THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY INCLUSION / UMASS BOSTON PRESENTS:

Employment First: Expanding Job Opportunities and Pathways to Work


2019
Download Conference Slides Below

Sessions

Public Policy to Practice: Making a Difference in Employment

Presenters:

David Hoff, Institute for Community Inclusion / UMass Boston

Liz Weintraub, Association of University Centers on Disability

Presentation Description:

What is public policy? What impact does it have on employment of people with disabilities? Attendees at this session will learn the answers to these questions and get the latest public policy news from a national and state perspective. We will also discuss how to get involved with public policy advocacy, and in particular the importance of self-advocates making sure their voices are heard.

Presentation Resources:

Public Policy Resources

Pre-Employment Transition Services Redefined: Awareness, Exploration, Preparation

Presenters:

Corey Grant, Triangle Inc.

Charlotte Heim, Medford High School

Jennifer Stewart, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

Presentation Description:

This presentation will provide an overview the of the new MRC Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) model and how it can work in the community. Jennifer Stewart will provide an overview of the new vision and values for Pre-ETS services and explain how new opportunities can be accessed by students with disabilities. Corey Grant, from Triangle will share his experience as a provider in redesigning their Pre-ETS programming and he will be joined by Charlotte Heim, from Medford High school to share their collaboration around this new model. This session will help you better understand Pre-ETS services, how to access them, and how to support strategies for strong school and provider collaboration.

Presentation Resources:

Pre-ETS Flow Chart

Pre-ETS Guidance Marketing

The Commute: Tools and Strategies to Help Consumers Access Transportation to Employment

Presenters:

Rachel Fichtenbaum, MassMobility

Renee Lessard, Pioneer Valley Transit Authority

Presentation Description:

Access to reliable, affordable transportation is a critical component of securing and retaining employment. This session will provide a brief overview of transportation services available in communities around Massachusetts, tools to use to identify local options, and strategies for supporting individuals in trying and using new options. Renee Lessard, Travel Trainer at the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, will discuss travel training and the steps she takes when she works individually to support individuals in learning the skills and knowledge they need to ride public transit buses independently and safely. Rachel Fichtenbaum of MassMobility will share information about community transportation options available in addition to transit. If you are interested in travel training but have questions, this is the session for you!

Community Based Day Supports as a Pathway to Employment

Presenter:

Genni Sasnett, Independent Consultant

Presentation Description:

Community based day supports are moving out of the building and providing people with a broader array of experiences and opportunities. How can you harness the CBDS experience to help the people you support to go to work? Genni Sasnett will share tips for program development that can help you maximize the value of your CBDS program and the role it plays in helping the people you serve on a pathway to employment.

Social Security Benefits and Work: What You Need to Know

Presenters:

Brian Forsythe, Work Without Limits Benefits Counseling, UMass Medical School

Herminio Miranda Project Impact, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

Presentation Description:

Do you have questions about the impact of employment on Social Security Benefits? This training will address some of the common myths around work and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), while providing an overview of work incentives that that can help people who want to go to work.

Presentation Resources:

Overview of Benefits Planning

Positive Behavior Supports: An important tool for employment success for Individuals with complex emotional and behavioral challenges

Presenter:

Chris White, Road to Responsibility, Inc.

Presentation Description:

Road to Responsibility, Inc. has been implementing PBS in their day and employment services for the past several years. Come to this session to learn about some of the successes and challenges they have experienced as they integrate PBS in community employment settings. A brief overview of PBS will be provided along with examples of how PBS has made a difference in employment.

The Transition Years: Charting the Course to Employment

Presenters:

Janice Hughes, Parent

Kerry Mahoney, The Arc of Massachusetts

Jen Sulewski, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Presentation Description:

Charting the LifeCourse is a framework that was developed to help individuals with disabilities and families at any age or stage of life think about what they need to know, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live. This workshop will provide an overview of the principles and frameworks and demonstrate how these can help transition age youth and young adults navigate the world of employment. Real life experts will show the strategies and techniques they used to find jobs.

