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 18, 2009
Good morning everyone and Happy Holiday!
The One-Stop Toolkit will be taking time off for the Holidays but will rejoin you in the New Year to continue to put you in touch with resources of interest.
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.
From all of the NDI TA team to all of you, we wish you a beautiful holiday season filled with much happiness and good cheer!!!
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,
Workforce3 One Webinar Archive: Disability Program Navigator Training on Electronic-Tools (E-Tools)
[ http://www.workforce3one.org/view/5000930952518361686/info ]
This Webinar, which was hosted by the United States. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), was held on December 2nd and was designed to provide customized training to Disability Program Navigators on the various Electronic Tools supported by the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Workforce Investment, which is the entity that administers the DPN Initiative. The webinar included an overview of products and tools using the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) System and CareerOneStop.org. Information about the following products was highlighted: (1) Career Exploration Assessments; (2) Navigating the O*NET database; (3) Military Crosswalk; (4) Skills Search; (5) Re-Employment Portal; (6) Employer Locator; and (7) State Job Banks and Labor Market Information.
Do you know how many electronic tools are available to assist workforce professionals through the United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration? Well, there are quite a few resources that can make your work and the work of the One-Stop Career Center system a lot easier. This webinar has been created specifically to provide training to Disability Program Navigators on these electronic tools.
Staff from the Employment and Training Administration's Division of Workforce System Support and the Disability Program Navigator Initiative Office collaboratively developed training and instruction related to how the Employment and Training Administration's electronic tools can help Disability Program Navigators provide enhanced services to their customers. As a result of a focus group held earlier this year, this Webinar is presented to highlight specific tools that were identified as being particularly useful to DPNs. If you were not able to provide in the live version then access the archive to learn from ETA representatives who have experience in career assessments and the use of electronic career tools and resources to support customers of the One-Stop Career Center system.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN
) Provides Tax Incentive Updates
Here is a great resource to share with your One-Stop Career Center Business Services Representatives to share with employers and in their outreach materials. (JAN has put together general guidance about tax incentives related to accessibility and the employment of people with disabilities. It includes information on:
Check it out at: [ http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/tax.html ]
Tax Season
Are you helping the workforce system connect job seekers with disabilities to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites? If not, you should and can be…..Check out the 2008
to 2009 progress report from the National Disability Institute, Building a Better Economic Future: The Real Economic Impact Tour Annual Progress Report 2008 to 2009 at [ http://realeconomicimpact.org/ ] (Scroll down the page to link to the publication in PDF format).
The 2010 REI Tour will be in 100 cities. Access the URL to learn about last year’s tour, including highlights from REI Tour cities, and see how local workforce investment areas and Disability Program Navigators are helping to raise awareness and connect job seekers with disabilities to the EITC and VITA sites. And then see how you can get involved. The REI Tour is now represented in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. To click on an interactive map and learn about scheduled events in the REI Tour cities, access [ http://realeconomicimpact.org/map/index.htm ].
Also, get the word out that the Internal Revenue Service has made available accessible “Speech Friendly” or “Talking Tax Forms” [ http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=98135,00.html ]. These "talking tax forms" work with Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) compliant screen readers as well as Dragon Naturally Speaking Voice Recognition Software. The IRS is using the Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) as a means of distributing government forms as well as other documents. The IRS has made over 650 tax forms available in accessible PDF format. Access the URL to learn more about the accessible tax forms including software requirements and instructions on how to navigate the forms.
Happy Holidays!
Abt Associates to Lead Demonstration Project for Social Security Administration Demonstration Will Test Ways to Reduce Reliance on Social Security Disability Insurance
December 8, 2009
[ http://www.abtassociates.com/Page.cfm?PageID=40977 ]
[The following is excerpted from the news release.]
The Social Security Administration has awarded Abt Associates a contract to implement and evaluate the Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND). The demonstration, mandated by Congress in 1999, will determine whether retaining benefits at higher levels of earnings will increase employment and income for recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
For many years, there has been concern about the low rate at which SSDI beneficiaries return to work. Although SSA encourages employment for workers with disabilities who receive these benefits, program rules that reduce benefits to zero after earnings reach the threshold of Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) create a financial disincentive to employment. Congress mandated this study to test the effect of reducing the SSDI benefit by $1 for every $2 of countable earnings above the SGA threshold. In addition to offering this positive financial incentive, the demonstration will also test whether offering BOND participants enhanced counseling - to assist them in understanding the rules changes and taking advantage of them - will lead to higher earnings than only eliminating the “SGA cash cliff.”
