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
December 04, 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 day and weekend!
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 Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has a great article in their quarterly JANE-News on how to Train Your Supervisors and Managers on What Constitutes a Request for a Reasonable Accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
[ http://www.jan.wvu.edu/ENews/2009/Enews-V7-I4.htm#1 ]
According to JAN experts, when employees need to make a change in how or when they do their work, who would they most likely approach? Many individuals tell us they would approach their supervisor or manager. For this reason, it is imperative that all supervisors and managers are trained on how to recognize a potential request for reasonable accommodation in relation to the ADA and know what to do with a potential request once it is received. This article shares offers guidance and shares some examples on requesting and proving reasonable accommodations and would be a great resource to share with the One-Stop Business Services Team to include in information packets for employers.
Tax season is almost upon is. During the month of December, theReal Economic Impact section will be sharing information on the upcoming tax season and how workforce professionals can become more involved to help jobseekers with low-incomes access favorable tax credits and connect to asset building strategies. In this week’s segment, we focus on the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is the largest federal support program for low-income individuals and families through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Don’t forget to checkout the table of contents to learn of additional information and resources that may help you in your work to build the capacity of the workforce system to provide more meaningful and effective employment opportunities to jobseekers with disabilities.
Happy Friday!
ACTION: Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge
U.S.
Department of Labor
[ http://www.dolchallenge.ideascale.com/ ]
Finding a job in today’s economy is hard work. Finding a job in today’s economy is hard work. The Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration wants to make sure One Stop Career Centers across the country place the best possible resources at job seekers’ fingertips. across the country place the best possible resources at job seekers’ fingertips.
In a fast-changing marketplace, it is difficult to keep up with state of the art on-line job search and career advancement tools. Therefore, we are challenging enterprising entrepreneurs and organizations to showcase their online solutions to decision-makers at the nation’s almost 3,000One Stop Career Centers that serve over20million job seekers annually.
The challenge will help the workforce investment system identify the most compelling on-line tools to set job seekers on the shortest path to success.
Access the URL to learn how you can participate in the Challenge.
U.S. Department of Labor announces nearly $55
million in green jobs training grants through Recovery Act
U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training (DOL/ETA) Administration News Release
November 18, 2009
[ http://www.doleta.gov/ETA_News_Releases/eta20091439.htm ]
[The following is excerpted from the DOL/ETA news release.]
On November 18th, U.S.Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced nearly $55million in green jobs grants, as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grants will support job training and labor market information programs to help workers, many in underserved communities, find jobs in expanding green industries and related occupations.
The two categories of grant awards are: State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants and Green Capacity Building Grants. Both will be administered by the U.S.Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration.
Green Capacity Building Grants, totaling $5.8 million, will increase the training capacity of 62 current Labor Department grant recipients through a variety of strategies, and will offer training opportunities to help individuals acquire jobs in expanding green industries. These grants will help serve underserved communities. Targeted communities include American Indians, women, at-risk youth and farm workers.
State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants, totaling $48.8 million, will support the collection and dissemination of labor market information, and will enhance the labor exchange infrastructure to provide career opportunities within clean energy industries. Grantees will be able to employ strategies that enable job seekers to connect with green job banks and help ensure that workers find employment after completing training. Thirty awards ranging from about $763,000to $4 million were made to state workforce agencies to utilize data for workforce development strategies. Multiple state workforce agencies partnering as a consortium will use this program to gather information that is likely to have a regional, multi-state or national impact.
The grants are part of a larger Recovery Act initiative - totaling $500 million - for green jobs training grants designed to promote economic growth. The Department of Labor expects to release funding for an additional three green grant award categories over the next several months.
Access the URLto see a chart of the awards. For a full listing and project description of each grant recipient, visit [ http://www.doleta.gov/pdf/GreenJobs.pdf. ]
December and January Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE): Helping Beneficiaries Make Informed Choices About Work
[ www.cessi.net/wise ]
If you are interested in learning about the Ticket to Work Program or other Work Incentives, you can attend a FREE Work Incentive Seminar Event (WISE). WISE are community events held by local organizations for beneficiaries to learn more about available work incentives through accessible, informal, learning opportunities.
Attend a WISE to connect with local training and employment resources, explore opportunities to increase your income, and network with other job seekers and employers. Local Work Incentive Planning and Assistance projects will be hosting 31 WISE events in 17 states in December and January. A list of the locations and dates of those upcoming events appears below.
