Live Work Achieve: 2013

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MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

Monday, November 4, 2013

[Mspe] MSPE Live.WORK.Achieve Listserv - November 2013

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

November 2013

Inside this edition:

1) MSPE Facebook Page

2) “High Expectations – Transforming the American Workforce as the ADA Generation Comes of Age”

3) Resource Highlight: Employment After Spinal Cord Injury - How Do You Get There?

4) Effective Employment Candidate Selection

5) New PSA from the AAPD Challenges Traditional Views of Disability

6) Quandary of Hidden Disabilities: Conceal or Reveal?

7) “Hiring Americans with Disabilities” Video on CNBC

8) Disability Equality Index Launched

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1) MSPE Facebook Page

The Mississippi Partnerships for Employment (MSPE) project now has a Facebook page. MSPE is the employment systems change initiative of the Mississippi Developmental Disabilities Network. MSPE has a vision that all young people, including those with developmental and intellectual disabilities have an opportunity for competitive, meaningful employment and productive lives as Mississippi citizens. MSPE has made Employment First a priority in the state. Employment First is a philosophy requiring that competitive employment in integrated settings be the first option considered in providing services to working age individuals with disabilities. It’s time for Employment First in Mississippi. Please view and like the MSPE Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mspeidd.

2) “High Expectations – Transforming the American Workforce as the ADA Generation Comes of Age”

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a report, “High Expectations: Transforming the American Workforce as the ADA Generation Comes of Age.” The report offers steps to improve the employment of the "ADA Generation" - young men and women who have come of age since the ADA was enacted in 1990, and who are now seeking competitive employment. For a copy of this report, visit http://www.harkin.senate.gov/documents/pdf/52446704c3501.pdf.

3) Resource Highlight: “Employment After Spinal Cord Injury - How Do You Get There?”

The Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System Center (NWRSCIS) offers “Employment After Spinal Cord Injury: How Do You Get There?,” the latest in the SCI Forum video series. Several individuals with SCI share their experiences of finding employment after their injuries and how they navigated hurdles of accessibility, health issues, insurance considerations, and other financial and practical concerns. Plus, a vocational counselor provides information to help employees with SCI meet their goals. NWRSCIS is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). For more information or to watch the video, visit http://sci.washington.edu/info/forums/reports/employment.asp.

4) Effective Employment Candidate Selection

When selecting candidates for employment, employers should ensure that supervisors understand and receive training on selection tools and how those processes could present issues and challenges to individuals with disabilities. The Employer Assistance and Resource Network’s (EARN) latest resources on candidate selection can help employers effectively choose candidates and enhance the diversity of their workforce. For more information, visit EARN’s resource page at http://askearn.org/refdesk/Recruitment/Candidate_Selection.

5) New PSA from the AAPD Challenges Traditional Views of Disability

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) has issued a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) entitled Redefine Disability that is currently airing nationwide on cable networks carried by Comcast’s Xfinity TV service. Featuring four young adults with various disabilities, the PSA challenges Americans to appreciate the positive aspects of disability. In addition, the PSA encourages viewers to join with AAPD in breaking down the outdated stereotypes confronting many people with disabilities. Through the personal testimony of these four young adults, the PSA offers insight into the reality that most people with disabilities embrace disability as a positive part of their identity, rather than something that needs to be overcome, cured, or fixed. To view the PSA, visit http://www.aapd.com/redefinedisability.html.

6) “Quandary of Hidden Disabilities: Conceal or Reveal?”

This article from the New York Times provides an interesting look at the issue of an individual’s decision to conceal or reveal their hidden disability as it pertains to employment. The author, Katherine Bouton, provides information and personal stories on why people with disabilities might or might not reveal their disability when applying for a job. To read the article, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/business/quandary-of-hidden-disabilities-conceal-or-reveal.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimesbusiness&pagewanted=all&_r=2&.

7) “Hiring Americans with Disabilities” Video on CNBC

Walgreens employees more than 1,000 people with disabilities at its distribution centers. This video interview of the CEOs of Walgreens Company and the Kessler Foundation highlights Walgreens’ commitment to hiring people with disabilities and the benefits to the company. To view the video interview, go to http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000193204&play=1.

8) Disability Equality Index Launched

The Disability Equality Index (DEI), recently launched in a pilot phase by the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), is a national, transparent benchmarking tool that will offer major employers the opportunity to receive an objective score on their disability inclusion policies and practices and identify avenues for improvement. The index is also intended to help companies build their reputations as employers of choice. To read more about the DEI, visit http://www.usbln.org/programs-dei.html.

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MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

[Mspe] MSPE Live.WORK.Achieve Listserv - October 2013

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

October 2013

Inside this edition:

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year’s theme is “Because We Are Equal to the Task.” The purpose of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. NDEAM’s roots go back to the 1940s when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year focused on the employment of people with physical disabilities. In the early 1960s, the focus was expanded to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. Finally, in 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month with the current name of “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.”

