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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.
The Rights of People with Disabilities as Community Members
March 11, 2015
11:00 AM-12:00 PM MT
This session will feature guest speakers who will discuss how the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead Decision have impacted the lives of persons with disabilities as community members.
Make a Real Economic Impact
March 11, 2015
1:00-2:00 PM MT
Learn how you can help individuals with disabilities and your organization make a Real Economic Impact.
Special Enrollment Periods and Resources for the Uninsured
March 12, 2015
11:00 AM-12:00 PM MT
Join this webinar to learn more about special enrollment periods and how to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace. For those who are uninsured and don't qualify for the special enrollment period, learn what resources are available and when to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Specialized Dietary Support: Providing Person-Centered Nutritional Support
March 20, 2015
9:30-10:30 AM MT
Donna Riedle RN, IPMG Registered Nurse Consultant, will present an overview of what a specialized/modified diet includes and what to consider when discussing a person-centered dietary plan. Three specific disabilities will be included: Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Prader Willi Syndrome.
Real Work for Real Pay for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
March 23-April 20, 2015
Cost: $150
This course highlights the best practices that facilitate employment outcomes for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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.
Effective Communication in Health Settings
March 24, 2015
11:00 AM-12:30 PM MT
Cost: $45
Communicating clearly with a health care provider is important when it comes to making serious health care decisions, and when needing to understand medical procedures, prescriptions, and health maintenance.
Working from Home with Ticket to Work
March 25, 2015
1:00-2:30 PM MT
Learn about the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program and support services for people who are ready to work. This webinar will also include information on working from home.
Developing Opportunities for Youth and Adults with Disabilities
March 25-April 7, 2015
Cost: $159
This web training focuses on the key principles and hands-on tools for finding jobs for people with disabilities and other high-unemployment groups.
Job Development
March 30-April 27, 2015
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.
Assistive Technology and Communication in Health Care Settings
March 31, 2015
11:00 AM-12:30 PM MT
Cost: $45
The provision of auxiliary aids and services in health care settings includes a wide variety of available assistive technologies that support effective communication.
Transition to Work for Individuals with Autism
April 6-May 11, 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.
Assistive Technology Solutions in the Workplace
April 9, 2015
12:00-12:45 PM MT
This webcast offers 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.
Overview of Self-Employment for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
May 25-June 29, 2015
Cost: $250
Self-employment for individuals with disabilities involves minimizing the fears of the prospective business-owner, as well as the rehabilitation and local small business development professionals who assist them. Topics to be covered in the course include: the Discovery Process; business plans; feasibility studies; community supports; funding; and work incentives.
WIOA Youth Services
June 24, 2015
1:00-2:30 PM MT
Learn how the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act impacts youth services.
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Learning Opportunities: Other States
Disability Policy Seminar April 13-15, 2015 Washington, D.C. Hosted by: The Arc, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), and Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE). |
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Welcome to the latest 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.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities is featuring a film series to promote reflection across the campus on a law that has advanced the quality of life of people with disabilities in our country. All films are free and open to the public. They will be shown from 3:00-4:30 PM MT in the University Center Theatre. Audience discussions with expert panelists will follow each film. Please RSVP in order to help staff prepare for the events.
- March 25th: Enter the Faun (A choreographer meets a young actor with Cerebral Palsy. She invites him to dance the lead in her newest piece. His prognosis, to be in a wheelchair by age 40, morphs into a far different reality.)
- April 15th: Sins Invalid (This is a 31-minute performance project on disability and sexuality that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized.)
- April 15th: For All (This 16-minute film follows seven children with disabilities as they contribute to the design of and experience a playground built with them in mind for the first time.)
Montana and Jobs for PwDs [PDF] from RespectAbility shares a variety of disability and job-related data for the state.
The Rural Institute Consumer Advisory Council is recruiting representatives from the Montana Developmental Disabilities Program, Montana Developmental Disabilities Council, 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 youth/young adult members and family members of individuals with 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 Rural Institute Transition and Employment Projects will host four webinars this spring. Interested individuals may participate from their own offices or homes, and there is no registration cost for any of the sessions.
March 24th from 1:00-2:30 MDT
A Vision of Employment for All: Preparing Youth to Work
April 7th from 1:00-2:30 MDT
Addressing Barriers to Employment
April 28th from 1:00-2:30 MDT
MT Vocational Rehabilitation & Blind Services and the WIOA
May 26th from 1:00-2:30 MDT
So You Want to Go to College?
Detailed informational fliers and registration links are sent to Montana Transition Listserv members three weeks before each session. To join the listserv, visit http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/transition/default.asp and enter your email address in the listserv sign-up box.
The Pacific Alliance on Disability Self Advocacy is accepting applications for their consultant pool, a group of self-advocates in California, Oregon, Washington, and Montana with skills they can teach to self-advocacy groups. Examples of skill areas include:
- Project management
- Organizational capacity building
- Leadership development
- Legislative advocacy
- Facilitation
- Grant writing
Are you a student with a disability and are you between the ages of 3 and 22? If so, you are invited to share artwork addressing your hopes and dreams for the future. Submitted artwork will be exhibited online and selected works will be exhibited in Washington, DC. Submissions are due by May 11, 2015.
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Employment
Recruiting, Hiring, Retaining and Promoting People with Disabilities: A Resource Guide for Employers [PDF] identifies resources for employers to ensure people with disabilities have the opportunity to obtain good jobs and careers.
In January, TASH's Executive Director Barb Trader provided testimony [PDF] to the National Advisory Committee on Integrated Competitive Employment for Individuals with Disabilities.
The Disability Employment First Planning Tool [PDF], designed to help governors, states, workforce development boards and agencies promote competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities, is now available.
