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
January 22, 2010
Good morning everyone and Happy New Year!
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.
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,
Check out the cool Americans with Disabilities Act “Quick Tips” from the DBTAC Network of ADA Centers [ http://www.adainfo.org/ ]. There are three quick tips for you to download and share with your One-Stop staff and partners. Access the URL to find links - near the bottom middle of the page - to the following three “quick tips” available in both .PDF and Text formats.
The National Disability Institute is unveiling its new website - Real Economic Impact - and it is rich with resources and information [ http://www.realeconomicimpact.org/ ]. NDI is changing thinking and behavior through our Real Economic Impact Tour [ http://www.realeconomicimpact.org/REI-Tour.aspx ] and many other Economic Empowerment Projects. Economic empowerment is the capacity to preserve and grow resources that expand quality of life choices. NDI, in partnership with government, financial institutions, and community organizations is testing a variety of strategies to strengthen the ability of individuals with disabilities to develop and control income and assets. Assets include savings, investments, home and business ownership, and human capital gained from continuing education.
NDI has excelled at building partnerships between the asset development and disability communities. The NDI portfolio of Economic Empowerment Projects can be divided into four major areas:
This is great information for you to know, use and share……Are you signed up for the two part DPN webinar series on Asset Development yet? Are you ready to learn about the new asset development 30 second trainings….well access DPNavigator’s What’s New page and sign up: [ http://dpnavigator.net/pages/whatsnew.html ].
Happy Friday!
Communities of Practice: Green Jobs—Building Pathways for a Green Workforce
Workfoce3 One
United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
[ http://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/ ]
The Green Jobs Community of Practice (CoP) serves as a platform for workforce professionals and green job thought leaders to discuss and share promising practices to create partnerships for Green Job Workforce Solutions and leverage Recovery Act investments. The Green Jobs CoP will provide an interactive platform for providing technical assistance through webinars, discussion boards, blogs and other online resources to workforce professionals, particularly those at the State and Workforce Investment Board levels as well as green jobs grantees (including recipients of upcoming SGAs). It is a community for all federal agency workforce professionals who focus on green jobs and the workforce’s role in building a green economy.
Webinar: Demystifying Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the Workplace
One More Way Collaborates with The United StatesDepartment of Labor
Thursday, January 28, 2010 1pm - 2pm EST
[ https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/885234354 ]
Janet Fiore, CEO of The Sierra Group and founder of the One More Way collaborative will interview special guest experts who will share ways for employers and rehabilitation professionals to assist veterans with traumatic brain injury or post traumatic stress disorder:
Guest expert, Lisa Stern, Consultant to The Department of Labor, America's Heroes at Work Initiative and Meg Krause, American's Heroes at Work Initiative will share information on how to best:
1. Separate FACT from FICTION regarding TBI and PTSD.
2. Dispel some of the frequent myths regarding TBI and/or PTSD in the workplace.
3. Present insightful information on "triggers".
4. Offer strategies for creating a welcoming and productive environment for veterans entering (or re-entering) the civilian workforce..
For More Information and Registration
A nominal fee of $29.95 will earn you 1 CEU Credit (HRCI or CRCC) and, your fee will also serve as "ONE MORE WAY" to drive up employment for Americans with Disabilities, including Veterans.
To request reasonable accommodation to attend this remote learning event, please contact us no later than by January 21st, phone (888) 492-2402 janet.fiore@onemoreway.org
Learning Disabilities Association 47th Annual Conference
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
Baltimore, MD
February 17 through 20, 2010
[ http://www.ldaamerica.org/conference/index.asp ].
The conference, which represents the largest meeting on learning disabilities in the world, will include the latest research and dialogue on learning disabilities, including specific workshops on Medical, Mental Health, Teacher Preparation, Public Policy, Adults, Assessment, Research, etc.
Who Should Attend this Conference: Adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parents of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Teachers of special education and general education, Principals, Administrators, Counselors, Social Workers, Researchers, Medical and Mental Health Professionals, Education Policy Advocates and College Student Support Personnel.
Forum 2010: Preparing a Competitive Workforce -- Reflection, Reinvestment, Recovery
National Association of Workforce Boards
Renaissance Hotel
Washington, DC
March 6 through 9, 2010
[ http://www.nawb.org/forum/ ].
It is a vital time for the workforce industry with the influx of stimulus funding and an administration focused on recovering a struggling economy. With record unemployment across the country there has been no more important time for workforce organizations to raise the bar on service delivery and innovation.
Forum 2010
will bring leaders from workforce organizations, economic development, education, business, and others together to meet these challenges head on and to work together to prepare a competitive United Statesworkforce.
Americans with Disabilities Act Quick Tips
Publications of the DBTAC: Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
[ http://www.adainfo.org/ ].
Access the URL to find links - near the bottom middle of the page - to the following three “quick tips” available in both PDF and Text formats.
