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
20 July 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 ]
AND
[The full announcements ( Webcast, Webcast Series ) are located under the section heading "Upcoming Events of Interest."]
At the end of July and during the month of August and September
there will be a series of webcasts being offered on topics
that may be of interest to DPNs on individuals with disabilities
and employment. The webcast on July 31st will focus on the
needs of people with psychiatric disabilities and employment.
Mental illness is one of the nonvisible/non-apparent disabilities
that many Navigators and One-Stop Career Centers struggle to
identify successful strategies to help connect to employment
opportunities. Serious mental illnesses rank first among illnesses
that cause disability in the U.S. People with psychiatric disabilities
have the highest rate of unemployment of any group with disabilities.
People with mental illnesses want to work and research shows
that with the right support they can work. The webcast will
explore strategies and model programs for helping people with
mental illnesses get back to work. Pre-registration is NOT
required. On July 31, please visit: www.nga.org/webcast.
[Get free Windows Media Player, Get latest Internet Explorer free].
Navigators, some of you had the opportunity to participate on the 2006 LHPDC DPN Leadership Series on Coordinating and Collaborating with the DOL Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). See http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/dpn/audio/2006_dpn_leadership/11162006.html (Get free Quicktime Player, Get free Windows Media Player, Get free Word Viewer, Get Microsoft Office C.D., free trial, S / H applies). This presentation featured representatives from SCSEP, who provided snapshots of the aging population and older workers in America, including older workers with disabilities. It included one state’s experience on coordination and collaboration between the DPN initiative and the SCSEP program, which focused on addressing the needs of older workers. As Navigators, in addition to serving youth with disabilities, you will also be working with the One-Stop Career Center staff and partners to address the needs of older workers with disabilities….often another untapped labor pool.
The current webcast series is hosted by the National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD/A) and is a joint effort of the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Employment and Training Administration/OWI/DAS/OWDU at the U.S. Department of Labor and includes three separate session on addressing the needs of older workers with disabilities. Some or all may be of interest to you in helping to identify strategies and resources to assist you and other staff members in addressing the employment needs of individuals with disabilities.
Some applicants you are working with may have disabilities that need to be considered as they enter employment or individuals may develop disabilities as they participate in subsidized and unsubsidized employment. This session will provide some basic information on the nature and prevalence of disability in older workers, what you can and can not ask about disability and how to use this information for eligibility purposes, data collection and as part of the assessment process. Examples of interview and probe questions will be provided to help you obtain the useful information to work effectively with the individual.
Information gained through effective interviewing and assessment serves as the basis for developing an individual employment plan that will address individual needs as well as establishing goals that help move the individual forward. Part of this plan development may include the identification and utilization of additional resources. This session will focus on the use of internal and external resources to support the individual in achieving their goals, strategies for partnership and management of these external resources. Strategies in working with individuals who are newly entering employment as well as individuals who may have changing needs as they aging in place will be discussed.
The development of employment opportunities must consider the needs of both the individual as well as the employer. This session will discuss preparing the individual for unsubsidized employment, what, if any, information to share with potential employers about the individual’s disability and how to address potential accommodation or assistive technology needs on the job. From the employer perspective we will consider how to identify their needs, the skills sets they require and how to negotiate an employment relationship that meets the employer and the individual’s needs.
Registration and more information: To register for these webcasts, please email Rachael Webb at E–mail rachael.webb@umb.edu For additional information, please go to http://onestops.info/website.php?page=webcast.
[The following is excerpted from the announcement. If you would like to receive an electronic copy of the announcement in MS Word, please send an e-mail to: E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu. It includes the sets of questions that NCD is asking the public to respond to.]
NCD is using a public consultation process to identify local best practices in the areas of homeland security, emergency preparedness, and disaster relief and recovery. The expectation is that the local communities can offer workable solutions and advice to help the Federal Government (and its state and private partners) establish policies, disseminate information, and support best practices for those most immediately affected by natural and man-made disasters. This public consultation is specifically designed to identify proven examples of community efforts that successfully address programs and practices which successfully take into account the needs of people with disabilities in the areas of homeland security, emergency preparation, and disaster relief and recovery.
Why are we using a public consultation process? Running a consultation is not simply about more open-government. We want to make our national policies more effective by listening and taking onboard the views of the public and interested groups. Listening to the public has a number of specific benefits for us; it allows us to tap the widest source of information possible and thus improves the quality of the information it receives, and the advice it provides to Federal Government leaders; it alerts us to any concerns and issues and data not picked up through existing evidence or research; and, it helps to us to monitor existing policy and determine whether changes are potentially needed.
