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Partnerships In Employment Brief: Guidance On How To Obtain Data On The Use Of Subminimum Wages Within A State To Inform Systems Change Activities, Evelyn Doxey, Leslie Jaehning, Elise Mcmillan, Kristin Vandagriff, Jean Winsor

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

In October 2011, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities awarded grants to lead agencies in six states: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, and Wisconsin. Two additional states, Alaska and Tennessee, received grants in October 2012. These states proposed activities to spur improved employment and postsecondary outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Until the end of September 2016 the Institute for Community Inclusion and the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services provided training and technical assistance (TA) to the eight state projects through the Partnerships in Employment (PIE) Training and TA Center.

PIE …

Partnerships In Employment Brief: Influencing Changes In State Policy And Practice With Data On Subminimum Wages, Evelyn Doxey, Leslie Jaehning, Elise Mcmillan, Kristin Vandagriff, Jean Winsor

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Subminimum wage is a pervasive and controversial issue. In many states there are individuals with disabilities who earn as little as seven cents an hour and workers who do not earn any wages because they do not produce enough products to be paid wages for their work according to the 14(c) Certificate holder.

There are many ways that data on wages earned under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, i.e., 14(c) Certificates can be used to influence changes in state policy and practice. This brief describes examples from Partnerships in Employment grantee states.

Partnerships In Employment National Transition Systems Change Project: Building A Transition-To-Employment Agenda, Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

The national Partnerships in Employment (PIE) National Transition Systems Change Project was established in 2011 by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This five-year project focuses on improving, developing, and implementing policies and practices that raise community expectations and overall employment outcomes for youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD). Now in the last phase of the funding cycle, the eight state projects involved in the PIE initiative (Alaska, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, and Wisconsin) are uniquely positioned to provide youth employment recommendations to federal, state, and local agencies. In this document, we share several of the findings …

Increasing Community Engagement For Individuals With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Jennifer Bose, Jennifer Sulewski

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

These three projects highlight various aspects of the Institute for Community Inclusion's efforts to increase community engagement of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, both locally and nationally. The Transitions to Work project, for which ICI provides evaluation assistance, partners with Boston-area employers to increase engagement of adults with disabilities in the regional workforce. The Community Life Engagement initiative complements the employment focus by looking at other aspects of community life, such as volunteerism and participation in community events and resources. On the national level, Real People Real Jobs is a website and publication series highlighting the employment successes of …

Partnerships In Employment Brief: Engaging Families Of Youth With Intellectual Disabilities In Systems Change Efforts, Sean Roy

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This brief will highlight the reasons why parents and families are essential partners in any systems change effort. It will describe the importance of the family’s perspective, and how their experiences should be used to shape policy recommendations. It will offer strategies on how to engage parents and families in systems change efforts, and how to promote family involvement to state-level partners.

Data Note: State Trends In The Vocational Rehabilitation Engagement Of Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: 2002-2011, Alberto Migliore, Jean E. Winsor

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Experiencing paid employment during and immediately after high school is a critical step on the path toward economic self-sufficiency in adulthood. Young adults with disabilities interested in gaining employment experiences may seek support from vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. In this Data Note, we examine the extent to which young adults with intellectual disabilities engage with their state VR programs.

One way for assessing young adult engagement is to look at the number of them who exit the program, which implies that they either applied or were referred to the program. Specifically, we examined the average number of young adults 16 …

Data Note: Ssi Recipients Who Work, Daria Domin, Frank A. Smith

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested income-support program administered by the Social Security Administration. Eligibility is contingent upon proving that one has a limited ability to work due to disability. However, the program offers several work incentives aimed at encouraging SSI recipients to enter the workforce while maintaining their benefits. Despite the promotion of employment through Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) and other programs, a very small percentage of SSI recipients actually work. This Data Note examines the number of SSI recipients working by state in 2010.

Data Note: Vocational Rehabilitation Employment Outcomes For Transition-Age Youth With Autism And Other Disabilities, Frank A. Smith, Jaime Lugas

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Youth with autism, like youth from other disability subgroups, often participate in state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs to obtain employment. While youth with autism represent a small percentage of all VR closures, the number with autism who closed out of VR more than tripled between 2003 and 2008 (see figure). In this Data Note, we compare employment outcomes for two subgroups of youth who exited VR in FY 2008, those with autism and those with all other disabilities.

