Introduction 

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 environment for hiring people with disabilities needs a great deal of improvement
• Corporations recognize that hiring employees with disabilities is important
• Corporations, for the most part, do not perceive the costs of hiring people with disabilities to be prohibitive
• Most corporations are not hiring many people with disabilities
• Few are proactively making efforts to improve the employment environment for people with disabilities
• The most common way companies recruit people with disabilities is through referrals (employee referrals and friends/word-of-mouth) and online job boards
• A significant number also report using service provider agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation...
• Yet only one third of employers rate the service provider agencies as effective
• Half of the companies who don't use service providers say they don't need the services they offer
• The main barrier to hiring people with disabilities, after an absence of job openings, is not being able to find qualified candidates with disabilities
• 39% say they are not sure how to find qualified candidates
• 63% of corporations name assistance finding qualified candidates with disabilities as one of the top two most helpful services offered by the agencies; job sculpting (matching job descriptions to a specific set of skills) was the second most helpful (53%)

Survey results suggest a number of tips for VR Counselors, including:

• Acknowledge that most corporations recognize the importance of workplace diversity and do not perceive it to be cost-prohibitive to hire people with disabilities...time, money and energy spent trying to change employer attitudes in these areas might be redirected to other priorities.
• Tap into existing recruitment strategies such as referrals and online vacancy postings.
• When conducting Discovery as part of customizing employment, be sure to look for connections...family members, friends, coaches, employers, neighbors, coworkers, people who work at places where the job seeker spends his/her time or money (library, coffee shop, gym, etc.). These connections can be invaluable "ins" to get the job developer through the door of a business.
•  Research online job postings in your community to learn what kinds of skills employers are seeking and what tasks they need completed. File away this information to use as you negotiate customized positions for job seekers.
• Market VR services to businesses - make sure employers know how they can benefit by working with you.
• VRCs have extensive education, training and experience in matching qualified applicants to available jobs.
• Through Customized Employment, VR can match applicants to unmet tasks, tailor job descriptions, identify necessary support needs, and suggest ways in which those support needs might be met.
• VR can provide certain post-employment services to help ensure success on the job.
• Increase your use of supported and customized employment strategies (such as job carving) that employers report finding helpful.

Customized Employment Job Development Tips (from Marc Gold & Associates)

When preparing to meet with an employer about customizing for an individual job seeker, consider:

• What Are Your Negotiation Points (ways the employer can benefit)?:
• Work gets done faster or more precisely
• Employees are more productive
• Profit increases
• Work can be reorganized to improve the flow
• Overburdened employees can be relieved
• Operations become more efficient
• What is Negotiated?
• Responsibilities of the position
• Time, hours, location of the work
• Support strategies and supervision needed
• Productivity and outcome expectations
• What are the chances for successful Customization?
• Are supports available?
• Are there opportunities for interaction with co-workers?
• Are the employee's wages and benefits comparable?
• Is this a viable company and are there opportunities for advancement?
• Are work expectations clearly defined?
• Can the employee get to and from work?
• Will work conflict with the employee's school, therapy, or other schedules?
• Do the job tasks and working conditions meet those set by the job seeker in the Customized Planning meeting?

When customizing employment, it is important to put in the up-front time to conduct thorough Discovery, research potential places of business, use connections to get in the door of the workplace, and be well-prepared for meetings and negotiations with employers. Your investment of time and energy will pay off through increased chances of on-the-job success for the consumer and a positive VR case closure for you!

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).

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.

State VR Policies & Procedures for Self Employment Services for Individuals with Disabilities provides ready access to policies and procedures for self-employment services for individuals with disabilities from each state VR.

Upcoming TACE Topics:  

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.

Retention of Individuals with Disabilities and Multicultural Backgrounds into the VR Profession Part 2

May 11, 2011

1:00-3:00 PM ET 

This webinar will provide useful information to enhance the ability of State VR agencies to effectively recruit and retain employees who reflect the demographics in their service areas.

Autism 101

May 18, 2011

12:00-2:00 PM ET

This is the first of four sessions in the Autism & Employment Learning Community Series. This webinar will address operational definitions for Autism Spectrum Disorder and related disabilities; recognizing Autism broadly; relevant data & statistics; common characteristics; tips for communicating & interacting; and common supports.

Creating Workplace Partners through Work Experiences

May 25, 2011

11:00 AM-1:00 PM ET

This webinar will address strategies for setting up and sustaining work experiences that will lead to competitive placements and employer partnerships.

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.

Real Lives, Real Stories

Autism NOW National Autism Resource and Information Center, a 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.