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September 2013
MSD Network News Flash
Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities
In This Issue
Asset Development
Announcements
Employment
National News
PSE
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

Virginia Commonwealth University is offering a number of webcourses this fall. Visit the WorkSupport website for topics and registration information.

 

The archived webinar Promoting Employment - Discovering Your Potential: Using Discovery to Identify Your Employment Goals is now available from the LEAD Center.

 

Career Development: Using Principles of Discovery and Career Enhancement

September 10-23, 2013

Cost: $159

This 2-week, 18-hour web training focuses on developing career paths through innovative vocational assessment, career development skills, and vocational profiling for youth and adults with disabilities. Topics include self-determination, the discovery process, and situational assessments. We also discuss entry jobs versus dream jobs, self-employment, career exploration strategies, self-presentation, and more. 

 

Technology and Health: Aging Safely and More Independently

September 17, 2013

1:00-2:00 PM ET

Learn how technology is being designed and tested to help older adults remain healthy and live independently. (Although the focus of this webcast is on seniors, many of the technologies discussed will likely be of benefit to younger adults with disabilities.)

 

Lights, Camera, Access: Spotlight on Disability Inclusive Diversity  

Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2013
Los Angeles, California

Attend the U.S. Business Leadership Network's 16th Annual Conference, where you will gain actionable knowledge to build a business case for your disability inclusion initiatives and develop robust strategies that align with your organization's goals to create culturally competent workplaces.

 

Marketing and Job Development

October 2-15, 2013

Cost: $159

Join this two-week course covering the key principles and hands-on tools for finding jobs for people with disabilities and other high-unemployment groups.

 

October 9-11, 2013

Minneapolis, Minnesota

This year's conference builds on a tradition of providing a comprehensive examination of the most current uses of technology by persons with disabilities and the professionals who work with them. Topics will cover a broad spectrum of technology as it is being applied to all disabilities and age groups in education, rehabilitation, vocation, and independent living.

  

A Time for Change... Sheltered Workshop Conversion

October 22-23, 2013

Burlington, Vermont

Cost: $350

Examine the issues of policy change, training, and culture-shift needed to foster the conversion of sheltered workshops to community-based employment services. State policy makers, Developmental Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Advocates, and Families are encouraged to attend.

 

Innovative Research on Employer Practices: Improving Employment for People with Disabilities

October 22-23, 2013

Washington, DC

This state-of-the-science conference is hosted by the NIDRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices Related to Employment Outcomes among Individuals with Disabilities (EP-RRTC).

 

Inclusive Higher Education: Moving from Good Ideas to Great Outcomes

November 16-17, 2013

Washington, DC

Cost: $190

This event will feature both general and concurrent sessions on topics such as Current Strategies, Lessons Learned, Policy and Legislation, Funding, and more. Come, learn, share, and stay to network with colleagues from across the country at the Inclusive Higher Education Reception.

 

A Movement United - 2013 TASH Conference

December 11-14, 2013

Chicago, Illinois

For more than 37 years, the TASH Conference has impacted the disability field by connecting attendees to innovative information and resources, facilitating connections between stakeholders in the disability movement, and helping attendees reignite their passion for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life.

 

 

 
Greetings!

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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. 

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 Asset Development: Debt Considerations in Vocational Planning.

 

 

 

Announcements: 

Employers, human resource professionals, and all others with expertise and insight into disability employment issues are invited to join the online What Can We Do? Conversation for Change September 9-11, 2013. This Employer Dialogue will center around the question, "What services do you need to facilitate the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities?" Participants may submit ideas and comments and/or vote on others' ideas and comments. Registration is required.

Employment:

Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies Helping People with Psychiatric Disabilities Get Employed: How Far Have We Come? How Far Do We Have to Go? Case Studies of Promising Practices in Vocational Rehabilitation summarizes eight promising VR employment practices serving people with psychiatric disabilities.

 

The Job Accommodation Network blog features a July 31st post called JAN and Vocational Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs Provide Complementary Employment Supports. The post explores how these programs can assist people in mental health recovery to find and maintain employment and reach other life goals.

 

The U.S. Business Leadership Network� and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce held a disability employment summit in July. Prior to the summit, business leaders were asked to share their successful disability inclusion practices and those practices were captured in the report Leading Practices on Disability Inclusion.

 

Case Studies of Emerging/Innovative Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Practices in Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities summarizes four promising VR employment practices for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

 

The ADA National Network and the ADA Knowledge Translation Center released three new factsheets: You Have a Lot to Offer: Ten Points for Veterans to Consider When Returning to Work with a Disability;Ten Tips for Employers: Tapping into the Talents of Veterans with Disabilities; and Ten Tips for Families: Supporting a Veteran with a Disability Returning to Work.

