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
2 November 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 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 ]
During the 2007 Disability Program Navigator Series on SSA Work Incentives and Other Programs, Jamie Robinson talked about the value of newsletters, especially those developed and disseminated by Navigators. Navigators across the nation are creating statewide and local newsletters as one way to share information and resources with the workforce development system. This is a good way to conduct outreach to the community as a whole on services available within the One-Stop system, through disability partners and through local, regional and national programs. It is also a way to keep everyone informed about current and upcoming events of interest (e.g., job and career fairs, job clubs, workshops, etc.), as well as factoids on disability specific topics.
Part of the private grantee collaborative workspace includes a Library. On the Navigation bar, which is found on the right hand side of the home page (www.onestoptoolkit.org), click on the link to “Grantee Resources,” and enter your username and password to enter the grantee collaborative workspace. If you have not yet received a username and password (or do not remember it), please send an e-mail request to E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu.
The Library, found on the grantee collaborative workspace, represents a document repository of sorts, similar to a document manager. It includes different categories of posted materials. You can either link to a specific category or scroll down through the list to review the different types of materials that have been posted. All grantees can download the documents that are stored herein. Posting materials. Grantees also have the ability to post documents/materials that they have created to share with other grantees by using the “Upload a Resource” function found at the beginning of the Library section. Any document that is uploaded will be placed in the administrative box for approval before it is added to the system. Accessing the Library section. Once you have successfully logged onto the grantee collaborative workspace, the link to the Library, along with the other complement of tools, can be found on the left hand side of the page.
The documents included in this category of the library represent newsletters developed by grantees, which serve as a way to highlight key resources, activities and information on working with job seekers with disabilities within the One-Stop Career Center and the community as a whole. If you would like to see an example of how one project developed a newsletter to focus on resources from SSA for job seekers with disabilities send an e-mail to E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu.
If you would like to receive a document that includes more information about the tools and resources available for grantees on the One-Stop Toolkit website, send an e-mail to E–mail laura-farah@uiowa.edu
Read the action notice found under the category topic below, For Your Information/Action. This is a great opportunity for individuals with disabilities—both adults and youth—to get involved and share their unique stories about their financial situation and goals. Applications to become a “blogger” are due by November 30th, so share this information with individuals with disabilities who you feel may be interested in this opportunity!!!
DATES: Applications are due by November 30, 2007. Bloggers will be chosen by December 15, 2007
The Real Economic Impact (REI) Tour is holding two Blogging Championships for individuals with disabilities to share their unique story about their financial situation and goals.
Three to five individuals with disabilities will be the official REI Tour Bloggers and will blog over the course of six months (January to June 2008). They will share their personal stories and advance their views on personal finance, planning a better economic future, and their daily aspirations to be part of the American Dream that begins with working and preserving income and building assets. Possible posting topics include but are not limited to difficulties and successes with asset development, savings and budget. The bloggers are required to write multiple postings per week, and at the end of June, a winner and runner up will be chosen.
All individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted until November 30, 2007, and bloggers will be chosen by December 15, 2007.
Access the following URL to fill out an application for the Blogging Championship:
If you are between the ages of 14 and 20 and have experience with disability, you may choose to enter the 2008 Real Economic Impact Tour Youth Championship. Once a month for six months from January to July 2008, you will be asked to write a blog about your dreams to become more financially independent, to manage a budget, to open a savings account and other thoughts you have about working, saving money, and building assets. Up to five individuals between the ages of 14 and 20 will be selected from applications we receive to become the official REI Tour 2008 Youth Bloggers. Your blogs will appear monthly on the REI Tour website.
All individuals with disabilities between the ages of 14 and 20 are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted until November 30, 2007. We look forward to reading about you.
To access a copy of the application for the Youth Blogging
Championship, go to:
http://www.reitour.org/blogs/youthchallenge.php
Background: The Real Economic Impact Tour is attracting media attention across the country. The focus in 62 cities in 2008 is to build expectations about the possibilities of a better economic future for individuals with disabilities. For too long, individuals with disabilities have not been part of the American Dream. Today, more individuals with disabilities are working and saving to buy a home or start a business someday.
The Real Economic Impact Tour is about to begin its fourth year of activities in 62 cities nationwide. Last year we touched 1 million individuals with disabilities with information and special events and assisted over 36,000 individuals with free tax preparation with over $32 million in returns and EITC.
The National Disability Institute is creating through its Real Economic Impact Tour and other work in asset development a social network to advance a better economic future for persons with disabilities nationwide. NDI’s message is that individuals with disability can work, save, build assets, and reduce dependence on government benefits. Our vision is that all persons with disabilities become valued members of the mainstream economy.
