Proyecto Visi?n
Proyecto Visi?n http://www.proyectovision.net/ Proyecto Visi?n (Project Vision) is a bilingual website for youth with disabilities created by the Word Institute on Disability (WID). Its focus is on Latino and other youth with disabilities from underserved populations, ages 16 – 35, so they may successfully transition from school to higher education and attain sustainable independent living and employment outcomes. Funded by the AT&T Foundation, the Verizon Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the program is using popular youth-friendly Internet sites and blogs to inspire the target population with short video clips of Success Stories and will recruit Latino and other youth with disabilities from underserved populations into our ongoing and highly successful Emerging Writers Program, part of the project’s leadership development initiative.
Posted On :
08/26/10 07:47PM
/Views :
21
/Downloads :
4
Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018
Education Requirements through 2018 Center for Education and the Workforce June 2010 http://cew.georgetown.edu/jobs2018/ A new, highly detailed forecast shows that as the economy struggles to recover, and jobs slowly return, there will be a growing disconnect between the types of jobs employers need to fill and numbers of Americans who have the education and training to fill those jobs. The report, by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, forecasts that by 2018, 63 percent of all jobs will require at least some postsecondary education. Employers will need 22 million new workers with postsecondary degrees – and the report shows that we will fall short by three million workers without a dramatic change in course. This translates into a deficit of 300,000 college graduates every year between now and 2018. The Center’s study helps Americans connect the dots between employment opportunity and specific education and training choices. The report projects job creation and education requirements through most of the next decade, showing job growth by industry and occupation nationally, and with state-by-state forecasts. The report also provides a state-by-state analysis on jobs and education requirements. The District of Columbia, North Dakota, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Colorado will lead the nation in the share of total jobs requiring postsecondary education. Texas, California, Nevada, Mississippi, and Arizona will lead the nation in the share of total jobs for high school dropouts.
Posted On :
08/26/10 07:16PM
/Views :
23
/Downloads :
4
Disability Employment Initiative, SGA Announcement
US Department of Labor announces $22 million in grant funds for Disability Employment initiative WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a solicitation for grant applications for approximately $22 million to fund programs that will improve educational, training and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. "At the U.S. Department of Labor, we are committed to the goal of 'good jobs for everyone'— in its entirety. After all, America's workers are the nation's number once resource.They are also our wisest investment," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis."To be truly competitive in the global economy, we must leverage and foster the professional skills and talents of every single worker, including the millions of working-age people with disabilities across our country." The new Disability Employment initiative is a joint project of the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration and its Office of Disability Employment Policy. Programs will serve eligible individuals who are unemployed or underemployed, including those receiving Social Security disability benefits. Funds will be awarded to state workforce agencies, which will collaborate with workforce investment boards and local areas.Grant awards will range from $1.5 to $6 million each to be spent over a three-year period. Cooperative agreements will be used to foster service delivery through the public workforce investment system for job seekers with disabilities.Programs will build upon the Labor Department's Disability Program Navigator initiative and other model service delivery strategies. The complete solicitation for grant applications is available at http://www.doleta.gov/grants. Visit the Employment and Training Administration's http://www.doleta.gov home page to learn more about the range of Labor Department employment and training programs.
Posted On :
08/10/10 07:19AM
/Views :
73
/Downloads :
28
Announcement of the new Disability and Employment SGA
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA)has announced today the availability of approximately $22 million for cooperative agreements to state Workforce Investment Act (WIA) administering entities. The Combined Appropriation Act of 2010, Division D of Public Law 111-117, included $12 million in funds to ETA and $12 million to ODEP to develop and implement a plan for improving effective and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce. The Department expects to award approximately six to ten cooperative agreements ranging from $1.5 million to $6 million. This funding is being used to implement the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) designed to: (1) Improve educational, training, and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities who are unemployed, underemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits; and (2) help these individuals with disabilities find a path into the middle class through exemplary and model service delivery by the public workforce system. DEI grants will be awarded for a three year period of performance. At a minimum, applicants must identify at least two of the following seven strategic components as significant elements of the service delivery approach for the youth or adult population to be served. Some of these strategies are not mutually exclusive nor are they always distinct or separate activities. These are practices and strategies that have been identified through both ETA and ODEP grant initiatives in increasing education and employment outcomes of the population to be served. 1. Integrated Resource Teams (IRT) 2. Integrating Resources and Services, Blending and Braiding Funds, Leveraging Resources 3. Customized Employment 4. Self-Employment 5. Guideposts for Success 6. Asset Development Strategies 7. Partnerships and Collaboration The closing date for applications is September 8, 2010.
