April 6, 2011
Spring Fruit Tree Blossoms
Transition and Employment Projects Tidbits
Happy Spring, Montana Transition Listserv members! We have a number of transition-related training opportunities, publications and resources to share with you today.  
 
Learning Opportunities:

Montana Office of Public Instruction Transition from High School Webinar Series: Job Task Analysis, Prompting and Fading Webinars [PDF]

Dates: March 29, April 5, and April 27, 2011

Time: 3:30-4:30 pm MDT

Registration Fee: None

March 29: Job Task Analysis - Learn how to break difficult jobs into smaller steps to help a student learn the task more quickly and thoroughly.

April 5: Prompting and Fading Part 1 - Learn appropriate prompting skills that will encourage the desired response from a student and then learn how to fade the prompts as the student learns the skill.

April 27: Prompting and Fading Part 2 - The strategies learned in Part 1 and Part 2 can be used when teaching job skills and behavior skills.

Archived webinars available.

  

Dates: April 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 9, 2011

Time: 1:00-2:30 pm MDT

Registration Fees: $75/session, $405/series members; $115/session, $621/series non-members

This six-session series on Discovery will provide educators, adult service personnel and family members with the critical information necessary to facilitate discovery for persons with significant disabilities. This alternative to comparative assessment addresses the essential question so often overlooked by evaluations and tests, "Who is this person?" The sessions offer a comprehensive overview to discovery, the relationship to employment and transition from school to adult work, relevance to curricular outcomes and development of visual and written profile documents that capture the information learned during discovery.


Peers Providing Employment Related Support Services Webinar   

Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Time: 1:00-2:30 pm MDT
Registration Fee: None
Audio Instructions: Call 1-866-305-2467 and enter guest code 518298

Video Instructions: Login and enter pass code 8200138

Oregon is building a network of peer-run programs that offer employment mentoring. The Employment Peer Mentor (EPM) project was field-tested in 2010 with a small number of peer-run programs. The following information will be shared during the webinar: foundational principles that have guided the development of the EPM model; EPM model elements; results of the EPM field-test in 2010; current efforts being made to expand the network; and strategies to sustain employment-focused peer mentor services after grant funding is no longer available.

 

Montana Council for Exceptional Children Conference

Dates: April 13-15, 2011

Location: Billings, MT

This year's conference theme is Tools for the Future.  Strands include RTI, Autism/ Special Education, Administrator, Early Childhood, Technology, Behavior and a Product strand to highlight new products available. OPI Renewal available.  

 

Western MT Autism Conference 

Dates: Saturday, April 16 - Sunday, April 17, 2011

Time: 8:00 am-4:30 pm MDT

Location: Continuing Education Building at the University of Montana, Missoula, MT

Conference Fees: Parent or Individual with ASD: $25; Professional/Educator: $125; Relative/Caregiver: $65; UM student:  $35 w/Griz card

 

University of Rochester Webinar Series: Autism Across the Lifespan [PDF]

Dates: April 13-May 18, 2011
Time: 1:00-2:30 pm MDT
Registration Fee: $30 per session; $100 for all four sessions

April 13: Why Autism Across the Lifespan with Kathleen M. Bishop, Ph.D.

April 27: Issues and Considerations in Assessing Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders with Caroline I. Magyar, Ph.D.

May 11: Future Care Planning for Persons with Autism with Doris Green, Director, Future Care Planning Services, Inc.

May 18: Assessing for Autism in Children with Down syndrome: Issues and Considerations in Screening and Diagnostic Assessment Practices with Caroline I. Magyar, Ph.D.

 

Youth Taking Charge of Their Own Transition: The Role of CILs Webinar

Date: April 20, 2011

Time: 1:00-2:30 pm MDT

Registration Fee: $75 per site
 
The New Community Opportunities Project at ILRU is offering three webinars on the role of the Center for Independent Living in facilitating and advancing successful youth transition.  In the first event, "Youth Taking Charge of Their Own Transition: The Role of CILs," the presenter will provide participants with strategies on how CILs can use existing services they provide for all populations to support youth in transition. 

 

PDAs, Smartphones and Tablet PCs as Cognitive-Behavioral Aids in Autism Webcast

Date: April 21, 2011

Time: 1:30-2:30 pm MDT
Registration Fee: $25

Smartphones, PDAs and tablet computers can be powerful tools for managing cognitive-behavioral challenges experienced by people with autism. This presentation examines consumer platforms, applications and strategies for implementing individualized cognitive-behavioral suites, providing real life case studies, practical examples and outcome measures to assure success.

 

National WISE Webinar 

Date: April 27, 2011

Time: 1:00-2:30 pm MDT

If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income, learn how you can benefit from Social Security Work Incentives, including the Ticket to Work program.

 

Employment First - Keeping the Movement Moving APSE Webinar

Date: May 3, 2011

Time: 10:00 am- 11:00 am MDT

Registration Fee: $50 APSE Members/$100 Non-members

In this webinar, participants will learn about the growing Employment First movement that is happening across the United States and other countries. You will learn about the roots of the Employment First movement and recent developments occurring in several states. We will discuss the role of APSE state chapters as leaders and participants in Employment First efforts. There will be discussion of some fundamental organizing principles that are being used throughout the country to advance this rapidly growing movement.

 

Employment For All - Believe it, Achieve it! APSE National Conference 2011

June 14-16, 2011

Seattle, WA

 

Montana News

Are you looking for information on Secondary Transition that goes beyond the paperwork? Well then, today is your lucky day!  Check out the new OPI wiki and blog Secondary Transition Folder - Trends that go beyond the paperwork.

 

Assistive Technology

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC) has prepared a white paper on Mobile Devices and Communication Apps based on interviews with more than 25 AAC "thought leaders" representing multiple stakeholder groups.

