One-Stop Career Centers/Workforce Institute for Community Inclusion Web site

One-Stop Careers Centers/Workforce Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts-Boston http://www.communityinclusion.org/topic.php?topic_id=9 For over 40 years, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has worked to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunity to dream big, and make their dreams a fully included, integrated, and welcomed reality. As a leader not only in Massachusetts, but also nationally and internationally, ICI strives to create a world where all people with disabilities are welcome and fully included in valued roles wherever they go, whether a school, workplace, volunteer group, home, or any other part of the community. ICI projects and programs involve local, state, and national agencies, schools, institutes of higher education, national service programs, rehabilitation providers, multicultural organizations, employers, and many others. All of these partnerships work to further goals of independence and inclusion. This section of its website includes its work to help the general employment system reach job seekers with disabilities through comprehensive research, training, and consultation activities nationwide.

Universal Access in the Workforce System

Universal Access and the Workforce System Under Title I of WIA, the workforce system provides the framework for delivery of workforce activities at the state and local levels to individuals who need those services. This legislation made it clear that persons with disabilities are among the people who are supposed to benefit from this restructuring. WIA incorporates seven key principles, one focuses on universal access: All job seekers are to be given universal access to a core set of career decision-making and job search tools. The National Disability Program Navigator (DPN) Program Office has completed another information brief in its DPN Promising Practice Series focusing on universal access and the workforce investment system. A series of videos and information briefs has been developed to disseminate promising practices to expand the capacity of the One-Stop Career Center system to serve customers with disabilities and promote positive employment outcomes of people with disabilities. To learn more, access: http://disability.workforce3one.org/page/tag/promising_practices The Attachment highlights additional resources on universal design.

Promising Practices… Achieving a more welcoming, integrated and accessible One-Stop Career Center system

As one of the key principles of WIA, universal access offered the promise of a welcoming, integrated, and user-friendly system. Job seekers would be able to independently tap into all available employment services, resulting in fewer requests for specialized assistance and more efficient use of staff resources. Under WIA and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodations would be provided upon request; however, One-Stop Career Centers would streamline services so that a wide-ranging population of job seekers, including job seekers with disabilities, would have direct access to their resources, programs and activities. With the addition of Disability Program Navigators (DPNs) in One-Stop Career Centers across the nation, universal access moved into the spotlight. Read the full Brief to learn how DPNs throughout the country are helping to expand universal access in One-Stop Career Centers for a more diverse population of job seekers.

Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers, including STEM education and careers. It is funded by the National Science Foundation to promote persons with disabilties becoming trained for STEM career opportunitues. The home Web page is: http://www.washington.edu/doit/ Its Web site has many videos, information on universal design, acessible distance learning, and learning strategies.

Partnerships with Job Corps

Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible youth at least 16 years of age, Job Corps provides the all-around skills needed to succeed in a career and in life. The Job Corps is a very important partner for the workforce system to promote employment opportunities of youth with disabilities. In this spotlight, we share information about the Job Corps program along with links to resources you can access for more information. The spotlight begins with a brief overview of the Job Corps Program. The Job Corps (http://jobcorps.doleta.gov/), a program of the U.S. Department of Labor, was established in 1964 under the Economic Opportunity Act, but it is currently authorized under the Workforce Investment Act. Job Corps receives an annual appropriation of about $1.5 billion with approximately 62,000 youth trained annually through this program. The Job Corps provides eligible youth with academic, career technical and social skills needed to become employable and independent and to help place them in employment, the military or continuing education. There are currently 123 Centers in 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

United We Ride Dialogue Final Report, 2/2010

Transportation plays a critical role in providing access to employment, health care, education, community services, and other activities necessary for daily life. For people who cannot drive or afford an automobile, access to public transportation services is one of the major barriers to essential services and participation in community life. Transportation challenges can be even greater for people with disabilities, older adults, and people with limited incomes. The Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) includes 11 federal departments, 9 of which are responsible for providing transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and people with limited incomes. CCAM officially launched United We Ride in 2004 to: (1) Provide more rides for target populations for the same or fewer assets; (2) Simplify access; and (3) Increase customer satisfaction. CCAM asked the National Academy of Public Administration (National Academy) and Easter Seals Project ACTION to develop and host the first United We Ride (UWR) National Dialogue. The goal of the Dialogue was to help shape future policy direction and provide input to the next CCAM strategic plan. The United We Ride National Dialogue brought together key stakeholders using collaborative web-based technologies to discuss the following broad question: “What ideas can improve access to affordable and reliable transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and people with limited incomes?” The attached docuemnt is the Final Report from the UWR Dialogue.

National Network of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Centers

The ADA National Network is a network of 10 regional ADA Centers thta provide expertise for up-to-date information, referrals, resources, and training on the Americans with Disabilites Act (ADA) to business, government entities, and persons with disabilities. http://www.adata.org/network.org

Enhancing Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities

The International Association of Jewish Vocational Services (AJVS)published a Report entitled, "Enhancing Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities: An Employer-Directed Approach." This toolkit is a compilation of information, resources, and tools that can be used to implement or strengthen an "employer-directed approach" to job training and placement for organizations serving people with disabilities and the employers that hire them.

Funding Sources for Assistive Technology for Persons with Disabilities

Assistive technology devices and assistive technology service are defined in the Assistive Technology Act (ATA) of 1998, as follows: • Assistive Technology Device-Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially or off-the-shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities. • Assistive technology service: Any service that directly assist an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology service. There are several funding sources to assist with paying of assistive technology for individuals with disabilities, including funding by the employer (tax credits are available for the employer), Vocational Rehabilitation, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security Work Incentives, Veteran’s Administration, local service, charitable, religious, and civic organizations, private foundations, and private insurance. The attached provides a list of Web sites for variety of information on assistive technology and funding sources for persons with disabilities.

