Live.WORK.Achieve
A Listserv for the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment
for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Including Intellectual Disabilities Project
January 2014
Welcome to Live.WORK.Achieve, a monthly e-newsletter targeting anyone interested in and supportive of employment for youth and young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Live.WORK.Achieve is offered through the Institute for Disability Studies in collaboration with the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities and Disability Rights Mississippi and includes resources and information on employment and career development.
Inside this edition:
1) Employment First in Mississippi - A Day at the Capitol – Jan. 14, Jackson
2) EmployAbility Job Fair – Jan. 30, Jackson
3) Career Planning and Counseling
4) Real People, Real Jobs
5) Work-Based Learning in Youth Employment and Training Programs
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1) Employment First in Mississippi - A Day at the Capitol – Jan. 14, Jackson
Join the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment (MSPE) program for a day at the Capitol on Jan. 14. A press conference in support of Employment First in Mississippi will be held on the second floor of the Capitol at 10 a.m. An informational display will be set up downstairs in the first floor rotunda from noon until 5 p.m. Employment First is the concept that people with disabilities of working age should expect integrated employment in the workforce as a first option, and employers and service providers should encourage, provide and create rewarding employment. For more information about Employment First, the MSPE program, or the day at the Capitol, contact Dr. Jerry R. Alliston at jerry.alliston@usm.edu or visit http://www.mspeidd.org.
2) EmployAbility Job Fair – Jan. 30, Jackson
The Governor’s Job Fair Network and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services will host a job fair to promote the hiring of Mississippians with disabilities on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Sparkman Building at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson. For more information, visit http://www.jobfairs.ms.gov/Pages/home.aspx.
3) Career Planning and Counseling
The Career Planning and Counseling microgroup, part of the Youth and Adult Pathways (YAP) Microgroup series within the Career Pathways community on the LINCS Platform, has been launched this month. This community will bring together youth and adult educators interested in improving outcomes for students as they transition into adult education settings. Several interactive live events are planned with nationally recognized leaders in youth transition, especially for students with disabilities. Scheduled events to date include: Jan. 1-10 - Listen to the archived presentation by Dr. Judy Shanley, Easter Seals, to set the stage for career development topics. Content includes an overview of evidence-based career development practices, and strategies to integrate career-related content in adult education settings; Jan. 21 – In a live webinar, Curtis Richards, Director, Center for Workforce Development, Institute for Educational Leadership, will discuss career development tools from the U.S. Department of Labor including Guideposts for Student Success and Individualized Learning Plans. The month will also include forums in which youth will talk about their career development experiences. To join the YAP Event Series, log on to: https://community.lincs.ed.gov/group/youth-and-adult-pathways-yap-series. For Guideposts information, visit http://www.ncwd-youth.info/guideposts. For information on Individualized Learning Plans, visit http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp.
4) Real People, Real Jobs
Real People, Real Jobs is a website featuring employment success stories. The site highlights individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities working in paid jobs in their communities through the use of innovative front-line strategies. The site’s mission is to show what's possible for people with disabilities, their families, and front-line employment-support professionals. New stories are always being added. Read about Eric and Francesca, who turned volunteer opportunities into paid positions. Read how Corey developed a business that met a need in his community, and how Anna and Jackson's complementary skills turned into a business partnership. You can also learn how a job developer's networking skills contributed to Zachary finding the ideal work opportunity in web design. Featured stories are on the homepage, and there are lots of other stories, photos, videos and a brochure. For more information, visit http://www.realworkstories.org/.
5) Work-Based Learning in Youth Employment and Training Programs
NCWD/Youth has published a new report entitled Use of Social Security Work Incentives to Promote Work-Based Learning in Youth Employment and Training Programs. This report examines AmeriCorps as a model that includes an income exemption that allows youth with disabilities who are Social Security beneficiaries to participate in work-based learning experiences and receive a living allowance or stipend without it impacting their benefits. The report provides an overview about the importance of work-based learning experiences, including service learning, particularly for youth with disabilities, and the current state of policy and practice regarding the use of the AmeriCorps income exclusion. The report also includes recommendations for increasing the scope and utilization of the existing AmeriCorps exemption and for the expansion of similar incentives to other youth employment and training programs serving transition-age youth with disabilities, such as those funded under the Workforce Investment Act. For more information and a copy of the report, visit http://www.ncwd-youth.info/social-security-and-work-based-learning.
***PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to access any of the links in Live.WORK.Achieve, please make sure the entire link is highlighted. If a link is not highlighted, please copy and paste the entire link into your Web browser.
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Live.WORK.Achieve is sponsored by the Mississippi Partnerships for Employment (MSPE) for Youth and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities, Including Intellectual Disabilities project. MSPE is funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is managed by the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities (MS CDD), Disability Rights Mississippi (DRMS) and The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies (IDS).
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