Introduction 

Good morning - we would like to give you a sneak peek at the monthly electronic Southeast TACE Serving Individuals with Most Significant Disabilities Network News Flash (MSD Network News Flash) debuting this month. In a few easy-to-read pages, you will find the latest information about employment for people with the most significant impact of disability, including job development innovations, relevant legislation, upcoming training sessions, and exciting new web sites.

We invite you to join our Southeast TACE Employment Listserv to receive the monthly MSD Network News Flash. To subscribe, simply send an email to brown@ruralinstitute.umt.edu and type "subscribe employment" in the subject line. We'll take it from there!  And don't worry - this list will not be shared with others and you may unsubscribe at any time.  Please forward this invitation to agency staff, individuals with disabilities, and anyone else you think might find the information useful.

Please visit the TACE MSD Network web site regularly to learn about current events in the world of employment for individuals with the most significant impact of disability.

MSD Network Portals Are Live!

The Portals for the TACE MSD Network are open! To start using this exciting new resource, visit the TACE MSD Network web site. In the "Portal For" section on the left-hand side of your screen, select "Counselor" or "Coordinator." This will take you to the "Login to MyTACE Account." You will use your MyTACE Account to register for available events, seek applicable credit, and access your specialized portal (Counselor or Coordinator). 

Attended a TACE Webinar? You may already have created a MyTACE Account. If you have a MyTACE Account and want to access the Portal, email tacesoutheast@law.syr.edu and request to join the TACE Most Significant Disabilities Network.

If you don't already have a MyTACE account, follow the instructions to "Create a New MyTACE Account" and also apply for Portal access.

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) recently released their report entitled Segregated and Exploited: The Failure of the Disability Service System to Provide Quality Work [PDF]. The report provides a short history of sheltered work policies, highlights problems related to low wages and poor implementation and oversight of Federal laws, and offers recommendations for policies to promote integrated work at higher wages and increase labor protections and enforcement.

Disability advocate Dale DiLeo posted remarks to his blog about his decision to resign from the Alliance for Full Participation. DiLeo writes about AFP's and other national disability agencies' commitment to "full participation" while advocating for pre-vocational services and workshops. 

How many of your clients have quit their jobs, worked below Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) or refused to work after receiving four years of education due to misinformation about the impact of working on benefits? Are you unsure about the rules of SSA benefits and working? Keep a copy of When to Contact a Benefits Planner [PDF] handy to assist you in advising your client on when to contact a Community Work Incentive Coordinator (CWIC) or Benefits Planner.

There were 103 grants awarded throughout the U.S. and the U.S. territories in 2006 to a new SSA grantee program called Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Projects or WIPAs. Many of the WIPA grantees are organizations that were formerly known as Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach projects or BPAOs. The WIPA projects were funded to assist SSA disability beneficiaries with information about work incentives, benefits planning, and making good choices about work. The 103 Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects across the U.S. and the U.S. territories work with SSA beneficiaries with disabilities on job placement, benefits planning, and career development.

By working with a WIPA, SSA beneficiaries will be better equipped to make informed choices about work.  Each WIPA is staffed with CWICs to: provide work incentives planning and assistance; help beneficiaries and their families determine eligibility for Federal or State work incentives programs; refer beneficiaries with disabilities to appropriate Employment Networks or State VR agencies based on individual needs and impairment types; provide general information about potential employer-based or federally subsidized health benefits coverage available to beneficiaries once they enter the workforce; and inform beneficiaries with disabilities of further protection and advocacy services available to them. WIPAs are authorized to serve all SSA beneficiaries with disabilities, including transition-to-work aged youth, providing benefits planning and assistance services on request and as resources permit. To find the WIPA project nearest you please visit the Service Provider Directory.