Students witth Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities

The Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, just issued a new publication, " Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities." This pamphlet explains the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities who are planning or preparing to attend postsecondary schools. It also explains the obligations of a postsecondary school to provdie academic adjustments, accommodations, auxilary aids and services, to ensure that the school does not discriminate on the basis of disability.

Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom Services, 2007-2008

Connecting People to Employment and Enhancing Mobility for People with Disabilities: An Evaluation of Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom Program Services Provided in 2007 and 2008,Final Report,November 2009 http://www.fta.dot.gov/funding/grants/grants_financing_3549.html The Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program was established to address the unique transportation challenges that recipients of TANF and individuals who are low-income face in finding and keeping jobs. The New Freedom program was established to provide new public transportation services and new alternatives to public transportation to people with disabilities beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). This study analyzed the JARC and New Freedom funded services provided in FYs 2007 and 2008 and provides information on the number of jobs that can be accessed and the number of rides provided by JARC services. The study also provides information on the number of rides provided by New Freedom funded services. The report also includes detailed profiles of services funded under both programs. Access the URL to download the reports in PDF and MS Word formats. The New Freedom formula grant program provides additional tools to overcome existing challenges facing Americans with disabilities seeking integration into the work force and full participation in society. Lack of adequate transportation is a primary barrier to work for individuals with disabilities. The 2000 Census showed that only 60 percent of people between the ages of 16 and 64 with disabilities are employed. The New Freedom formula grant program seeks to reduce barriers to transportation services and expand the transportation mobility options available to people with disabilities beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

GAO Report, October 2009, " Higher Education and Disability..."

The GAO recently issued a report on how education needs a coordinated approach to improve its technical assistance postsecondary schools in supporting students with disabilities. Students with disabilities represent approximately 11% of all postsecondary students in 2008. The proportion of students that reported having attention deficit disorder increased from 7 to 19%.

Fact Sheet: Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact Job Accommodation Network UPDATED: September 2009

Fact Sheet: Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact Job Accommodation Network UPDATED: September 2009

Auxiliary Aids and Services for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities: Higher Education's Obligations Under Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Revised Sept 1998

The Office for Civil Rights provides information on postsecondary schools' obligations to provide auxiliary aids to qualified students who have disabilities under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA. It includes examples of different types of auxiliary aids and services including a section on "Questions Commonly Asked by Postsecondary Schools and Their Students."

Find an Assistive Technology Resource Center in Your State

State Assistive Technology (AT) Act programs work to improve access to assistive technology for individuals with disabilities through comprehensive statewide programs. These programs include device loans, AT reuse, device demonstrations and state financing activities. For examples of how some states have helped people with disabilities get assistive technology visit the website of the Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP at http://www.ataporg.org/atap/projects.php. For a listing of AT manufacturers and distributors in your state visit ABLEDATA at http://www.abledata.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=160163&ksectionid=19326.

Veterans Day 2009: November 11

30-Second Trainings on the Cost of Accommodations

ETA’s Disability Program Navigators (DPNs) have developed 30-second trainings as one way to engage busy front-line staff in the One-Stop Career Centers and partner agencies. These trainings frequently lead to the DPNs providing a more comprehensive, follow-up training. Try it; you’ll like it-it is fun an informative!

“US and UK Routes to Employment: Strategies to Improve Integrated Service Delivery to People with Disabilities,” Heike Boeltzig, Dorian Pilling, Jaime C. Timmons, and Robyn Johnson, IBM Center for the Business of Government,” March 2009.

In this report, the authors examine the experience of the United States and United Kingdom in developing effective strategies for providing integrated employment service delivery. It analyzes the concept of a public workforce system that provides a One-Stop system to promote the employment of persons with disabilities. The report examines what works and what does not work and provides a roadmap to improving employment services to individuals with disabilities. The report identifies 12 strategies to strengthen integrated employment service delivery system and to assist individuals with disabilities in gaining and maintaining productive employment. Implementing these strategies can benefit customers with a disability, business, the taxpayer, who will subsequently be paying less for disability assistance, and society, which gains the productive skills of qualified individuals. The following identifies the strategies to deliver existing employment services more effectively in an integrated One-Stop system to persons with disabilities: Read more...

Disabilities in the Workplace Case Series - University of California Davis Extension Center for Human Services

The publication, “Promoting Understating and Innovation in Support of Employees with Disabilities: A Series of Teaching Cases to Involve Executives, Managers, and Future Business Leaders in the Discussion,” was published in March, 2009. Teaching cases, as they are prepared at business schools across the country, are one of the primary tools of management education. They are used globally in university settings, professional development and executive education training, and provide students and readers with a great wealth of insider knowledge about the "norms" of business practices. The University’s intention with this series is to demonstrate "best practices" in the employment of people with disabilities, a population which has historically had and continues to have low employment rates. Five (5) cases are demonstrated in various industries and organizations throughout California, including: Smith Barney (financial services); Naval Medical Center San Diego-Cisco-Northrup Gruman (military-IT-defense); Crossroads Services (employment-retail); IBM (software); and AT&T (telecommunications). They include employees with a variety of disabilities-hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, visual disability, mobility disability, and mental illness. These case studies provide students of management with a window into five distinct corporate cultures, with each case offering a different view of the attitudes, practices, and policies that have created diverse workplaces that are accommodating to people with disabilities, both in the legal sense of the word and also in ways that are welcoming. These case studies are intended to promote discussion and generate new ideas among mangers and new business leaders.