NAVIGATING THE ROAD TO WORK:

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NAVIGATING THE ROAD TO WORK

• Making the Connections Between Youth with
  Disabilities Employment

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National Collaborative on Workforce and
Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)

• www.ncwd-youth.info

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COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS

• Center for Workforce Development, the Institute
  for Educational Leadership       
• Disability Studies Services Center, the
  Academy for Educational Development
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Youth Employment Coalition

• National Association of Workforce Boards
• National Center on Secondary Education
  Transition, the University of Minnesota
• TransCen, Inc.
• InfoUse

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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM

• Common definition still evolving
• Broad array of entities at national, state
  local levels
• Diverse responsibilities for planning, funding,
  administering, and operating programs
• Assist people with and without disabilities
• Obtain education, training, job placement
  support services
• See Making the Connections Handout

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Improving Educational and Employment Outcomes for
Youth

• Need to focus on strategic and coordinated use of
  resources currently available within a states
  education and workforce development systems

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NCWD/YOUTH GOALS

• 1) Improve State Local Policy
• 2) Strengthen Workforce Development Service
  Delivery
• 3) Improve Knowledge, Skills Abilities of
  Direct Service Worker

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KNOWN CONSTRAINTS

• Leadership needed at all levels, including youth
• Staff attitudes and knowledge
• Data collection and data sharing
• Fiscal issues
• Income eligibility
• Performance measures
• Marketing and outreach to employers
• Communication among partners and confidentiality
  issues
• Accessibility and assistive technology
• Technical Assistance

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CONDITIONS TO PROMOTE INCREASED ACCESS

• Customer-focused values
• Commitment to persons with special needs within a
  universal system
• Clear direction from the top
• Staff competence and retention
• Organized collaboration among partners

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NCWD/YOUTH WORK ORGANIZED AROUND

• A. Ultimate consumers
• 1.Youth and Families
• 2. Employers
• B. Professionals
• 3. Front line direct service providers
• 4. Administrators of programs
• 5 State and local policy makers
• 6. Federal program managers

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What Youth Need

• Knowledge Built on Evidence-Based Research
• 25 years of Research Demonstrations
• Youth with disabilities need same as ALL youth
• Attention in individual cases to additional
  specialized supports

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All Youth Need.

• Access to high-quality standards-based education,
  regardless of setting
• Information about career options
• Exposure to world of work
• Opportunities to develop social, civic,
  leadership skills
• Strong connections to caring adults
• Access to safe places to interact with peers
  and,
• Support services to become independent adults.

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DESIGN FEATURES FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICES

• Preparatory experiences
• Connecting activities
• Work-based experiences
• Leadership development activities

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PREPARATORY EXPERIENCES

• Exposure to
• Career assessment
• Opportunity awareness
• Guest speakers
• Informational interviews
• Work Readiness Skills
• Soft Skills Training
• Computer Competency
• Job Search Skills

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WORK-BASED EXPERIENCES

• Activities that lead to on-the-job experiences
• Site visits and tours
• Job shadowing
• Internships - paid and unpaid
• Entrepreneurship education

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CONNECTING ACTIVITIES

• Sometimes tutoring
• Mentoring
• Assistive Technology
• Transportation
• Exposure to post high school services and
  training
• Workforce preparation
• Post secondary education
• Benefits Financial Planning

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YOUTH DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP

• Activities that assist the youth to become
  self-sufficient and a productive member of
  society
• Personal leadership
• Providing supportive adults
• Leadership opportunities

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What Do Employers Need?

• Workers with specific, industry-related skills
  and so-called soft skills
• Awareness of and access to recruitment resources,
  as well as effective processes for screening
  applicants
• A reasonable return on their investment of time
  and resources expended in developing and
  recruiting their workforce.

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What Do Employers Need?

• Three primary factors emerge from studies
  addressing reasons employers become involved with
  any youth work preparation program.
• There is the immediate need for the company to
  fill positions.
• Particular industry-specific issues (such as
  worker shortages or specific technical skills
  requirements) cause some employers to embrace
  youth programs.
• Many companies feel particularly compelled to
  bring youth, with and without disabilities, into
  their workplaces to demonstrate corporate good
  citizenship and responsiveness to community
  needs.

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What Do Employers Need?

• Employers also need support to host youth in the
  workplace.
• The factors employers identified as contributing
  to successful experiences with ywd included
• 1) Competent, convenient, and targeted assistance
  in getting youth referrals
• 2) Matching youth skills and interests to the job
  tasks
• 3) Support in training and monitoring the youth
  while at the worksite and
• 4) providing either formal or informal disability
  awareness and training for the youths
  co-workers.

