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The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

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Institute Brief: Support Through Mentorship: Accessible Supervision Of Employees With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, John Kramer, Ashley Wolfe, Jean Winsor Jul 2013

Institute Brief: Support Through Mentorship: Accessible Supervision Of Employees With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, John Kramer, Ashley Wolfe, Jean Winsor

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Effective supervision of employees with intellectual or developmental disabilities can be challenging for businesses that may not have experience in hiring people with diverse support requirements. This is largely due to the relatively low participation rates of people with disabilities in the workforce. This is, thankfully, changing as more businesses are seeing the value of diversifying their workforce, which includes hiring people with diverse cognitive abilities like people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

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Institute Brief: Effective Training For Employment Consultants: Job Development And Support Strategies, Amy Gelb, Derek Nord, Alberto Migliore, John Butterworth Apr 2012

Institute Brief: Effective Training For Employment Consultants: Job Development And Support Strategies, Amy Gelb, Derek Nord, Alberto Migliore, John Butterworth

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This Institute Brief summarizes the key elements of a training and support approach designed to improve job development practices. Employment Consultants who participated supported more individuals to enter employment, and supported people to achieve higher-quality jobs with more hours and higher levels of pay, than a control group who had not yet received training.

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Institute Brief: Advancing Parent-Professional Leadership: Effective Strategies For Building The Capacity Of Parent Advisory Councils In Special Education, Heike Boeltzig, Matthew Kusminsky, Susan M. Foley, Richard Robison, Barbara Popper, Marilyn Gutierrez-Wilson May 2009

Institute Brief: Advancing Parent-Professional Leadership: Effective Strategies For Building The Capacity Of Parent Advisory Councils In Special Education, Heike Boeltzig, Matthew Kusminsky, Susan M. Foley, Richard Robison, Barbara Popper, Marilyn Gutierrez-Wilson

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, last amended in 2004 (IDEA 2004), encourages parents and educators to work collaboratively, emphasizing that as a team they are uniquely suited to make decisions that help improve the educational experiences and outcomes of children with disabilities. The Advancing Parent-Professional Leadership in Education (APPLE) Project was funded to develop the leadership skills of parents individually and within their communities. The project took place in Massachusetts, where school districts are required to have a special education parent advisory council (SEPAC).

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Institute Brief: Access For All Customers: Universal Strategies For One-Stop Career Centers, David Hoff, Elena Varney, Lara Enein-Donovan, Cindy Thomas, Sheila Fesko Jan 2009

Institute Brief: Access For All Customers: Universal Strategies For One-Stop Career Centers, David Hoff, Elena Varney, Lara Enein-Donovan, Cindy Thomas, Sheila Fesko

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

One-Stop Career Centers serve a diverse range of customers. These include individuals with a variety of educational and work backgrounds, people from diverse racial, linguistic and ethnic cultures, as well as individuals with a wide range of disabilities and support needs. One way of addressing the needs of this diverse customer base is to develop services and systems that respond to the needs of each of these groups. However, this can be expensive and labor-intensive. A more effective way to serve this broad customer pool is to provide One-Stop services according to the principles of what is known as "universal …

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Institute Brief: Supporting Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Quality Employment Practices, Alan Kurtz, Melanie Jordan Dec 2008

Institute Brief: Supporting Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Quality Employment Practices, Alan Kurtz, Melanie Jordan

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

It has been known for decades that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including those with significant impairment or who have behaviors that others find challenging, can work when they are given appropriate supports. It is also clear that individuals with ASD can benefit from employment. Benefits include improved emotional state, greater financial gain, decreased anxiety, greater self-esteem, and greater independence. Nonetheless, employment outcomes for individuals with ASD have traditionally been poor. Even those who do find work are often underemployed or do not hold onto jobs for a long period of time.

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Institute Brief: Effective Career Development Strategies For Young Artists With Disabilities, Heike Boeltzig, Rooshey Hasnain, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski Jun 2008

Institute Brief: Effective Career Development Strategies For Young Artists With Disabilities, Heike Boeltzig, Rooshey Hasnain, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

One potential arena of employment for young people with disabilities is the arts. This brief reports on effective strategies that 47 young artists with disabilities used to gain access to arts-related experiences in order to further their educational and career pathways. Across program years 2002–2005, these young artists, all aged 16 to 25, were finalists in the VSA arts/ Volkswagen of America, Inc. Program, an arts competition that was intended to showcase their talents and accomplishments. As part of the overall evaluation, we were able to identify career development strategies based on a review of finalists’ program applications. This brief …

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Institute Brief: Increasing Placement Through Professional Networking, Allison Fleming, Diane Loud Jul 2007

Institute Brief: Increasing Placement Through Professional Networking, Allison Fleming, Diane Loud

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

The national percentage of people of working age with disabilities who are employed continues to hover around 37%, compared with 80% for their peers without disabilities. However, according to the Harris Poll (2004), 67% of people with disabilities who are not currently working would like to be. In the late 1990s, a Presidential Task Force began work on improving the employment rate for adults with disabilities, a national priority that was further supported by the New Freedom Initiative of 2001, creating a bipartisan effort. Despite these initiatives, the rate of employment for people with disabilities has not increased.