Posted On :
08/09/10 03:56PM
/Views :
55
/Downloads :
21
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.
Posted On :
06/29/10 03:42PM
/Views :
170
/Downloads :
75
Opening Doors Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has released a comprehensive federal plan that will serve as a roadmap to prevent and end homelessness. The plan notes that in 2009 forty-three percent of adults without families in shelters or transitional housing had a disability. The plan calls for ending Veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015, and to ending homelessness among children, family and youth by 2020. Opening Doors includes strategies based on the fact that housing, health, education and human service programs must be coordinated to end homelessness. The plan also calls for increased access to stable and affordable housing and permanent supportive housing.
Posted On :
06/25/10 03:18PM
/Views :
90
/Downloads :
23
Serving Youth with Disabilities in the One-Stop Career Center System
The Disability Program Navigator (DPN) Initiative has just issued another promising practices information brief as part of a series of publications. This Brief is entitled: "Maximizing the Self-Sufficiency of Youth with Disabilities in the One-Stop Career Center System." Colorado and Minnesota are highlighted in the attached Information Brief, which includes outcomes, successful strategies, case studies, and resources.
Posted On :
05/22/10 09:00AM
/Views :
279
/Downloads :
163
How Students with Disabilities Can Prepare for College
How Students with Disabilities Can Prepare for College Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) Program https://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/college.html This publication addresses issues surrounding the transitions from high school to college and beyond for people with disabilities. It covers three phases: • Preparing for college while in high school. • Staying in college, which requires numerous self-management skills. • Preparing to move beyond college and into a career. Preparing for College: An Online Tutorial https://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/cprep.html College Survival Skills: Tips for Students with Disabilities to Increase College Success https://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/survival.html
Posted On :
05/21/10 01:53PM
/Views :
140
/Downloads :
38
Toolkit for Effective Front-Line Services To Youth
Improving Services and Performance: Toolkit for Effective Front-Line Services To Youth U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration http://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/Toolkit-improve.cfm Designed to enhance the quality of youth services, this Toolkit will be useful to all professionals assisting youth in developing the knowledge and skills to succeed in a demand-driven economy. This Toolkit was compiled by KRA Corporation, Silver Spring, MD and created under contracts with DOL/ETA. Unless otherwise noted, all material appearing in this Toolkit is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of KRA Corporation or the US Department of Labor/ETA. The Toolkit consists of 1) a Manual, which provides information about preparing youth, particularly the neediest youth, to become increasingly more self-sufficient; and 2) the training tools, which deliver the content described in the Manual through the presentation of modules. Each module includes presentation slides, group exercises, and a training guide designed to guide trainers in the delivery of the content described in the Manual. Modules can be presented individually, depending on training time available. PowerPoint slides have been included which will enable trainers to personalize their presentation(s).
