Southeast TACE Logo
February 2014
MSD Network News Flash
Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with the Most Significant Disabilities
In This Issue
Asset Development
Announcements
Regional News
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.  

 

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.

Upcoming TACE Webinars

 How to Position Your Job Development Services in the Labor Market

May 8, 2014

1:00-2:30 PM ET

Description coming soon!

 

Managing Stress and Feelings of Isolation Related to Job Development

August 7, 2014

1:00-2:30 PM ET

Description coming soon!

TACE Archives

2010-2014 TACE webinar recordings, handouts and PowerPoint slideshows are archived and available for you to access at your convenience.

Other Learning Opportunities

The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program offers a series of brief online training modules on providing reasonable accommodations for people with different types of disabilities, including vision and hearing, dexterity and cognitive disabilities.

 

ADA Live! is a free monthly internet radio show broadcast by the Southeast ADA Center.  The live call-in show can be heard the first Wednesday of each month from 1:00-1:30 PM Eastern Time. On March 5, 2014, the discussion will be about Voting Accessibility.  Recordings of past episodes, including a transcript, resources and more information are available at adalive.org.  

 

Job Development

February 24-March 24, 2014

Cost: $125

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. 

 

Creating a New Vision for Your Organization: Focusing on the Future Rather than the Past

February 26, 2014

2:00-3:00 PM ET

Cost: $25 APSE Members/$50 Non-Members

Learn how two organizations that have provided "traditional" segregated, facility based services for individuals with disabilities embraced Employment First practices and have been working to change their business model.

Ticket to Work: Support Services for People Who Have a Disability and Are Ready to Work

February 26, 2014

3:00-4:30 PM ET

The free webinar provides an overview of the Ticket to Work program and describes the most commonly used Work Incentives.  

 

Implications of HCBS Final Rule on Non-Residential Settings - The Impact of New HCBS Guidance on Employment & Day Services

February 27, 2014

2:00-4:00 PM ET

The webinar will include a brief presentation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,  followed by a highly interactive dialogue to address your questions on the impact of these Federal policy developments on state systems-change efforts related to improving integrated employment and community-based engagement of citizens with significant disabilities.

 

Supported Employment Web-Based Certificate Series

March 3-May 26, 2014

Cost: $325

 

Supported Competitive Employment for Individuals with Mental Illness

March 3-May 26, 2014

Cost: $325

 

2014 Southeastern "Across the Spectrum" Autism/Asperger Conference and Expo

March 13-14, 2014

Cobb Galleria Centre

Atlanta, Georgia   

 

Ethics and the New Age of Social Media

March 18, 2014

3:00-4:00 PM ET

Cost: $25 APSE Members/$50 Non-Members

This webinar will review the ethical challenges facing employment services in the age of social media in light of the six CRC Ethical Principles. Strategies and precautions will be shared to assist professionals who would like to embrace social media without causing undue harm to the persons they serve, their agencies, and the field as a whole. 

 

Apples to Androids: Using Cool New Technology to Create Consumer Buy-In

March 20-May 1, 2014

Cost: $200

This course will provide an overview of each type of popular technology gadget and some of the applications most relevant to individuals with disabilities.

 

Marketing & Job Development for Youth and Adults with Disabilities

April 2-15, 2014

Cost: $159

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

 

2014 Disability Policy Seminar
April 7-9, 2014

Washington, DC
This is an opportunity to hear from leading public policy experts, disability advocates and Congressional staff discussing current key policies important to the disability community.
 

 

Self-Employment: A Customized Career Strategy for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

April 8, 2014

2:00-3:00 PM ET

JAN Consultants will discuss the self-employment option focusing both on the development of the business itself, as well as potential accommodations in a small business context. 

 

State of the Science - Advancing Evidence-Based Practices and Policies to Close the Employment Gap [PDF]

April 8-9, 2014

Bethesda, Maryland

The NIDRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers on Evidence-Based Practice in Vocational Rehabilitation, Employment Policy and Measurement, and Individual Level Characteristics Related to Employment Among Individuals with Disabilities will share research that advances evidence-based practices and policies to close the employment gap between people with and without disabilities.

Community Re-integration of Veterans: Resilience, Well-being and Employment
April 10, 2014
2:00-2:45 PM ET
Cost: Varies

This webcast will introduce pilot data concerning the self-reported resilience, employment experience and perceived quality of life of OEF/OIF Veterans. Potential implications for well-being, community re-integration and employment will be discussed.

