An Introduction to the State Peer Leaders Network

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An Introduction to theState Peer Leaders Network

• June 6, 2008

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Webinar Classroom Layout
Presentation Slide Area
Select Full Screen to maximize presentation
minimizes chat feature
Use Chat box to communicate with chairperson and
presenters
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Access to Webinar Materials

• A direct link to the webinar materials, including
  web and audio content, will be posted on the NTAR
  Leadership Center website by 400 p.m. EST,
  Friday, June 6, 2008
• www.ntarcenter.org

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Presenters

• Nanette Relave, Center for Workers with
  Disabilities, APHSA
• Damon Terzaghi, Center for Workers with
  Disabilities, APHSA
• Moderator
• Kathy Krepcio, Executive Director, John J.
  Heldrich Center for Workforce Development,
  Rutgers University

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Agenda/Objectives

• Provide an overview of the State Peer Leaders
  Network (SPLN) and the major activities planned
  for the Network
• Discuss opportunities for technical assistance
  and how to request TA
• Answer your questions

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The NTAR Leadership Center

• Established in September 2007 through a grant
  from the U.S. Department of Labors Office of
  Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
• A collaboration of partners with expertise in
  workforce and economic development, disability
  employment, financial education and asset
  building, and leadership development
• Created for the purpose of building capacity and
  leadership at the federal, state, and local
  levels to enable change across workforce
  development and disability-specific systems that
  will increase employment for adults with
  disabilities

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The NTAR Center Major Activities

• State Leaders Innovation Institute
• An intensive leadership institute for three
  states (Connecticut, Maryland, and Minnesota)
• State Peer Leaders Network
• An information exchange and peer learning network
  for a select group of state and local leaders
• Knowledge Development and Dissemination
• Research briefs and other products
• Knowledge Exchange
• A dedicated NTAR Center website to support
  information sharing and knowledge exchange

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Guiding Principles

• Increasing partnerships and collaboration among
  and across generic and disability-specific
  systems
• Increasing the use of self-direction in services,
  and integration of funding across and among
  systems
• Increasing economic self-sufficiency through
  leveraging work incentives, financial education,
  or other strategies that promote profitable
  employment and asset building
• Increasing the use of universal design in
  employment services and as a framework for
  employment policy
• Increasing the use of customized and other forms
  of flexible work options for individuals with
  disabilities and others with barriers to
  employment

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The State Peer Leaders Network

• Recognizes the significant value to states
  learning from each other
• Creates a dedicated forum for information sharing
  and exchange
• Members
• State leaders and teams that applied for the
  State Leaders Innovation Institute (SLII)
• State and local leaders with a strong interest in
  peer learning and the work of the NTAR Leadership
  Center

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Joining the State Peer Leaders Network

• For states that applied to the SLII, team leaders
  are requested to designate members of the state
  team (can include expanded team members) to join
  the SPLN
• Contact information for team members should be
  forwarded to Nanette Relave (nrelave_at_aphsa.org)
• New SPLN members will be added to a SPLN email
  list and given login information to the SPLN
  section of the NTAR Centers website
• There is no cost to states to join the Network
• For any questions, please contact Nanette at
  nrelave_at_aphsa.org or 202-682-0100

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SPLN Information Sharing Activities

• Teleconferences and Interactive Webinars
• Based on our guiding principles, and with a focus
  on demand-side strategies, we are developing a
  series of teleconferences and webinars that will
  highlight innovative strategies and promising
  state and local practices
• Potential topics include, for example
• Understanding Sector Strategies for Workers with
  Disabilities
• Building Pathways to Greater Self-Sufficiency
  through Asset Development
• Collaborating Across Systems Linking with TANF
• Workplace Flexibility Promising Strategies and
  Approaches

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SPLN Information Sharing Activities

• Timely Access to NTAR Leadership Center Resources
• SPLN members will receive first access to
  research, promising practices, and other
  resources developed through the NTAR Center
• The SPLN email list will be used to disseminate
  resources as soon as they are available
• Dedicated News about Learning Events and Other
  Resources
• The SPLN email list and web page, as well as the
  NTAR Center website, will keep the Network
  informed about new resources and special events
  such as topical webinars

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SPLN Learning Exchange Activities

• Access to a Learning Exchange Between the SLII
  and the SPLN
• The State Leaders Innovation Institute is likely
  to produce tools, resources, and knowledge that
  will be of significant value to other states
• A Learning Exchange will facilitate the sharing
  of resources and knowledge among states in the
  Institute and those in the SPLN
• Learning Exchange activities will occur as the
  SLII and SPLN progress, and may include
• Conference calls
• Webinars
• Presentations

