Wages and Benefits

What can parents do to help young adults improve employability skills and prepare for the world of work? Utah wants to get parents involved early. They created the attached PowerPoint presentation that outlines essential skills and a list of how parents can help with each. These skills are broken down into work, academic, people and thinking skills. This is an approach that could be useful to other MIG grantees.

How are states using online resources to educate consumers about their choices? The state of Utah developed a resource site for the following areas: Employment, Benefits, Education and Training, Housing, Transportation, Finances and Money Management, Legal and Advocacy, Assistive Technology, Healthy Living. A link to the site is available and could serve as an example to other MIG states.

Promoting the hiring of people with disabilities though media directed at the businesses community could be a useful marketing strategy. The attached document is a sample of an article for the magazine "Indiana Employer". "The Disability Advantage," by James Emmett, explains how a formal disability outreach program can boost your bottom line, build your business, and lower your exposure to disability-related lawsuits. It is an example that could be helpful to other states.

How are states keeping those involved in MIG grant programs up-to-date on important policies and issues? Utah created a newsletter for their MIG program. The Fall 2009 issue is attached and features a calendar of events for the October Disability Employment Awareness Month, and includes information regarding Individual Development Accounts and the Work Incentive Seminar Event (WISE). This publication could serve as example to other MIG grantees.

Seamless collaboration with and for students with disabilities transitioning to employment, education/training, and adult life is vital to making transition programs successful. Utah created a Transition Action Guide for students with disabilities and agencies to accomplish this. A sample copy, revised in April of 2010, is attached. A link is also provided to a copy posted on Utah’s State Office of Education site, where it is updated periodically.

How is Utah training Vocational Rehabilitation and On-the-Job Training Specialists? The attached presentations were created by The Employer Relations Specialist for Utah’s State Office of Rehabilitation to address employer relations, successful job development, business and vocational rehabilitation relationships and essential skills for finding and keeping a job. These presentations contain information and resources that could be useful to other MIG grantees interested in training ideas.

Dispelling myths about employment is key to getting consumers involved in MIG programs. Utah created a presentation which focuses on ”busting” these myths as a way of educating consumers about work incentives. By addressing concerns over loss of social security or feelings that finding job training and employment may be unrealistic, Utah hopes to get the facts about their programs to the people who benefit from them most. It’s an approach that other states could find beneficial.

Turning the many acronyms that make up the landscape of MIG programs into something youth with disabilities and their families can understand and utilize is essential in effecting successful transitions from school to employment. Utah created the attached presentation for a workshop designed to break down these acronyms into meaningful opportunities. This playful approach is something that other MIG grantees could find useful.

How are internships being utilized in employment programs for people with disabilities? Vermont created an internship program to facilitate the placement of interns throughout their state government. A program overview and information for agencies and interns is available on Vermont’s Department of Human Resources website. This program could serve as an example for other MIG states seeking to implement a similar program.

How is Utah involving employers and educators in vocational rehabilitation? This pilot is meant to establish a relationship between business and education, providing skill training in resume writing, interviewing, applications, job shadowing and job sampling. This presentation is part of this effort and could be useful to other MIG states wishing to do the same.