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Learning Opportunities: Montana and Online
The Information & Communication Technology Accessibility 2015 webinar calendar is now available. Webinar participants will gain insight into the basic principles of accessibility and legal guidelines as well as discover how to procure and create accessible documents and multimedia.
ADA Live! (WADA) is a free monthly show broadcast nationally on the Internet. The session schedule and archive of past episodes are now available.
More Jobs for People with Disabilities: What New Regulations Can Mean for You
January 21, 2015
1:00-2:30 PM MT
This national WISE webinar will present information about Social Security programs and rules that may apply to beneficiaries, including details about Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Transition to Work for Individuals with Autism
Jan. 26-March 9, 2015
Cost: $300.05
This course will provide the participant with an in-depth understanding of the concepts related to positive transition planning for youth with autism.
Related Service Providers in Transition Planning and Services
January 27, 2015
1:00-2:30 PM MT
The webinar will be presented by related service providers (OT, PT, SLT) regarding their critical role in quality transition planning and services. No pre-registration is required - at the time of the webinar go to http://tadnet.adobeconnect.com/nsttac/ and listen in via your computer, or you may let the system dial out to your number for phone access. If you can only access the presentation by phone, dial 1-877-512-6886 and conference ID 145 430 4088.
Using Technology to Support College Students with ID
January 27, 2015
1:00-2:00 PM MT
Cost: $45
Learn about the best technology tools to support college students with intellectual disabilities, including tablets, smart phones, apps and other software.
Customized Employment
Feb. 2-March 2, 2015
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.
2015 Conference on Diverse Abilities
Feb.4-6, 2015
Bozeman, Montana
Registration for the 2015 Montana Council for Exceptional Children-Montana Council of Administrators of Special Education conference is now open.
Feb. 18-March 3, 2015
Cost: $159
This course focuses on developing career goals through innovative vocational assessment, career development skills, and vocational profiling.
Participatory Action Research
Feb. 23, 2015
1:00-2:00 PM MT
Cost: $45
This session will describe how college students with intellectual disabilities are conducting research into their experiences in college using Participatory Action Research strategies.
Inclusive Campus Communities
March 24, 2015
1:00-2:00 PM MT
Cost: $45
Several people working in postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities have been engaged in an ongoing discussion related to the creation of truly inclusive campus communities. In this webinar, they will share promising practices that support inclusion.
Assistive Technology Solutions in the Workplace
April 9, 2015
12:00-12:45 PM MT
This webcast is an overview of several successful workplace accommodations for vocational rehabilitation clients in Georgia.
Understanding Plans to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)
May 14, 2015
12:00-12:45 PM MT
This presentation will provide an overview of Social Security's Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) work incentive.
Vocational Rehabilitation Support for College Students with Intellectual Disabilities
May 21, 2015
1:00-2:00 PM MT
Cost: $45
Several Transition and Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with ID (TPSID) projects have developed innovative agreements with Vocational Rehabilitation in their respective states. This webinar will share the details of those agreements and give examples of how VR is supporting postsecondary education for students with ID.
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Happy New Year to one and all! Welcome to the first 2015 edition of 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.
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Montana News
The Montana Youth Leadership Forum is recruiting delegates for the 2015 session to be held in Helena July 20-24, 2015. Twenty high school sophomores, juniors and seniors will be selected for this all-expenses-paid four-day training program. Completed application forms must be postmarked by March 27, 2015.
The Montana Council for Exceptional Children-Montana Council of Administrators of Special Education 2015 Conference on Diverse Abilities will be held February 4-6 in Bozeman. Registration is now open.
The Rural Institute Consumer Advisory Council is recruiting representatives from the Montana Developmental Disabilities Program, Montana Developmental Disabilities Council, and Disability Rights Montana, as well as individuals with developmental disabilities from the north and south central areas of the state to serve on the council.
The advisory council helps various Rural Institute projects determine necessary and appropriate activities, establish priorities, develop work plans, craft products, deliver training, and conduct evaluation activities. Term lengths run for 12 months and may be renewed. Meetings are held quarterly; one meeting is face-to-face (generally in Missoula or Helena) and the other three are conference calls. In addition, council members may be asked to serve on work groups or task forces, which could require additional meetings by conference call.
Travel reimbursement is available for council members. Honoraria are offered to members with developmental disabilities and family members of individuals with developmental disabilities if their time to attend meetings is not compensated through a job. The Rural Institute is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to allow members to fully participate in the advisory council activities.
If you are interested in being considered for a seat on the Consumer Advisory Council, please contact Kim Brown and request an application form.
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Announcements
The ODEP-funded Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology seeks people with disabilities to participate in a nationwide survey about the accessibility of online job applications and related components. The survey is anonymous, and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Disability Rights IOWA has issued Stalled on the Road to Olmstead Compliance, the final report on sheltered workshops in Iowa. The report includes findings and recommendations other states may find useful.