 

Self-Determination: Past, Present, Future
June 12, 2014
2:00-2:45 PM ET
 

Cost: Varies 
This webcast will give a brief history of self-determination, then focus on self-determination's  important role in workplace support and employment issues. 

 

25th Annual APSE National Conference

July 1-3, 2014

Long Beach, California

This conference focuses exclusively on employment of people with disabilities in the general workforce and features nationally renowned keynote speakers and over 70 breakout sessions.

 

Reinventing Quality 2014  August 3-5, 2014

Baltimore, Maryland
The National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota, the Human Services Research Institute The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and The University of Delaware's National Leadership Consortium come together to organize the Reinventing Quality Conference.

 

 

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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 - 2013 in Review: 

 

In 2013, TACE brought you monthly 30-second trainings on incorporating asset development strategies into Vocational Rehabilitation counseling and guidance. We covered the following subjects:

1.     Behavioral Economics

2.     Asset Building Coalitions and How They Can Help

3.     Asset Development: Bank On

4.     Asset Development: Debt Considerations in Vocational Planning

5.     Asset Development: IDAs

6.     Asset Development: Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)

7.     Asset Development: Financial Literacy and Transition

8.     Asset Development: Financial Literacy and VR

9.     Asset Development: Resources for Serving Individuals with Disabilities

10.  Asset Development: Earned Income Tax Credit

11.  CFED: The Corporation for Enterprise Development

12.  Asset Development: Student Earned Income Exclusion

13.  Asset Development: Helping Clients Thrive, Not Just Survive

 

Please take a minute to let us know what you thought of the trainings. Would you like them to continue? We would love your feedback!

   

  Pooh Bear and Money Pot Cartoon

 

Announcements: 

On February 12, the President signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for all individuals, including people with disabilities, working under service or concessions contracts with the federal government. The higher wage will apply to new contracts and replacements for expiring contracts put out for bid after January 1, 2015. The White House developed a fact sheet to provide additional information about the Executive Order.

 

Disability and Rural Communities: Making a Difference in Small Towns [PDF] is a training guide for people with disabilities who live in rural areas. The guide covers such topics as advocacy, inclusion, interdependence, resources, networking and community involvement, supportive relationships, leadership, and more.

Regional News: 

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities is publishing a four-part series on Olmstead in their Making a Difference magazine. Part one of the series appears in the Winter 2014 edition.

 

In collaboration with The Arc of Kentucky, Jefferson & Simpson Co. Parent Resource Centers, and Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky TASH will hold its 2014 Annual Conference April 25-26, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. This year's conference theme is "Opening Doors: Everyone Welcome".   

Employment:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Improved Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities released the proceedings from its September 2013 State of the Science Meeting on Policy and Employment for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities [PDF]. The report includes a number of recommendations and suggested topics for future research.

 

In Making the Case for IPS Supported Employment (Administration & Policy in Mental Health & Mental Health Services Research, 41(1), 69-73), authors Bond and Drake summarize the evidence supporting the effectiveness of the Individual Placement and Support model for helping people with severe mental illness gain competitive employment; discuss the barriers to implementing IPS; and suggest policy changes that could expand access to IPS services. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Employees with ASD: Tips for Educating Employers and Colleagues [Video] provides a brief background on autism spectrum disorders and how they can present in the workplace. The video also discusses specific challenges that may be encountered and strategies for overcoming those challenges.

 

Making Self-Employment Work for People with Disabilities, Second Edition will be available for purchase on March 7, 2014. Authors Cary Griffin, David Hammis, Beth Keeton, and Molly Sullivan have updated this popular guidebook with a new and improved assessment approach, more self-employment success stories, and the latest on policy changes and online opportunities.

 

APSE-Association of People Supporting Employment First has developed a map of Employment First activity across the United States, and has also issued an Employment First statement that includes characteristics of successful implementation of Employment First.

 

Setting Up Autistic Employees to Succeed discusses the Human Resources implications of a new study which found that placing autistic adults in more independent work settings may help alleviate symptoms of the developmental disorder.

 

Read Dale DiLeo's January 29, 2014 blog post about Moving Beyond "Place, then Train".

 

Disability Scoop reports that a Gallup survey found just 1 in 3 adults with intellectual disabilities is employed and of those who are working, "slightly more than half are employed in competitive environments alongside those without disabilities, while 38 percent work in sheltered workshops and 9 percent are self-employed."

 

The National Trends in Disability Employment 2013 Review/2014 Preview includes a year-end review of employment trends for people with disabilities and a look forward to the job picture for 2014.