How can you participate in our public consultation process? Request a copy of the announcement (E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu) which briefly outlines the background, key issues, relevant research and best-practices themes around the topic of interest - i.e., homeland security, emergency preparedness, and disaster relief and recovery. If you have been affected by a disaster or emergency, and are interested in participating in this public consultation, you may want to respond or react to any of the “best practice themes.”
On July, 26, 2007, the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel is holding a news conference to release a report, “Voices for Change: Beneficiaries Paving the Way to Work, A Roadmap to Program Improvement.” The report documents recommendations it received from beneficiaries of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The recommendations were made at a beneficiary summit held earlier this year in Atlanta, Georgia.
The message from those beneficiaries: We want to work!
According to the United States Census Bureau, there are 13,779,000 working-age individuals with disabilities in the U.S. who are not employed, of whom 6,927,000 (or 50%) report receiving SSI and/or SSDI. Right now, these programs require people to prove they cannot work before they can receive assistance, and the rules set up an all-or-nothing scenario for some, where working at their full capacity would cause them to lose their health insurance and personal care assistance. At a time when the solvency of Social Security is in question, the recommendations focus on what steps, as seen through the eyes of beneficiaries, the nation could take to encourage people with disabilities to attempt work and to reduce their reliance on Social Security benefits.
Congress noted when it passed the 1999 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, “[I]f only an additional one-half of one percent of the current [SSDI] and [SSI] recipients were to cease receiving benefits as a result of employment, the savings to the Social Security Trust Funds and to the Treasury in cash assistance would total [$3.5 billion] over the work life of such individuals, far exceeding the cost of providing incentives and services needed to assist them in entering work and achieving financial independence to the best their abilities.”
The summit brought together one beneficiary with a disability from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The news conference will be conducted with Panel members and summit attendees. There will be opportunities for photos and interviews after the event.
Serious mental illnesses rank first among illnesses that cause disability in the U.S. People with psychiatric disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment of any group with disabilities. People with mental illnesses want to work and research shows that with the right support they can work. The web cast will explore strategies and model programs for helping people with mental illnesses get back to work.
Pre-registration is NOT required. On July 31, please visit: www.nga.org/webcast.
[Get free Windows Media Player, Get latest Internet Explorer free]
This webcast series is hosted by the National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD/A) at the Institute for Community Inclusion, UMass Boston. NCWD/A is funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. This webcast series is a joint effort of the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Employment and Training Administration/OWI/DAS/OWDU at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Some applicants you are working with may have disabilities that need to be considered as they enter employment or individuals may develop disabilities as they participate in subsidized and unsubsidized employment. This session will provide some basic information on the nature and prevalence of disability in older workers, what you can and can not ask about disability and how to use this information for eligibility purposes, data collection and as part of the assessment process. Examples of interview and probe questions will be provided to help you obtain the useful information to work effectively with the individual.
Information gained through effective interviewing and assessment serves as the basis for developing an individual employment plan that will address individual needs as well as establishing goals that help move the individual forward. Part of this plan development may include the identification and utilization of additional resources. This session will focus on the use of internal and external resources to support the individual in achieving their goals, strategies for partnership and management of these external resources. Strategies in working with individuals who are newly entering employment as well as individuals who may have changing needs as they aging in place will be discussed.
The development of employment opportunities must consider the needs of both the individual as well as the employer. This session will discuss preparing the individual for unsubsidized employment, what, if any, information to share with potential employers about the individual’s disability and how to address potential accommodation or assistive technology needs on the job. From the employer perspective we will consider how to identify their needs, the skills sets they require and how to negotiate an employment relationship that meets the employer and the individual’s needs.
Registration and more information: To register for the webcasts, please email Rachael Webb at E–mail rachael.webb@umb.edu For additional information, please go to http://onestops.info/website.php?page=webcast.
You may have noticed that DisabilityInfo.gov has a new state map feature to make it easier to find disability-related information in your community. Now you can also subscribe to receive e-mail updates on information and resources in your state. To browse through state information, just select one of the nine subject tabs — benefits, civil rights, community life, education, employment, health, housing, technology or transportation — at the top of any DisabilityInfo.gov page. Then click on the State and Local Resources map on the right-hand side bar to find information on that subject in your state.
To update your subscriptions to begin receiving e-mails on programs and services in your state visit the Subscriber Preferences page, then:
On this section of the website, you can find information for returning veterans and their families about prevention, treatment and recovery support for mental health and substance use disorders.
[The following is excerpted from the website.]
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has identified people with disabilities as one of the primary populations experiencing worst-case housing needs. In response, ABILITY Awareness created the ABILITY House project. Built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity affiliates, each ABILITY House is an accessible home built for a family where one or more members have health conditions or disabilities. Additionally, the ABILITY House project reaches out to volunteers with health conditions and disabilities to help build the homes, demonstrating to the community their skills, talents and potential as volunteers and employees.
