Learning Opportunities: Montana and Online
The slides from the May 8th webinar Skills to Pay the Bills [8.76 MB] are available for download.
Customized Employment
June 4 - July 2, 2012
Cost: $100 per person; $400 for 5 registrants
Customized employment uses a flexible blend of strategies, services, supports, and funds to facilitate employment outcomes for job seekers with complex needs through negotiated employment relationships. The course will cover these important topics on customized employment and more.
Into Adulthood: Transition to Work for Individuals with Autism
June 18 - July 30, 2012
Cost: $275 plus $25.05 for textbook
This course will provide the participant with an in-depth understanding of the concepts related to positive transition planning for youth with autism.
Job Development
July 2 - 30, 2012
Cost: $125 per person; $500 for 5 registrants
This course covers specific principles associated with job development via online lectures and readings and then requires the learner to take action on his or her behalf to further develop a particular skill.
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Learning Opportunities: Other States
2012 AAIDD Annual Conference
June 18-21
Charlotte, NC
Join the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for their 136th Annual Meeting, Research-Practice-Policy. The conference will feature informative and inspiring plenary sessions, cutting edge concurrent sessions, posters addressing emerging issues, and in-depth pre- and post-conference meetings on a number of important topics.
APSE 2012 National Conference [PDF]
June 27-29, 2012
Arlington, Virginia
The 23rd Annual Conference theme says it all - Employment First: A Capitol Idea! This year's pre-conference topics will include innovations in transition, employment for veterans, corporate job development, assistive technology and Bridges out of Poverty. The conference will feature a Transition from School to Adult Life [PDF] track.
Autism Summer Institute
August 6-8, 2012
Concord, NH
Registration is now open for the 14th Annual Autism Summer Institute, a conference for families, educators, community service providers, and self-advocates. |
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We hope you enjoy the news and resources in our May issue of Transition Tidbits, and that they prove helpful to you as you work to promote the successful transition of young Montanans with disabilities.
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Montana News
Adaptive Cycle Clinic When: June 22, 2012, noon-7pm Where: Ronald McDonald House by Community Medical Center, 3003 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804 Who: Anyone who will benefit from an adaptive tricycle, hand cycle or hand/foot combination cycle for mobility, recreation or sport. Staff on hand: Representatives from Invacare and Lightfoot cycles, Therapists from CMC, Norco ATPs, and Repair Technicians from The Bicycle Hanger. What to bring: Helmet, if able. Family member or caregiver can bring a bike to ride with you. **Disclaimer: Invacare, Norco and Lightfoot Cycles will be present to assist but you always have your choice of vendor** Please RSVP to ensure we will have adequate staff to assist you and bikes to trial - call Loretta at 327-4634 Chris Clasby and the Montana Access to Outdoor Recreation program (MATOR) were recently featured in an article by Jamie Rogers entitled "Nothing can stop Chris Clasby. Not from hunting. Not from fishing. Not from helping." |
Announcements
The University of Maryland in conjunction with TransCen, Inc. is offering scholarships for the Career Planning and Placement for Youth in Transition Graduate Certificate Program. The deadline to apply for these scholarships is June 29, 2012. The scholarships offer a tuition and stipend award for 12 graduate credits in the University of Maryland's Department of Counseling and Personnel Services. They are intended for professionals with a bachelor's degree who are employed in special education, rehabilitation or related programs. Credits may be transferred to CSPD, CRC and degree programs in rehabilitation and related disciplines. The four courses start in Fall 2012. For application materials please visit the University of Maryland's Website. For further information, please contact Ellen Fabian at (301) 405-2872 or email caps-jdjp@umd.edu.
