Southeast TACE Logo
March/April 2013
MSD Network News Flash
Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities
In This Issue
Asset Development
Announcements
Counselor Tips
TACE News
Employment
National News
Social Security
Technology
Websites
TACE Learning Communities

The Asset Development Exchange (ADX) is designed to improve employment outcomes and retention through financial stability. Asset building strategies and information can sometimes make the difference between an unsuccessful closure and a successful employment outcome. SE TACE wants to ensure counselors have the information and resources they need to assist their clients in obtaining financial stability.

 

TACE's Job Development Exchange (JDX) provides VR professionals with the information and tools they need to successfully engage employers and address a wide range of barriers to employment.

TACE Archives

2010-2013 TACE webinar recordings, handouts and PowerPoint slideshows are archived and available for you to access at your convenience.

Other Learning Opportunities

Job Development Strategies for Individuals with Criminal Justice Involvement

April 10, 2013

2:00-3:00 PM ET

Cost: $50 APSE Members/$100 Non-Members

This presentation will provide proven strategies to assisting people with criminal justice involvement to find work. Topics include: criminal justice in the U.S. today and its impact on employment, the principle of negligent hiring, Title VII protections for people with "histories", the concept of employment at will, and record expungement.

 

Ticket to Work: Support for People with Disabilities on the Journey to Financial Independence Part 1

April 10, 2013

3:00-4:30 PM ET

The April webinar series will present tips, tools, and resources that help beneficiaries learn how to save what they earn; understand tax benefits that may apply to their situation; and gain basic financial knowledge such as budgeting and expense tracking.

 

Providing Quality Training

April 10-23, 2013

Cost: $159

The course covers all the basics for good skill instruction. Also, it will feature more advanced information on error correction, data collection, and training strategies for difficult tasks.

 

Improving Evidence-Based Supported Employment Fidelity Through the Use of Customized Employment Tools and Strategies

April 11, 2013

3:00 to 5:00 PM ET

Cost: $25 if outside Minnesota
Evidence-Based Supported Employment and Customized Employment still largely remain divided along disability labels; participants in this session will learn how the two approaches are similar. 

 

Post-Secondary Options for Students with ASD: Three Programs and a Parent Perspective

April 15, 2013

2:00-3:30 PM ET

Cathryn Weir, M.Ed., will discuss how Think College works with programs for students with autism who are not likely to matriculate, how they work with programs around the country, and resources they have available. Barbara Becker-Cottrill, Ed.D., and Marc Ellision, Ed.D., will provide details on how The College Program for Students with Asperger's Syndrome at Marshall University supports students in the program, including strategies for working with professors, residence advisors and others involved in the life of the student; details will also be provided about a summer college experience for high school students. Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., BCBA-D, will share information about Students on the Spectrum at Indiana University, a student-directed club facilitated by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism.

 

2013 Disability Policy Seminar

April 15-17, 2013

Washington, D.C.

Two days of informative in-depth sessions from disability policy experts and opportunities to network with others from your state will culminate in a third day starting off with breakfast on Capitol Hill before you personally meet with your elected representatives and their staffs.

 

Ticket to Work: Support for People with Disabilities on the Journey to Financial Independence Part 2

April 24, 2013

3:00-4:30 PM ET

The April webinar series will present tips, tools, and resources that help beneficiaries learn how to save what they earn; understand tax benefits that may apply to their situation; and gain basic financial knowledge such as budgeting and expense tracking.

 

Using Work Incentives to Build Financial Stability

April 24, 2013

3:00-4:30 PM ET

Discover opportunities for individuals with disabilities to increase income through the use of Social Security (SSDI and SSI) work incentives that support savings above the $2,000 SSI asset limit.

 

Be Tech Savvy: Accessible Information and Communication Technology

April 25, 2013

2:00-3:00 PM ET

This webinar focuses on an action area that is central to the operation of 21st century business - the development, procurement, lease, maintenance, and use of information and communication technology. To fully participate in the workforce, applicants and employees with disabilities must have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by applicants and employees without disabilities.

 

Employment Services for Veterans, What You Need to Know

April 25, 2013

2:00-3:00 PM ET

Cost: $50 APSE Members/$100 Non-Members

This presentation will discuss the signature disabilities of the current conflicts, Veterans' employment programs through the VA, VA benefits and how they are impacted by employment, and job development tools.