Mississippi Partnerships for Employment (MSPE) is proud to announce its participation in NDEAM. Throughout the month, MSPE members will be engaging in a variety of activities to educate and encourage others to participate in active recruitment of persons with disabilities, as well as consider how they might provide internships for others to gain necessary work experience for future job opportunities.

For a listing of MSPE activities and what you can do to promote NDAM, visit the MSPE website at www.mspeidd.org.

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MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

Thursday, September 5, 2013

[Mspe] MSPE Live.WORK.Achieve Listserv - September 2013

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

September 2013

Inside this edition:

1) 2013 National Disability Employment Awareness Poster Now Available

2) The Conversation for Change – September 9-11

3) A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities

4) Online Training Modules for Computer and Electronic Accommodations

5) Free Webinar on Discovery Process in Transition Planning for Young Adults – September 25

6) Maine Becomes “Employment First” State

7) Archived Webinar Available on Using Discovery to Identify Employment Goals

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1) 2013 National Disability Employment Awareness Poster Now Available

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a campaign held annually to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of American’s workers with disabilities. The 2013 NDEAM poster consists of four circles, each depicting a successfully employed worker with a disability. Poster background colors range from bright green at the bottom to light blue at the top. Centered at the top is the Department of Labor’s logo with the Office of Disability Employment Policy, United States Department of Labor next to it. Below this header are the words of the theme: Because We Are EQUAL to the Task. The words at the bottom include National Disability Employment Awareness Month, What Can YOU Do? and ODEP's website. The poster is available for download in English and Spanish or you can order free copies by visiting http://www.dol.gov/odep/.

2) The Conversation for Change – September 9-11

Employers, human resource and diversity professionals and others with expertise and insight into disability employment issues are invited to participate in an online employer Dialogue sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability (ODEP). The dialogue will be centered around the question, “What services do you need to facilitate the hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities?” The sharing of ideas and comments or voting on others’ ideas and comments starts Sept. 9, and will be accepted 24 hours a day through Sept. 11, using an online crowdsourcing tool. To register, visit http://employerdialogue-epolicyworks.ideascale.com/.

3) A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities

As chair of the National Governors Association from 2012-2013, Governor Jack Markell of Delaware focused his year-long initiative on improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The initiative, A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities, concentrates on the employment challenges that affect people with disabilities and defines the role government and business can play in advancing opportunities for gainful employment. To read more about the initiative, including a brochure and blueprint for governors, visit http://ci.nga.org/cms/home/1213/index.

4) Online Training Modules for Computer and Electronic Accommodations

The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, offers several online training modules to help employers understand how simple hiring employees with disabilities can be and how to provide reasonable accommodations after they are hired. Current sessions focus on increasing federal employment of people with disabilities, providing reasonable accommodation solutions, and providing solutions with a focus on dexterity disabilities. The modules are offered free of charge and may be viewed at any time. For more information, visit http://cap.mil/NewsEvents/Training.aspx.

5) Free Webinar on Discovery Process in Transition Planning for Young Adults – September 25

Transition planning from school to postsecondary education, employment, and community life is critical for all high school students. The focus of the webinar, Customized Employment: The Role of the Discovery Process in Transition Planning for Young Adults with Disabilities, Including Deaf-Blindness, will highlight strategies to improve post school outcomes for young adults with disabilities. Presenter, Mike Fagbemi, will provide an overview of customized employment, an innovative planning approach that emphasizes the student’s personal interests, strengths and complexities for decision making that will guide the transition process. The webinar will be held at 2 p.m. Central Standard Time on September 25. No registration is required. Before the meeting, take time to run an Adobe Connect test at http://hknc.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm. On the day of the meeting connect to http://hknc.adobeconnect.com/nfadb-1. Type your name, enter as guest. When you enter the Adobe room, you will be prompted for a call back number. Enter your phone number and Adobe will call you. If you are at a phone with an extension, dial 1-866-244-8528. The Participant Code is 219009.

6) Maine Becomes “Employment First” State

A law passed by the Maine legislature in June has made Maine the second Employment First state to have both policy and law aspects of the movement and the only state to have policies and laws that address the needs of all individuals with disabilities. Employment First is a philosophy/policy which requires all entities that provide services to individuals with disabilities of working age to ensure that competitive employment in integrated settings is always the first priority option considered in providing services. Advocates founded Employment First Maine in August 2011 and continued to actively pursue Employment First activities through passage of the Employment First Maine Act. Read more about the Employment First movement in Maine in the September issue of APSE Connections, the newsletter of the Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE): http://cdn.impact-publications.com/downloads/apseconxnseptember13.pdf.

7) Archived Webinar Available on Using Discovery to Identify Employment Goals

A recorded archive of the LEAD Center webinar "Promoting Employment – Discovering Your Potential: Using Discovery to Identify Your Employment Goals" is now available. The webinar, held on July 31, 2013, provides information on how to use discovery, an alternative assessment tool proven to identify the strengths of job seekers with and without disabilities, to discover personal employment goals. The webinar and presentation materials are available at the LEAD website: https://www.leadcenter.org/webinars/promoting-employment-discovering-your-potential-using-discovery-identify-your-employment-goals.

