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Transition Tidbits
Transition News and ResourcesMay 5, 2014
In This Issue
Training: MT, Online
Training: Other States
MT News
Announcements
Employment
Health
National News
Post-Secondary
Social Security
Technology
Transition
Web Sites

Learning Opportunities: Montana and Online


The video and presentation slides from the April session of CDC's Public Health Grand Rounds, Autism Spectrum Disorder: From Numbers to Know-How, are now available.

 

The 2013 EARN webinar archives are posted and available for viewing. Topics include Home Again and Back to Work: The Employment of Veterans with Disabilities, Disclosing Disability: What You Need to Know, and more. 

 

Crucial Components of Effective Transition Programs: 10 (actually 17!) "Things" Every Transition Program Should Have

May 8, 2014

12:00-1:00 PM MT

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

This webinar will overview the 17 evidence-based predictors of post-school success from the correlational literature - focusing on those predictors most relevant transition planning for students with intellectual disabilities, as they prepare for integrated employment.

 

Right on Time? Early Interventions and Initiatives for Promoting Employment

May 8, 2014
9:45 AM-11:30 AM MT

Join us for a disability policy forum, where a distinguished panel of speakers will discuss:

How timely VR service receipt affects the subsequent application to and receipt of SSDI and SSI;

New statistics on employment and SSA benefit receipt for youth ages 16 to 24 who applied for VR services, including the variation across states;

Barriers that have hindered states' progress toward expanding integrated employment among individuals with IDDs; and 

Lessons learned that can help states advance their efforts to transform their employment service systems.

 

Job Coaching and Workplace Supports

May 13-26, 2014

Cost: $159

This 2-week, 18-hour web training will cover Principles of Job Design; Job Training and Instructional Support; Natural Supports; and Social-Behavioral Support.

 

Assistive Technology to Support the Independence of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism in Employment Settings

May 14, 2014

12:00-1:00 PM MT

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

Participants will be provided with strategies for determining appropriate AT based on the needs of the employee, the employment setting, and requirements of the job and will also be given an overview of various low to high tech AT supports that can be used to support and promote independence of learners across a variety of jobs and skill sets.

 

Making the VR Connection!

May 15, 2014

11:00 AM-2:00 PM MT

This webinar is designed to inform youth with disabilities, their family members, practitioners, VR counselors, educators, public and private sector agencies, and other stakeholders about the importance of collaboration to ensure a smooth transition process for students with disabilities as they exit school and prepare for post-school activities.

 

Health, Behavior and Healthy Behavior for Children and Adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities

May 16, 2014

12:00-1:00 PM MT
Individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities are more likely to have health-related problems and also likely to face challenges in accessing appropriate health care. These realities are complicated by limitations in communication and by some behavioral expressions of distress. This presentation will review some of the health-related considerations and the importance of understanding health promotion in preventing unnecessary medical and behavioral complications for people with I/DD.

 

Community First Choice Option: State Consideration and Implementation
May 16, 2014

12:00-1:30 PM MT
The Community First Choice Option provides states with a new opportunity and financial incentive to expand access to home and community-based services to individuals with disabilities and seniors. This webinar will feature insights from three states (Colorado, Montana, and Oregon) that are actively considering or implementing the Community First Choice Option.

 

Raising Student Knowledge and Skill about Transportation Options to Improve the Successful Transition to Post School Settings

June 5, 2014

12:00-1:00 PM MT

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

This webinar will also introduce attendees to community mobility management systems that serve as an additional resource for people with disabilities in accessing reliable transportation. These free materials can be integrated in instructional content related to the common core standards and serve to build connections across education, transit, and human service organizations. 

 

Self-Determination: Past, Present, Future
June 26, 2014
12:00-12:45 PM MT

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. 

 

Unveiling a New Resource for Self Advocates

July 8, 2014

2:00-3:00 PM MT

Imagine if you had a book of interview questions, templates of acceptance /rejection letters, press releases, and more. ASAN is launching a book of templates and scripts self advocates can use in their work. We will unveil the book at our July 8th webinar and use different tactics, like roleplaying scenarios, to go over the book together.

Learning Opportunities: Other States

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.

 

Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Conference and pepnet 2 Training Institute
July 14-19, 2014
Sacramento, California

The AHEAD conference, "Access Always, in All Ways" features foundational and advanced training in disability law, civil rights, disability services management, access technologies, student services, and new ways of thinking about all of these. The pepnet 2 Training Institute offers more than 30 sessions, reflecting research and best practices in the design and delivery of state-of-the-art educational opportunities for deaf or hard of hearing students.

