N.D.I. Technical Assistance Team
N.D.I. Consulting, Inc.
http://www.dpnavigator.net
and
The Burton Blatt Institute
Syracuse University
http://bbi.syr.edu
One–Stop Toolkit Resources of the Week Technical Assistance Project E–Mail listserv
07 August 2009
Good morning everyone!
Below please find the website(s) and publication(s) of the week, as well as other resources that we hope will be useful as you work on systems change activities to help improve employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
To subscribe and / or view past resources of the week archives, access: www.onestoptoolkit.org and click on the link to "Resources of the Week" on the right hand side of the home page.
Have a great weekend!
***NEW CONTACT INFORMATION***
Laura Gleneck
Project Coordinator
NDI Technical Assistance Team
Phone: 781-899-0139
Fax: 781-642-0895
[ E–mail lgleneck@ndi-inc.org ]
[ http://www.dpnavigator.net ]
Good morning Navigators,
The following opportunity may be a way to highlight the work that you have helped to facilitate within your community between workforce and a chamber of commerce and/or business-civic group.
2009 Leadership in Learning Awards
The National Leadership in Learning Awards... http://www.uschamber.com/icw/tools/communityaward.htm)honor chambers of commerce and corporations that have made outstanding contributions to educating the American workforce through programs, partnerships, advocacy, or awareness in their community…Organizations of all sizes are eligible for the award, needing only to demonstrate the substantial impact their education and workforce initiatives have made at the local, state, or national level.
Applications for each award will be accepted until Friday, August 21, 2009 at 5 p.m. ET and the awards will be presented at the Annual ICW Education and Workforce Summit, November 9-10, 2009 in Washington, DC.
These awards consist of two separate distinctions for excellence in establishing public-private partnerships:
Applicants self-nominate for the award by presenting a compelling, detailed narrative that clearly outlines both the structure and goals of the program, as well as the results to date resulting from the initiative.
The ICW Leadership In Learning Awards are granted to organizations that have established an education and/or workforce initiative that has existed for at least 12 months (on August 21, 2009) and has a demonstrated record of successful impact. Examples of initiatives can consist of (but aren't limited to):
Reemployment and employment resources and tools... check out the resources and tools under both Resources of Interest and Websites of the Week to learn about information that you can share with One Stop staff and community partners. Your One Stop may be able to benefit from the CareerOneStop Web Services http://www.uschamber.com/icw/tools/communityaward.htm or contact Greg Roth at 202-463-5703 or E–mail groth@uschamber.com..
For more information and to apply for the Leadership in Learning Awards, please visit the ICW website www.CareerOneStop.org/WebServices which allow you to obtain a wide variety of career, employment and education data directly from CareerOneStop and deliver it in your own style to your own Web customers.
Happy Friday!
[ The following is excerpted from the HHS News Release.]
The new feature on Grants.gov to help users find and apply for The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant opportunities. Grants.gov contains information about finding and applying for all federal grant programs. The launch of this Recovery Act feature on the homepage of Grants.gov will direct users to Recovery Act opportunities, other Recovery Act resources, upcoming Webinars and links to www.whitehouse.gov/recovery and www.recovery.gov.
HHS is the managing partner of the cross-agency Web site, which now has information about more than 1,000 available grant programs involving all 26 federal grant-making agencies. These agencies together award more than $500 billion in grant funds annually.
1. ACTION: Reemployment Best Practices
[The following is excerpted from the Newsletter]
We have reached the mid-point of summer and while the economy is showing some signs of recovery, the unemployment rate in most states continues to be high and the need for the services of the publicly-funded workforce system is greater than ever. Hats off to the thousands of dedicated professionals in the system’s unemployment insurance program who have assisted individuals in obtaining benefits as they search for work or attend training.
The use of technology has transformed the unemployment insurance system and made it more accessible to many individuals; however, the importance of staff to assist individuals in need of additional services and finding employment is critical. The connection between the unemployment insurance program and the reemployment and job training part of the system is more important than ever.
If you have a reemployment best practice, resource or tool that could be replicated across the country, please submit it to Workforce3 One. To do this, just e-mail us at: E–mail Submissions@workforce3one.org .
2. Recovery & ReEMPLOYMENT: Regional Forums for Economic Change
Regional Forums Final Report
www.doleta.gov/Regional_Forums_Final_Report_062609.pdf
To reinforce the importance of reemployment services, the Employment and Training Administration just wrapped up a series of Regional Recovery and Reemployment Forums that were geared at providing timely and regionally-customized technical assistance to the system. The Forums were a follow-up to the ReemploymentWorks! Summit held January 27-29, 2009 in Baltimore. All of the Regional Forums focused on immediate and effective implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and enhancing the effectiveness of system-wide Reemployment efforts. Green jobs and summer youth programs also received significant attention at all Forums.