Presentation Resources:

Trajectory Worksheet

Infographic

Charting the Life Course Handout

Integrated Supports Worksheet

Supported Self-Employment

Presenter:

Jeannine Pavlak, Executive Director, New England Business Associates

Presentation Description:

With small business ownership becoming the fastest growing segment for new employment options in the United States, the New England Business Development Center is supporting individuals to become successful business owners. These individuals not only run and manage their business but are now key players in the economic development within their communities. Self -employment can provide the scheduling flexibility necessary to accommodate a disability, circumvents the often-challenging competitive employment process, creates financial equity options and allows individuals to bring their talents to the open market. This presentation will share success stories, provide a framework for creating a successful entrepreneur team, share challenges faced throughout the process and walk participants though all phases of process, including the development of a business plan.

Change 2.0

Presenters:

Genni Sasnett, Independent Consultant

Presentation Description:

Workshops are a closed and CBDS services are moving into the community. But change is not over; it’s just beginning, as we strive to reach the promise of Employment First and true community integration. This session will talk about transformation issues as agencies work to be truly community based and to promote employment. Approaches to effective community-based pre-employment preparation and wrap-around supports, decentralization of services, resource reallocation and teamwork for agency sustainability and other key elements of transformation will be discussed. Come with your stories and your questions and join the conversation! 

The Role of MassHire Career Centers in Meeting the Needs of Job Seekers

Presenters:

Sacha Stadhard, MassHire Department of Career Services

Richard Berrena, MassHire Springfield Career Center

Presentation Description:

The state’s network of 30 MassHire Career Centers has available a wide variety of services available to job seekers. This session will take a look at the role these centers and the MassHire system as a whole can play in assisting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with their employment needs. The session will include a basic overview of MassHire services, with representatives from career centers discussing their experiences in meeting the needs of individuals with significant disabilities. Through a facilitated discussion, we will discuss strategies for partnering with MassHire to meet the employment needs of job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

#nowalls

Presenters:

David Hoff, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

James Sanon, NuPath Inc.

Elder Soares, NuPath Inc.

Leigh Wilmot, NuPath Inc.

Presentation Description:

Close your eyes and picture your view of the community. Do you see walls? We don’t either. In this session we will immerse participants in the best practice in CBDS design, complemented by a journey into an innovative Without Walls program built upon these best practices. You will experience services designed and delivered free of walls and full of opportunity.

Presentation Resources:

Community-Based Day Supports Guide

Community Life Engagement Brief

Inclusive Volunteering Opportunities

Sector Based Strategies to Support Individuals with ASD in Employment

Presenters:

Herb Cabral, Horace Mann Educational Associates

Sharon Smith, Work, Inc.

Presentation Description:

This session will highlight the collaborative work of providers and employers to utilize a sector-based approach to job development for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Two programs will be presented - Work, Inc’s Meaningful Jobs Initiative focused on building employer networks in the security industry and Horace Mann Educational Associates Autism Advantage @ Work focused on the IT sector and partnering with Dell. Each program will highlight their own unique and innovative strategies and important outcomes.

Charting the Job Search Process for Individuals with Autism

Presenters:

Pamela Ferguson, Department of Developmental Services

Lea Hill, Department of Developmental Services

Shannon Hubley, Department of Developmental Services

Maria Stefano, Department of Developmental Services

Presentation Description:

Join four Regional Autism Program Coordinators from the Department of Developmental Services for this interactive session on employment of individuals with autism. While the session will focus on employment for individuals with autism without intellectual disabilities it will also be relevant for all individuals conducting a job search. The panelists will walk through the employment process with a focus on strategies to address some of the unique considerations for these job seekers. Topics covered will include strategies for getting and keeping a job. The session will also address executive functioning and sensory challenges, stress and anxiety in the workplace, and tools individuals can access to be successful on the job.

College Navigator

Presenters:

Mary Ellen MacRae, Easter Seals

Ali Ullrich, Easter Seals

Presentation Description:

While the number of students with disabilities accepted into colleges continues to climb in the right direction, research shows that the percentage of students not finishing also continues to rise. With the changes in eligibility criteria, more individuals served by DDS are choosing high education as a pathway to a career. Yet accessing the services and supports for success is not always easy. The Easter Seals MA has created College Navigator to address the bridge into higher education with the ultimate goal being degree completion. This workshop will discuss some of the lessons learned and strategies to support success in college.