Data Note: Work Incentives And Ssi Recipients With Intellectual Disabilities, Frank A. Smith, John Butterworth

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Congress has enacted a number of work incentive programs for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients with disabilities after concluding additional incentives were necessary to help individuals become self-supporting. Moreover, Congress has noted that individuals who could work outside of sheltered workshops might have been discouraged from doing so by the fear of losing their benefits before they had established for themselves the capability for continued self-support. In this Data Note, we explore the degree to which SSI recipients with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) work and participate in these incentive programs.

Data Note: Indicators Of Labor Market Success For People With Intellectual Disabilities, Frank A. Smith, John Butterworth

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Reporting meaningful indicators of labor market success for individuals with disabilities, particularly Intellectual Disabilities (ID), is challenging for a number of reasons. Measures that allow people to indicate specific disabilities like ID are uncommon in large national data sets. Additionally, the use of the “traditional” unemployment rate reported by the Department of Labor as an indicator of labor market success for people with disabilities leaves people who are not in the labor force, a significant group when it comes to subpopulations of people with disabilities, out of the calculation. In this data note, we discuss the implications of using the …

Data Note: Postsecondary Education And Employment Outcomes For Youth With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, John Butterworth

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Completion of postsecondary education is commonly associated with better employment outcomes for the general population. There is increasing interest in postsecondary education as an opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). One role that vocational rehabilitation (VR) serves is to support postsecondary education in accordance with their Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).

Tools For Inclusion: Disclosure Of Disability Information At A One-Stop Career Center: Tips And Guidelines, David Hoff

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

One-Stops Career Centers (One-Stops) were established under the federal Workforce Investment Act to provide a full range of job seeker assistance under one roof. One-Stops are located at a variety of locations in each state, with more than 3,200 centers across the country. More than 13 million people per year use the One-Stop system. Many of these are people with disabilities.

Data Note: Tracking Employment And Day Support Participation And Outcomes In State Intellectual Disability And Developmental Disability Agencies, Samita Bhattarai, Jean E. Winsor

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

As a part of the FY2007 National Survey of Day and Employment Programs data was requested from state Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) agencies regarding the sources of information used to report the total number of individuals served in the following services categories: integrated employment, facility-based work, community-based non work, and facility-based non work. Data on sources is an important factor to note when comparing each state’s service outcomes over time. Collecting information on the source of the data can help to explain unexpected trends in state service distribution when the state has not implemented changes in policy or …

Data Note: Wia Employment Outcomes And Trends, Monica Cox, Frank A. Smith

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This data note focuses on employment outcomes for individuals served by the One-Stop system through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult funding stream. Outcomes data include the rate of WIA customers entering employment and their employment retention rate. This data note compares outcomes among adults with reported disabilities to those without reported disabilities.

Data Note: Job Seekers With Disabilities At One-Stop Career Centers: An Overview Of Registration For Wagner-Peyser Funded Employment Services, David Hoff, Samita Bhattarai

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 established a nationwide system of public employment services, known as the Employment Service. Via the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, the Employment Service was made part of the One-Stop service delivery system. Wagner-Peyser funds are a primary source of funding for the core and other services of One–Stop Career Centers that provide employment services available to all people, including people with disabilities.

Research To Practice: Trends And Emerging Issues Regarding Ssa/Vr Reimbursements For Ssi/Ssdi Recipients, John Halliday, Dana Scott Gilmore, Katherine Fichthorn

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief discusses the declining amount of reimbursement paid to public VR agencies from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2002 to FFY 2005 by considering the impact that fewer claims submitted and a rising SGA level may have on the amount of reimbursement paid.

Pushing The Integrated Employment Agenda: Case Study Research In Washington State, Jean Winsor, Allison Cohen Hall, John Butterworth, Dana Scott Gilmore

Case Studies Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This is the second in a series of publications highlighting findings from case studies in three states—New Hampshire, Washington, and Colorado—that are recognized as high performers in integrated employment. These products are intended to be a practical resource for states as they work to help people with disabilities obtain and maintain gainful employment.

ICI identified “high-performing” states based on the following criteria: the percentage of citizens served by the state’s mental retardation/developmental disabilities agency that participate in integrated employment, and the rate of growth in integrated employment.

In 2003, a team of ICI researchers conducted face-to-ace interviews with state and …

Research To Practice: Employment Services And Outcomes Of People Receiving Welfare Benefits And Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Susan Foley, Jonathan Woodring

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Poverty programs have undergone substantial reform in the past decade, and there has been a heightened interest in exploring the experiences of people with disabilities who receive welfare benefits. This report profiles people with disabilities who had TANF, GA, or both at application to VR services and completed these services in the year 2003.