Equal Access, Equal Opportunity, the official publication of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, is now available online in standard and accessible versions.
The 2014 Disability Statistics Compendium has been released. The web-based tool pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies together in one place.
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Employment
Pathways to Employment: A National Survey of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, by G.N. Siperstein, M. Heyman, and J.E. Stokes (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 41(3), 165-178), reports the findings of a study that identified characteristics of adults with intellectual disabilities who are employed and examined their paths to employment. The authors discuss several implications for policies and programs:
- "Young adults with intellectual disabilities need early opportunities to work in community settings.
- These community-based experiences must provide them with the opportunity to develop necessary adaptive, behavioral, and emotional skills.
- Finally, policy makers must recognize that sheltered employment is not a stepping-stone to employment in a competitive setting."
(Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
Project ABLE (Autism: Building Links to Employment): A Specialist Employment Service for Young People and Adults with an Autism Spectrum Condition, by Lydia Lynas (Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 41(1), 13-21), presents Project ABLE, an employment service using a customized approach established in Northern Ireland for young people and adults with an autism spectrum disorder. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
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Health
The NICHQ (National Institute for Children's Health Quality) website offers a collection of Transitions to Adult Care resources. Tools, fact sheets and checklists address such topics as Medications and Allergies, Pediatric to Adult Transition with Health Problems, and Visiting Your Doctor. The Academic-Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) has created an interactive healthcare toolkit designed to help improve healthcare services for adults on the autism spectrum. Smartphones May Help Teens Take Their Meds describes the use of smartphones by teens who have chronic health conditions that require regular medication.
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National News
In December, President Obama signed The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act into law. This will allow the establishment of tax-exempt savings accounts for people with disabilities. Eligible individuals must have a significant disability which began before age 26. Up to $14,000 per year may be deposited into an ABLE account. Money saved in the account will not affect Medicaid eligibility and can be used on disability-related expenses including (but not limited to) education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology, personal support services, health care expenses, financial management and administrative services. The National Disability Institute recently published ABLE Accounts: 10 Things You Must Know and produced a corresponding video to answer frequently asked questions about the accounts.
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez announced the 17 public members who will serve on the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities. The committee is a key provision of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on VR Practices for Youth and Young Adults is a new employment and training research center designed to answer questions about what leads to the most successful employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities eligible for VR services. The Center is funded by the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education.
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Post-Secondary Education
No Longer 'Falling off the Cliff': The Think College Movement Is Providing Degree Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities describes some of the new postsecondary education options available to students with ID. Down Syndrome No Barrier to College Degree tells the story of a young man who earned his bachelor's degree, graduating magna cum laude. Postsecondary Inclusion for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability and Its Effects on Employment, by E.J. Moore and A. Schelling (Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 2015), is a comparative case report which found that individuals with IDs who attended postsecondary programs demonstrated significant positive employment outcomes compared to those who did not attend such programs. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
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Transition
Innovative Practices that Support Student Self-Determination, the latest CPSD Ruderman Fellow Issue Brief, highlights innovative practices to improve post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities. Trends in Employment Outcomes of Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2004-2012 summarizes the employment and economic outcomes for young adults with intellectual disabilities between 2004 and 2012 in the nation's 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are reported separately for young adults 16-21 and for those ages 22-30. Start early, get wiser, and end up better! is a NCWD/Youth Blog post that discusses the importance of starting transition planning early and describes how transition conferences can be an important part of the planning process. Use of Individualized Learning Plans: A Promising Practice for Driving College and Career Readiness Efforts: Findings and Recommendations from a Multi-Method, Multi-Study Effort summarizes the findings of ILP research and technical assistance activities completed between 2007 and 2013, and identifies promising implementation strategies. The Disability Cliff by Samuel R. Bagenstos describes some of the challenges young people with disabilities face as they move into adulthood. The National Center on Deaf-Blindness and the DeafBlind Citizens in Action group recently posted two videos to YouTube highlighting intensive supports for preparing Deaf-Blind youth for the transition to adulthood: National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB): Transition Toolkit [Video] and DeafBlind Citizens in Action [Video]. Extending Transition to Address Guardianship Alternatives: An Issue Concerning Students Who Have Intellectual Disability, by D.S. Millar (Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 49(3), 449-463), introduces the Guardianship Alternative Model (GAM), a tool to expand the discussion of alternatives to guardianship during the transition planning process. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.) Preparing Students with Disabilities to Transition from School to Work through Self-determination Training
by S., Gragoudas (Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, 48(3), 407-411) reaffirms the importance of enhancing self-determination in youth with disabilities, and describes a number of strategies teachers and practitioners can use to help their students and clients acquire these skills. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
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