 

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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Welcome to Transition Tidbits. We hope you find the news and resources in this issue useful as you support young Montanans with disabilities in their transition to adult lives.

Montana News

Montana Autism Education Project consultants can review an IEP for a Montana student with autism and then arrange a conference call or visit to provide feedback, suggestions and praise. If you are interested in an IEP consultation, send an email to [email protected] with the Subject line: "IEP Consultation Request" for more information. 


Announcements

The 2013 IACC Summary of Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research is now available. The summary includes the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's top twenty picks for the most significant studies in autism research in 2013.

 

Fact sheets and PowerPoint presentations from the April Disability Policy Seminar are now available.

 

The March issue of LEAD On!, the LEAD Center's quarterly e-newsletter, highlights news and innovations in employment, policy and economic advancement for adults with disabilities.

 

Savings Fitness: A Guide to Your Money and Your Financial Future offers a variety of online worksheets to help users set financial goals, calculate net worth, estimate how much to save for retirement, develop a cash flow spending plan, and reduce debt.

 

The Administration for Community Living's latest blog addresses the issues of alternatives to guardianship and supported decision-making.

 

TASH is accepting presentation proposals for the 2014 Annual Conference, "Be the Future," in Washington, DC, December 3-5, 2014. Proposals are due by May 10, 2014.

Employment

Employment First Across the Nation: Progress on the Policy Front is a Policy Research Brief using an interactive online map to show how states are adopting Employment First policies.

 

Is Supported Employment a Good Investment for Taxpayers? Or Are Sheltered Workshops Cheaper to Operate? [PDF] summarizes the results of several recent studies that attempt to answer these questions.

 

Employing People with Autism is a Washington Post article about a Virginia Commonwealth University research study based on the Project SEARCH model.

 

5 Ways to Keep Your Home-Based Business Running Smoothly suggests basic rules for running a successful business from home.

 

The State of the Science of Employment and Economic Self-Sufficiency for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities by D. Nord, R. Luecking, D. Mank, et al (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(5), 376-384) examines the literature on the effectiveness of the current employment support system, employment-specific interventions, and more. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Thousands of Disabled Oregon Workers Could Benefit from U.S. Settlement in Rhode Island describes legal efforts underway to move Oregonians with severe disabilities out of sheltered workshops and into the general workforce.

 

When Experience Pays: Paid vs. Unpaid Internships outlines the criteria that must be applied to unpaid internships under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

 

The U.S. Department of Justice reached an American with Disabilities Act Settlement Agreement with Rhode Island. In the agreement, the state committed to overhaul its system of sheltered workshops and day programs for people with disabilities.

Health

The Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (ITAC) regularly adds new resources to the online Training Toolbox. The Toolbox shares training strategies on a variety of topics (including transition) relevant to leadership and Maternal and Child Health.

 

Health Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Toolkit for Primary Care Providers is an online resource to provide primary-care physicians with tools for communicating with and treating patients with intellectual disabilities.

 

Our Lives, Our Health Care: Self Advocates Speaking Out about Our Experiences with the Medical System outlines the perspectives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) on their interactions with the health care system and articulates an agenda to reform the way health care services are delivered for people with I/DD.

 

The Global Genes Project strives to increase rare disease awareness, educate the public and physicians, build community through social media, and support research initiatives to find treatments and cures for rare and genetic diseases.

 

The Affordable Care Act and People with Developmental Disabilities [PDF] highlights important elements of the ACA that impact people with developmental disabilities.

 

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Self-Management Support Resource Library helps providers teach their clients how to take informed responsibility for their own healthcare.
National News

Working in the Community: The Status and Outcomes of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Integrated Employment, a National Core Indicators Data Brief, "describes the employment status of individuals supported by state ID/DD agencies and compares participating states in terms of proportions of service recipients in different types of community employment."

 

Individual Characteristics and Employment Outcomes among People with Disabilities: A Critical Review of the Literature presents an overview of the recent literature on employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities and how they vary by individual characteristics.

 

The American Association of People with Disabilities has released the 2013 Compendium on Disability Statistics.