Research To Practice: Job Networking In Diverse Communities, Rooshey Hasnain, Jennifer Bose, Joy Gould, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

While individuals with disabilities face many obstacles when seeking employment, there are usually additional challenges for those from diverse cultures. To address this issue, ICI formed partnerships with community immigrant organizations to teach networking techniques to job seekers.

Tools For Inclusion: Getting The Most From The Public Vocational Rehabilitation System, Colleen Condon, Cecilia Gandolfo, Lora Brugnaro, Cindy Thomas, Pauline Donnelly

Tools for Inclusion Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Every state has a vocational rehabilitation agency that is designed to help individuals with disabilities meet their employment goals. Vocational rehabilitation agencies assist individuals with disabilities to prepare for, get, keep, or regain employment. This publication answers questions frequently asked by individuals with disabilities. For consumers.

Institute Brief: Making Experiential Education Accessible For Students With Disabilities, Cynthia Zafft, Sara Sezun, Melanie Jordan

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

College students with disabilities enter with less work experience and have a harder time finding jobs than their nondisabled peers. Experiential education-- mentoring, internships, job shadowing, and so on-- can create a bridge to graduation and employment. However, that requires college professionals to consider access issues for all students. A new Institute Brief provides basic disability awareness information, suggests ways to create welcoming career offices, and offers ideas to increase access to experiential education.

Research To Practice: The National Survey Of Community Rehabilitation Providers, Fy2002-2003, Report 1: Overview Of Services And Provider Characteristics, Deborah Metzel, Heike Boeltzig, John Butterworth, Dana Scott Gilmore

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Two briefs examine the services people with developmental disabilities receive from community rehabilitation providers (CRPs). Despite recent emphasis on work in the disability field, people with DD were predominantly in sheltered employment or non-work services. Of people with DD in integrated employment, the majority had individual competitive jobs. However, three group employment models had above-average percentages of individuals with DD.

Research To Practice: Medicaid Involvement In Employment-Related Programs- Findings From The National Survey Of State Systems And Employment For People With Disabilities, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Dana Scott Gilmore, Susan Foley

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief analyzes data from ICI's National Survey of State Systems and Employment for People with Disabilities regarding the priority Medicaid agencies place on employment and their involvement in recent policy initiatives.

Research To Practice: Collaboration Between Medicaid And Other State Agencies- Findings From The National Survey Of State Systems And Employment For People With Disabilities, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Dana Scott Gilmore, Susan Foley

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Many state Medicaid agencies are playing a greater role in multi-agency efforts to promote employment for people with disabilities. This brief uses data from the National Survey of State Systems and Employment for People with Disabilities to explore the varieties of collaboration Medicaid agencies are using and the agencies they are collaborating with.

Institute Brief: Achieving Quality Services: A Checklist For Evaluating Your Agency, Doris Hamner, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, David Hoff

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This checklist can help staff and directors at One-Stop Career Centers and state and private agencies evaluate the quality and responsiveness of their services to job seekers with disabilities. Areas covered include access to resources, agency culture, coordination, and consumer-directedness.

Institute Brief: Developing Interagency Agreements: Four Questions To Consider, John Butterworth, Susan Foley, Deborah Metzel

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Recent legislation emphasizes collaboration between state agencies. A good interagency agreement is one tool that can assist collaboration and promote systems change. Researchers offer four important considerations for an effective agreement and a worksheet for agency personnel.

Research To Practice: Postsecondary Education As A Critical Step Toward Meaningful Employment: Vocational Rehabilitation's Role, Dana Scott Gilmore, Jennifer Bose, Debra Hart

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Research shows that access to postsecondary education makes an enormous difference in the employability of people with disabilities. This brief focuses on the rehabilitation outcomes of people who received education supports from Vocational Rehabilitation agencies.

Research To Practice: National Day And Employment Service Trends In Mr/Dd Agencies, Danielle Dreilinger, Dana Scott Gilmore, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

To what extent have changes in philosophy translated into changes for state agencies and the people they serve? This brief analyzes MR/DD agencies' day and employment service trends from 1988 to 1999 and discusses relevant trends in policy and legislation.

Institute Brief: Wia And One-Stop Centers: Opportunities And Issues For The Disability Community, David Hoff

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This brief gives a basic overview of the act and examines its impact on the lives of people with disabilities as well as the systems and organizations that assist them.

Research To Practice: Work Status Trends For People With Mental Retardation, Fy 1985 To Fy 1998, Dana Scott Gilmore, John Butterworth

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

National trends regarding extended employment (sheltered workshops) and competitive employment outcomes from state Vocational Rehabilitation systems between 1985 and 1998.