Florida Developmental Disabilities Council

Background

Since 1971, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) has worked to develop a consumer-focused service system for all citizens with disabilities in Florida. The Council focuses its efforts on advocacy, policy reform, planning, research, and funding efforts that enable individuals with disabilities to secure and maintain meaningful employment. To provide these services, the Council and two of the project sites-Palm Beach Habilitation Center and Seminole Community College-collaborate with the Regional Workforce Development Boards (RWDBs), the One-Stop centers, and various state agencies and organizations.

The FDDC also works with members of the Consortium on the Interagency Workgroup for Employment of Persons with Disabilities to address specific barriers such as access, funding and support services. The FDDC also has supported several projects through the Florida Housing Coalition to develop information about state and federal housing and assistance programs for individuals with disabilities.

For this project, the FDDC is working with three pilot sites in urban and rural areas:

• Big Bend Jobs and Education Council (BBJEC) serves clients in North Florida through One-Stop centers. The FDDC used project funds to hire a special needs coordinator to work at the One-Stop, identify gaps in service for customers with disabilities, and help One-Stop staff change their practices to accommodate persons with disabilities.
• Seminole Community College in central Florida works with One-Stops in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Sumter counties.
• Palm Beach Habilitation Center, works with One-Stops in Palm Beach County, in south Florida. The primary project is to establish a site in a remote, rural and economically depressed area. This area has historically been underserved. The site will feature electronic access to services, with trained staff to assist.

Goals and Methods

This project targets the hardest-to-serve customers by developing procedures for identifying hidden disabilities (conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, diabetes, lung disease, kidney failure, hemophilia, hypertension, early stages of AIDS, or heart disease); working with the business community to increase awareness; providing appropriate employment, vocational rehabilitation, and support services; and establishing a seamless One-Stop service delivery system.

Identifying Hidden Disabilities

Provide Training and Materials. The project has supported or developed a number of training materials and guidebooks:

• The Brain Injury Association of Florida provides training called The Faces of Brain Injury to One-Stop staff.
• The FDDC distributes materials at One-Stops to help increase staff awareness on communicating with and serving individuals with disabilities.
• State WIA Leadership funds developed a resource for adult education practitioners and One-Stop staff titled Bridges to Partners. This guidebook helps staff screen adults for learning disabilities, and suggests curriculum options and instructional strategies.
• The project developed another guidebook titled "Opening Doors to New Consumers and Employees: A Training and Implementation Guide."
• The project has developed a training video titled "RED FLAGS: A Guide to Hidden Disabilities." This video, which runs for 11 ½ minutes, is targeted toward One-Stop center staff, and provides information on how to detect hidden disabilities.
• The project also has developed a screening tool for One-Stop staff.

Improving Communication with the Business Community

Increase Outreach and Awareness. The FDDC intends to expand outreach to the business community to increase awareness about the employability of people with disabilities. Ultimately, the FDDC hopes the business community will work directly with the One-Stops to create benchmarks for hiring people with disabilities.

Recruit Employers as Examples. The FDDC would like to work through the BLNs to connect with the wider business community. In particular, the FDDC hopes that business leaders who have successfully employed persons with disabilities will set an example for other employers, and challenge them to hire people with disabilities as well. Business leaders can also give technical assistance to other employers who are considering hiring people with disabilities.

Make the Business Community Aware of ADA Requirements. The project has published a resource guide in English and Spanish for members of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. The publication is aimed at helping Chamber members understand and implement the Americans with Disabilities Act, and encouraging them to use community disability resources.

Providing Appropriate Employment, Rehabilitation and Support Services

The project supports or funds several direct service initiatives, including:

• Employment services and other supports for individuals eligible for developmental services;
• Adult and vocational educational programs available through the public schools, vocational technical schools and community colleges;
• Specialized employment services and supports for individuals with disabilities through the Vocational Rehabilitation Division (a One-Stop center partner);
• Intensive training and ongoing support services for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients through the Alcohol Drug Abuse and Mental Health program; and
• Internships or on-the-job training for persons with disabilities to help get a "foot in the door."

Developing a Seamless One-Stop Service Delivery System

The project is helping to develop a seamless service system through its Benefits Navigator Guides, which describe individual benefits, including SSI, SSDI, TANF, Medicaid, Medicare, subsidized housing and food stamps. There are two guidebooks, one targeted to professionals working with people with disabilities and the other targeted to recipients of employment and training services who may have cognitive disabilities. The guidebooks show how employment affects benefits, so individuals can maintain their economic independence after they get a job.

Partners

A number of state agencies and private groups have come together to further the goals of this project.

Florida Department of Education, Division of Workforce Development. Administers adult and vocational education funding and provides statewide program direction for vocational and adult education programs.

Florida Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Provides vocational evaluation, training, job development, placement, accommodations, ongoing services and support services to individuals with disabilities.

Florida Department of Education, Division of K-12 Programs, Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services. Provides statewide program direction for educational services for students with disabilities, including transition services from school to post-secondary training or employment.

Florida Department of Children and Families, Developmental Disabilities program. Administers statewide programs and services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Florida Department of Children and Families, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health program. Oversees statewide programs and services to individuals with mental and behavioral disorders or substance abuse disorders. The Department's screening and assessment tool has been made available to One-Stops to help staff identify individuals who may have alcohol, drug abuse or mental health problems that could impede their success in employment and training programs.

Florida Department of Health, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program. Provides services to persons who have sustained a moderate to severe traumatic brain or spinal cord injury so they can re-enter the workforce and community life.

The Brain Injury Association of Florida. Provides outreach, information and referral, and individual and family supports for Florida individuals who have sustained a brain injury. The Association also educates personnel from state and local organizations about traumatic brain injury through interactive interagency training forums. Staff in the three project sites will participate in these forums, and will receive additional information and materials from the Association through the One-Stop Centers.

The Agency for Workforce Innovation. Serves as the state workforce investment board (SWIB) and is responsible for administering federal and state workforce programs.

The Florida Agency on Health Care Administration. Administers the Medicaid program in Florida, and coordinates initiatives under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA). The agency is studying the feasibility of establishing a Medicaid Buy-In Program under the TWWIIA.

The Florida Housing Coalition. Provides technical assistance to local housing service providers throughout Florida using State Housing Incentive Partnership (SHIP) funds and other state and federal funds that promote affordable housing.

The Transportation Disadvantaged Commission. Coordinates transportation services and funding for the transportation disadvantaged, including individuals with disabilities.

The Able Trust. Serves as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities and is the liaison to the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

The Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST). Researches, explores and promotes the use of technologies for people with disabilities.

Innovation

A number of innovations have come out of the project:

Screening Tool for One-Stop staff. This tool will help One-Stop staff identify people with physical, emotional or developmental disabilities, including those that may be hidden.

Videotape for One-Stop Waiting Rooms. The video is directed at One-Stop customers and focuses on hidden disabilities. It is hoped that customers with hidden disabilities who see the video will identify themselves to One-Stop staff so staff can make them aware of the full range of services available.

Business Outreach. The project intends to reach out to businesses to make them more aware of how people with disabilities can function in the workplace. The project hopes that business leaders will also act as mentors and examples to other businesses on hiring people with disabilities.