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Institute Brief: Minimum Wage Increase: A Guide For Disability Service Providers (Updated 2009), David Hoff Jun 2007

Institute Brief: Minimum Wage Increase: A Guide For Disability Service Providers (Updated 2009), David Hoff

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

This publication provides guidance to service providers regarding the increase in minimum wage, with a particular focus on assisting consumers with questions and concerns they may have regarding the impact on their public benefits.

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Institute Brief: The 30-Day Placement Plan: A Road Map To Employment, Colleen Condon, Amy Gelb, Joy Gould Aug 2005

Institute Brief: The 30-Day Placement Plan: A Road Map To Employment, Colleen Condon, Amy Gelb, Joy Gould

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

There are many steps to finding and getting the right job, and this process can be challenging. Many job seekers have found that breaking the job search down into a series of small, workable tasks makes the process much more manageable. It also gives the job seeker a sense of accomplishment when each task is completed. A 30-Day Placement Plan is one way to keep tasks in order.

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Institute Brief: Making Experiential Education Accessible For Students With Disabilities, Cynthia Zafft, Sara Sezun, Melanie Jordan Nov 2004

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.

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Institute Brief: Taking The Mystery Out Of Customer Service, Heike Boeltzig, Lora Brugnaro, Cecilia Gandolfo, Amy Gelb, Karen Zimbrich, Lara Enein-Donovan, Cindy Tsui, Joy Gould Oct 2004

Institute Brief: Taking The Mystery Out Of Customer Service, Heike Boeltzig, Lora Brugnaro, Cecilia Gandolfo, Amy Gelb, Karen Zimbrich, Lara Enein-Donovan, Cindy Tsui, Joy Gould

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

With the current emphasis on universal access to employment services for all members of the community, the workforce development field needs to evaluate service delivery. A "mystery shopper" program is one of many evaluation tools available to ensure continuous quality improvement and customer satisfaction. This technique allows organizations to collect data on the experiences of One-Stop Career Center customers from the customer perspective. The brief includes a sample shopper questionnaire.

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Institute Brief: When Existing Jobs Don't Fit: A Guide To Job Creation, Colleen Condon, Lara Enein-Donovan, Marianne Gilmore, Melanie Jordan Sep 2004

Institute Brief: When Existing Jobs Don't Fit: A Guide To Job Creation, Colleen Condon, Lara Enein-Donovan, Marianne Gilmore, Melanie Jordan

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Successful job development for people with disabilities is about meeting the specific and often unique needs of each job seeker. Job creation is a way to modify or restructure existing jobs or bring together a combination of job tasks that fill the work needs of an employer while capitalizing on the skills and strengths of workers with significant disabilities. This is the second issue in the new ICI Professional Development Series.

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Institute Brief: More Than Just A Job: Person-Centered Career Planning, Colleen Condon, Kristen Fichera, Danielle Dreilinger Oct 2003

Institute Brief: More Than Just A Job: Person-Centered Career Planning, Colleen Condon, Kristen Fichera, Danielle Dreilinger

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Sometimes counselors think that person-centered career planning has to involve a big meeting, or is only for people with the most significant disabilities. The first issue in the new ICI Professional Development Series lays out the principles of listening to job seekers to help them shape and achieve their career goals.

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Institute Brief: Achieving Quality Services: A Checklist For Evaluating Your Agency, Doris Hamner, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, David Hoff Nov 2002

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.

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Institute Brief: Developing Interagency Agreements: Four Questions To Consider, John Butterworth, Susan Foley, Deborah Metzel Dec 2001

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.

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Institute Brief: Wia And One-Stop Centers: Opportunities And Issues For The Disability Community, David Hoff Dec 2000

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.

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Institute Brief: Quality Employment Services: Will You Know It When You See It?, David Hoff Jan 1999

Institute Brief: Quality Employment Services: Will You Know It When You See It?, David Hoff

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Guidelines and steps for people with disabilities to evaluate agencies in order to receive services that best meet their individual needs.

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Institute Brief: Recreation In The Community, Maria Paiewonsky, Susan Tufts Jan 1999

Institute Brief: Recreation In The Community, Maria Paiewonsky, Susan Tufts

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Recommendations from community recreation providers on how to include youth with disabilities in recreation programs.

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Institute Brief: Employment Advisory Boards: The Ultimate Community Resource, David Hoff, Margaret Van Gelder, Martine Gold, Joe Marrone Jan 1994

Institute Brief: Employment Advisory Boards: The Ultimate Community Resource, David Hoff, Margaret Van Gelder, Martine Gold, Joe Marrone

The Institute Brief Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Strategies for establishing links to the business community and relationships with prospective employers through the development of employment advisory boards.

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