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SPLN Learning Exchange Activities

• Access to Information Exchange through a
  Cooperative Inquiry System
• To support learning exchange, members of the SPLN
  will be able to submit questions/inquiries for a
  quarterly survey of the SPLN
• Survey responses will be compiled and shared with
  the Network as a whole
• Each quarterly survey will have a theme based on
  the questions/inquiries that are submitted
• We will begin the Cooperative Inquiry System in
  July 2008
• We invite you to submit questions/inquiries for
  your peers on a range of issues

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SPLN Leadership Development Activities

• Given the importance of leadership development to
  promoting systems change, a virtual leadership
  institute (VLI) will be offered to SPLN members
  through a series of quarterly webinars
• The VLI will assist participants in setting
  active goals and enhancing organizational
  performance in order to improve outcomes for
  individuals with disabilities along with building
  a network of peers
• The VLI is scheduled to begin in the third
  quarter of this year and will be led by the
  National Leadership Consortium on Developmental
  Disabilities at the University of Delaware, a
  NTAR Center partner

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SPLN Technical Assistance Opportunities

• Members of the SPLN will be able to request
  technical assistance from the NTAR Center,
  ranging from telephone and email consultation to
  short consultancy research to on-site support
• On-site visits may include, for example
• Presentations at meetings or conferences
• Facilitation of workshops
• Specialized training in topical areas
• Technical assistance will be provided as fiscal
  resources and project capacity permit

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SPLN Technical Assistance Opportunities

• State-to-State Technical Assistance
• Resources permitting, the NTAR Leadership Center
  may be able to facilitate and support
  state-to-state technical assistance
• State-to-state technical assistance could
  include
• Telephone consultation or facilitated conference
  calls
• Site visits whereby a state team visits another
  state to provide information and TA in one of the
  NTAR Centers targeted goal areas such as
  cross-system collaboration, demand-side
  strategies, universal design in service delivery,
  and others

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Requesting Technical Assistance Criteria
We will review TA requests from SPLN members
based on the following criteria

• The degree to which the areas of requested TA
  relate to the NTAR Centers guiding principles
• The degree to which the requested TA fosters
  knowledge, greater cross-systems learning, and
  enhanced information sharing
• The extent to which the TA requested demonstrates
  value to the applicant and has value for other
  states, localities, and regions
• The cost effectiveness of the requested TA and
  availability of TA resources

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How to Request Technical Assistance

• All requests for technical assistance from SPLN
  members will be accepted and reviewed on a
  continuing basis between June 2008 and July 2009
• SPLN members will need to complete and submit our
  TA Request form that will be available online
• Interested applicants are welcome and encouraged
  to telephone or email the NTAR Leadership Center
  to discuss their needs/requests before submitting
  the TA Request form
• The NTAR Leadership Center will do its best to
  accommodate requests for technical assistance in
  a timely fashion

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Technical Assistance Request Form

• The NTAR Center is creating an online TA Request
  form that will be available on the Centers
  website
• This short form will gather contact information
  and ask you to describe your technical assistance
  need and request
• Once your TA Request form is received, an NTAR
  Leadership Center representative will contact you
  within five (5) business days to discuss your
  request
• If you need help filling out this form, please
  contact the NTAR Leadership Center at
  732-932-4100 x6330 or Nanette Relave at
  nrelave_at_aphsa.org or 202-682-0100

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Technical Assistance Request Form
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Technical Assistance Request Form
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Question and Answer PeriodHow to Submit Your
Questions
Click Raise Hand to ask a question the
chairperson will then call on participants in the
order that questions were received
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Question and Answer Period
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NTAR Leadership Center Contacts

• Nanette Relave, Center for Workers with
  Disabilities
• nrelave_at_aphsa.org or 202-682-0100, ext. 241
• Damon Terzaghi, Center for Workers with
  Disabilities
• dterzaghi_at_aphsa.org or 202-682-0100, ext. 265
• Kathy Krepcio, John J. Heldrich Center for
  Workforce Development, Rutgers University
• krepcio_at_rci.rutgers.edu or 732-932-4100, ext.
  6306
• Maria Heidkamp, John J. Heldrich Center for
  Workforce Development, Rutgers University
• heidkamp_at_rci.rutgers.edu or 732-932-4100, ext.
  6313

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NTAR Leadership Center Website

• www.ntarcenter.org