Five years ago, a small group of parents, family members and individuals with disabilities joined together with leading thinkers and practitioners in the disability and asset building community to launch the National Disability Institute (NDI). Unified by common values and a vision to build together a better economic future for individuals with disabilities and their families, NDI was incorporated and approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
Our strength is our expertise and proven experience in creative problem-solving and a focus on solutions that produce tangible impact for individuals, families, communities, states, and government. Through the power of collaboration with federal agencies, major corporations, financial institutions and nonprofit organizations, NDI has brought new attention to the possibilities of economic empowerment that has changed thinking and behavior at an individual and systems level. We are changing thinking and behavior through our Real Economic Impact Tour and many other Economic Empowerment Projects.
Economic Empowerment Projects
Economic empowerment is the capacity to preserve and grow resources that expand quality of life choices. NDI, in partnership with government, financial institutions, and community organizations is testing a variety of strategies to strengthen the ability of individuals with disabilities to develop and control income and assets. Assets include savings, investments, home and business ownership, and human capital gained from continuing education.
NDI has excelled at building partnerships between the asset development and disability communities. The NDI portfolio of Economic Empowerment Projects can be divided into four major areas:
The Assets for Independence (AFI) Family Support 360 Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) Initiative aims to increase the availability of AFI IDAs and other effective asset building services to people with disabilities and their families. This initiative provides high quality training, technical assistance, and information on this important topic to AFI grantees. The first step in supporting AFI grantees to expand asset development opportunities for participants with disabilities is to identify commonly held misconceptions about this population and to provide accurate information about how individuals with disabilities can benefit from inclusion in asset-building programs.
Access the URL to read the six common misconceptions about serving persons with disabilities in IDA programs.
Access the URL to find answers to questions on various labor topics by selecting a category. Current topics of interest include:
People with Disabilities Frequently Asked Questions
Current subtopics in this area include:
[The following is excerpted from a National Council on Disability News Release, January 20, 2010.]
Americans with disabilities depend on the disability workforce infrastructure, which consists of health, education, and social services programs. The need for these services is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades as a result of several factors. First, the elderly population of the United States is large and growing rapidly. Since disability rates increase with age, population aging will bring substantial increases in the number of people with disabilities and will have a significant impact on the nation's human service and support needs. Second, improvements in child survival rates mean that more children are born today with birth defects and developmental disabilities than ever before, and many of them will require access to a host of human services and supports throughout their lives. At the same time, large numbers of baby boomers are reaching retirement age, which means that many fewer human service workers will be available. These trends threaten both the availability and quality of future services for people with disabilities.
NCD’s research for this report has been aimed at better positioning the human resources sector for the future; for example, by providing data and information that organizations can use to understand the supply-demand gaps in the disability-related workforce and to make plans to fill those gaps. The research has also aimed at building industry capability to influence the nature and content of training, as well as capability to manage a sustainable, skilled disability workforce in the future. Finally, in an effort to reflect a holistic view of a community’s workforce expectations, the research has been aimed across all relevant segments of the disability workforce, not just at a select handful of human service occupations.
According to NCD Chairperson Linda Wetters, “Numerous forecasts based on diverse trends all point to a shortage of qualified workers to meet the needs of the disability population. People with disabilities occupy a strategic place in America’s ability to compete. Either their talents and ambitions will be developed into a resource for our society, or they will remain on the margins, battling for shrinking resources.”
This report presents recommendations that call for partnerships among federal departments and agencies, their State counterparts, and the private sector, including organizations involved with education/training, health care, and employment services. NCD calls for policymakers at all levels of government to proactively address these shortages and examine how labor market changes are driving both current and future supply.
The State of Housing in America in the 21st Century: A Disability Perspective
National Council on Disability
January 19, 2010
[ http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/index.htm ] (Access the URL and under the date “January 19, 2010,” you will find a link to the MS
Word and PDF versions of this report)
This report looks at the state of housing for people with disabilities with the intent to provide recommendations that can improve housing opportunities. The research contained in this report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of housing in the twenty-first century and answers important questions about the current housing needs and options for people with disabilities living in the United States.
NCD undertook this study with three objectives in mind: 1) to evaluate public laws, policies, and program initiatives affecting the housing opportunities available to Americans with disabilities and others who have accessible housing needs for whatever reason, whether due to aging or a temporary disability; 2) to analyze what housing, supports, and other benefits are available through the public, nonprofit, and/or private sectors; and 3) to provide recommendations that can improve housing opportunities for people with disabilities in the United States.
The findings and recommendations contained in this document are grounded in data and research gathered from federal agencies, either directly or via published reports, and from research completed by academics and disability advocates. This report also provides evidence of what can be effective in meeting the range of housing needs among a diverse group of consumers with disabilities. This includes best and promising practices drawn from real examples, and lessons learned from experts working on housing issues and policy. In reviewing best and promising practices, data was triangulated from different sources - interviews, published reports, and Internet research - to assure a comprehensive assessment. To this end, the research has been reviewed and commented on by a diverse panel of experts and consumer groups that have all provided valuable insights and guidance.