidelines and criteria posted in the February 12 Federal Register Notice, which can be accessed at the U.R.L. listed above.
The E.E.O.C. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) has entered into a cooperative agreement with researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University to mine the data collected by the E.E.O.C. since the implementation of the employment provisions of the A.D.A.. Some of the questions that the researchers hope to answer through this effort include:
Join this audio conference as these questions along with others are discussed by the individuals involved in this project and learn what they have found to date. Explore how this information can be used to inform policymakers and shape the way that employers may respond to their obligations under the A.D.A..
Dr. Brian T. McMahon
C.R.C. Professor, V.C.U. Dept. of Rehabilitation Counseling
Research Professor, V.C.U. Dept of Rehab Medicine
Registration and fees: The cost for the session is $25 for non–profits and $40 for other entities for each location, regardless of the number of participants at each location (multiple people can attend at one location for the same flat fee). To register, access the U.R.L. listed above.
Audio conference logistics: Sessions are 90 minutes in length and delivered via audio conference. Participants are in a "listen–only" mode until the question and answer period. The sessions are offered real–time captioned on the Internet, and a transcript is developed and posted to the Internet following the session. In addition, a digital recording of the session is archived on the D.B.T.A.C.: Great Lakes A.D.A. Center web site at http://www.adagreatlakes.org.
For more information or questions, contact Maria Del Bosque at 713.520.0232 x 118.
This fact sheet from the E.E.O.C. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) explains how the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) might apply to particular situations involving job applicants and employees in the health care field.
[The following is excerpted from the web page.]
On February 27, 2007 the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (D.O.J.) issued new installments of a technical assistance document designed to assist state and local officials in improving compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) in their programs, services, activities and facilities. These newly released documents address Effective Communication Requirements Under Title II of the A.D.A. and 911 and Emergency Communications Services. On December 5, 2006 D.O.J. issued the first installments.
The Tool Kit is designed to teach state and local government officials how to identify and fix problems that prevent people with disabilities from gaining equal access to state and local government programs, services, and activities. It will also teach state and local officials how to conduct accessibility surveys of their buildings and facilities to identify and remove architectural barriers to access.
While state and local governments are not required to use the A.D.A. Best Practices Tool Kit, the Department encourages its use as one effective means of complying with the requirements of Title II of the A.D.A..
The Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) is a tool that can be used to find out if an individual might be eligible for benefits from any of the programs Social Security administers and other benefits programs. The tool screens for eligibility for Medicare, Social Security Disability, Social Security Retirement, Social Security Survivors, Special Veterans and Supplemental Security Income (S.S.I.) benefits.
Most people experience considerable distress and avoidance after being exposed to a severely traumatic experience. This is a normal and adaptive response and often includes re–living the event in thoughts, images, and dreams. This initial re–living of the event may in fact contribute to the healing process and provide a way of achieving mastery over the event. For most people, these symptoms usually become less severe and gradually disappear over time. For others, the symptoms persist and become chronic, leading to P.T.S.D..
There are many treatments available for P.T.S.D.. This fact sheet discusses:
The WIRED Initiative (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) stresses the critical role that talent development plays in creating effective regional economic development strategies. This initiative was launched in November 2005 to assist regions in integrating economic and workforce development activities. The WIRED Public website hosts an extensive library of information, resources, and tools to help you prepare for economic growth and re–vitalization in your region. Resources include:
The resources listed above can be found in the WIRED Resource Library along with a WIRED fact sheet to learn more about the initiative at. Links to these resources and more are available at: [ http://www.doleta.gov/wired/tools/resourceLibrary.cfm ] [ Get free Adobe Reader ] [ Get Microsoft Office C.D., free trial, S / H applies ].
The Health and Human Services Office on Disability was created in October 2002 in response to President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative (N.F.I.). The office oversees the implementation and coordination of disability programs, policies and special initiatives pertaining to the over 54 million persons with disabilities in the United States. The New Freedom Initiative established seven distinct domains in the area of disability: community integration, education, employment, health, housing, technology, and transportation. The Office on Disability focuses its efforts on these seven domains.
Under the section "Disability Topics" (http://www.hhs.gov/od/topics/topics.html) [ Get free Adobe Reader ] [ Get free Word Viewer ] [ Get Microsoft Office C.D., free trial, S / H applies ], you can access links to the following areas:
EmployAbility is one of the first agencies that T–TAP (Training and Technical Assistance for Providers) selected to receive technical assistance when the project began in 2002. Agencies responded to a request for proposals, and EmployAbility received a year of intensive support from project staff and a mentor agency that has been successful in moving individuals with disabilities into customized positions in the community earning at least minimum wages. Read more about EmployAbility in this brief on lessons learned.
In the winter edition of the EQUITY e–newsletter, you can find information about supporting the financial needs of individuals with mental health issues including Financial Service Model for Individuals Living with Mental Illness, which demonstrates how one program in New Jersey provides a promising support model for people with mental health issues by helping them build assets. Available at:
http://www.wid.org/publications/?page=equity_test&sub=200702&topic=fa.
You can learn more about Asset Accumulation through Individual Development Accounts, from a program in Chicago that introduces a new Individual Development Account program for people with mental illness. Available at:
http://www.wid.org/publications/?page=equity_test&sub=200702&topic=pm
This edition of EQUITY also includes some Tips for helping people with mental illness wanting to save money and build assets, which can be accessed at:
http://www.wid.org/publications/?page=equity_test&sub=200702&topic=tm.
More Americans remaining in the workforce at older ages could lead to benefits at several levels. First, working longer will allow older workers to bolster their retirement savings. Second, hiring and retaining older workers will help employers deal with projected labor shortages. Third, older workers will contribute to economic growth and increase federal revenues, helping to de–fray some of the anticipated costs associated with increased claims on Social Security and Medicare.
Despite all of these gains to be had, there are barriers to continued employment for older workers. In addition, some employers remain reluctant to engage and retain this group. It is in the nation’s interest for people to work longer, which requires that barriers to continued work be removed sooner rather than later.
This testimony highlights issues discussed at a recent forum G.A.O. convened on engaging and retaining older workers, as well as prior G.A.O. work. Forum participants included experts representing employers, business and union groups, advocates, researchers, actuaries, and federal agencies. These highlights do not necessarily represent the views of any one participant or the organizations that these participants represent, including G.A.O..
[The following is excerpted from the report.]
The General Accounting Office (G.A.O.) convened this forum on December 5, 2006, to address the issues related to engaging and retaining older workers. The forum brought together a diverse array of experts, including employers from A.A.R.P’s "Best Employers for Workers Over 50" program and representatives from business groups, unions, advocates, researchers, actuaries, academia, and federal agencies. Forum participants discussed obstacles, best practices, and lessons learned from programs to help older workers to work longer and better prepare for retirement. Participants also considered strategies for encouraging more organizations to implement these activities on a larger scale. (See app. I for a list of forum participants and app. II for the forum’s agenda.) This forum was designed for the participants to discuss these issues openly, without individual attribution, in order to facilitate a rich and substantive discussion of these issues. This report summarizes the ideas and themes that emerged at the forum, the collective discussion of participants, and comments received from participants based on a draft of this report.