Presentation Resources:

Informational Flyer

Inclusive Dual Enrollment for College & Career Readiness

Presenters:

Carole Carlson, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Presentation Description:

Students with intellectual disabilities/autism are getting opportunities to include college and work experiences in their transition services. These inclusive dual enrollment opportunities allow students to identify and explore a variety of interest areas and learn community-based life skills while they are still eligible for transition services, paving the way to improved preparation for integrated paid employment. The presenters will share information and stories about how inclusive dual enrollment can influence career development.

Presentation Resources:

College Career Plan

Introducing….. Customized Employment

Presenters:

Steve Aalto, Work Inc.

Cindy Thomas, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Presentation Description:

Discovery, negotiated jobs, systematic instruction, conditions for success. You hear the language of customized employment but what does it really mean and how can you begin to integrate these practices into your daily work helping people get and keep the jobs they want? This session will provide an introduction to customized employment and provide you with some strategies you can integrate into your daily work that will lead to better outcomes for the people you support. The presenters will also introduce a new Community of Practice on Customized Employment that will be launched this summer.

Work-Based Learning: It’s More than a Job

Presenter:

David Hoff, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Presentation Description:

Gaining work experience is critically important to long-term job and career success. It is important that formative work experiences for both youth and adults utilize the principles of work-based learning. This session will examine the critical factors in effective work-based learning, including the use of an interactive approach that fully engages the individual and business, using experiences that are reflective of the individual’s interests and career path status and the wide range of labor market needs, and how learning is incorporated within these experiences in a structured way. We will also discuss the incorporation of work-based learning into Pre-Employment Transition Services now available from MRC and MCB, resources available in Massachusetts to support Work Based Learning, and how individuals, educators, and service providers can effectively use work-based learning to improve and enhance employment and career outcomes.

Presentation Resources:

Work-Based Learning Handout

Autism and Neurodiversity at Work: Lessons Learned from a National Perspective

Presenter:

David Kearon, Autism Speaks

Presentation Description:

As “Autism @ Work” and corporate neurodiversity hiring initiatives mature, we are beginning to better understand the impact of this movement. Dave Kearon, Director of Adult Services at Autism Speaks, will share his perspective on the lessons learned from these hiring programs, and how we can more efficiently build on these successes across all industries and at different job levels. He will discuss his vision for a more focused effort on creating opportunities for people across the disability spectrum – not just for those with autism spectrum disorder, nor only for those who are less impacted. People with disabilities have a wide range of interests and abilities, and it is important that the opportunities available to them reflect that diversity.

The Power of Teamwork: The Kind of Support We Want!

Presenters:

Jillian Berube, MASS

Gail Delgado, MASS

Ann Fracht, MASS

Keith Miller, MASS

Presentation Description:

In this panel session, self-advocates will share with you important qualities of the employment staff who help them succeed in jobs they love. They will share their thoughts about the kind of support that helped them find a job, keep a job, or problem-solve on the job. Presenters will cover key issues and approaches that help create a strong sense of partnership and trust. They will explain why the philosophy of "Nothing About Us Without Us" is central to increasing employment for people with disabilities.

Presentation Resources:

MASS Flyer

Save the Date

Using Career Planning and Discovery to Jump Start the Job Search

Presenters:

Jill Eastman, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Lara Enein-Donovan, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Theodora Kamenidis, Institute for Community Inclusion/UMass Boston

Presentation Description:

Any good job search begins by reflecting on past experiences, marketable skills and work preferences. From there, you begin to update your resume and start exploring your possibilities. The process is no different for people you support. Your assistance in helping them find a job should start by assessing their work goals, their current abilities, and their interests. This presentation will focus on how to implement person-centered planning, identify personal and family networks, and develop vocational profiles. We will discuss how to use discovery to learn more about the job seeker and to job start the job search process. 

Presentation Resources:

Discovery Handout

Addressing System Challenges when Preparing Students with ID/DD for Employment

Presenters:

Crystal Cartwright, Amherst Regional School District

Amanda Green, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Presentation Description:

How can school districts and providers collaborate to support students with ID/DD to achieve competitive integrated employment? Join us for a presentation and problem-solving conversation. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss powerful questions, and to suggest actionable solutions that will be shared with state agency partners. This presentation will include the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)’s vision for student-driven transition to adult life and will share experiences from Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools.

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