The Regional Forum Final Report was developed to provide an overview for ETA leadership and to provide ETA regional and national office staff with “actionable” data and information that can be used to continue supporting the State and local area staff who are on the front lines of ETA’s recovery and reemployment efforts. The Final Report begins with overview information and a summary of Forum outcomes. The bulk of the report consists of topically‐organized summaries of Policy Recommendations Directed to DOL, Questions and Technical Assistance Needs Raised, Highlighted State and Local Solutions, and Action Steps Committed to at Forums. The Report’s final section, “Looking Forward,” concludes with a set of recommended next steps for ETA’s technical assistance efforts.
3. Reemployment Community of Practice
http://reemploymentworks.workforce3one.org/page/home
The Reemployment Community of Practice (CoP) has taken off and practitioners are finding useful articles and discussions on the CoP. You can access PowerPoint presentation at http://reemploymentworks.workforce3one.org/view/2000913244892357965/info on the Reemployment Works! Community of Practice that provides a tour of the CoP and provides a guide on how to use the site. Be sure to view both the slides and the associated notes by clicking on "View" and then "Notes Page".
DATES: Submissions are due Friday, August 21, 2009
The Leadership in Learning Awards consist of two separate distinctions for excellence in establishing public-private partnerships:
Web services are a way to exchange data and information seamlessly between Web sites. CareerOneStop Web services allow you to obtain a wide variety of career, employment and education data directly from CareerOneStop and deliver it in your own style to your own Web customers.
Web services are a secure, standardized exchange between different software applications. Data is requested and delivered via the Internet using standardized protocols. Web service customers then have complete control over what and how information is displayed to their own customers.
Available Web Services include:
Reasons to use Web Services:
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, the Institute for Community Inclusion explores the degree to which SSI recipients with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) work and participate in these incentive programs.
The updated version of the website offers new content areas focusing on what all youth need with an emphasis on youth with disabilities and other vulnerable populations:
Additionally, the website features a fresher look and a user-friendly interface including:
The updated version of the site provides numerous publications free of charge, background papers, InfoBriefs on a variety of topics, and much more.
NCWD/Youth assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve all youth, including youth with disabilities and other vulnerable youth. The NCWD/Youth, created in 2001, is composed of partners with expertise in education, youth development, disability, employment, workforce development, and family issues. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the NCWD/Youth is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. NCWD/Youth offers a range of technical assistance services to state and local workforce investment boards, youth councils, and other workforce development system youth programs.
In order to accomplish the mission set out in the Recovery Act, and provide information for the public to monitor the progress of the stimulus package, Recovery.gov features:
Recovery Act Opportunities
http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/recovery-act-opportunities
Did you know that you can search online now for federal Recovery-related jobs, career planning and many kinds of financial opportunities offered by the U.S. government?
Employers’ negative attitudes and fears have long been a barrier to the employment of individuals with disabilities. Accordingly, attitude literature on the employment of people with disabilities has focused almost exclusively on employers. However, due to their influence over business practices, the successful employment of people with disabilities is also contingent on the views of the consumer. This study extends previous studies that focused on the attitudes of employers, and went directly to the consumer. Consumer attitudes toward companies that hire individuals with disabilities were assessed through a national public survey.
Most of the participants (75%) had direct experience with people with disabilities in a work environment. Moreover, these experiences were positive. All participants responded positively towards companies that are socially responsible, including 92% of consumers who felt more favorable toward those that hire individuals with disabilities. The participants also had strong positive beliefs about the value and benefits of hiring people with disabilities, with 87% specifically agreeing that they would prefer to give their business to companies that hire individuals with disabilities. Implications of consumer support on company hiring practices are discussed.
[The following is excerpted from the executive summary.]
Since the publication of Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General in 1999, an increasing body of evidence from the research base, public policy analysis, consumer advocacy, and health care practice has underscored the critical importance of mental health to the overall health of women—and to our Nation as a whole. Many advances have been made in our understanding of mental illnesses, effective treatments, and promising approaches for promoting mental health, resilience, and fulfilling lives for those living with mental illnesses. A key component of this progress has been the increased understanding of the critical role of gender in the risks, course, and treatment of mental illnesses. New research findings also have pointed to the effectiveness of a growing array of treatment options for mental illnesses and of a new model of treatment that is recovery-oriented, strengths-based, and includes the active participation of individuals in their treatment. The recent advances in the science and practice of women’s mental health provide an unprecedented opportunity to address the burden of mental illnesses on women’s lives and increase the capacity for recovery…
The Action Steps for Improving Women’s Mental Health represent a collaborative effort of women’s health experts across multiple agencies and offices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) including the HHS Office on Women’s Health, Office of the Surgeon General, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Minority Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Indian Health Service, and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Evaluation. Its purpose is to spur positive changes. The hope is that policy planners, healthcare providers, researchers, and others will take up its suggested actions and help translate them into reality. In this way, we can promote improved mental health and a healthier future for the women and girls of America.