Accessibility

A growing number of individuals with disabilities are leaving the workforce and obtaining SSDI. Statistics show that the household incomes of these workers are falling behind those of workers without disabilities. This brief lays out a two-pronged approach for bending these curves—increasing the employment rate for people with disabilities, reducing their reliance on federal support, and increasing their household incomes—while preserving benefits for those who are unable to work.

The Indiana Medicaid Infrastructure Grant’s (MIG) Asset Development/Financial Literacy Project is developing a Financial Stability Pilot to engage people with disabilities in financial literacy and asset development programs. The two main goals of the program are to increase the number of individuals with disabilities who are able to access and benefit from asset development and increase collaboration amongst the asset building and disability fields. Use the attachments to learn more.

In December, 2010 Idaho put out this first edition of a newsletter aimed at providing outreach to consumers regarding Personal Assistance Services (PAS). This newsletter shares personal stories about individuals who are actively involved in Idaho’s local communities because Medicaid offers PAS. May be replicable by other states looking for ideas on how to share personal stories

The Idaho Business Leadership Network's purpose is to develop and grow affiliates and to build workplaces in order to promote the employment of qualified persons with disabilities. Find several examples of work products from the conference including pre-conference outreach material, the agenda, presentation materials, and a conference evaluation.

How is the state of Florida educating Supported Employment providers on the history of Supported Employment, important rules and regulations, and important skills needed in this field? Attached is just one example. Explore this Supported Employment Pre-Service Training Instructor’s Guide for a mandatory 12 hour training held for all providers to learn more about how these individuals are being prepared to provide these needed services. May be replicable by other states with similar programs.

Workforce boards, job development centers, and community colleges across the country are recognizing affordable, reliable and accessible transportation as being vital to their individual and business customers' success, and they are taking steps to make transportation happen. Visit the links from this site for a sampling of the strategies these workforce development professionals are putting into action.

In order to address the alarming amount of patients harmed by medical mistakes in the health care system, the Obama Administration has launched the Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs. This public-private partnership will help improve the quality, safety, and affordability of health care for all Americans. Use these links to learn more and to join the Partnership.

Most Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries complete a 5-month waiting period before cash benefits entitlement and a 24-month waiting period before Medicare benefits. The Accelerated Benefits randomized experiment tests the effects of providing beneficiaries without health insurance with a benefits package during the waiting period. Read this article for findings on the prevalence of health insurance coverage among beneficiaries and the characteristics of those without insurance.

How is the state of Connecticut providing recognition for employers who effectively recruit and retain individuals with disabilities? This article, put out by DiversityInc, is one example. Within this article, find a replicable format for acknowledging exemplary leadership and dedication by companies in hiring and promoting people with disabilities. Also, they have an alert system that informs readers when new articles are available.

In honor of the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, Family Caregiver Alliance releases this guide which highlights some of the most important developments in 2010 affecting family caregivers, including legislative and policy changes; research focused on caregivers; and media coverage of family caregiving. A great resource for families, researchers, policymakers, and others.