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

Learning Opportunities: Montana and Online


Frank Porter Graham's Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder designed and recently released the Understanding Autism Professional Development Curriculum. The downloadable curriculum for teachers includes two 75-minute presentations: Characteristics and Practices for Challenging Behavior [PDF] and Strategies for Classroom Success and Effective Use of Teacher Supports [PDF].

 

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Flash Training Series offers brief (five minutes or less) recorded lessons covering specific WIA Youth program topics. Topics so far include: Finding Financial Aid Resources; Finding Federally-Funded Youth Programs; Participant Exit; The 10 WIA Youth Program Elements; Waivers Supporting Youth Services;     What's My Next Move; Workforce Investment Act Youth Councils; and Youth Common Measures.

 

Work-Based Learning and Fair Labor Standards Act

June 24, 2014

12:00-1:00 PM MT

Join this in-depth training on the federal guidelines that must be used to establish the understandings between employer, school, family and student.  Pre-registration is not required. To login, choose the "enter as guest" option and type your name. Have the system call you or call in (1-877-512-6886, participant code = 1454304088) if the system doesn't prompt to call you.

 

The Most Common Medical Problems in Specialized Care for People with I/DD

June 25, 2014

12:00-1:00 PM MT

Persons with I/DD experience the same medical problems as people without I/DD, but may present in a different fashion. Join Dr. Ted Feigelman to discuss some of the common medical issues and special approaches to address these needs.

 

Getting from A to B: Connecting Individuals to Transportation Resources in Your Community

June 25, 2014

12:00-1:30 PM MT

This session will cover the family of transportation services including ADA paratransit, dial-a-ride, and private, human service, veteran, and medical providers, as well as voucher networks.

 

Ticket to Work: Free Support Services for Young Adults in Transition

June 25, 2014

1:00-2:30 PM MT

 

Strengths and Challenges: Examining the Unique Needs of Individuals with Angelman Syndrome

June 26, 2014

11:00 AM-12:00 PM MT

Cost: Free for TASH Members/$70 Non-members

The webinar will focus on specific strategies that parents and families have found to be effective across a wide variety of activities, school placements and settings.

 

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.

 

Customized Employment

July 7-August 4, 2014

Cost: $125

This course will take a closer look at customized employment and how it can facilitate employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. It will also review strategies for collaboration and braiding funding to support the needs of an individual with a disability in order to be successfully employed in the community.

 

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.

 

Job Development

August 4-September 1, 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.

 

Western MT August Institute

August 6-8, 2014

Missoula, Montana

The annual institute includes strands on Google Apps, Google Tools, Technology Tools and more.

 

2014 Chronic Illness and Disability Conference: Transition from Pediatric to Adult-based Care

October 2-3, 2014

Online Broadcast Live & in Houston, Texas

The Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital 15th Annual "Transition Conference" delivers practical, insightful, and relevant information for physicians, social workers, counselors, faculty, staff, students, youth and young adults with chronic illness and their parents and guardians.

 
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.

 

National Pathways to Adulthood 2014: A Convening on Youth in Transition

August 6-8, 2014

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The convening will present innovative practices, highlight successful public and private collaborations assisting youth in transitioning to adulthood, showcase strategies involving youth and family members/caring adults, and provide cross-system networking opportunities.

 

The Arc's annual National Convention

September 30-October 2, 2014

New Orleans, Louisiana

Absorb the energy of committed volunteer leaders, chapter professionals, family members and advocates. And keep your skills fresh by learning from the best in the field and sharing experiences with colleagues from across the country.

 

14th Annual Autism Conference: Autism - Advances in Research and Services

October 16-17, 2014

Baltimore, Maryland

Join the premier educational autism event in the area for educators, clinicians, families, researchers and healthcare professionals.

 
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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

Planning Your Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health Care: A Workbook to Help You Take Charge of Your Health is designed for Montanans under age 30 living with special health care needs and/or a disability. However, all young adults can benefit from the workbook's resources, suggestions and guidance. It offers information about preparing for the transition from pediatric to adult health care, choosing medical providers, paying for services, taking responsibility for one's own health, and much more. Ideally, the workbook will be used as a guide for conversations between youth, their parents, and their medical providers.

 

The 2014 Montana Youth in Transition conference will be held November 5-7 in Missoula. Presentation abstracts are due August 15, 2014. MYT is an opportunity for students, parents, teachers, vocational rehabilitation counselors, case managers and others to network, explore resources, and discover pathways to meaningful futures.

 

Announcements

The Office of Disability Employment Policy recently issued the Employer Engagement Strategy: Workforce Inclusion [PDF] white paper, which presents a new employer outreach approach to encourage private employers to hire more people with disabilities.

 

Linda Hodgdon's latest e-newsletter focuses on conducting inventories for visual clues.

 

The Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University released a new knowledge path about autism spectrum disorder. The knowledge path includes resources related to ASD screening, diagnosis, treatment, care, and impact on family life. The library also offers the online Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Knowledge Path. Explore the knowledge path to learn more about children and youth with special health care needs, integrate new knowledge into your work to improve care, enhance program development, and locate training resources and information to answer specific questions. 