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MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

[Mspe] MSPE Live.WORK.Achieve Listserv - August 2013

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

August 2013

Inside this edition:

1) Statewide Community Forums – Aug. 20, Brandon; Aug. 22, Gulfport; Aug. 28, Oxford

2) Training Module on Assistive Technology in the Workplace

3) New Gadgets, Technologies Help People with Disabilities Find Work

4) South Dakota Governor Creates Disability Task Force

1) Statewide Community Forums – Aug. 20, Brandon; Aug. 22, Gulfport; Aug. 28, Oxford

The Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability Rights Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi’s Institute for Disability Studies, Mississippi’s Developmental Disabilities Network partners, will again host statewide community forums in August as an opportunity for public input. Each meeting will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. The free town hall type meetings will be held on the following dates in Brandon, Gulfport and Oxford at these locations:

· Aug. 20 – Brandon, Region 8 Mental Health Mental Health Center, 613 Marquette Road

· Aug. 22 – Gulfport, Knight Non-Profit Center Banquet Room, 11975 Seaway Road

· Aug. 28 – Oxford, Oxford Conference Center Auditorium, 192 Ed Perry Boulevard

Attendees are welcome to discuss any of their concerns: employment, housing, transportation, health care, community services. For more information about the forums, call Shirley Walker at Disability Rights Mississippi at 601.968.0600.

2) Free Training Module on Assistive Technology in the Workplace

Assistive technology enables individuals with disabilities to access devices, equipment, and services so they can perform job tasks and maintain employment. Employers and employees with disabilities can greatly benefit from exploring the use of assistive technology as an accommodation in the workplace. This free 21-minute introductory training module and accompanying transcript from the Job Accommodation Network covers the basics of assistive technology, alternative input, products, and resources available for use in the workplace. This module can be used to train new accommodation specialists, disability managers, and others responsible for making accommodation decisions. For more information or to view the module, visit the JAN multimedia training microsite http://askjan.org/training/library.htm.

3) New Gadgets, Technologies Help People with Disabilities Find Work

An increasing number of people with disabilities are able to find and keep jobs as well as engage more broadly in their communities because of new technologies specifically aimed at helping them better communicate or complete tasks. “In the professional careers, technology has helped increase the employment rate immensely. It’s actually allowed us to participate in office careers more than ever before,” said Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor, Disability Employment Policy. Ms. Martinez has been blind since birth. For more information, read this article from the Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, Ohio: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/07/01/new-gadgets-help-disabled-find-work.html.

4) South Dakota Governor Creates Disability Task Force

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has announced the formation of a task force to study the employment of South Dakotans with disabilities as part of his Employment Works! initiative. Led by the state’s Department of Human Services, the task force will bring the private and public sectors together to ensure people with disabilities are a vital part of South Dakota’s workforce, and will offer a broad spectrum of perspectives that will include the voices of people with disabilities and their family members, the business community, representatives of state government, service providers and nonprofit stakeholders. For more information, read this article from the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan http://www.yankton.net/life/article_e8d00ba4-eb2b-11e2-96a1-001a4bcf887a.html.

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MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

[Mspe] IDS Web Site Survey

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

July 23, 2013

Please assist the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) in providing valuable information for individuals with disabilities, their families and service providers by taking a short survey of the IDS web site before Friday, July 26: the 2-second survey found on the front page of the IDS web site.

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[Mspe] MSPE Live.WORK.Achieve Listserv - Employment First Awareness Session - TODAY - July 23, Starkville

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

MSPE Employment First Awareness Session - TODAY – July 23, Starkville

Employment First is a philosophy that having employment in the community should be the expected goal for working-age adults with developmental disabilities. This goal should be the first priority of agencies providing employment services for adults with developmental disabilities. The Mississippi Partnerships for Employment (MSPE) for Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities project is holding awareness sessions across the state during July to review MSPE activities and provide information about Employment First.

An awareness session will be held July 23, in Starkville at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership offices at 203 East Main Street from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

For more information about the Starkville awareness session and Employment First, email Dr. Jerry R. Alliston at jerry.alliston@usm.edu.

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MSPE Live.WORK.Acheive mailing list

Thursday, July 11, 2013

[Mspe] MSPE Live.WORK.Achieve Listserv - Employment First Awareness Session, July 16, Long Beach

Live.WORK.Achieve

A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment

for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Including Intellectual Disabilities Project

July 11, 2013

MSPE Employment First Awareness Session – July 16, Long Beach

An awareness session will be held July 16, in Long Beach at the Technology Learning Center on The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus at 730 East Beach Boulevard from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

For more information about the Long Beach awareness session and Employment First, email Dr. Jerry R. Alliston at jerry.alliston@usm.edu.

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