Community Solutions at the University of South Florida announces their 2012 webinar series. Topics include: The Affordable Care Act; family, youth, and young adult roles in mental health services; linking primary care to mental health; family-to-family and peer-to-peer supports; suicide prevention; and innovative approaches for older youth and young adults. |
Employment
On May 17th, the U.S. District Court in Oregon issued a ruling in a case alleging that Oregon is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide employment services to individuals with disabilities in the most integrated settings appropriate. Although the Court granted a motion to dismiss the complaint, it determined that the plaintiffs have valid claims under Title II of the ADA and that the ADA's integration mandate applies to the provision of employment-related services. Disability Rights Oregon has provided a summary of the ruling. The University of Massachusetts Medical School Transitions RTC has developed Vocational Rehabilitation (VR): A Young Adult's Guide [PDF]. The tip sheet describes VR eligibility and services, along with consumer tips, in youth-friendly language. The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth posted a blog entitled Developing Soft Skills Includes Improving Thinking Skills. The blog lists a number of cognitive skills important in many workplaces, along with ways to provide support as young people develop these skills. StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes 2011 provides detailed national and state-level data on trends in employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The publication is now available as a product of Access to Integrated Employment, a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The newest Griffin-Hammis Customized Employment Podcast features Laura Owens, Executive Director of APSE, discussing school transition outcomes, the recent Oregon lawsuit against segregation, the Employment First movement, and the annual APSE conference on community employment. |
National News
The 2012 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) theme is "A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?" NDEAM is officially celebrated in October...start planning your community's announcements, events and meetings now! |
Post-Secondary Education
As of May 1, 2012, 14 schools' Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) Programs for students with intellectual disabilities have been approved to offer federal financial aid.
The April-May Think College! E-News announces Life Learning Is For Everyone: The True Story of How South Carolina Came to be a Leader in Providing Opportunities for Postsecondary Education to Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.This book by Donald Bailey, executive director of Charleston Transition College (CTC) and parent of a young man with cognitive learning difficulties, discusses how and why five of South Carolina's institutions of higher learning began providing postsecondary opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities.
The University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration recently launched a new college prep program for students with disabilities. According to their website, "College Prep/ICI works collaboratively with individual students, families, and professionals to help set the stage for a successful transition from high school to the college of their choice. Services are available for students with learning disabilities, ADHD/ADD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression, other mental health issues, sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and chronic illness. College Prep/ICI staff, working on a fee-for-service basis, help students constructively assess and build on academic and vocational aptitudes, evaluate and strengthen independent living and social skills, improve executive functioning skills, navigate college admissions and financial aid processes, develop effective IEPs, understand accommodations and high stakes testing (e.g., AP tests, ACT/SAT), and connect with adult service programs and other resources."
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Social Security
The AARP has released Social Security: 2012 Montana Quick Facts [PDF]. Information from 2010 cited includes: one in five Montanans received Social Security and of these, 67% were retirees and 33% were not; Social Security added more than $2 billion to Montana's economy; and 26,077 Montanans with disabilities received Social Security benefits. |
Technology
VCU, in collaboration with the National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research, released the Research to Practice Brief Using an iPod Touch to Facilitate Employment for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder [PDF]. The brief summarizes preliminary findings from a study to determine whether a small, hand-held computer can help address the difficulties people with ASD face in employment settings. Job performance, retention, hours of job coaching support needed, and worker and co-worker satisfaction are examined and compared between the experimental and the control groups. The study also examines how participants use the iPod Touch, the strategies they use on the job, and their satisfaction in using it in the workplace. |
Transition
The Caf� TA Center online newsletter [PDF] provides resources for youth with disabilities transitioning into post-secondary education, adult health care systems, and the workforce. In her latest publication, Summer Vacation: Time for Fun and Time to Plan [PDF], Kathie Snow offers a wealth of ideas to combine recreation and transition preparation in the summer months ahead. The Transitions Research & Training Center (RTC) at the University of Massachusetts offers a variety of resources for those serving youth and young adults, ages 14-30, with serious mental health conditions. Three of the available publications include: The summer 2010 issue of Focal Point from the Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures, Portland State University, focuses on transition into adulthood for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. Some of the articles include: |
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