Source: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work/wipafactsheet.html

With income tax season just around the corner, now is the time to talk with your Vocational Rehabilitation clients about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a federal income tax credit for low-income workers.  Did you know only 17% of people with disabilities claim this credit? The credit can reduce the amount of tax your clients owe, or be a direct refund to them. The tax credit ranges from $475 for an individual with no children, to $5,036 for a family with two children. Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI) does not count the refund as earned income. This tax credit is a great incentive for many of your clients who are struggling to make work pay.

On July 29, 2010, TASH held a congressional briefing in partnership with the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination entitled Promoting Employment First: Innovations in Policy & Practice to Achieve Integrated Employment with Livable Wages for Citizens with Significant Disabilities.
Listen to five of the speakers as they describe the need for employment practices and policies that can help achieve a truly integrated workforce.

Part I: Barb Trader

Part II: Nancy Ward

Part III: Michael Callahan

Part IV: Keith Wiedenkeller

Part V: Curt Decker

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced the

Community Living Initiative, a partnership to help nearly 1,000 non-elderly Americans with disabilities leave nursing homes or other facilities to live independently. The initiative works to improve access to housing, community supports and independent living arrangements for people with disabilities.

According to 2008 and 2009 US Census Data [PDF], about 35% of people with disabilities were employed compared with 72% of people without a disability. North Dakota had the highest employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities, whereas the District of Columbia, Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia had the lowest employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities. In 2009, 19.5 million people, or 9.9 percent of the non-institutionalized population aged 16 to 64, had a disability.

Upcoming TACE Topics:  

Impact of How VRCs View Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities on their Caseload

February 24, 2011

2:00- 3:00 PM EST

This webinar will examine the impact of how vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) view individuals with significant disabilities on their caseload. Additionally, it will provide strategies the supervisor can implement to assist counselors in being successful including: What counselors can do during the planning process; Information the counselor can request that highlights the individual's ability to contribute; How to help counselors plan for individuals' complexities and support needs without losing sight of their contributions; Helping VRCs understand how their view of the job market impacts who they think can work; The importance of looking at tasks rather than job titles; and How to pull from internal and external resources.

March 31, 2011

2:00-3:00 PM EST

This webinar will address different approaches to understanding what an individual has to offer an employer. Topics will include: Traditional vocational assessment versus the discovery process; Looking at tasks a person can perform; Translating tasks a person can perform into employment possibilities; and Starting job development from the vantage point of the person's contributions and interest rather than the job market. The expected outcome is that supervisors will understand how to use the discovery process to determine employment possibilities.

Steps of Customized Job Development Whether Developing Job Yourself or Contracting with a CRP

May 5, 2011

2:00 -3:00 PM EST

The webinar will present the steps of customized job development and what a vocational rehabilitation (VR) supervisor needs to know whether their staff is job developing themselves or contracting with a community rehabilitation provider (CRP).  The expected outcome is that supervisors will have enough information to understand how a customized job is developed and how to monitor the progress of the job development.

Self-Employment as a Viable Option for Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities

June 9, 2011

2:00-3:00 PM EST

The webinar will highlight self-employment as a viable option for individuals with the most significant disabilities.  The expected outcome of the webinar is that supervisors will understand when self-employment might be a good match for an individual with the most significant disability.

Archives Available!

TACE webinar recordings, handouts and PowerPoint slideshows are archived and available for you to access at your convenience.

1/27/11

How Can You Establish a Climate that is Excited about Serving Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities

2/2/11

2/17/11

Flexible Workplaces Benefit Everyone, Especially Persons with Disabilities

Training Events:

The Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center has announced their 2011 Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Online Course Schedule.

Accessibility Summit: Discover, Connect, Grow

April 1-2, 2011

Washington, DC

YAI Network's 32nd Annual International Conference "Bridges to Success in Developmental and Learning Disabilities"

May 2-5, 2011

New York City, NY

 Be sure to check your state's TACE web page to learn about state and local training events. 

Other Training Opportunities:

The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Social Security Task Force has launched the new