All States/Territories

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.

Assessing customer satisfaction, awareness and interest in VR services among the broader business community is important when determining the success of a MIG program. Vermont’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation conducted an employer survey to address these questions. The draft of the report, and a PowerPoint presentation outlining the results of the survey are provided and could be helpful to other MIG states looking into accessing their programs.

How can states make the employment of people with disabilities easier and more desirable to local business? As part of their MIG grant, Vermont has created Creative Workforce Solutions, a website designed to give employers information and support on hiring individuals with disabilities. Designed with the look and feel of a more standard employment site rather than that of a government program, it provides many useful resources and information to employers, including consulting services.

Vermont's GCEPD program uses its bi-monthly newsletter, "Abilities", to provide stories, information, and resources about the employment of individuals with disabilities. Each issue focuses on a particular disability-related topic and usually highlights a successful employment scenario. An archive of these issues is available and could serve as an example to other MIG states.

Understanding the myriad of rules governing SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare & related work incentives for people with disabilities is essential in creating successful MIG programs. One tool the state of Virginia is using is a true/false test given to trainees at the beginning, and again at the end of a two day training session. A sample of the test is attached, along with the training agenda and table of contents for the manual used in the training.