Employment First Massachusetts

This 3-day training focuses on how work earnings affect Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicaid, Medicare, subsidized housing, food stamps, and other public benefits. Included is a review of work incentives associated with each benefit and how they can assist individuals with disabilities to transition into employment or increase earnings without jeopardizing benefits. This training is geared toward employment professionals, case managers, and rehabilitation counselors.

• As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:
• Differentiate between SSI and SSDI, Medicare and Medicaid
• Explain how earnings will impact cash, healthcare and other benefits
• Educate consumers about the rules and best practices to report income
• Describe how work incentives can help consumers to make a smooth transition to work
• Direct consumers to resources that can help address their employment and benefit related needs

Questions? Contact Berenise Reyes-Albino at Berenise.albino@umb.edu

Whether you are an aging caregiver or caring for an aging adult, it's important to foster open communication around future planning. Learn how to use the Charting the LifeCourse Framework to help get you through those tough (but necessary) conversations about future healthcare wishes and end-of-life treatments. This discussion will focus on the Life Domain Vision Tool & Mapping Relationship and Roles using the framework as a guide.

Presenter: Sonja Haecker, executive vice president, Berkshire County Arc

Much focus is given to exploring and implementing reasonable accommodations in the workplace, but it is equally important to continue to monitor accommodations to insure they remain effective over time. This session from the Yang-Tan Institute at Cornell University, will explore best practices for the employment service professional to consider in their work with employers and supported employees when monitoring the ongoing effectiveness of workplace accommodations.

Combining Work and Benefits is a self-paced online course available throughout January. It’s designed to help professionals support individuals who are considering work, returning to work, or unsure about employment due to concerns about benefits. Through four engaging lessons, the course covers key topics, like financial well-being, federal and state benefits, work incentives, and maintaining healthcare coverage. Participants will gain practical knowledge and tools to guide informed benefits planning conversations and help people make confident decisions about working while maintaining essential supports.

Join the Massachusetts DDS Autism Division Team and Aspiritech for an interactive session on recognizing and leveraging the strengths of neurodiverse talent. Learn practical strategies to create workplaces that are inclusive, innovative, and equitable.

Who should attend? HR professionals, hiring managers, support providers, and anyone committed to fostering belonging and improving organizational performance.

Ever feel stuck between big dreams and concrete next steps? In this interactive webinar, join Amanda Purchase from MA Central/West Department of Developmental Services (DDS), and Haran Phaneuf from Multicultural Community Services to discuss how to use the tools flexibly to clarify vision, identify what really matters, and map out meaningful, doable action steps.

Whether you are supporting others or charting your own path, you will learn how to use the tools like a conversation—not a checklist—turning ideas into action with purpose, creativity, and confidence.

LifeCourse in Action webinars are presented in English on Zoom with live, simultaneous Spanish interpretation. Please let us know if you have any disability access or language access needs to attend this webinar.

Supporting individuals to be successful at their jobs is not as easy as it sounds. It requires many skills, including excellent communication, maintaining relationships with multiple team members (including employers), knowledge about accommodations and assistive technology, and effectively assisting people with various disabilities to learn and master new tasks.

In this training, you will learn about:

• best practices and strategies needed to support individuals in meeting their

employment goals

• the role of the job coach

• natural supports and social inclusion

• systematic instruction

• job maintenance and self-management techniques

• fading and behavioral support strategies

You must attend both sessions to receive a letter of completion.