Employment for All: Policy and Partnerships

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Employment for AllPolicy and Partnerships

• Marie Zura, Director
• HowardCenter Developmental Services
• Theresa Wood, Deputy Commissioner
• Department of Disabilities, Aging Independent
  Living

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We can never make the organization more important
than the individual.
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A Bit of Background

• No institutions
• No state-funded sheltered workshops
• No enclaves
• No large congregate programs
• Residential supports average 1.2 people/setting

Individualized services and funding AND Vermont
is not a wealthy state.
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Funding System

• State System of Care Plan guides how public
  funding can and cannot be used
• Funding decisions are made collaboratively by the
  State, providers and consumer/family
  representatives on funding committees
• Sets up a system to prioritize the use of funding

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Policy Guides Practice

• Funding Priority Support needed for a high
  school graduate to maintain an employer-paid job
• People who receive new funding for work supports
  can get up to 40 hours/week vs people who receive
  community supports can only receive 25 hours/week

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History of Supported Employment in Vermont

• 1980 Systems Change Grant 1st Transition
  Program established
• 1982 Project Hire opened currently 14 SE
  programs for Developmental Disabilities
  statewide
• 1993 Brandon Training School closed
• 2002 Closed last sheltered workshop
• 2007 Eliminated funding for enclaves

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Form Partnerships

• Initial grant included higher education UVM
  Department of Education State DD Authority and
  State VR authority with eager participation
  from provider community
• Mechanisms and people have changed over the years
  but this same partnership still exists 25 years
  later
• National membership in APSE Ethical Guidelines
  for Professionals in Supported Employment

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Local Partnerships

• Primary Partners
• People with Developmental Disabilities and their
  Families
• Providers and State
• Shared Vision and Expectation Regarding True
  Inclusion
• Employers and Businesses

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Local Partnerships

• High Schools
• Vocational Assessments
• Transitional services
• Job Club
• Special Education Coordinators meetings
• Contractual Relationships with schools to provide
  vocational services
• Some schools have strong supported employment
  programs and VR counselors internally

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Partnerships

• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Grant funding
• Benefits Specialist
• Access to funds supporting work related needs

• University of Vermont / Center on Disability
  Community Inclusion
• Technical Assistance/Training
• Conferences, Mentoring Day
• Meet with Future Educators

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Use Federal Funding

• Push the envelope take a risk.
• Vermont created its own version of supported
  employment in the 1915 (c) waiver before it was
  officially allowed.
• Use language the federal government understands
  then put it into operation in the way that fits
  for your state.
• Create the opportunities no one else is going to
  do it for you.

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Invest in Providers

• Create financing models that are dependable
  stable.
• Move away from fee-for-service fund provider
  infrastructure and contract for outcomes both
  VR and DD state authorities.
• Balance with individualized funding.
• Publish results.

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Pay for What You Want

• Provide leadership to push practice take a
  position and move in that direction
• Doesnt all happen overnight
• Stop paying for the things that arent desirable
• Face controversy show a different way

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Pay for What you Want

• Convert your state funds into federal funds
  doesnt cost your state any more and enables an
  investment in employment Vermont 100
  federally funded

• Put the investments in new practices incentivize
  (e.g., COLAs to supported employment programs not
  sheltered workshops or enclaves)

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Pay for What You Want

• How much does your state spend on day supports?
• How much does your state spend on supported
  employment in employer-paid jobs?

Vermont spends 20,000,000 on community day
supports and only one-third of that on supported
employment.
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Vermont Data

• Hours worked per week range from 2 to 63
• Wages range from Vermont minimum wage at 7.25 to
  18.00/hour higher wages with self-employment
• Total wages earned in 2006 by 889 employees was
  3.9 million
• Total estimated SSI savings was 1,577,926

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Listen to Self-advocates

• Use the Brains that Preach for Change
• Sarah Hathaway, Self-advocate
• September 21, 2000

• All of Vermonts consumer surveys find people
  with developmental disabilities want to work
  and/or want to work more

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From Sheltered Workshop to Valued Employee

• You know what? I gotta a job!

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A Local Perspective -- Project Hire

• 1982 Program began with site-based place,
  train, retrain model
• 1989 Direct placement in competitive
  employment
• 1996 Home and Community-based Waiver increased
  flexibility

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Team Approach

• Holistic Approach
• Job assessment, development, placement, and
  initial training
• Balance Staff Skills
• Clinical and Business Background
• Cross Train Staff
• Job Coach
• Increase coverage options
• Strong Communication

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Myths

• Myth 1
• Accommodations will be difficult and costly
• Truth 1
• The average cost for workplace accommodations is
  2006 is 600 or less. The vast majority of
  workers with disabilities do not require
  accommodations.
• Jobs Accommodation Network 2006

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Myths

• Myth 2
• Employees with disabilities will sue
• Truth 2
• People with disabilities want jobs, not
  lawsuits, and they are no more of a legal
  liability than any other employee
• EEOC, 2006

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Myths

• Myth 3
• Employees with disabilities will use more sick
  leave and health care
• Truth 3
• Employees with disabilities have been shown to
  have the same absentee and sick rates as non
  disabled employees.

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Try Several Approaches

• Peer Advocate position paid position with DD
  provider focused on working with young adults
  about to graduate
• Goes into classroom answers questions
• Encourages people to overcome their fears
• Provides training
• Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG)
• Focus on self-employment micro businesses
• VR counselor training to better understand needs
  of people with DD

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Try Several Approaches

• Provide active supported employment training to
  all staff not just employment program staff
• Build at the state and local level -- Core
  transition teams between VR, DD, and schools
• Provide incentives to convert day services into
  employment
• Conversion initiative gives people with
  developmental disabilities additional 5,000 if
  they convert at least 50 of their community day
  supports to employment

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• My boss handed me the keys