 

Understanding the Competencies Needed to Customize Jobs: A Competency Model for Customized Employment by Harvey, Szoc, Dela Rosa, Pohl, and Jenkins (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Volume 38(2), Pgs. 77-89) describes the development of a customized employment competency model. The verified model contains 31 tasks grouped into four Customized Employment components, and 83 KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) grouped into nine competencies. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)   

Dale DILeo's latest blog post, Mixed Marketing: How Job Development Can Be Hindered by Typical Agency Communications, offers marketing tips for job development agencies.  

 

Flex-Time & Contract Work Are Very Accommodating explains what flex-time is and which industries are most likely to offer it. The blog post also talks about contract work and how both this and flex-time can be options for people with disabilities or health issues that are difficult to accommodate in the traditional workplace.

 

Services and Supports People with Disabilities Need to Stay Employed [PDF] explores the services, supports, and accommodations workers with disabilities use and how they obtain these services and supports.

National News:

In late August, the U.S. Department of Labor announced two new rules that will be published shortly in the Federal Register and will take effect 180 days later. The Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) rule requires federal contractors to establish an annual hiring benchmark. The Section 503 (of the Rehabilitation Act) rule establishes a hiring goal for federal contractors and subcontractors that 7 percent of each job group in their workforce be qualified individuals with disabilities. 

 

What Were the Top Outcomes of State Medicaid Infrastructure (MIG) Grants? [PDF] reports the findings of a 2012 Mathematica survey of 44 states that received MIG funding in 2011.

 

The National Governors Association released A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities - Blueprint for Governors [PDF]. According to Delaware Governor Markell, NGA Chair, "This blueprint focuses on the employment of people with disabilities and the role of states in assisting businesses." The report discusses five key areas policymakers should consider when determining how to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities:

  • Make disability employment part of the state workforce development strategy.
  • Support businesses in their efforts to employ people with disabilities.
  • Increase the number of people with disabilities working in state government.
  • Prepare youth with disabilities for careers that use their full potential, providing employers with a pipeline of skilled workers.
  • Make the best use of limited resources to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Post-Secondary Education:

Profiles and Promising Practices in Higher Education for Students with Intellectual Disability identifies and describes promising postsecondary education programs serving students with ID.

 

The Transition Activity Calendar is an online transition tool created to help students with visual impairments prepare for postsecondary education. The tool covers middle school through the summer before college.

 

Navigating College: A Handbook on Self Advocacy Written for Autistic Students from Autistic Adults is now available for online purchase.

 

The Think College website features a series of personal College Stories related to postsecondary education for students with intellectual disabilities.

 

How Studying Abroad Boosts Employability of Students with Disabilities on the Global Career Compass Blog suggests that study abroad may be one way to reduce the education and employment gap between people with and without disabilities.

Social Security:

The Social Security Administration recently published a final rule [PDF] announcing it will start using the term "intellectual disability" instead of "mental retardation."

 

Technology:

The Fall 2013: Assistive Technology (AT) for Learning -Success Story Smackdown! features articles about dyslexia and AT, classroom teachers learning and implementing AT, eye-friendly text-to-speech software, and more.

 

Tablet-based Video Modeling and Prompting in the Workplace for Individuals with Autism by Burke, Allen, Howard, Downey, Matz, and Bowen (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 38(1), 1-14) reports the findings of a study conducting worksite testing of computer video modeling and prompting software for individuals with autism.  (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Visual Supports for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders by Newton, Eren, and Ben-Avie (Journal of Special Education Technology (JSET), 28(2), 53-56) reports the findings of a pilot study in which the iPrompts v.t.2.1 software app was used to create customizable visual supports for participants. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

In her August 9, 2013 Disability Is Natural online newsletter, Kathie Snow features "Ordinary Needs," a thought-provoking article about assistive technology.

 

 

Websites:

The new WorkSupport.com website provides information, resources and research about work and disability issues.

 

The Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology in Post-Secondary Education website includes tools and resources for "both higher educational institutions to improve assistive technology service delivery, as well as student directed resources to increase self-advocacy skills and increase successful integration of assistive technology in the new environment."

 

The Friendship Circle App Review allows you to search through over 1000 apps categorized by platform, category and price.

 

 

Please forward this MSD Network New Flash to agency staff, parents, individuals with disabilities, and anyone else you think might find the information useful.  

 

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.


 

 

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