The ABILITY House College Students with Disabilities Initiative was established to facilitate the participation by students with disabilities in all stages of planning and construction of an ABILITY House. Potential areas of involvement include helping plan universal design and accessibility features, training/disability awareness, marketing and development, collaborative networking, fundraising, public relations/communications, volunteer outreach and construction. The main goals of the ABILITY House College Students with Disabilities Initiative are to allow college students with disabilities to demonstrate their potential as employees, community leaders and volunteers as they prepare to enter the work force.
The AHCSDI is underwritten by grants from Hewlett Packard and the Corporation for National & Community Service and sponsored by ABILITY Magazine.
In recognition of veterans who have acquired disabilities in the line of duty and the specific issues they face during recovery and rehabilitation, the ABILITY House program has launched the ABILITY House Veterans with Disabilities Initiative. In cooperation with the Department of Veterans Affairs' vocational rehabilitation and employment service departments, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and numerous private and state veterans' services agencies, AHVDI will engage in active volunteer service veterans and servicemembers who have health conditions or disabilities. In addition to their participation on ABILITY House construction sites, veterans will also be targeted as potential recipients of an ABILITY House.
The AHVDI is underwritten by a grant from the Corporation for National & Community Service and sponsored by ABILITY Magazine.
Since ABILITY partners with Habitat for Humanity affiliates to build ABILITY Houses, all family selection is done by the respective Habitat for Humanity affiliates. If you are interested in applying for an ABILITY House, contact your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate to request an ABILITY House and learn about their criteria for potential homeowners at: http://www.habitat.org/.
As the partnership between ABILITY Awareness and Habitat for Humanity originated at the national level, not all local Habitat affiliates are familiar with the ABILITY House program. Encourage them to contact our office for more information on how they can benefit by partnering with us and making their next home an ABILITY House.
Many capable individuals with disabilities face challenges as they pursue academics and careers. They are underrepresented in many rewarding career fields, including science, engineering, business, and technology. DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, 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. Primary funding for DO-IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education.
DO-IT distributes materials to those who wish to undertake similar activities or enhance existing school, postsecondary, and employment programs. It maintains a large collection of free publications.
Low-cost videotapes cover a wide range of topics. Each comes with a useful handout which summarizes the content. All videotapes are open captioned for those with hearing impairments. Audio described versions are available for those who are blind.
DO-IT has developed comprehensive presentation and program development materials to help make summer camps, electronic resources, libraries, science and mathematics classes, colleges, and careers more accessible to individuals with disabilities. Most include training guidelines, handout templates, overhead transparency templates, videotapes, glossaries, and resource lists.
[The following is excerpted from the publication.]
When asked to describe an ideal employee, attributes such as being a hard worker, a team player, and a good communicator are frequently cited by employers as being even more important than technical expertise. According, however, to a recent survey of 461 employers conducted by the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resources many new entrants to the workforce lack these important skills. These business leaders reported that while the three "R's" are still fundamental to every employee's ability to do the job, knowledge of applied skills is even more important. (Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce (2006)).
One remedy may be found in mentoring. Career-focused mentoring provides young people the opportunity to get a glimpse of the world of work that may not otherwise be available to them. It also allows them to gain and practice skills that are useful in professional and other settings, and to prepare for life as an adult.
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) developed this fact sheet on career-focused mentoring for older youth and young adults with disabilities to explain the importance of career-focused mentoring. It features a table of mentoring activities that assist youth in achieving skills to transition successfully into adulthood. The fact sheet is based on a guide that ODEP produced with the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring for Youth with Disabilities.
The creation of the Mentoring Guide is rooted in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) charge to find and promote the most effective research-based policies and practices to improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. Mentoring is recognized as one of the most important strategies for assisting youth in making a positive transition into adulthood. Both caring adults and peers may play a key role in mentoring. In response to the under-representation of youth with disabilities in most youth development programs, ODEP, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, launched an initiative to promote mentoring for youth with disabilities in 2004.
Mentoring is recognized as one of the most important strategies for assisting youth in making a positive transition into adulthood. Despite all of the information available on mentoring, there is very little about mentoring youth with disabilities or about career-focused mentoring of older youth. This Guide was developed by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) specifically to address the needs of youth with disabilities during their transition from school to work.
This Guide is intended for individuals designing mentoring programs for youth, including youth with disabilities, in the transition phase to adulthood.
Self-determination is the process of defining one's own direction. To achieve a successful employment outcome, it is important that the job seeker actively drives and controls his or her own job search. Job seekers should participate actively in all job search activities-from determining their interests and career goals to starting a new job. Moreover, job seeker self-determination should help drive the way that employment services are offered, coordinated, and funded. This brief examines self-determination in the employment process and suggests strategies for employment professionals to apply these principles in their work.