 

Marketing and Job Development: Developing Opportunities for Youth and Adults with Disabilities

May 5-18, 2013

Cost: $159

This 2-week course will cover the key principles and hands-on tools for finding jobs for people with disabilities and other high-unemployment groups.

 

Customized Supported Self-Employment

May 6-July 15, 2013

Cost: $250

This online course is being offered by Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in collaboration with Griffin-Hammis and Associates.

 

Employment First: Race to Success- Employment Comes in First

June 25-27, 2013

Indianapolis, Indiana

This year's conference will feature strands including State-of-the-Art Practices in Integrated Employment; Transition from School to Adult Life; Public Policy and Funding; Leadership and Personal Development; and Consumer, Family and Self-Advocacy.

 
 
Greetings!

 

We are pleased to bring you the latest Southeast TACE Serving Individuals  with the Most Significant Disabilities Network News Flash (MSD Network News Flash)In this edition, you will find Announcements, National News, Upcoming Learning Opportunities, and our other regular features. 

 

Visit the TACE MSD Network website to learn about current events in the world of employment for individuals with the most significant impact of disability.

Asset Development Exchange 30-Second Trainings: 

Pooh Bear and Money Pot Cartoon

 

The Southeast TACE wants to help counselors have the information and resources you need to assist your clients in obtaining financial stability. Toward that end, we are producing 30-second trainings and posting them on the Southeast TACE Asset Development Exchange (ADX) webpage. This month, learn about the Earned Income Tax Credit [PowerPoint] and how it can help your clients maximize their earnings.

 

 

Announcements: 

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day and April is National Autism Awareness Month. What can you do this month to bring attention to the needs of people with autism spectrum disorder?

 

The call for proposals is now open for the 2013 TASH Conference, A Movement United, to be held December 11-14, 2013, in Chicago. Consider submitting a proposal to share your innovative ideas, programs and practices that lead to positive outcomes for people with significant disabilities. The deadline for proposals is May 8, 2013.

 

2012 in Review: BBI in the News highlights Burton Blatt Institute (Syracuse University) projects and members of the BBI community whose research, experiences, and expertise have been documented in the media during the past year. 

 

Counselor Tips:

With income tax season upon us, 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 to moderate income working individuals and families. This credit is a great incentive for many of your clients who are struggling to make work pay.

 

The IRS released Where Taxpayers With Disabilities Can Find Online Help from the IRS [Video], a YouTube video that provides information about tax products and other IRS services offered to people with disabilities.

 

The Southeast TACE Asset Development Exchange offers several user-friendly tax resources to assist clients with their taxes. 

 

In their article Group Discovery: A Cost-Effective Strategy for Guiding Employment Services, Mike Callahan and Abby Cooper provide an overview of Customized Employment and the Discovery process. They then describe how Group Discovery can be used to improve employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities and other complexities while making efficient use of staff resources.

 

TACE News:

TACE team members will attend and present at the Spring Conference of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) in Bethesda, MD on April 22 - 24. CSAVR's mission is to help improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for people with disabilities so they can achieve and maintain employment, have financial security and be fully included in society. Composed of the chief administrators of the public VR agencies serving persons with physical and/or mental disabilities in the United States, CSAVR meets in full session at least twice yearly to communicate on issues of concern within the field of vocational rehabilitation.

 

TACE will convene a panel for the Fifth General Session of the conference on Wednesday, April 24 at 8:15am. The panel will discuss "Asset Development for Individuals with Disabilities: How VR can be part of the solution." Presenters will include Mike O'Brien, CSAVR President and Director of OK Vocational Rehabilitation; David Beach, Director of KY Vocational Rehabilitation; Sue Page, Director of MD Direct Client Services; Abby Cooper, SE TACE Consultant; Chip Kenney, Director of SE TACE; and Michael Morris, NDI President. Panelists will explain why asset development is a necessary part of VR training, show how the SE TACE Center has expanded VR counselors' knowledge of asset development, present an example of how asset development can be incorporated in the VR system, and give an overview of asset building on a national level and specifically for people with disabilities. 