The $121 million contract is for a period of nine years. Because of its complexity, it requires a diverse collection of skills and capabilities, including experience designing and executing large-scale random assignment impact studies, expertise in disability and employment policy, and ability to implement secure data systems and manage complex data collection. The project also involves designing a communications strategy, operating a call center, and providing training and technical assistance to local agencies.
After a pilot period to test important implementation procedures, the full demonstration is scheduled to be launched in April 2011 and will involve approximately 90,000 participants in ten large, randomly selected sites around the United States SSDI beneficiaries will be randomly assigned to treatment and control groups for the purpose of testing the incentives. The results will be followed over the course of the nine-year period.
Abt Associates, an employee-owned company, applies scientific research, technical assistance, survey, and consulting expertise to a wide range of social, economic and health policy issues; international development; clinical trials and registries; and complex business problems. Founded in 1965, the company provides services to United States. federal, state and local governments; universities and foundations; media; and major corporations. In fiscal year 2009, the company had revenue of $264 million. Its staff of over 1,500 is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; Bethesda, Maryland; Durham, North Carolina; Lexington, Massachusetts (Abt Bio-Pharma Solutions, Inc.); New York, New York (Abt SRBI); and in Africa, Asia, Central Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The Community Transportation Association of America Announces Vanpool Webinar Series
[http://www.jan.wvu.edu/webcast/index.htm ]
Join vanpool providers and experts in a webinar series beginning in January 2010 on developing and implementing sustainable vanpool initiatives. The webinars, funded by the Community Transportation Association's Joblinks Transportation Center, are free to all who are interested. Joblinks is supported by funding from the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration and the United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration
Rural Vanpooling: Highlights from Three Communities
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 2pm to 3:15pm EST
[ http://ctaa.acrobat.com/vanpool1/ ]
Conference Number: 1-866-244-8528
Participant Code: 436867
Note: Webinar is limited to 100
participants
Description: Rural communities are often challenged to provide workers with shared-ride commuting options and an increasing number of communities are looking to vanpools. Vanpooling offers a flexible and cost-effective solution for these smaller, more widely dispersed communities, and is an option that benefits commuters and businesses alike.
This webinar will benefit those who are considering implementing a vanpool program as a strategy for providing improved mobility for low-wage earners, workers with disabilities, and workers in general. Learn how vanpool operators in these very different rural communities created unique models that address their area’s specific needs, providing increased access to employment sites located within and outside their county of residence.
Presenters:
Moderator: Carolyn Jeskey, Director, Joblinks Transportation Center, Community Transportation Association of America, Washington, DC
The Commuter Tax Benefit: A Federal Incentive for Vanpool Riders and Their Employers
Date:Thursday, February 18, 2010, 2pm to 3:15pm EST.
Link: [ http://ctaa.acrobat.com/vanpool2/ ]
Conference Number: 1-866-244-8528
Participant Code: 436867
Note: Webinar is limited to 100 participants
Description: Employers around the country have created incentive programs to support employees who ride vanpools to work. From offering preferential parking to providing tax incentives to actively encouraging vanpool creation, there are many ways to encourage employees to vanpool instead of driving alone to work. The federal Commuter Tax Benefit (formally known as the Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefit or Section 132[f] benefit) enables employers to offer pre-tax deductions of up to $230 per month to pay for qualified vanpool costs. This webinar will explain how the Section 132(f) benefit works and how it can be administered. Speakers will offer examples of how to support vanpooling and will discuss how offering 132(f) benefits helped to build their programs.
Moderator: Carolyn Jeskey, Director, Joblinks Transportation Center, Community Transportation Association of America, Washington, DC
REGISTRATION
If you are interested in participating in one, some or all of these webinars, please access the URL below and follow the instructions available on the CTAA website: [ http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=1769&z=5 ]
Workforce3 One Webinar Archive: Disability Program Navigator Training on Electronic-Tools (E-Tools)
United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
[ http://www.workforce3one.org/view/5000930952518361686/info ]
This Webinar, which was held on December 2nd, was designed to provide customized training to Disability Program Navigators on the various Electronic Tools supported by the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Workforce Investment. The webinar included an overview of products and tools using the O*NET System and CareerOneStop.org. Information about the following products was highlighted: (1) Career Exploration Assessments; (2) Navigating the O*NET database; (3) Military Crosswalk; (4) Skills Search; (5) Re-Employment Portal; (6) Employer Locator; and (7) State Job Banks and Labor Market Information.
The What Can YOU Do? Poster Series
[ http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org/blog/index.php/what-can-you-do-posters/ ].
The What Can YOU Do poster series is presented by the Campaign for Disability Employment. It includes a series of posters that display positive messages about disability and employment. You can download one poster or all seven posters in PDF format. Each poster includes a message that speaks to a different audience, including employers/employees, youth, people with disabilities and the general public.