 

Presentations from the April 2014 State-of-the-Science Conference: Advancing Evidence-Based Practices and Policies to Close the Employment Gap are now available online.

 

The May 2014 LEAD Center Policy Update - Employment, Health Care and Disability is now available. This issue includes articles on the new CMS regulations and guidance, an ODEP alliance on health care and transition to adulthood, and much more.  

Employment

Generating Integrated Work Sites for Individuals with Significant Intellectual Disabilities by Lou Brown and Kim Kessler (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 40(2), 85-97) discusses an eight-step sequence that may be used to arrange access to integrated work sites for individuals with significant intellectual disabilities. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Social Enterprise Businesses: A Strategy for Creating Good Jobs for People with Disabilities by Elaine E. Katz (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 40(2), 137-142) describes two models of social enterprise businesses that employ people with disabilities in integrated settings earning market-driven pay rates. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Trends in Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Outcomes of Youth with Autism: 2006-2010 by A. Migliore, J. Butterworth, and A. Zalewska (Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 57(2), 80-89) investigates the trends in VR services and employment outcomes of youth with autism. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Effective Training for Employment Consultants: Job Development and Support Strategies is an Institute for Community Inclusion Institute Brief describing the key elements of an approach designed to improve job development practices.

 

The VCU-RRTC factsheet Q & A on Employment of People with Physical Disabilities Personal Assistance Services in the Workplace addresses such questions as, "What types of personal assistance services might a person with a physical disability need in the workplace?" and "Are there other resources that can offset the costs of personal assistance services?"

 

Teleworkers with Disabilities: Characteristics and Accommodation Use by Maureen Linden and Karen Milchus (Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, 47(4), 473-483) concludes that the primary benefit of teleworking as an accommodation for people with disabilities involved in this study is that it reduces pain and fatigue-related barriers to traditional employment. However the study also found relatively low satisfaction with telework, suggesting that other barriers must be considered if this is to be a viable and successful employment accommodation. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Employment Outcomes for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders [PDF] by Ashleigh Hillier and Monica Galizzi (The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, (10)1&2, 69-82) reports the findings of a study investigating employment outcomes among young adults with ASD. Although the young adults reported high job satisfaction and job retention, most were working in low-paid, part-time positions. Parents who were surveyed as part of the study reported numerous barriers to their daughters/sons finding and maintaining employment. The article raises a number of important considerations for those charged with supporting youth with ASD to transition into the work world.

 

Employability Skills for Entry-Level Employees with and without Disabilities: A Comparison between the Perspectives of Educators and Employers by Song Ju, Jackie Pacha, Kayce Moore, and Dalun Zhang (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 40(3), 203-212) examines educators' and employers' perspectives on general employability skills for individuals with and without disabilities, and discusses implications for school. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Employment Outcomes of Transition-aged Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A State of the States Report by Sloan Burgess and Robert E. Cimera (American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - AJIDD, 119(1), 64-83) evaluates the state-by-state employment outcomes of transition-aged adults with autism spectrum disorders served by VR over the last 10 years. Implications for practice are discussed. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

Work and Desire to Work among Medicaid Home and Community-based Services Beneficiaries [PDF] examines the characteristics of the working-age population among non-elderly disabled Medicaid beneficiaries receiving home and community-based services and identifies barriers to employment. 
Health

My Health Care Wishes is a new smartphone app that enables individuals and families to manage and share their health care advance directives, key health information, and health care contacts. The app is available for both iPhones and Android phones.

 

The This Is Me worksheet was designed to help caregivers get to know patients in a holistic manner. The tool was developed by parents of children with special health care needs, in partnership with medical professionals.

 

The Postpediatrician Transition: A Life Span Care Perspective by D. Viola, P.S. Arno, J.G. Byrnes, and E.A. Doran (Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 24(4), 238-246) introduces a life span perspective in which young adults are not simply "handed off" from pediatrician to adult provider. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

 

In A Triple Aim Approach to Transition from Pediatric to Adult Health Care for Youth with Special Health Care Needs the authors "describe key unmet needs regarding a) developing chronic disease self-management; b) enhancing capacity of the adult health care system to care for young adults with special health care needs; and c) reducing lapses in care during the transition period. Based on these unmet needs, they make recommendations for improving health care during transition that incorporate relevant high-value strategies for health care delivery. They also describe current challenges to improving care during the transition period, and suggest priorities for future research."
National News

RSA-TAC-14-03 [PDF] from the Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, offers guidance around "Transition Planning and Services Provided through the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program." The circular addresses "(1) the effective collaboration between VR agencies and State educational agencies (SEA) for the provision of transition services; (2) the VR process as it relates to referral and application for services, the determination of eligibility, and the development of the individualized plan for employment ( IPE); and (3) the services that may be provided through the VR program." 

 

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is asking for public comments as it prepares to revise its regulations on federal employment of people with disabilities.