Posted On :
05/15/10 05:36PM
/Views :
108
/Downloads :
43
Social Security Administration's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects-Lessons Learned
The SSA's Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Implementation Lessons Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. February 22, 2010 http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/Disability/SSA_YTD.pdf The SSSA is conducting the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) as part of a broader initiative to encourage disability beneficiaries to return to work. The demonstration provides youth ages 14-25 with employment-related services and waivers of certain rules governing the SSI and SSDI programs, including childhood disability benefits. The waivers augment existing financial incentives for beneficiaries to work. Originally, SSA selected seven organizations to implement YTD projects through a Request for Applications in 2003. Subsequently, SSA contracted with Mathematica to conduct a multi-site evaluation of YTD. Six projects are participating in this evaluation. The seven original YTD projects were: Bridges to Self-Sufficiency (California); Colorado Youth WINS;Transition WORKS (Erie County, New York);Smart Start (Iowa);Project Transition (Maryland); Mississippi Youth Transition Innovation; and Youth Transition Demonstration Project of the City University of New York (Bronx County, New York) The Report includes six lessons learned that may help policymakers and administrators develop, fund, and provide interventions for youth with disabilities who are transitioning from school to adulthood.
Posted On :
05/15/10 05:04PM
/Views :
119
/Downloads :
46
2009-2010 Information on Financial Aid for Students
Handbook from the U.S. Department of Education for those advising students on financial aid for post-secondary education. Includes information about federal student aid programs, the application process, how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and how financial need is determined for students who may have expenses related to their disability.
Posted On :
04/23/10 04:53AM
/Views :
159
/Downloads :
59
A Quick Reference Guide on Assessments
A Quick Reference Guide on Assessment National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/guides/quick_reference_guides/assessment.pdf This two-page reference guide describes formal and informal assessments, standardized testing and the process of collecting information that can be used in decision-making, career-planning and service plan development for a young person.
Posted On :
04/23/10 04:42AM
/Views :
153
/Downloads :
61
2009 Summer Youth Employment Initiative Report
The American economy lost an estimated 7.9 million jobs bewteen the end of 2007 and the fall of 2009. Joblessness was high for many groups, but for young adults, unemployment was particularly high and could have lasting effects. In May 2009, the jobless rate for teenagers was 22.7 percent, more than double the national unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. Funding for youth activities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act) was designed as one part of the solution and aimed to reverse the steep decline in youth employment. Through the Recovery Act, states received $1.2 billion in funding for employment and training activities targeted to the country’s disadvantaged youth. Congress and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) encouraged states and local workforce investment areas to use the funds to create employment opportunities for these youth in the summer of 2009. To gain insights into the design and implementation of these initiatives, DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to conduct an evaluation of summer youth activities funded by the Recovery Act. Although summer employment is only one component of WIA youth activities and is not funded as a separate program, the opportunities offered by local areas with Recovery Act funding in the summer of 2009 are referred to as the Summer Youth Employment Initiative (SYEI) throughout this report. The implementation study, just issued February 26, 2010, draws upon state performance data and in-depth site visits to 20 selected local areas. The report describes the national context for SYEI implementation, provides an in-depth description of the experiences of selected sites, and presents lessons on implementation practices. 13% of the youth served by the SYEI had disabilities.
Posted On :
04/20/10 03:59PM
/Views :
120
/Downloads :
44
VCU Article "Saving for Post-Secondary Education: Strategies for Individuals with Disabilities
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University have published an article in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation entitled, “Saving for Post-Secondary Education: Strategies for Individuals with Disabilities.” Citing misconceptions among individuals with disabilities, family members, and the disability services provider community, the article clarifies and details saving opportunities for students with disabilities that are in line with the Social Security disability benefit program rules. The provisions covered include: ? Plan for Achieving Self-Support, a Social Security work incentive that allows individuals to set aside income or resources needed to achieve a stated occupational goal; ? Educational Savings Accounts or 529 Plans, which allow individuals to (1) prepay tuition at a qualified educational institution at today’s tuition rates or (2) save money in a tax-deferred account (earnings only) to be used to pay for education at future tuition rates; ? Coverdell Accounts, which enable families to put away $2,000 per beneficiary, per year and use the money—tax-free—to pay for college expenses; ? Educational grants, loans or scholarships, including Pell grants, Federal Educational Loans (Federal PLUS Loans, Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, Ford Loans, etc.), Upward Bound, and Work-Study programs; and ? Individual Development Accounts, a provision where earnings deposited by an individual are matched at a particular rate, usually between $2 and $4 for every dollar deposited, by a combination of government and private-sector funds. To learn more about these provisions as well as others, read the full article at: http://www.worksupport.com/research/view Content.cfm/847.