 

States as Model Employers of People with Disabilities: A Comprehensive Review of Policies, Practices and Strategies [PDF] examines strategies used in state government and large municipalities relating to the recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities into government jobs.

 

The Job Accommodation Network quarterly newsletter is available and includes information about providing temporary accommodations, new accommodations-related resources, and upcoming training events.

 

Advancing Economic Opportunities for Business Owners and Jobseekers with Disabilities: A Review of State and Municipal Government Contracting Procurement and Tax Incentive Programs for Disability-Owned Businesses [PDF] "identifies state and local government entities that show evidence of having state business certification, preferences, and set-aside programs for private-sector disability-owned businesses, as well as established state tax incentives available to for-profit businesses to hire jobseekers with disabilities. It also highlights key elements of these programs, including how disability is defined, and the unique characteristics and features of the programs."

 

National News:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Effective VR Service Delivery Practices' Fall 2013 Research Synopsis [PDF] shares the findings of the RRTC's look at the Rehabilitation Services Administration's 911 data across a 3-year time frame (FY 2007-2009), and also outlines examples of promising VR practices from four states.

 

The Department of Health and Human Services has updated the poverty guidelines used in determining eligibility for a number of Federal programs.

 

In January, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division reported findings [PDF] of its investigation of Rhode Island's sheltered workshops and facility-based day programs. The DOJ concluded that the state was violating the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by over-relying on segregated placements. Steps the state must take to comply with the ADA include providing supported employment services, integrated day activities, and transition services to youth with I/DD.

 

Massachusetts is the latest state to move toward closing sheltered workshops for people with disabilities. On January 1, 2014, the state's administration on developmental disabilities ceased all new referrals to sheltered workshops; the existing sheltered workshops will be closed by June 30, 2015. Read the Blueprint for Success: Employing Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in Massachusetts [PDF] to learn more about how Massachusetts plans to successfully make this transition. 

 

The Office of Autism Research Coordination recently released the Report to Congress on Activities Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities Under the Combating Autism Act of 2006 and Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011 (FY 2010-FY 2012). The report includes a section entitled Adult Services and Supports, which provides descriptions of autism-related research and projects in Federal departments and agencies.

 

The LEAD Center released its report from the 2013 Policy Roundtable held in July. The report includes recommendations that will promote cross-system collaboration and one of the appendices provides resources for blending and/or braiding funds.

Post-Secondary Education:

Proposals are now being accepted for the 2014 State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. This year's conference will be held November 20-21 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Social Security:

 The Impact of a Written Benefits Analysis by Utah Benefit Counseling/WIPA Program on Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes by S. Wilhelm and S. McCormick (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 39(3), 219-228) reports study findings that Utah Benefits Planning Assistance & Outreach Program services are associated with improved earnings, employment outcomes and successful case closure status of VR clients. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

The Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2012 [PDF] is now available.

 

Technology:

The EmployAble Virtual Employment Center is based in the Second Life virtual world. It is designed to help people with disabilities (with a focus on Veterans and people with Traumatic Brain Injury) learn job skills, access information about employment and related supports, mentor with successfully employed individuals with disabilities, and match with potential employers.

 

Capti is a free app that converts any webpage with an article, blogpost, or a book to speech. It is currently available from the iTunes App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices.

 

Proloquo2Go is a popular symbol-supported communication app.

 

GW Micro's screen reader Window-Eyes is now free for anyone with a Microsoft Office 2010 or later license.  Windows-Eyes is a screen reader that enables people who are blind, visually impaired, or print disabled to have full access to Windows PCs and makes the computer accessible via speech and/or Braille. 

 

Don't Break the Bank in 2014 - Low Cost Accommodations Do Exist! is an Ask JAN blog post offering numerous examples of real-life, low-cost workplace solutions.

 

Could 3D printing provide new solutions for disabled people? offers a glimpse into what the future might hold...

 

 

Websites:

Explore VA allows visitors to search for information and resources by topic, including Disability Compensation, Education and Training, Employment Services and more.

 

TeleworkTools.org offers telework and telecommuting resources for interested jobseekers, service providers, and employers.

 

The ADA National Network launched its new website this week. The site allows visitors to access information, resources and publications about the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

The Telecom Toolbox, developed by RTC-Rural, was designed to "increase VR counselor capacity to use online communication methods.  While the Toolbox focuses primarily on email communication between the consumer and counselor, it also includes tips for using social media and video conferencing. In addition, the Toolbox provides links to external resources addressing telecommunication in counseling practice." 

 

 

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) Center for 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   

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