  • What barriers do individuals with disabilities face in the federal recruitment and hiring process?
  • What kinds of regulatory requirements, other than the existing requirement not to discriminate based on disability, might effectively address these barriers?
  • Are there any policies or practices related to retention, inclusion, and advancement of federal employees with disabilities, other than policies and practices that are already required by EEOC regulations, that a federal agency should be required to adopt to become a model employer of individuals with disabilities?

Comments are due by July 14, 2014.

 

The 6by15 campaign aims to mark 40 years of IDEA and 25 years of the ADA by achieving six national goals by the end of 2015. The goals are in the following areas: Employment, Community Living, Education, Transition, Healthy Living, and Early Childhood. 
Post-Secondary Education

Think College LEARN online self-paced learning modules use videos, publications, interactive learning activities and podcasts to share information related to postsecondary education for students with intellectual disabilities. Topics addressed in the modules include: Coaching and Mentoring; Comprehensive Transition Programs; For Families; Universal Design for Learning; and Job Development.

 

Rethinking College, a 25-minute documentary from Think College!, shows how colleges and universities can provide a setting for all students to build toward better futures.

 

Farther, Faster: Six Promising Programs Show How Career Pathway Bridges Help Basic Skills Students Earn Credentials that Matter [PDF] highlights six promising programs that show how career pathway bridges can help students move more quickly along college and career paths.

 

The archive of the College & Career Readiness Success Center: Predictors of Postsecondary Success webinar held on June 2, 2014 is now available. This webinar builds upon the brief, Predictors of Postsecondary Success, which summarizes research that identifies student skills, behaviors, and other characteristics that predict future academic and workplace success.

 

How Ready Are Postsecondary Institutions for Students Who Are d/Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing? discusses characteristics of colleges and universities that display high readiness for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

 

A State Comparison of Vocational Rehabilitation Support of Youth with Intellectual Disabilities' Participation in Postsecondary Education by Meg Grigal, Alberto Migliore, and Debra Hart (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 40(3), 185-194) examines the role of VR in promoting postsecondary education participation for individuals with intellectual disabilities. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)


Technology

A Virtual Personal Assistant: Technological Innovation and Individualized Supports [PDF] is a brief case study about a woman with a mild traumatic brain injury who uses the services of a "virtual personal assistant" to provide the individualized supports she needs.

 

The Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology (PEAT) is a national resource to facilitate and promote the use of accessible technology in the hiring, employment, retention, and career advancement of individuals with disabilities.

 

Google Glass Offers Disabled People Access to a Bigger World describes some of the ways people are using Google Glass and various apps to transform their lives.  
Transition 

Disability Scoop recently shared the article For Those with Autism, Hospitals May Be Ideal Training Ground. The author briefly describes Project SEARCH as it is being implemented in Virginia and studied by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University. Project SEARCH offers intensive, specialized, on-the-job training in hospital jobs.

 

The Youth Transition Handbook [PDF] from the Washington Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is a technical assistance tool for transition planning with high school students moving into employment.

 

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? [PDF] offers young adults guidance on career exploration including steps to take, questions to consider, how to match jobs to personal interests and abilities, ways to research careers, and resources for gathering additional information.

 

Employment, Careers and Recovery for Young Adults [PDF] suggests that because stable employment can be an essential part of mental health recovery, all students should have access to career-focused education. The Supported Education model is described as one way to assist a person to successfully access and complete programs of higher education.

 

Focal Point: Youth, Young Adults, and Mental Health - Education and Employment [PDF] (Summer 2013, Volume 27) focuses on best practices for supporting young adults with mental health challenges to reach their educational and employment goals. Articles address a wide range of topics, including preparing youth in foster care for higher education, improving transition outcomes for young people with disabilities and special health care needs, and Supported Education as a route to competitive employment.

 

Bridging the Gap: A Comparative Assessment of Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Practices with Transition-Age Youth [PDF], by Mathematica researchers Todd Honeycutt, Maura Bardos, and Stephanie McLeod, presents an analysis of agency characteristics that promote positive employment outcomes for transition-age youth.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy launched an online Interactive Policy Map and brief, Individualized Learning Plans Across the U.S. [PDF], to summarize how individualized learning plans are being implemented nationwide.

 

Transition of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Youth with Disabilities: Challenges and Opportunities
by Gary Greene (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation,
40(3), 239-245) reviews the transition literature discussing challenges faced by culturally and linguistically diverse families and youth with disabilities. Practical suggestions are offered on how to engage in more culturally responsive transition assessment, planning, and educational programming with these young adults. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)

Web Sites

Mobility International USA launched their new website filled with resources related to global travel and educational exchanges for people with disabilities.

 

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices Related to Employment Outcomes among Individuals with Disabilities recently launched a new website featuring research findings, tools and resources.

 

The newly reorganized Youth to Work Coalition website houses toolkits, guides and other resources that link employers and schools to create work-based learning experiences for students with disabilities.

 

The Center for Health Care Strategies has a redesigned website that includes a wide variety of health policy resources.

 

LearnHowToBecome.org offers job seekers in-depth career information and guidance.

 
 

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.