The latest edition of the Job Accommodation Network E-News is now available. Featured articles include Sign Language Interpreters; The Significance of Dress Codes under the ADA; Current Trends in the Workplace: Considering the ADA and Accommodations for Employees; and more.
The February 18, 2015 Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) Newsletter includes articles about TechCheck, Business Strategies that Work, and more.
The February 2015 issue of the LEAD Center's Policy Update - Employment, Health Care and Disability is now available. This edition features articles about ABLE resources, Social Security Disability, integration of employment services and mental health, and more.
Most Employers Are Overlooking This Source of Talent speaks to business owners about how and why to recruit and hire people with disabilities.
Dear Hiring Manager: All the Disability-Related Skills I Can't Put on My R�sum�, a blog post by Sarah Blahovec, provides an example of identifying strengths that might otherwise be overlooked in an individual with a disability. |
Health
What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Mental Illness, a fact sheet designed for Disability Navigators, shares information about types of health care providers, prescriptions, therapies, etc. that anyone assisting people with mental illness might find helpful. The final five sessions of the seven-part Transition of Patients with Special Health Care Needs to Adult Medical Care Webinar Series are open for registration. Upcoming topics to be addressed during the bi-weekly sessions include Adolescence to Adulthood and Assumption of Responsibility for Self-Care for Patients with Disabilities; Insurance Concerns and Solutions - How Does the ACA Impact This Population?; Social Determinants of Transition - Employment, Housing, Life Skills, Building Assets; and more. Although the series is targeted to healthcare providers, patients and families are encouraged to attend to better understand their role in medical care transition.
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National News
In January, the Transitioning to Integrated and Meaningful Employment (TIME) Act of 2015 was introduced to Congress and referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The TIME Act would, over a three-year period, phase out the use of Special Wage Certificates under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. These certificates allow some employers of people with disabilities to pay less than the minimum wage.
Panelist presentations and public testimony from the January 22-23rd inaugural meeting of the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities are now available online.
Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All is a series of weekly videos designed to help self-advocates understand federal politics and policies.
In December, President Obama signed The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act into law. This will allow the establishment of tax-advantaged savings accounts for people with disabilities without negatively impacting their Social Security or Medicaid benefits. Between now and mid-June, the Secretary of the Treasury must issue regulations. Then each state will need to make decisions about how the accounts will operate. There are a number of ways to learn more about the ABLE Act:
Questions and Answers about the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rules [PDF] addresses some of the commonly-asked questions about the final HCBS rules released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in January 2014.
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Post-Secondary Education
Providing Support to Postsecondary Students with Disabilities to Request Accommodations: A Framework for Intervention, by J.A. Summers, G.W. White, E. Zhang, and J. Gordon (Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 27(3), 245-260), offers an overview of the supports available to students with disabilities in postsecondary settings. The article also highlights some of the barriers and gaps in that support. The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy recently hosted an online dialogue to learn the perspectives of family members of young adults with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education. Over 400 participants shared a total of 94 ideas and nearly 1,000 comments on ways that postsecondary institutions and other organizations can better support students with disabilities to achieve educational and employment success. Cracks in "Talent Pipeline" Pose Risks for Employers and College Students with Disabilities examines how post-secondary institutions can better connect young people with disabilities to meaningful employment. |
Self-Advocacy and Advocacy
Preserving the Right to Self-Determination: Supported Decision-Making, an Administration for Community Living blog post, discusses guardianship and alternatives such as supported decision-making.
Becoming Your Child's Best Advocate and... Becoming the Partner You Want to Have suggests ways in which parents can effectively advocate for their children with disabilities.
Effects of Self-Directed Summary of Performance on Postsecondary Education Students' Participation in Person-Centered Planning Meetings by V.L. Mazzotti, K.R. Kelley, and C.M. Coco ( Journal of Special Education, 48(4), 243-255) describes how the Summary of Performance may be used to teach self-advocacy skills to students with intellectual disabilities. The students can then use those skills to advocate for necessary supports and accommodations during Person-Centered Planning meetings and in employment settings. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
Relationships between Self-Determination and Postschool Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities by K.A. Shogren, M. L. Wehmeyer, S.B. Palmer, G.G. Rifenbark, and T.D. Little (The Journal of Special Education, 48(4), 256-267) reports findings of a study suggesting that self-determination status upon exiting high school predicts positive outcomes in the domains of employment and community access. (Article abstract is free; the full text version may require a subscription or purchase.)
The Wallet Card Project has developed a tool to be used by a teenager or an adult with a disability in interactions with law enforcement personnel. Currently, cards are available for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder or intellectual disabilities.
Community or Community: Presence or Belonging? is a thought-provoking article about what it means to promote "community living."
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Transition
The Transition Coalition website features archived "Ask the Expert" webinars on a variety of transition-related topics. The Guideposts for Success to Support Employment Transition for Youths with Disabilities: Research, Policy and VR Practice webinar has been archived and is available for viewing. This was the fourth in a series of webcasts that examined the links between VR research and practice. The online Pennsylvania Secondary Transition Guide offers a variety of transition-related resources searchable by topic and/or age. Although some of the information is only applicable to students in Pennsylvania, much will be relevant to young people anywhere in the country. Literature Review of Five Federal Systems Serving Transition Age Youth with Disabilities: Final Report [PDF] examines the roles vocational rehabilitation, social security, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and workforce investment play in the transition of youth with disabilities into adulthood. The Wrightslaw 2014 Progress Report includes links to a number of popular articles and blog posts from the year. Resolving to Expect the Best, a blog post by Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathy Martinez, emphasizes the importance of having high expectations for youth with disabilities.
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