For more information or to sign up for a WISE event in your area, visit [ www.cessi.net/wise ] or call 1-877-743-8237(voice or TTY) please press number 2.
December 2009 and January 2010 WISE schedule:
California:Ticket to Work is a voluntary employment program for people with disabilities administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The Ticket program offers people receiving Social Security disability benefits age 18through 64expanded opportunities to obtain the services and supports that they need to work and to achieve their employment goals. SSA does this by paying providers of services, referred to as “Employment Networks” or “ENs”, for assisting beneficiaries to reach designated Milestones and Outcomes associated with achieving self-supporting employment. An EN can be any agency or organization that provides or is equipped to provide employment- related services and supports to individuals who have disabilities.
For more information regarding the Ticket to Work program, please visit CESSI’s Frequently Asked Questions web page: [ http://www.cessi.net/ttw/faqs/index.asp ]
Train Your Supervisors and Managers on What Constitutes a Request for a Reasonable Accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) E-News
Volume 7, Issue 4, Fourth Quarter, 2009
[ http://www.jan.wvu.edu/ENews/2009/Enews-V7-I4.htm#1 ].
[The following is excerpted from the JAN E-News article.]
When employees need to make a change in how or when they do their work, who would they most likely approach? Many individuals tell us they would approach their supervisor or manager. For this reason, it is imperative that all supervisors and managers are trained on how to recognize a potential request for reasonable accommodation in relation to the ADA and know what to do with a potential request once it is received.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) tells us that a request for an accommodation in relation to the ADA does not have to be formal or in writing. In fact, the applicant or employee can use "plain English" and need not mention the ADA or even the phrase "reasonable accommodation." In its Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship under the Americans with Disabilities Act ([ http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/accommodation.html ], the EEOC provides the following examples that all supervisors and managers should be familiar with:
Example A: An employee tells her supervisor, "I'm having trouble getting to work at my scheduled starting time because of medical treatments I'm undergoing." This is a request for a reasonable accommodation.
Example B: An employee tells his supervisor, "I need six weeks off to get treatment for a back problem." This is a request for a reasonable accommodation.
Example C: A new employee, who uses a wheelchair, informs the employer that her wheelchair cannot fit under the desk in her office. This is a request for reasonable accommodation.
Example D: An employee tells his supervisor that he would like a new chair because his present one is uncomfortable. Although this is a request for a change at work, his statement is insufficient to put the employer on notice that he is requesting reasonable accommodation. He does not link his need for the new chair with a medical condition.
The bottom line for all to know is that when an individual applicant or employee requests a change in the workplace due to a medical condition, it may be a request for a reasonable accommodation. It is also important to know that the request does not have to come from the employee, but may come from a third party. The EEOC provides the following example in its publication called: Questions & Answers About Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act [ http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/intellectual_disabilities.html ]:
Example: The mother of a clerk with Down Syndrome calls the clerk's supervisor to tell him that she wants to schedule a meeting to discuss problems that her son is having with his job and some possible solutions. This is a request for a reasonable accommodation.
Put these examples on the agenda of your next meeting or memo to your supervisors and managers. Include information about your company's policy on the ADA and reasonable accommodation. Educate your supervisors and managers on what to do with a potential request should they receive one.
Supervisors and managers should be trained to respond to the request by informing the individual of the company policy and what is the next step in the process. Individuals should know that the supervisor or manager will document that a request has been made and who they must inform (if anyone) of the request. Let the individual know who in the company he/she can expect to hear from about the request. Give timelines whenever possible so the individual knows who will respond and approximately how long it may take. If there are forms the company has to aid in the interactive process, the individual should be provided the forms or information on how to obtain the forms as soon as possible.
Individuals need to be informed that any medical information received will be kept confidential. This should apply to even verbal requests where an individual may say something like he recently learned he has diabetes and as a result needs to talk about changing when he takes breaks to better care for his dietary needs. Supervisors and managers need to know this is sensitive and confidential information that is not to be shared with others, except to move the accommodation process forward.
Informed employees can better contribute to any process by knowing what is expected of them and what to expect from the employer. The same is true for the reasonable accommodation process. To read more about updating and creating a reasonable accommodation process, check out JAN's Employers' Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodation Under the ADA [ http://www.jan.wvu.edu/Erguide/index.htm ].