Posted On :
03/09/10 08:35AM
/Views :
180
/Downloads :
62
Contracting Strategies that Facilitate Serving Youth Most In Need
On February 16, 2010, DOL/ETA issued Training and Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 13-09, Contracting Strategies That Facilitate Serving the Youth Most In Need." In November and December 2008, ETA held a series of focus groups with WIBs, local youth service providers,and state youth staff to discuss challenges local programs face in developing contracts that promote service to the neediest of youth (including youth with disabilities). The focus groups provided input around several areas of program contracting and management,as follows: 1) local workforce area procurement guidelines; 2) innovative strategies and processes that have produced contracts that encourage services to the youth most in need; and 3) procedures and practices that may inhibit program collaboration for serving these youth. TEGL No. 13-09 provides guidance to states, workforce investment boards, Workforce Investment Act youth service providers on contracting strategies that facilitate service providers to serve the youth most in need while still achieving performance goals.
Posted On :
02/26/10 06:32PM
/Views :
230
/Downloads :
63
English Language Learners-Identifying Learning Disabilities
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance just issued a Report entitled, "Process and challenges in identifying learning disabilities among students who are English language learners in three NYS districts." The Report identifies several challenges to the identification of learning disabilities in English language learner students, including difficulties with policy guidelines; different stakeholder views about timing for referral of English language learner students; insufficient knowledge among personnel involved in identification; and difficulties providing consistent, adequate services to English language learner students. The Report is available on the Regional Education Laboratory Web site at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/ed;abs
Posted On :
02/21/10 03:21PM
/Views :
233
/Downloads :
64
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.
Posted On :
02/07/10 09:27PM
/Views :
307
/Downloads :
85
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.
Posted On :
02/07/10 08:52PM
/Views :
258
/Downloads :
80
Announcement of TANF Services to Assist Youth Get Support for Employment
ETA has issues a Training and Employment Notice(TEN)to encourage the public workforce system to partner with TANF agencies in their efforts to promote subsidized employment opportunities allowable under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) TANF Contingency funding for the creation and expansion of subsidized summer employment for low-income youth. It also encourages co-enrollment of youth in TANF and appropriate WIA programs so individuals can benefit from WIA services such as supportive services,occupational skills training,and other relevant services. The U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services have jointly identifies areas of collaboration that support training and employment opportunities for low-income families, particularly opportunities to place eligible TANF participants in subsidized employment in the summer of 2010. It is DOL's hope that this national partnership focused on subsidized employment will be modeled throughout state and local TANF and workforce agencies. The need for this partnership comes at a critical time-- overall teen employment rate has remained devastatingly low, reaching levels not seen in 60 years. Unfortunately, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the proportion of young people employed in July 2009 was 51.4 percent. This is the lowest July rate for the series, which began in 1948. While the WIA summer youth employment funding under ARRA has been nearly expended,significant TANF Emergency Contingency funding remains and TANF agencies can choose to commit some of those funds to subsidized employment programs for low-income youth. Individuals with disabilites and family members with disabilites comprise a disproportionately high percent of the population receiving TANF benefits.
Posted On :
01/24/10 09:52AM
/Views :
270
/Downloads :
83
Annual Disability Statistics Compendium 2009
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics has recently issued its 2009 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium. It includes statistics from Federal surveys and sources on disability prevelance, population size, (including breakdowns by state and disability type, employment and earnings,education, health and health care coverage, rehabilitation, and participation in benefit programs (e.g., SSI, SSDI). This Report can be downloaded as a PDF.