 

The AAC-RERC provides 14 free webcasts on a variety of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) topics.

  

David McNaughton, Sue Balandin, Pam Kennedy and Thor Sandmel describe strategies to support health transitions for youth with complex communication needs [PDF] in the Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation.

 

Employment

SEDL's Vocational Rehabilitation Service Models for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders Project profiles two effective programs this month: POW&R (Newark, Delaware) and Job Path (New York, NY).

 

The National Consortium on Leadership & Disability for Youth (NCLD/Y) recently released Internships: The On-Ramp to Employment, A Guide for Students with Disabilities to Getting and Making the Most of an Internship [PDF]. This publication guides young people through the step-by-step process of finding, applying for, participating in, and even evaluating an internship.

  

Decent Work for People with Disabilities - Count Us In! [Video] is a four-minute video developed to raise awareness about the barriers and the actions needed to help people with disabilities obtain decent work and a better life.

 

State VR agencies wishing to train Counselors and their vendors to provide self-employment services will want to visit the newly-launched Certified Business Technical Assistance Consultant (CBTAC) web site.

 

Employment-Supportive Personal Assistance Services (E-PAS) Facilitate Employment of Persons with Serious Physical and Mental Disabilities by Raymond E. Glazier, Ph.D. (Director of the Abt Associates Center for the Advancement of Rehabilitation and Disability Services and Member of the MA Work Without Limits Initiative) describes workplace PAS and funding sources. 

 

Social Security

Career Connection Series: Ready to Choose Work? You May Already Have a Ticket is a blog entry by Dan O'Brien, Acting Associate Commissioner, Office of Employment Support Programs, Social Security Administration, that describes the Ticket to Work program in layperson's terms.  

 

Transition

NSTTAC LISTSERVE: Get with it!!!

If you want resources to help you do a better job while enjoying it more, get on the NSTTAC (National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center) Listserve. The Listserve sends out once weekly notices of upcoming events and new resources plus you get the "money back guaranteed" newsletter. If for any reason you feel the newsletter does not help you with your transition-related job, NSTTAC will send you a gift certificate for a free lunch in your town. To get with it, send a message to Larry Kortering at [email protected] or Pat Braziel at [email protected].

 

More than 60 factsheets written by youth with disabilities are available on the KASA (Kids as Self-Advocates) website. Topics include civil rights and advocacy, education and disability history and culture.

 

America's Promise Alliance, in partnership with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, has released a free online curriculum titled $aving Our Futures: A Financial Responsibility Program for Young PeopleIt is designed for youth in middle and early high school to teach them about financial responsibility, and to advocate for smarter money management in their homes, communities and from elected officials.

 

The Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects [PDF] 

article, authored by Thomas Fraker and Anu Rangarajan and published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, provides an overview of the YTD projects, evaluation design, potential barriers that youth with disabilities face in transitioning to adulthood, and the framework underlying the YTD projects' efforts to reduce these barriers.

 

Barriers identified include:

  • Low expectations about working
  • Lack of access to employment services and work experiences
  • Gaps in services
  • Uncoordinated transition to adult services
  • Concerns about access to health and social services
  • Social Security-related disincentives to work
  • Lack of knowledge about the impact of wages on benefits 

The high costs of unsuccessful transitions to adulthood include:

        Long-term dependency and lifelong poverty for individuals with disabilities

        Financial constrictions for families as they struggle to provide long-term support to their adult child with a disability

        Strain on community organizations whose caseloads continue to grow

        Reduced production of goods and services when a large segment of the population is not productively employed

        Lower tax revenues

        Greater criminal activity

        Higher rates of incarceration

 

According to the authors, the adolescent years are a key time to intervene "before youth become fully entrenched in dependency" (pg. 3).

 

YTD Intervention Components include:

  • Work-based experiences
  • Family supports
  • Youth empowerment
  • System linkages
  • Social and health services
  • SSA waivers to reduce disincentives to employment
  • Benefits counseling

(Source: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.)

 

Web Sites

Disability.gov's Other Resources Web page has information about other federal government websites that offer information about benefits, student loan programs, grants, staying healthy and many other subjects. For example, Students.gov has comprehensive information about campus life and preparing and paying for college.

 

National Gateway to Self-Determination provides information about current best and evidence-based practices in enhancing self-determination in the lives of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. 

 

Autism NOW National Autism Resource and Information Centera national initiative of The Arc, offers resources and information for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, their families, and other targeted key stakeholders. 

 

AskEARN.orga new site launched by the National Employer Technical Assistance Center, provides a one-stop resource for employers seeking to recruit, hire, and retain qualified employees with disabilities.

 

Our Ability is a new web portal for mentoring. Visit the site to view and listen to stories about successful people with disabilities in the education and business world.  
  
Punch-In.org is a new self-directed Employment Assistant that is geared for young adults with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce.
  
JobTIPS is a free program designed to help individuals with disabilities such as autism explore career interests, seek and obtain employment, and successfully maintain employment. 
  
The National Health Care Transition Center website helps youth and families navigate towards the care and services needed in adulthood.
  
The Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence website provides information on training activities, fact sheets, and summaries of journal articles on topics related to ASD.
  
Sincerely,

Kim Brown
MT Transition Listserv

(Please note: the Transition
and Employment Projects at the University of Montana Rural Institute shares information and resources our listserv members may find of interest. We do not endorse the web sites or workshop contents or their providers, and we assume no responsibility for the validity of information provided on sites or in sessions not hosted by our agency.)

Transition Tidbits is produced by the University of Montana's Rural Institute Transition and Employment Projects, which is funded in part under a contract with the Montana Council on Developmental Disabilities. The representations, if any, contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Council.