Job Accommodation Network Provides Tax Incentive Updates
[ http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/tax.html ]
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has put together general guidance about tax incentives related to accessibility and the employment of people with disabilities. It includes information on:
Accommodating Employees in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) Fields
Job Accommodation Network
[ http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/occind.htm ]
According to the United States. Department of Labor, STEM fields have become increasingly central to United States' economic competitiveness and growth. There has been great effort to prepare an adequate supply of qualified workers for these fields. For new workers with disabilities, and as our working population ages, it is imperative to consider providing job accommodations to enhance the productivity of these valuable workers. The Job Accommodation Network provides this publication as a way to share accommodation situations and solutions from STEM related jobs.
Access the URL and scroll down to link to “JAN's Accommodating Employees in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) Fields.”
With the New Year will come tax season. Through the addition of the Real Economic Impact section, we have been sharing information and resources about asset building strategies and how important they are to individuals with disabilities. Information and strategies shared during the month of December focused on initiatives and incentives that working individuals with disabilities may qualify for including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites.
We also shared information on the Real Economic Impact Tour, an initiative that is devoted to building a better economic future for millions of low-income individuals with disabilities and their families nationwide. The objectives of this tour include:
The 2010 REI Tour will be in 100 cities. Access the URL to learn about last year’s tour, including highlights from REI Tour cities, and see how local workforce investment areas and Disability Program Navigators are helping to raise awareness and connect job seekers with disabilities to the EITC and VIT sites. And then see how you can get involved. The REI Tour is now represented in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. To click on an interactive map and learn about scheduled events in the REI Tour cities, access [ http://realeconomicimpact.org/map/index.htm ].
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Alternative Media Center is working to make IRS tax forms and publications fully accessible and Section 508 compliant. These "talking tax forms" work with Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) compliant screen readers as well as Dragon Naturally Speaking Voice Recognition Software. The IRS is using the Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) as a means of distributing government forms as well as other documents. The IRS has made over 650 tax forms available in accessible PDF format.
Access the URL to learn more about the accessible tax forms including software requirements and instructions on how to navigate the formsAsset development is about encouraging people to save money and to make investments that increase in value over time. The assumption is that as individuals develop assets, they and their families will be able to move out of poverty and remain out of poverty. However, many people mistakenly think that work and asset accumulation will automatically make them ineligible for Social Security Disability benefits.
The United States. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration has updated its Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) website to include a new brochure and updated forms. The WOTC is a Federal tax credit incentive that Congress provides to private-sector businesses for hiring individuals from twelve target groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. The main objective of this program is to enable the targeted employees to gradually move from economic dependency into self-sufficiency as they earn a steady income and become contributing taxpayers, while the participating employers are compensated by being able to reduce their federal income tax liability. WOTC joins other workforce programs that help incentivize workplace diversity and facilitate access to good jobs for American workers.
The National Resource Directory is a comprehensive online tool of resources available to wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, and their families. A collaborative partnership among the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans' Affairs, the Directory provides access to more than 11,000 services to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. The information contained within the Directory is from federal, state and local governmental agencies; Veterans service and benefit organizations; non-profit and community-based organizations; academic institutions and professional associations.
The Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program was established to address the unique transportation challenges that welfare recipients and low-income individuals face in finding and keeping jobs. The New Freedom program was established to provide new public transportation services and new alternatives to public transportation for people with disabilities beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). This study analyzed the JARC and New Freedom funded services provided in FY 2007 and 2008 and provides information on the number of jobs that can be accessed and the number of rides provided by JARC services. The study also provides information on the number of rides provided by New Freedom funded services. The report also includes detailed profiles of services funded under both programs.
Access the URL to download the reports in PDF and MS Word formats.
The New Freedom formula grant program aims to provide additional tools to overcome existing barriers facing Americans with disabilities seeking integration into the work force and full participation in society. Lack of adequate transportation is a primary barrier to work for individuals with disabilities. The 2000 Census showed that only 60 percent of people between the ages of 16 and 64 with disabilities are employed. The New Freedom formula grant program seeks to reduce barriers to transportation services and expand the transportation mobility options available to people with disabilities beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
The Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program was established to address the unique transportation challenges faced by welfare recipients and low-income persons seeking to obtain and maintain employment. Many new entry-level jobs are located in suburban areas, and low-income individuals have difficulty accessing these jobs from their inner city, urban, or rural neighborhoods. In addition, many entry level-jobs require working late at night or on weekends when conventional transit services are either reduced or non-existent. Finally, many employment related-trips are complex and involve multiple destinations including reaching childcare facilities or other services.