Creating Accessible iTunes U Content
[ http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/wgbh.org.2010579900 ]
The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH (NCAM) has written guidelines for content providers who would like to create accessible iTunes U media via captions, subtitles and audio descriptions. This guidelines document provides step-by-step documentation on creating fully accessible media, including:
Also included with the guidelines are links to eight video and audio clips that illustrate the various forms of accessible media discussed in the document. Using these guidelines, iTunes U content providers can create content that all people can learn from including people with vision and hearing loss.
Access the URL to view the Creating Accessible iTunes U Content guidelines document and related media and see Creating Accessible iTunes U Content on Apple's iTunes site.
About NCAM and WGBH
The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH is a research, development and advocacy entity that works to make existing and emerging technologies accessible to all audiences. NCAM is part of the Media Access Group at WGBH, which also includes The Caption Center (est. 1972
), and Descriptive Video Service® (est. 1990). For more information, visit [ http://access.wgbh.org ].
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS 's prime-time lineup, along with some of public television's best-known lifestyle shows and children's programs and many public radio favorites. For more information, visit[ http://www.wgbh.org ].
During the month of December, we will be sharing information on the upcoming tax season and how workforce professionals can become more involved to help jobseekers with low-incomes access favorable tax credits and connect to asset building strategies. In this week’s segment, we focus on the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is the largest federal support program for low-income individuals and families through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Disability Program Navigators (DPNs) throughout the country have developed and implemented successful strategies in the public workforce system to promote the employment and economic self-sufficiency of persons with disabilities. This Information Brief highlights how DPNs are improving access to financial education; home ownership ad entrepreneurial programs, and increased use of the Earned Income Tax Credit to expand economic opportunities of job seekers with disabilities. One very successful strategy has been facilitating the One-Stop Career Centers to become Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites.
Access the URL to read the full Brief to learn about more strategies, resources and examples of how the One-Stop Career Center system can help support jobseekers with low-incomes during tax season.
From the First Nations Development Institute, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this resource was developed to help tribal leaders build EITC campaigns in their communities. Authors provide an overview of the EITC, how the EITC can help support tribal communities and families, strategies that can be implemented to promote EITC uptake for this population, a timeline for EITC campaign implementation, and additional resources to support tribal leaders.
PEPNet, a national collaboration of four regional centers, is supported by cooperative agreements with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. It provides resources, information, in-service training, and expertise to enhance educational opportunities for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.
PEPNet's national outreach is coordinated through its four regional centers. At the local level, each state's contact person is the gateway to the shared knowledge and best practices of the four regions. PEPNet regional centers work collaboratively to provide a broad variety of best practices & resources where and when you need them to enhance educational opportunities. To access the PEPNet regional centers directory, visit: [ http://www.pepnet.org/staff.asp ].
PEPNet works with services providers in:
FindYouthInfo.gov is the U.S. government Web site that helps you create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. Included are youth facts, funding information, and tools to help you assess community assets, generate maps of local and federal resources, search for evidence-based youth programs, and keep up-to-date on the latest, youth-related news.
[The following is excerpted from the Preface Overview.]
This Guide, a companion to the suite of FirstStep Employment Law elaws Advisors [ http://www.dol.gov/elaws/firststep/ ], describes the major statutes and regulations administered by the U.S.Department of Labor (DOL) that affect businesses and workers. The Guide is designed mainly for those needing "hands-on" information to develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies for businesses.
For businesses and other employers that do not know which of DOL’s major laws apply to them, please start with the FirstStep Overview Advisor [ www.dol.gov/elaws/firststep ]. The Advisor asks the user a short series of questions to determine which of the major DOL-administered laws apply to their organization. The Advisor takes into account relevant variables - such as size of business and type of industry - that determine coverage for these laws.
For those employers that know which employment laws they apply to them, or have an interest in a particular law, please read the Overview to understand how the Guide is organized. Please note that each chapter (i.e., law) in the Guide corresponds to the laws covered in the FirstStep Advisor.
The Guide is offered as a public resource. It does not create new legal obligations and it is not a substitute for the U.S.Code, Federal Register, or Code of Federal Regulations as the official sources of applicable law. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is complete and accurate. For those who wish to be notified when updated versions of this Guide are posted at www.dol.gov/compliance, subscribe to the electronic mailing list at [ www.dol.gov/compliance/CA_subscribe.htm ].