 

Employment:

Are you interested in learning more about the disability status and diversity of the labor force and population 16 and over? If so, the Disability Employment Tabulation 2008-2010 is now available. It provides in-depth labor force characteristics of people with disabilities, including details on occupation, education, and earnings. The Disability Employment Tabulation is sponsored by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

 

A Practical Guide for People with Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Work [PDF] from the Temple University Collaborative is designed for people with mental health conditions who want to return to successful careers. The guide covers topics such as overcoming barriers to employment, SSI and SSDI work incentives, accommodations, disclosure and long-term supports. A Facilitator's Manual [PDF] is also available.

 

The LEAD Center, an ODEP-funded training and TA center, recently released its March e-newsletter. Highlights from this issue include a story about Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, and LEAD Center team members at the Cities for Financial Empowerment conference; a preview of the LEAD Center's webinar series; and a profile of LEAD Public Policy Team co-director Ari Ne'eman, president and founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

 
National News:

Governors Promote Employment For People With Disabilities highlights policies and partnerships several states are implementing to increase the number of people with disabilities in the workforce. 

Social Security:

The Continuing Resolution passed by the House and Senate reinstated funding for the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program, both of which provide support to help Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries attain self-sufficiency through work. 

 

Technology:

Does your agency use social media to share information with the public? If so, you might be interested in the Improving the Accessibility of Social Media in Government Toolkit, developed by the Federal Social Media Community of Practice's Social Media Accessibility Working Group, led by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. The toolkit features guidelines and instructions for making Facebook posts, Twitter messages, and YouTube videos accessible for individuals with disabilities.

 

GoTasks is a free task management and list prioritization app.

 

It's My Future is an iPad app that helps adults with developmental disabilities to become more self-determined and take part in their planning meetings.

 

My Life! My Story! is an iPad app people with disabilities can use to create their own stories and tell others about their lives. 

Websites:

The LEAD Center launched its website on March 29th. The site houses resources, events and trainings to promote public policy, employment and economic advancement outcomes for all people across the spectrum of disability.

 

The National Resource Directory connects wounded warriors, Service Members, Veterans, families and caregivers to services and programs at the national, state and local levels that support them during recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration.

 

Georgia's Tools for Life AppFinder is a searchable database of apps for living, working, and playing. Visitors to the site can search for apps by category, price range, device type, and disability. All the apps have been tested or are currently being used by members of the Tools for Life team and peers in the assistive technology community across the country. 

Please forward this MSD Network New Flash to agency staff, parents, individuals with disabilities, and anyone else you think might find the information useful. Invite them to subscribe by joining the Southeast TACE Employment Listserv. To join the listserv, they simply visit the Southeast TACE MSD Network web site and follow the MSD Email List link. We'll take it from there!
  

If you have any questions about TACE or would like to request technical assistance, please contact Jill Houghton at [email protected]. For questions about the Southeast TACE Employment Listserv or the monthly Southeast TACE Serving Individuals with Most Significant Disabilities Network News Flash, please contact Kim Brown at [email protected]

 

To unsubscribe to the Southeast TACE Employment Listserv, use the SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this message or send an email with "unsubscribe employment" in the "Subject" line to [email protected]. Please do not flag the messages as spam - this may prevent delivery of the web blasts to other people using your Internet provider who wish to continue receiving the TACE MSD News Flash.

 

 

Are You Accessing the Portals?

To use the Portals, visit the TACE MSD Network website. 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 [email protected] 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.

 

About the Southeast TACE Serving Individuals with Most Significant Disabilities Network News Flash:

This free service is being sponsored by Southeast TACE, the Technical Assistance & Continuing Education (TACE) Centerfor Region IV. TACE is a partnership of academic, governmental, and community expertise that provides technical assistance and continuing education activities to meet the training and organizational development needs of State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and their partners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Southeast TACE supports VR, Community Rehabilitation Programs, Centers for Independent Living, Client Assistance Programs, and other agencies to enhance employment outcomes, independent functioning, independent living and quality of life for persons with disabilities throughout the eight states in the Southeast Region IV.

 

Meet the Southeast TACE Team:

Chip Kenney, Project Director & Principal Investigator

Jill Houghton, Network Coordinator, Organization Development Specialist

Abby Cooper, Consultant