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Intermediaries

• An entity that convenes leadership and brokers
  relationships with multiple partners across
  multiple funding streams brings together
  workforce development systems, vocational
  rehabilitation providers, businesses, labor
  unions, educational institutions, social service
  organizations, faith based organizations,
  transportation entities, health providers, and
  other Federal, State, and community resources
  which youth with disabilities need to transition
  to employment successfully.

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Why Focus on Intermediaries?

• To reverse the relentlessly disappointing
  educational and employment outcomes of ywd
  requires strategic and coordinated use of
  available resources

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Three key goals of workforce intermediaries

• To bring workers into the American mainstream.
  Success for these organizations means that
  workers are employed in jobs that offer the
  promise of financial stability.
• To increase business efficiency and productivity.
  Organizations are equally concerned with serving
  employers needs and helping businesses become
  increasingly productive. They realize that
  business and worker success are interdependent.

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Three key goals of workforce intermediaries (Cont)

• To enhance regional competitiveness. These
  groups understand that the health of regional
  economies affects the ability to advance workers
  and strengthen business.

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Common characteristics of workforce
intermediaries

• Reduce turnover and increase economic mobility
  for workers by assuring continued support and
  opportunities to upgrade skills
• Achieve results with innovative approaches and
  solutions to workforce problems
• Improve outcomes for firms and their workers by
  catalyzing improvements in public systems and
  business employment practices.

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NAVIGATING SCHOOLS SYSTEMS

• Know the Players
• State Local Transition Councils
• Transition Coordinators
• Special Population Coordinators
• Special, Regular Voc Ed Teachers
• School Leadership
• Parent Groups
• Advocacy Groups

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Know the Processes

• IEP Process
• See EDs Guide to the IEP
• ED Pubs www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs
• Local Transition Planning Criteria Process
• Interagency Agreements (VR, MH, DD, etc.)
• School Improvement Plans
• NCLB Yearly Progress Reports
• Monitoring Reports, Court Decrees, etc.

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BENEFITS PLANNING FOR YOUTH

• Needs to be basic explanations of programs
  services
• Probably Repetitive
• YouthSpeak engaging
• Use technology

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What to Address

• Health Issues
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Income Support
• Independent Living Skills
• Postsecondary Education
• Work

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Health

• Living a Healthy Lifestyle
• Health Insurance
• Finding coverage
• Public (Medicaid, Waivers, Buy-In, SCHIIP)
• Private Insurance
• Moving to Adult System of Care
• Finding Primary Care Physician
• Finding Necessary Specialists
• Relationship to Work

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Vocational Rehabilitation

• What the program offers
• How to become eligible
• How to exercise informed choice
• How to succeed in VR
• How to maximize services
• How to use the Ticket
• Relationship to Work

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Income Support

• Financial Planning
• Family Support
• Social Security
• Eligibility Rules
• Redetermination
• Section 301
• Student Earned Income Exclusion
• Part-time work
• Other
• Relationship to Work

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Education

• Leaving Secondary Education
• Postsecondary Education Options
• Vocational Schools
• Community Colleges
• University Settings
• Financial Aid
• Grants, Loans Work Study
• Relationship to Work

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Community Living

• Getting around town
• Orientation Mobility
• Accessible Transportation Options
• Own wheels
• Where to Live
• Where to Go for Services
• Health Clinics, Hospitals, etc.
• Schools Colleges
• One Stops, ILCs, etc.
• Banks, etc.
• Where to Hang
• Relationship to Work

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Independent Living Skills

• What are they and why are they important
• Self Determination, Self Advocacy Informed
  Choice
• Personal grooming, cooking, cleaning, etc
• How to use and arrange services, ie. PAS, AT,
  etc.
• Other
• Where to Learn Them
• Relationship to Work

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Working

• Making Ends Meet on Entry Level Salary
• Relationship to all other benefits
• Potential for Income Growth
• Build a Career
• Relationship to all other benefits
• Covering Necessary Expenses
• Disability Related
• Employer Provided
• Non Employer Provided
• Tax Incentives
• Financial Planning Management
• Savings
• Asset Accumulation

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Key Resources for Locating Contacts

• ODEP Grantees See Handouts
• NICHY www.nichcy.org 800-295-0285
• NCSET www.ncset.org
• PACER Center www.taalliance.org
  800-537-2237
• NYEC www.nyec.org
• NAWB www.nawb.org
• NCWD/Adults www.onestops.info

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Contact NCWD/Youth

• 1-877-871-0744 (toll free)
• www.ncwd-youth.info
• Collaborative_at_iel.org
• High School/High Tech program
• 1-877-871-4748 (toll free)
• www.highschoolhightech.net