The National Disability Institute has started a movement with the REI Tour unlike anything else in the disability world. For the first time in history, reports are going to Congress about the needs of taxpayers with disabilities; new bills are circulating in Congress about tax advantaged savings for persons with disabilities and their families, and people with disabilities are receiving real economic impact through receipt of refundable credits and other tax provisions previously not claimed.
[The news release is included below in its entirety.]
[On October 23rd,] the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and CVS Caremark established an alliance to encourage and promote the employment of people with disabilities through training and education, outreach and communication, technical assistance and other efforts. "This alliance will mutually benefit CVS Caremark, the company's workforce and customers, the Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy and the general public," said Karen M. Czarnecki, acting assistant secretary of labor for ODEP. "Hiring, retaining and advancing employees with disabilities is just good business. ODEP and CVS Caremark will share information, guidance and resources that will help to develop model programs for other employers, particularly in the retail and pharmacy services industries."
CVS Caremark, headquartered in Woonsocket, R.I., employs about 190,000 people and has 6,200 retail and specialty pharmacies, 11 mail service pharmacies and 14 call center locations nationwide. Through the two-year alliance, ODEP and CVS Caremark jointly will distribute training and education materials to, as well as share effective disability employment practices with, the company's human resources leaders. They will collaborate to identify technical assistance resources in providing workplace accommodations. The two organizations also will disseminate information in a variety of ways to promote a national dialogue on disability employment issues.
The alliance agreement was signed this afternoon by Czarnecki and Steve Wing, director of government programs for CVS Caremark, at the Labor Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. A photo is available upon request. An implementation team representing both organizations will develop a plan of action. CVS Caremark was a 2006 recipient of the Secretary of Labor's New Freedom Initiative Award for exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities. As such, the company is a member of ODEP's Circle of Champions, a distinguished group of U.S. employers that works with the agency to help inform disability employment policy by sharing proven business strategies. ODEP's Alliance Initiative is open to both public and private sector organizations that would like to work with the agency to enhance the recruitment, hiring, employment and advancement of people with disabilities. An Alliance Directive available at www.dol.gov/odep provides guidelines and criteria for Alliance partnerships.
ODEP is leading a 21st century federal response to the historic underemployment of people with disabilities. In collaboration with other government agencies, public and private employers, and additional stakeholders, ODEP facilitates the development and implementation of innovative policies and practices necessary to achieve a fully inclusive workplace. ODEP's work primarily falls into three categories: employers and the workplace; workforce systems; and employment-related supports, which include education and training, health care, reliable transportation, affordable housing and assistive technology.
This part of the Adobe website has information and resources on accessibility including how to make PDF documents accessible for people with visual disabilities
DisabilityInfo.gov is the federal government's one-stop website for people with disabilities, their families, employers, veterans and service members, workforce professionals and many others. A collaborative effort among twenty-two federal agencies, DisabilityInfo.gov connects people with disabilities to the information and resources they need to actively participate in the workforce and in their communities. It includes nine categories of disability-related information (Employment, Education, Housing, Transportation, Health, Benefits, Technology, Community Live and Civil Rights). On each section, you can click on the State and Local Resources map to locate programs and information in your state.
In celebration of its fifth anniversary, a video presentation about this resource has been developed with an introduction from Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. Access the URL to view the video presentation.
The Chamber’s mission is to provide synergies and open markets for businesses that are controlled by individuals with disabilities and by direct caregivers of individuals with disabilities.
Peter Schoemann conceived of the idea for the Chamber while meeting with clients Pier Westra and Vicky Westra. Mr. Schoemann represents the Westras in connection with the formation of a charity focused on autism awareness and the filing of a tax-exempt application for the charity. The Westras are donating to the charity a percentage of the profits from their Disability Business Member Javámo Coffees. During the initial meeting regarding the charity, Mr. Schoemann was thinking of a way to help market the Westras’ business when he thought, “Why is there no chamber of commerce for the disability community?” After some initial discussions with several of the current board members and discussions with many people in the disability community, it was clear that there is a great need for the Chamber. As a result, the decision was made to form the Chamber. The board views their efforts for the Chamber as a way to help the disability community help itself.
This site was designed to be a marketplace for networking and locating resources that can be used to form and grow Disability Businesses.
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) was established in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with a central and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education. The WWC aims to promote informed education decision making through a set of easily accessible databases and user-friendly reports that provide education consumers with high-quality reviews of the effectiveness of replicable educational interventions (programs, products, practices, and policies) that intend to improve student outcomes.