 

The 6X15 Campaign, led by six national disability organizations, seeks to achieve six national goals by the end of 2015. Goals are in areas such as Transition, Employment, and Education.
Post-Secondary Education

The AJ Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at UConn Health Center is seeking adults with autism [PDF]  who are either current or past college students to participate in a study. The study will examine the experiences of college students with autism in order to identify novel ways to improve academic and social outcomes.

 

Making College Affordable: A Guide for Students with Disabilities addresses funds for post-secondary education, online colleges, job resources for graduates, and more.

 

Life at University with Asperger Syndrome: A Comparison of Student and Staff Perspectives by F. Knott and A. Taylor (International Journal of Inclusive Education, 18(4), 411-426) explores the challenges, barriers and supports to students' successful progress through one university. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Social Security

Working at Home in the Ticket to Work Program is a guest blog written by Lisa Seeley, a Ticket to Work Program Participant.

 

Technology

What Are Your Options to Pay for Assistive Devices? [PDF] covers a variety of funding resources, including public and private health insurance, non-profit organizations, clinical trials and more.
 

ScanDo! is an app currently in beta testing that will allow individuals with cognitive challenges to scan a QR code and receive simple video or text instructions.

 

Using Tablets to Reach Kids with Autism  is a CNN Tech article that provides real-world examples of how tablets can be used as tools for kids with autism and other disabilities.

 

Autism Q&A: Introduction to Alternative and Augmentative Communication defines AAC and then explores questions such as, "What are the most common forms of AAC?" and "What are the pros and cons of each?"

 

The Spring 2014 AT Program News focuses on cultural accessibility, including Proloquo4Text in Spanish and other app options for non-English AAC.

Transition 

The OSU Nisonger Center E-Mentoring Curriculum includes an emphasis on electronic and face-to-face mentoring in addition to the creation of a Transition Portfolio through technology literacy, career, and reading instruction.

 

The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute posted five "research snapshots" addressing autism-related topics including Supporting Independence in Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum and Equipping Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders for Adulthood: Promoting Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships.
 

Shelly Saves the Future: A Story of Career Development is an informational comic that illustrates the benefits of having an Individualized Learning Plan for high school students.

 

A Comprehensive Approach to Transition was produced by members of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities to help people work together to support the self-determined transition of youth to adulthood and community life.

 

Understanding the New Vision for Career Development: The Role of Family is an NCWD/Youth InfoBrief that discusses the three phases of career development, highlights Individualized Learning Plans as a career development tool, and offers strategies on how families can encourage their young adults to pursue lifelong learning and skill-building.

 

Does Providing Transition Services Early Enable Students with ASD to Achieve Better Vocational Outcomes as Adults? by R.E. Cimera, S. Burgess, and A. Wiley (Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 38(2), 88-93) reports study findings that individuals who received transition services by age 14 were significantly more likely to be employed than those who received transition services later (by age 16). They also appeared to earn more and cost less to serve. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Transition Services for Youth with Autism: A Systematic Review  identifies qualitative research that addressed elements of potential successful employment placements for individuals with ASD. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
Web Sites

The Rural Institute website has been given a facelift.  Visit the site and fill out the survey to let us know what you think.

 

The newly reorganized Youth to Work Coalition website houses resources organized across eight work-based learning experience categories: career exploration, job shadowing, job sampling, service learning, internships, apprenticeships, paid employment, and mentoring.  Within each category, resources are organized for the following audiences: schools, businesses, youth service professionals, families, and youth with disabilities.

 

The Autism Now website includes a page of job-related subjects such as employment research and reports, supported employment, transition planning for job opportunities, vocational rehabilitation and more.  

 

State Employment First activities and initiatives can be tracked on the Association of People Supporting Employment First website.

 

The Virginia Department of Education has launched the Center on Transition Innovations website. The site is designed to be a centralized statewide resource for educators and other stakeholders in the transition of youth with disabilities.

 

Easter Seals Project Action is a federally funded training and technical assistance center cooperative agreement between Easter Seals, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration. Congress originally commissioned Easter Seals Project ACTION in 1988 as a research and demonstration project to improve access to public transportation for people with disabilities.
   
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Please note: the Transition and Employment Projects at the University of Montana Rural Institute shares information and resources our listserv members may find of interest. We do not endorse the web sites or workshop contents or their providers, and we assume no responsibility for the validity of information provided on sites or in sessions not hosted by our agency.

 

This project is funded in whole or in part under a Contract with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The statements herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Department.